Judgment and Salvation
1 yI was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that was not called by1 my name.
2 zI spread out my hands all the day
to a arebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
3 a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in bgardens
and making offerings on bricks;
4 who sit in tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat cpig’s flesh,
and broth of dtainted meat is in their vessels;
5 who say, “Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before me:
“I will not ekeep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their lap
7 both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together,
says the Lord;
because they made offerings fon the mountains
and insulted me on the hills,
I will measure into their lap
payment for their former deeds.”2
8 Thus says the Lord:
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,’
so I will do for my servants’ sake,
and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
and from Judah possessors of my mountains;
my chosen shall possess it,
and my servants shall dwell there.
10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
for my people who have gsought me.
11 But you who hforsake the Lord,
who forget my holy mountain,
who set a table for Fortune
and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you to the sword,
and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,
because, iwhen I called, you did not answer;
when I spoke, you did not listen,
but you did what was evil in my eyes
and chose what I did not delight in.”
Some Will Depart from the Faith
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that xin later times some will ydepart from the faith by devoting themselves to zdeceitful spirits and ateachings of bdemons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose cconsciences are seared, 3 who dforbid emarriage and frequire abstinence from foods gthat God created hto be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For ieverything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is jmade holy by the word of God and prayer.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6 If you put these things before the brothers,1 you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that kyou have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with lirreverent, silly mmyths. Rather ntrain yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, ogodliness is of value in every way, pas it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 qThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive,2 because rwe have our hope set on the living God, swho is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 tCommand and uteach these things. 12 vLet no one despise you for your youth, but wset the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until xI come, devote yourself to the public yreading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, zwhich was given you by prophecy when the council of elders alaid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,3 so that all may see your bprogress. 16 cKeep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 yAnd they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, zto trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, awe know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For byou are not swayed by cappearances,1 but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay dtaxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius2 and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, e“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
18 fAnd Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no gresurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, hMoses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man3 must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, iin the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, j‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
