Thursday, March 9

12But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.

13But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.

14Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;

15for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

17And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.

18But not a hair of your head shall be lost.

19By your patience possess your souls.

1In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The house was full of His glory.

2Around Him stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3And one cried to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.'

4The lintel was lifted up by the voice of those who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5So I said, 'Woe is me, because I am pierced to the heart, for being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; for I saw the King, the Lord of hosts, with my eyes!'

6Then one of the seraphim was sent to me. He had a live coal in his hand, which he took with tongs from the altar.

7He touched my mouth, and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips. Your lawlessness is taken away, and your sin is cleansed.'

8I also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?' Then I said, 'Behold, here am I, send me.'

9So He said, 'Go, and tell this people, 'You shall hear indeed, but not understand; and you shall see indeed, but not perceive.'

10For the heart of this people has become insensitive, and their ears hear with difficulty. They have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and I should heal them.'

11Then I said, 'Lord, how long?' So He answered, 'Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without people, and the land shall be left desolate.

12After this God will remove the people far away, and those left in the land shall multiply.

1This is the book of the genesis of mankind in the day God made Adam, whom He made in God's image.

2He made them male and female, and blessed them; and the day He made them He called his name Adam.

3Now Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son according to his form and image, and named him Seth.

4After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were seven hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

5So all the days Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

6Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.

7After he begot Enosh, Seth lived seven hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

8So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

9Now Enosh lived one hundred and ninety years, and begot Cainan.

10After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived seven hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

11So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

12Now Cainan lived one hundred and seventy years, and begot Mahalalel.

13After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived seven hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters.

14So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

15Now Mahalalel lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Jared.

16After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived seven hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

17So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

18Now Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.

19After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

20So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

21Now Enoch lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.

22After he begot Methuselah, Enoch was well-pleasing to God for two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

23So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

24Thus Enoch was well-pleasing to God, and was not found, for God translated him.

3My son, do what I command you, and you will save yourself; For you came into the hands of evil things through your friend;

4Do not be faint, But provoke even your friend, for whom you assumed a debt;

5Do not give sleep to your eyes Nor slumber to your eyelids

6That you may be saved, as a gazelle from the snares, And as a bird from a trap.

7Compare yourself with the ant, O sluggard, And be zealous when you see his ways, And become wiser than he.

8For although he has no tilled land, Neither any one to compel him, Nor any master to rule him,

9Yet he prepares all his food in the summer And makes his provisions abundant in the winter.

10Or go to the honey bee, And learn how she is a worker And how solemnly she does her work,

11Whose labors kings and common people use for health; And she is desirable to all and glorious;

12And although she is weak in bodily strength, She leads the way in honoring wisdom.

13How long, O sluggard, will you be idle, And when will you arise from sleep?

14You sleep a little; you sit down a little; you doze a short while; And you fold your hands on your chest a little;

15Then poverty comes to you as an evil traveler And neediness as a swift runner.

16But if you are diligent, your harvest shall come to you as a fountain, And neediness as an evil runner shall desert you.

17A man who is without discernment and is lawless does not walk in good ways. But he winks with an eye; he makes a sign with his foot, And teaches with the wave of his hand.

18And with a perverse heart, he constantly schemes evil things; Such a man causes trouble in a city.

19Therefore his destruction comes suddenly, A deep and incurable wound.

20For he rejoices in every thing the Lord hates, And he shall be broken because of his soul's uncleanness:

1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

4You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

5And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.'

7If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

9Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.

1For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.

5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.

6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'

7They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'

8'So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'

9And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

10But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.

11And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,

12saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'

13But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.

15Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'

16So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.'