John 13:31–38; Jude 17–25; Job 22; Daniel 10–12

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon
John 13:31–38

A New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, nNow is the Son of Man glorified, and oGod is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, pGod will also glorify him in himself, and qglorify him at once. 33 Little children, ryet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just sas I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, Where I am going you cannot come. 34 tA new commandment uI give to you, vthat you love one another: wjust as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 xBy this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

36 Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going? yJesus answered him, Where I am going zyou cannot follow me now, abut you will follow afterward. 37 bPeter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. 38 Jesus answered, Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, cthe rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.


Jude 17–25

A Call to Persevere

17 But you must tremember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They1 said to you, uIn the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions. 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, vdevoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, wbuilding yourselves up in your most holy faith and xpraying in the Holy Spirit, 21 ykeep yourselves in the love of God, zwaiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by asnatching them out of bthe fire; to others show mercy cwith fear, hating even dthe garment2 stained by the flesh.

Doxology

24 eNow to him who is able fto keep you from stumbling and gto present you hblameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to ithe only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, jbe glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time3 and now and forever. Amen.


Job 22

Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great

Then zEliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

aCan a man be profitable to God?

Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,

or is it gain to him if you bmake your ways blameless?

Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you

and centers into judgment with you?

Is not your evil abundant?

There is no end to your iniquities.

For you have dexacted pledges of your brothers for nothing

eand stripped the naked of their clothing.

You have given no water to the weary to drink,

and you have fwithheld bread from the hungry.

gThe man with power possessed the land,

and hthe favored man lived in it.

You have isent widows away empty,

and jthe arms of kthe fatherless were crushed.

10  Therefore lsnares are all around you,

and sudden terror overwhelms you,

11  or mdarkness, so that you cannot see,

and a nflood of owater covers you.

12  Is not God high in the heavens?

See pthe highest stars, how lofty they are!

13  But you say, qWhat does God know?

Can he judge through rthe deep darkness?

14  sThick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,

and he walks on the vault of heaven.

15  Will you keep to the old way

that wicked men have trod?

16  They were snatched away tbefore their time;

their foundation was washed away.1

17  They said to God, uDepart from us,

and vWhat can the Almighty do to us?2

18  Yet he filled their houses with good things

but wthe counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19  xThe righteous see it and are glad;

the innocent one ymocks at them,

20  saying, Surely our adversaries are cut off,

and what they left zthe fire has consumed.

21  aAgree with God, and bbe at peace;

thereby good will come to you.

22  Receive instruction from chis mouth,

and dlay up his words in your heart.

23  If you ereturn to the Almighty you will be fbuilt up;

if you gremove injustice far from your tents,

24  if you lay gold in hthe dust,

and gold of iOphir among the stones of the torrent-bed,

25  then the Almighty will be your gold

and your precious silver.

26  For then you jwill delight yourself in the Almighty

and klift up your face to God.

27  You will lmake your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will mpay your vows.

28  You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and nlight will shine on your ways.

29  For when they are humbled you say, It is because of pride;3

but he saves othe lowly.

30  He pdelivers even the one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through qthe cleanness of your hands.


Daniel 10–12

Daniel’s Terrifying Vision of a Man

bIn the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, cwho was named Belteshazzar. And dthe word was true, and it was a great conflict.1 And ehe understood the word and ehad understanding of the vision.

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for fthree weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I ganoint myself at all, for fthe full three weeks. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing hon the bank of the great river (ithat is, the Tigris) jI lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, ka man clothed in linen, lwith a belt of fine mgold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like nberyl, his face olike the appearance of lightning, phis eyes like flaming torches, his arms and qlegs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and qthe sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. rAnd I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and sno strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed,2 tand I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words, uand as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep uwith my face to the ground.

10 And behold, va hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, O Daniel, wman greatly loved, xunderstand the words that I speak to you, and ystand upright, for znow I have been sent to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, aFear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you bset your heart to understand and bhumbled yourself before your God, cyour words have been heard, dand I have come because of your words. 13 eThe prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me ftwenty-one days, but gMichael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 dand came to make you understand what is to happen to your people hin the latter days. For ithe vision is for days yet to come.

15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, jI turned my face toward the ground kand was mute. 16 And behold, lone in the likeness of the children of man mtouched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and nI retain no strength. 17 How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.

18 Again lone having the appearance of a man mtouched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, oO man greatly loved, pfear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage. And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me. 20 Then he said, Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the qprince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of rGreece will come. 21 But I will tell you swhat is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except tMichael, your prince.

The Kings of the South and the North

And as for me, uin the first year of uDarius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

And now I will show you vthe truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then wa mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and xdo as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, yhis kingdom shall be broken and divided ytoward the zfour winds of heaven, but anot to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he band shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. After some years cthey shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported3 her in those times.

And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the dfortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious evessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.

10 His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming fand overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his dfortress. 11 Then the king of the south, gmoved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. hAnd he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again iraise a multitude, greater than the first. And jafter some years4 he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

14 In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but kthey shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and lthrow up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall mdo as he wills, and nnone shall stand before him. And he shall stand in othe glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall pset his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom,5 but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed,6 he qshall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the rfortresses of his own land, but he shall sstumble and fall, tand shall not be found.

20 Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an uexactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. vHe shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom wby flatteries. 22 Armies shall be xutterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 yWithout warning he shall come into zthe richest parts7 of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against athe king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be bswept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for cthe end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

29 At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of dKittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and ebe enraged and etake action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and fprofane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And gthey shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 hAnd the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, ipurified, and jmade white, until kthe time of the end, kfor it still awaits the appointed time.

36 And the king shall ldo as he wills. mHe shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, nand shall speak astonishing things against othe God of gods. pHe shall prosper qtill the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for mhe shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor rwith gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and sshall divide the land for a price.8

40 tAt the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack9 him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him ulike a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and vshall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into wthe glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: xEdom and xMoab and the main part of the xAmmonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the yLibyans and the zCushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

The Time of the End

At that time shall arise aMichael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And bthere shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, ceveryone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who dsleep in ethe dust of the earth shall eawake, fsome to everlasting life, and fsome to shame and everlasting contempt. gAnd those who are wise hshall shine like the brightness of the sky above;10 and ithose who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, jshut up the words and kseal the book, until lthe time of the end. mMany shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.

Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on nthis bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to othe man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,11 pHow long shall it be till the end of these wonders? And I heard othe man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; qhe raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and rswore by him who lives forever that it would be for a stime, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of tthe power of tthe holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. I heard, ubut I did not understand. Then I said, O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things? He said, vGo your way, Daniel, wfor the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 xMany shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but ythe wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, gbut those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that zthe regular burnt offering is taken away and athe abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 bBlessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 cBut go your way till the end. dAnd you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at ethe end of the days.