Friday, May 21

22You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth, and fulfilled it with Your hand, as today.

23Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, so long as your people guard and keep their ways to walk before Me, as you walked before Me.'

24So now, O Lord God of Israel, let the word be confirmed You spoke to Your servant David my father.

25'But will God indeed dwell with men on earth? If the heaven and the heaven of heaven will not be sufficient for You, how much less even this temple I built in Your name?

26Yet, O Lord God of Israel, regard my prayer, which Your servant is praying before You today,

27that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' to hear the prayer Your servant prays in this place day and night.

28You will hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. You will hear in Your dwelling place in heaven, and You will be merciful.

29'When anyone sins against his neighbor, or if he takes up an oath that he should swear, and comes and redeems himself before Your altar in this temple,

30You will hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your people Israel; condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his own head, and justifying the righteous by giving to him according to his righteousness.

10and they shall have exceeding gladness in the Lord.'

11Let my soul rejoice exceedingly in the Lord, for He clothed me with the garment of salvation and the tunic of gladness. He put a miter around me like a bridegroom and adorned me with ornaments like a bride. As the earth causes its flower to grow, and as a garden its seeds, so shall the Lord cause righteousness to rise up, and exceeding joy before all the Gentiles.

1For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until My righteousness goes forth as light, and My salvation burns like a lamp.

2The Gentiles will see your righteousness, and kings your glory; and one will call you by your new name, which the Lord shall name.

3You shall also be a crown of beauty in the Lord's hand, and the diadem of a kingdom in the hand of your God.

4You shall no longer be called Forsaken, and your land shall not be called Desert; for you shall be called My Will, and in your land, the Inhabited Earth.

5As a young man lives in wedlock with a virgin, so shall your sons dwell with you, and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so the Lord shall rejoice over you.

1Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2Behold, darkness and gloom shall cover the earth upon the nations, but the Lord will shine on you; and His glory shall be seen upon you.

3Kings shall come to your light, and the Gentiles to your brightness.

4Lift up your eyes all around, and see your children gathered together. Behold, all your sons come from afar, and your daughters shall be lifted upon their shoulders.

5Then you will see, fear and be amazed in your heart, because the wealth of the sea and of nations and peoples shall change their course and turn to you.

6Herds of camels shall come to you, and the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you. All those from Sheba shall come bearing gold, and they shall bring frankincense and proclaim the good news of the Lord's salvation.

7All the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come to you. They shall offer acceptable sacrifices upon My altar, and My house of prayer shall be glorified.

8Who are these who fly like clouds and like doves with young?

9The coastlands waited for Me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and silver and gold with them for the sake of the Lord's name, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified.

10Foreigners shall build your walls, and their kings shall defend you; for I struck you because of My wrath, and I loved you because of My mercy.

11Your gates shall be opened continually, and they shall not be shut day or night, to bring you the power of the Gentiles, and their kings leading them.

12For the nations and their kings who will not serve you shall perish, and those nations will be utterly desolate.

13The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, the pine, and the cedar together, to glorify My holy place.

14The sons of those who humbled and provoked you shall go to you in fear, and you shall be called City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help you, therefore I will make you an eternal joy, the gladness of generations to generations.

16You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and eat the wealth of kings. You shall know I am the Lord who saves you and the God of Israel who delivers you.

9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

40But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

1Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

2and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

4Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'

5And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?'

6Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?'

7Then the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.' And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

8Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 'Ananias.'

11And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.' So the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.'

13Then Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.'

15But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

16For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.'

17And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'

18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

19So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

1Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You are permitted to speak for yourself.'

2So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: 'I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,

3especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

4'My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.

5They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

7To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

8Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

9'Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

11And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

12'While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

14And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

15So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,

18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'

19'Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

48I am the bread of life.

49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.

51I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'

52The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, 'How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?'

53Then Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

1Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.'

6Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7Then Jesus said to them again, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

8All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.

9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.