The Death of Lazarus

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of ^lMary and her sister Martha. 2 ^mIt was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, ⁿhe whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, ^o“This illness does not lead to death. It is for ^pthe glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now ^qJesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus¹ was ill, ^rhe stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, ^s“Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, ^t“Rabbi, ^uthe Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, ^v“Are there not twelve hours in the day? ^wIf anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But ^xif anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not ^xin him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus ^yhas fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 ^zSo Thomas, called the Twin,² said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, ^athat we may die with him.”

1 See ^ywhat kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called ^zchildren of God; and so we are. The reason why ^athe world does not know us is that ^bit did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are ^zGod’s children ^cnow, and what we will be ^dhas not yet appeared; but we know that ^ewhen he appears^{1 f}we shall be like him, because ^gwe shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who ^hthus hopes in him ⁱpurifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ^jsin is lawlessness. 5 You know that ^khe appeared in order to ^ltake away sins, and ^min him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ⁿno one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, ^olet no one deceive you. ^pWhoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 ^qWhoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was ^rto destroy the works of the devil. 9 ^sNo one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s² seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, ^tnor is the one who ^udoes not love his brother.

Job Continues: Still I Will Hope in God

Prophecy Against Mount Seir

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 ^f“Son of man, ^gset your face ^hagainst ⁱMount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3 and say to it, Thus says the Lord God: ^jBehold, I am against you, Mount Seir, and ^kI will stretch out my hand against you, ^land I will make you a desolation and a waste. 4 ^mI will lay your cities waste, and you shall become a desolation, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 5 Because ⁿyou cherished perpetual enmity and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword ^oat the time of their calamity, ^pat the time of their final punishment, 6 therefore, ^qas I live, declares the Lord God, I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; ^rbecause you did not hate bloodshed, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7 ^lI will make Mount Seir a waste ^mand a desolation, and I will cut off from it ^sall who come and go. 8 And I will fill ^tits mountains with the slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all ^tyour ravines ^uthose slain with the sword shall fall. 9 ^lI will make you a perpetual desolation, and ^myour cities shall not be inhabited. Then ^vyou will know that I am the Lord.

10 “Because you said, ^w‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and ^xwe will take possession of them’—although the ^yLord was there— 11 therefore, ^qas I live, declares the Lord God, I will deal with you ^zaccording to the anger and ^zenvy that you showed because of your hatred against them. And ^aI will make myself known among them, when I judge you. 12 And you shall know that I am the Lord.

^b“I have heard all the revilings that you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are laid desolate; ^cthey are given us to devour.’ 13 And ^byou magnified yourselves against me ^dwith your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it. 14 Thus says the Lord God: ^eWhile the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15 As you ^frejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, ^gMount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then ^hthey will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy to the Mountains of Israel

1 “And you, ⁱson of man, prophesy to ^jthe mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord God: Because ^kthe enemy said of you, ^l‘Aha!’ and, ‘The ancient ^mheights have become our possession,’ 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because ⁿthey made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and ^oyou became the talk and evil gossip of the people, 4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to ^pthe mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, ^qthe desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become ^ra prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, 5 therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely I have spoken in ^smy hot jealousy against the rest of the nations and ^tagainst all Edom, who ^ugave my land to themselves as a possession ^vwith wholehearted joy and ^wutter contempt, that they might make its pasturelands a prey. 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to ^jthe mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: ^xBehold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered ^ythe reproach of the nations. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^zI swear that the nations that are all around you ^yshall themselves suffer reproach.

8 “But you, O mountains of Israel, ^ashall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for ^bthey will soon come home. 9 For ^cbehold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and ^dyou shall be tilled and sown. 10 And ^eI will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. ^fThe cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. 11 And I will multiply on you ^gman and beast, and ^hthey shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in ⁱyour former times, and ^jwill do more good to you than ever before. ^kThen you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. ^lAnd they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer ^mbereave them of children. 13 Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, ⁿ‘You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you shall no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord God. 15 And I will not let you hear anymore ^ythe reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord’s Concern for His Holy Name

16 The word of the Lord came to me: 17 ^o“Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, ^pthey defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were ^qlike the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So ^rI poured out my wrath upon them ^sfor the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols ^twith which they had defiled it. 19 ^uI scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. ^vIn accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, ^wthey profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ 21 But I had concern ^xfor my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came.

I Will Put My Spirit Within You

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^yIt is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, ^wwhich you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 ^zAnd I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. ^aAnd the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 ^bI will take you ^cfrom the nations and gather you from all the countries and ^dbring you into your own land. 25 ^eI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from ^fall your uncleannesses, and ^gfrom all your idols ^hI will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you ⁱa new heart, and ⁱa new spirit I will put within you. ⁱAnd I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 ^jAnd I will put my Spirit within you, ⁱand cause you to walk in my statutes and ^kbe careful to obey my rules.¹ 28 ^lYou shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ^myou shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And ⁿI will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And ^oI will summon the grain and make it abundant and ^play no famine upon you. 30 ^qI will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, ^othat you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then ^ryou will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 ^yIt is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

33 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that ^sI cleanse you from all your iniquities, ^tI will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. 35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like ^uthe garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then ^vthe nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and ^wreplanted that which was desolate. ^xI am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.

37 “Thus says the Lord God: This also ^yI will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: ^zto increase their people like ^aa flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices,^{2 b}like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so ^tshall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. ^cThen they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Valley of Dry Bones

1 ^dThe hand of the Lord was upon me, and ^ehe brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;³ it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, ^f“Son of man, ^gcan these bones live?” And ^hI answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, ⁱ“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ^jO dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause ^kbreath⁴ to enter you, and you shall live. 6 ^lAnd I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and ^lcover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, ^mand you shall know that I am the Lord.”

7 So I prophesied ⁿas I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, ^oa rattling,⁵ and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But ^pthere was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, ⁱ“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, ^fson of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from ^qthe four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied ⁿas he commanded me, and ^rthe breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then he said to me, ^f“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and ^sour hope is lost; ^twe are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore ⁱprophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, ^uI will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And ^vI will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ^wyou shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And ^xI will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; ^yI have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 ^z“Son of man, ^atake a stick⁶ and write on it, ‘For ^bJudah, and ^cthe people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For ^bJoseph (the stick of ^dEphraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17 And ^ejoin them one to another into one stick, that ^fthey may become ^gone in your hand. 18 And when ^hyour people say to you, ⁱ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19 say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take ^jthe stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the ^jstick of Judah,⁷ and ^kmake them one stick, ^gthat they may be one in my hand. 20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand ^lbefore their eyes, 21 then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, ^mI will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and ^mbring them to their own land. 22 And ⁿI will make them one nation in the land, on ^othe mountains of Israel. And ^pone king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer ^qtwo nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23 ^rThey shall not ^sdefile themselves anymore ^twith their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But ^uI will save them from all the backslidings⁸ in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and ^vthey shall be my people, and I will be their God.

24 “My servant ^wDavid ^xshall be king over them, and they shall all have ^yone shepherd. ^zThey shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 ^aThey shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there ^bforever, and David my servant shall be their prince ^cforever. 26 ^dI will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be ^ean everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land⁹ and ^fmultiply them, and will ^gset my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 ^hMy dwelling place shall be with them, ^vand I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 Then ⁱthe nations will know that ^jI am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when ^gmy sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”