John 7:25–36; 1 Peter 5:8–14; Song of Solomon 8:8–14; Lamentations 4–5

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon
John 7:25–36

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, Is not this the man whom xthey seek to kill? 26 And here he is, yspeaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that zthe authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But awe know bwhere this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, cno one will know where he comes from. 28 So Jesus proclaimed, das he taught in the temple, aYou know me, and you know where I come from. But eI have not come of my own accord. fHe who sent me is true, gand him you do not know. 29 hI know him, for I come ifrom him, and jhe sent me. 30 kSo they were seeking to arrest him, but lno one laid a hand on him, mbecause his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet nmany of the people believed in him. They said, oWhen the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd pmuttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent qofficers to arrest him. 33 Jesus then said, rI will be with you a little longer, and then sI am going to him who sent me. 34 tYou will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come. 35 The Jews said to one another, Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? uDoes he intend to go to vthe Dispersion among wthe Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean by saying, xYou will seek me and you will not find me, and, Where I am you cannot come?


1 Peter 5:8–14

aBe sober-minded; bbe watchful. Your cadversary the devil dprowls around elike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. fResist him, gfirm in your faith, knowing that hthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And iafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, jwho has called you to his keternal glory in Christ, will himself lrestore, mconfirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 nTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

12 By oSilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, pI have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is qthe true grace of God. rStand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does sMark, my son. 14 tGreet one another with the kiss of love.

uPeace to all of you who are in Christ.


Song of Solomon 8:8–14

Final Advice

Others

We have a little sister,

and she dhas no breasts.

What shall we do for our sister

on the day when she is spoken for?

If she is a wall,

we will build on her a battlement of silver,

but if she is a door,

we will enclose her with eboards of cedar.

She

10  fI was a wall,

and my gbreasts were like towers;

then I was in his eyes

as one who finds1 peace.

11  Solomon had ha vineyard at Baal-hamon;

he ilet out the vineyard to jkeepers;

each one was to bring for its fruit ka thousand pieces of silver.

12  My vineyard, my very own, is before me;

you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,

and lthe keepers of the fruit two hundred.

He

13  mO you who dwell in the gardens,

with ncompanions listening for your voice;

olet me hear it.

She

14  pMake haste, my beloved,

and be qlike a gazelle

or a young stag

on rthe mountains of spices.


Lamentations 4–5

The Holy Stones Lie Scattered

qHow the gold has grown dim,

how the pure gold is changed!

The holy stones lie scattered

rat the head of every street.

The precious sons of Zion,

worth their weight in sfine gold,

how they are regarded as tearthen pots,

the work of a potter’s hands!

Even jackals offer the breast;

they nurse their young;

but the daughter of my people has become cruel,

like the ostriches in the wilderness.

The tongue of the nursing infant usticks

to the roof of its mouth for thirst;

vthe children beg for food,

but no one gives to them.

Those who once feasted on delicacies

perish in the streets;

wthose who were brought up in purple

embrace ash heaps.

xFor the chastisement1 of the daughter of my people has been greater

than the punishment2 of Sodom,

ywhich was overthrown in a moment,

and no hands were wrung for her.3

Her princes were purer than snow,

whiter than milk;

their bodies were more ruddy than coral,

the beauty of their form4 was like sapphire.5

zNow their face is blacker than soot;

they are not recognized in the streets;

their skin has shriveled on their bones;

it has become as dry as wood.

Happier were the victims of the sword

than the victims of hunger,

who wasted away, pierced

by lack of the fruits of the field.

10  aThe hands of bcompassionate women

chave boiled their own children;

dthey became their food

during the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11  eThe Lord gave full vent to his wrath;

he poured out his hot anger,

and fhe kindled a fire in Zion

that consumed its foundations.

12  gThe kings of the earth did not believe,

nor any of the inhabitants of the world,

that foe or enemy could enter

the gates of Jerusalem.

13  This was for hthe sins of her prophets

and hthe iniquities of her priests,

who shed in the midst of her

the blood of the righteous.

14  iThey wandered, blind, through the streets;

they were so defiled with blood

jthat no one was able to touch

their garments.

15  Away! kUnclean! people cried at them.

Away! Away! Do not touch!

So they became fugitives and wanderers;

people said among the nations,

They shall stay with us no longer.

16  lThe Lord himself6 has scattered them;

he will regard them no more;

mno honor was shown to the priests,

nno favor to the elders.

17  oOur eyes failed, ever watching

ovainly for help;

in our watching we watched

for pa nation which could not save.

18  qThey dogged our steps

so that we could not walk in our streets;

rour end drew near; our days were numbered,

for our end had come.

19  Our pursuers were sswifter

than the eagles in the heavens;

they chased us on the mountains;

they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

20  tThe breath of our nostrils, uthe Lord’s anointed,

was captured vin their pits,

of whom we said, wUnder his shadow

we shall live among the nations.

21  xRejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,

you who dwell in ythe land of Uz;

but to you also zthe cup shall pass;

you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.

22  aThe punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished;

he will keep you in exile no longer;7

but byour iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish;

he will uncover your sins.

Restore Us to Yourself, O Lord

cRemember, O Lord, what has befallen us;

look, and see dour disgrace!

eOur inheritance has been turned over to strangers,

our homes to foreigners.

We have become orphans, fatherless;

our mothers are like widows.

We must pay for the water we drink;

the wood we get must be bought.

fOur pursuers are at our necks;

we are weary; we are given no rest.

We have given the hand to gEgypt, and to gAssyria,

to get bread enough.

Our fathers sinned, and are no more;

hand we bear their iniquities.

iSlaves rule over us;

there is none to deliver us from their hand.

jWe get our bread at the peril of our lives,

because of the sword in the wilderness.

10  kOur skin is hot as an oven

with lthe burning heat of famine.

11  Women are raped in Zion,

young women in the towns of Judah.

12  mPrinces are hung up by their hands;

nno respect is shown to the elders.

13  Young men are compelled to ogrind at the mill,

and boys stagger punder loads of wood.

14  nThe old men have left the city gate,

the young men qtheir music.

15  qThe joy of our hearts has ceased;

rour dancing has been turned to mourning.

16  sThe crown has fallen from our head;

woe to us, for we have sinned!

17  For this tour heart has become sick,

for these things uour eyes have grown dim,

18  for Mount Zion which lies desolate;

vjackals prowl over it.

19  wBut you, O Lord, reign forever;

your throne endures to all generations.

20  xWhy do you forget us forever,

why do you forsake us for so many days?

21  yRestore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!

Renew our days as of old

22  zunless you have utterly rejected us,

and you remain exceedingly angry with us.