Joshua’s Charge to Israel’s Leaders

1 A long time afterward, when the Lord had given ^erest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua ^fwas old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua ^gsummoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. 3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, ^hfor it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, ⁱI have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God ^jwill push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, ^kjust as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Therefore, ^lbe very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, ^mturning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 ⁿthat you may not mix with these nations remaining among you ^oor make mention of the names of their gods ^por swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 ^qbut you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 ^rFor the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, ^sno man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 ^tOne man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God ^uwho fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 ^vBe very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you ^wand make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that ^xthe Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, ^ybut they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

14 “And now ^zI am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that ^anot one word has failed of all the good things¹ that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you ^ball the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

The Lame Beggar Healed

1 Now Peter and John were ^ogoing up to the temple at ^pthe hour of prayer, ^qthe ninth hour.¹ 2 And a man ^rlame from birth was being carried, ^swhom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate ^tto ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, ^u“I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. ^vIn the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And ^wleaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And ^xall the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

11 ^yWhile he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in ^zthe portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 ^aThe God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, ^bthe God of our fathers, ^cglorified his servant² Jesus, whom ^dyou delivered over and ^edenied in the presence of Pilate, ^fwhen he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied ^gthe Holy and ^hRighteous One, and ⁱasked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed ^jthe Author of life, ^kwhom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And ^lhis name—by ^mfaith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is ⁿthrough Jesus³ has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that ^oyou acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God ^pforetold ^qby the mouth of all the prophets, that ^rhis Christ would ^ssuffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 ^tRepent therefore, and ^uturn back, that ^vyour sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ ^wappointed for you, Jesus, 21 ^xwhom heaven must receive until the time for ^yrestoring all the things about which ^zGod spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you ^aa prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen ^bto him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet ^cshall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And ^dall the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 ^eYou are the sons of the prophets and of ^fthe covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ^g‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 ^hGod, ⁱhaving raised up his servant, sent him to you first, ^jto bless you ^kby turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

The Lord Answers Jeremiah

14 Thus says the Lord concerning all ^jmy evil neighbors ^kwho touch the heritage that ^lI have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, ^mand I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, ⁿto swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, ^othen they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 ^pBut if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 ^m“You know that after two days ⁿthe Passover is coming, and ^othe Son of Man ^pwill be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 ^qThen the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in ^rthe palace of the high priest, whose name was ^sCaiaphas, 4 ^tand plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, ^ulest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 ^vNow when Jesus was at ^wBethany in the house of Simon the leper,¹ 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and ^xgiven to the poor.” 10 But ^yJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For ^zyou always have the poor with you, but ^ayou will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it ^bto prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever ^cthis gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told ^din memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

14 ^eThen one of the twelve, whose name was ^fJudas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^gpaid him ^hthirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity ⁱto betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

17 ^jNow on ^kthe first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^l‘The Teacher says, ^mMy time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 ⁿWhen it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.² 21 And as they were eating, ^ohe said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, ^p“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes ^qas it is written of him, but ^rwoe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^sIt would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^tRabbi?” He said to him, ^u“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

26 ^vNow as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^wafter blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^xthis is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he ^yhad given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for ^xthis is my ^zblood of the³ covenant, which is poured out for ^amany ^bfor the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^cin my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 ^dAnd when they had sung a hymn, ^ethey went out to ^fthe Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will ^gstrike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, ^hI will go before you to Galilee.” 33 ⁱPeter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 ^jJesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^kbefore the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 ^lPeter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 ^mThen Jesus went with them ^eto a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him ⁿPeter and ^othe two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ^p“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^qwatch⁴ with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face ^rand prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^sthis cup pass from me; ^tnevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 ^qWatch and ^upray that you ^vmay not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^wyour will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^xtheir eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^ythe third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.⁵ See, ^zthe hour is at hand, and ^athe Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ^bWhile he was still speaking, ^cJudas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^dRabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, ^e“Friend, ^fdo what you came to do.”⁶ Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^gsword and struck the servant⁷ of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^hall who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 ⁱDo you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^jmore than twelve ^klegions of angels? 54 ^lBut how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^mI sat in the temple ⁿteaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But ^lall this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^oThen all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 ^pThen ^qthose who had seized Jesus led him to ^rCaiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And ^sPeter was following him at a distance, as far as ^rthe courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^tthe guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council^{8 u}were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, ^vthough many false witnesses came forward. At last ^wtwo came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ^x‘I am able to ^ydestroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”⁹ 63 ^zBut Jesus remained silent. ^aAnd the high priest said to him, ^b“I adjure you by ^cthe living God, ^dtell us if you are ^ethe Christ, ^fthe Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, ^g“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^hyou will see the Son of Man ⁱseated at the right hand of Power and ^hcoming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest ^jtore his robes and said, ^k“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, ^l“He deserves death.” 67 Then ^mthey spit in his face ⁿand ^ostruck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^pChrist! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

69 ^qNow Peter was sitting outside ^rin the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^sof Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^tyour accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^u“Before the rooster crows, you will ^vdeny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.