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Daily Bible Reading
October 22 - Old & New Testament
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Jeremiah 9,10,14
Grief over Zion
1 (F1)(C1)Oh, that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For those slain of the (C2)daughter of my people!
2 (F1)(C1)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers' lodging place;
So that I might leave my people
And go away from them!
For all of them are (C2)adulterers,
An assembly of (C3)treacherous people.
3 "They (C1)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (C2)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (C3)do not know Me," declares the LORD.
4 "Let everyone (C1)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (C2)do not trust any brother;
Because every (C3)brother utterly (F1)betrays,
And every neighbor (C4)goes about as a slanderer.
5 "Everyone (C1)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (C2)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
6 "Your (C1)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (C2)refuse to know Me," declares the LORD.
7 Therefore this is what the LORD of armies says: "Behold, I will refine them and (C1)put them to the test;
For (C2)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 "Their (C1)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (C2)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (C3)sets an ambush for him.
9 "(C1)Shall I not punish them for these things?" declares the LORD.
"Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 "I will take up a weeping and wailing for the (C1)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (C2)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (C3)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (C4)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 "I will make Jerusalem a (C1)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (C2)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (C3)desolation without inhabitant."
12 Who is the (C1)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (C2)the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it? (C3)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through?13 The LORD said, "Because they have (C1)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,14 but have (C1)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (C2)Baals, (F1)as their (C3)fathers taught them,"15 therefore this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "Behold, (C1)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (C2)poisoned water to drink.16 "I will also (C1)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (C2)sword after them until I have put an end to them."
17 This is what the LORD of armies says: "Consider and call for the (C1)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the (F1)(C2)skillful women, that they may come!
18 "Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (C1)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 "For a voice of (C1)wailing is heard from Zion:
'(C2)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (C3)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.'"
20 Now hear the word of the LORD, you (C1)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (C1)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (C2)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, "This is what the LORD says:
'The corpses of people will fall (C1)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.'"
23 This is what the LORD says: "(C1)Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the (C2)mighty man boast of his might, nor a (C3)rich man boast of his riches;24 but let the one who boasts (C1)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who (C2)exercises (F1)mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I (C3)delight in these things," declares the LORD.
25 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (C1)uncircumcised—26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (C1)all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (C2)uncircumcised of heart."
A Satire on Idolatry
1 Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, house of Israel.2 This is what the LORD says: "(C1)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the customs of the peoples are (C1)futile;
For (C2)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 "They (C1)decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They (C2)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 "They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they (C1)cannot speak;
They must be (C2)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (C3)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good."
6 (C1)There is none like You, LORD;
You are (C2)great, and Your name is great in might.
7 (C1)Who would not fear You, O (C2)King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the (C3)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (C1)stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
9 Beaten (C1)silver is brought from (C2)Tarshish,
And (C3)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the (C4)work of skilled people.
10 But the LORD is the (C1)true God;
He is the (C2)living God and the (C3)everlasting King.
The (C4)earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot (C5)endure His indignation.
11 (F1)This is what you shall say to them: "The (C1)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (C2)perish from the earth and from under these heavens."
12 It is (C1)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (C2)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (C3)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (C1)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (C2)clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (C3)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every person is (C1)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
For his cast metal images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (C1)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the (C2)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (C1)Portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the (F1)(C2)Maker of everything,
And (C3)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (C4)LORD of armies is His name.
17 (C1)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who live under siege!
18 For this is what the LORD says:
"Behold, I am (C1)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And I will cause them distress,
So that they may (F1)be found."
19 (C1)Woe to me, because of my (F1)injury!
My (C2)wound is incurable.
But I said, "This certainly is a sickness,
And I (C3)must endure it."
20 My (C1)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken.
My (C2)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (C3)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (C1)have not sought the LORD.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (C2)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (C1)report! Behold, it is coming—
A great roar (C2)from the land of the north—
To (C3)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, LORD, that (C1)a person's way is not in himself,
(C2)Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
24 (C1)Correct me, LORD, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will (F1)bring me to nothing.
25 (C1)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (C2)do not know You,
And on the families who (C3)do not call upon Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (C4)devoured him and consumed him,
And have laid waste his (F1)settlement.
The Broken Covenant
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,2 "(C1)Hear the words of this (C2)covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;3 and say to them, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: "(C1)Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant4 which I commanded your forefathers on the (C1)day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the (C2)iron furnace, saying, '(C3)Listen to My voice, and (F1)do according to all that I command you; so you shall be (C4)My people, and I will be your God,'5 in order to confirm the (C1)oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day."'" Then I replied, "(C2)Amen, LORD."
6 And the LORD said to me, "(C1)Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, '(C2)Hear the words of this covenant and (C3)do them.7 'For I solemnly (C1)warned your fathers on the (C2)day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, (C3)warning them persistently, saying, "(C4)Listen to My voice."8 'Yet they (C1)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the (C2)words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.'"
9 Then the LORD said to me, "A (C1)conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.10 "They have (C1)turned back to the wrongdoings of their (F1)ancestors who (C2)refused to hear My words, and they (C3)have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have (C4)broken My covenant which I made with their fathers."11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am (C1)bringing disaster on them which they will (C2)not be able to escape; though they will (C3)cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.12 "Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will (C1)go and cry out to the gods to whom they (F1)burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster.13 "For your gods are (F1)(C1)as many as your cities, Judah; and (F1)as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the (C2)shameful thing, altars for (F2)(C3)burning incense to Baal.
14 "So as for you, (C1)do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will (C2)not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.
15 "What right has My (C1)beloved in My house
When (C2)she has carried out many evil schemes?
Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
(F1)So that you can rejoice?"
16 The LORD named you
"A (C1)green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form";
With the (C2)noise of a great (F1)tumult
He has (C3)set fire to it,
And its branches are worthless.
Plots against Jeremiah
18 Moreover, the LORD (C1)made it known to me and I knew it;
Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle (C1)lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had (C2)devised plots against me, saying,
"Let's destroy the tree with its (F1)fruit,
And (C3)let's cut him off from the (C4)land of the living,
So that his (C5)name will no longer be remembered."
20 But, LORD of armies, who (C1)judges righteously,
Who (C2)puts the (F1)feelings and the heart to the test,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have (F2)committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the people of (C1)Anathoth, who are (C2)seeking your life, saying: "(C3)Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, so that you do not (C4)die by our hand";22 therefore, this is what the LORD of armies says: "Behold, I am going to (C1)punish them! The (C2)young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine;23 and a remnant (C1)will not be left to them, because I will (C2)bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—(C3)the year of their punishment."
Jeremiah's Prayer
1 (C1)Righteous are You, LORD, when I plead my case with You;
Nevertheless I would (C2)discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the (C3)way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who (C4)deal in treachery at ease?
2 You have (C1)planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have also produced fruit.
You are (C2)near (F1)to their lips
But far from their (F2)mind.
3 But You (C1)know me, LORD;
You see me
And (C2)examine my heart's attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter,
And (F1)set them apart for a (C3)day of slaughter!
4 How long is the (C1)land to mourn,
And the (C2)vegetation of the (F1)countryside to dry up?
Due to the (C3)wickedness of those who live in it,
(C4)Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because people have said, "He will not see our final (C5)end."
5 "If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
How can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the (C1)thicket by the Jordan?
6 "For even your (C1)brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have called aloud after you.
Do not believe them, though they say (C2)nice things to you."
God's Answer
7 "I have (C1)forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have handed the (C2)beloved of My soul
Over to her enemies.
8 "My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has (F1)(C1)roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to (C2)hate her.
9 "Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the (C1)birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the (C2)animals of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 "Many (C1)shepherds have ruined My (C2)vineyard,
They have (C3)trampled down My field;
They have made My (C4)pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
11 "(F1)It has been made a desolation;
Desolate, it (C1)mourns (F2)before Me;
The (C2)whole land has been made desolate,
Because no one (C3)takes it to heart.
12 "On all the (F1)(C1)bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For the (C2)sword of the LORD is devouring
From one end of the land even to the (F2)other;
There is (C3)no peace for (F3)anyone.
13 "They have (C1)sown wheat but have harvested thorns,
They have (C2)strained themselves (F1)to no profit.
So be ashamed of your (C3)produce
Because of the (C4)fierce anger of the LORD."
14 This is what the LORD says concerning all My (C1)wicked neighbors who (C2)do harm to the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel: "Behold, I am going to drive them out of their land, and I will (C3)drive the house of Judah out from among them.15 "And it will come about that after I have driven them out, I will (C1)again have compassion on them; and I will (C2)bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.16 "Then, if they will really (C1)learn the ways of My people, to (C2)swear by My name, 'As the LORD lives,' just as they taught My people to (C3)swear by Baal, they will be (C4)built up in the midst of My people.17 "But if they do not listen, then I will (C1)drive out that nation, drive it out and destroy it," declares the LORD.
The Ruined Undergarment
1 This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and (C1)buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water."2 So I bought the undergarment in accordance with the (C1)word of the LORD, and put it around my waist.3 Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying,4 "Take the undergarment that you bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the (C1)Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock."5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, (C1)as the LORD had commanded me.6 After many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the undergarment which I commanded you to hide there."7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the undergarment from the place where I had hidden it; and behold, the undergarment was ruined, it was completely useless.
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,9 "This is what the LORD says: 'To the same extent I will destroy the (C1)pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.10 'This wicked people, who (C1)refuse to listen to My words, who (C2)walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have followed other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this undergarment which is completely useless.11 'For as the undergarment clings to the waist of a man, so I made the entire household of Israel and the entire household of Judah (C1)cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'so that they might be My people, for (F1)(C2)renown, for (C3)praise, and for glory; but they (C4)did not listen.'
Captivity Threatened
12 "Therefore you are to speak this word to them. 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: "Every jug is to be filled with wine."' And when they say to you, 'Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?'13 then say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am going to fill all the inhabitants of this land—the kings who sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with (C1)drunkenness!14 "Then I will (C1)smash them against each other, both the (C2)fathers and the sons together," declares the LORD. "I will (C3)not have compassion nor be troubled nor take pity so as to keep from destroying them."'"
15 Listen and pay attention, do not be (C1)haughty;
For the LORD has spoken.
16 (C1)Give glory to the LORD your God
Before He brings (C2)darkness
And before your (C3)feet stumble
On the mountains in the dark,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into (C4)gloom,
And turns it into thick darkness.
17 But (C1)if you do not listen to it,
My soul will (C2)weep in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will shed
And stream down tears,
Because the (C3)flock of the LORD has been taken captive.
18 Say to the (C1)king and the queen mother,
"(C2)Take a lowly seat,
For your beautiful (C3)crown
Has come down from your head."
19 The (C1)cities of the Negev have been locked up,
And there is no one to open them;
All (C2)Judah has been taken into exile,
Wholly taken into exile.
20 "Raise your eyes and see
Those coming (C1)from the north.
Where is the (C2)flock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 "What will you say when He appoints over you—
And you yourself had taught them—
Former (C1)companions to be head over you?
Will (C2)sharp pains not take hold of you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 "If you (C1)say in your heart,
'(C2)Why have these things happened to me?'
Because of the (C3)magnitude of your wrongdoing
(C4)Your skirts have been removed
And your (F1)heels have suffered violence.
23 "(C1)Can the Ethiopian change his skin,
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you as well can (C2)do good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 "Therefore I will (C1)scatter them like drifting straw
To the desert (C2)wind.
25 "This is your (C1)lot, the portion measured to you
From Me," declares the LORD,
"Because you have (C2)forgotten Me
And trusted in falsehood.
26 "So I Myself have (C1)stripped your skirts off over your face,
So that your shame will be seen.
27 "As for your (C1)adulteries and your lustful neighings,
The (C2)outrageous sin of your prostitution
On the (C3)hills in the field,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
(C4)How long will you remain unclean?"
Drought and a Prayer for Mercy
1 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah regarding the (C1)drought:
2 "Judah mourns
And (C1)her gates languish;
Her people sit on the ground (C2)in mourning garments,
And the (C3)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
3 "Their nobles have (C1)sent their (F1)servants for water;
They have come to the (C2)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their containers empty;
They have been (C3)put to shame and humiliated,
And they (C4)cover their heads,
4 Because the (C1)ground is (F1)cracked,
For there has been (C2)no rain on the land.
The (C3)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
5 "For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is (C1)no grass.
6 "The (C1)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
Because there is (C2)no vegetation.
7 "Though our (C1)wrongdoings testify against us,
LORD, act (C2)for the sake of Your name!
Our (C3)apostasies have indeed been many,
We have (C4)sinned against You.
8 "(C1)Hope of Israel,
Its (C2)Savior in (C3)time of distress,
Why are You like a stranger in the land,
Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night?
9 "Why are You like a confused person,
Like a warrior who (C1)cannot save?
Yet (C2)You are in our midst, LORD,
And we are (C3)called by Your name;
Do not leave us!"
10 This is what the LORD says to this people: "So much they have (C1)loved to wander; they have not (C2)restrained their feet. Therefore the LORD does (C3)not accept them; now He will (C4)remember their wrongdoing and call their sins to account."11 So the LORD said to me, "(C1)Do not pray for a good outcome on behalf of this people.12 "When they fast, I am (C1)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer (C2)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather, I am going to (C3)put an end to them by the (C4)sword, famine, and plague."
False Prophets
13 But I said, "Oh, Lord (F1)GOD! Behold, the prophets are telling them, 'You (C1)will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting (C2)peace in this place.'"14 Then the LORD said to me, "The (C1)prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. (C2)I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a (C3)false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own (F1)minds.15 "Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying: 'There will be no sword or famine in this land'—(C1)by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end!16 "And the people to whom they are prophesying will be (C1)thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to (C2)bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will (C3)pour out their own wickedness upon them.
17 "You will say this word to them,
'(C1)Let my eyes stream down tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin (C2)daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow,
With a sorely (C3)infected wound.
18 'If I (C1)go out to the country,
There are those killed by the sword!
Or if I enter the city,
There are diseases from famine!
For (C2)both prophet and priest
Have wandered around in the land that they do not know.'"
19 Have You completely (C1)rejected Judah?
Or have (F1)You loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that we (C2)are beyond healing?
We (C3)waited for peace, but nothing good came;
And for a time of healing, but behold, terror!
20 We (C1)know our wickedness, LORD,
The wrongdoing of our fathers, for (C2)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not despise us, (C1)for the sake of Your own name;
Do not disgrace the (C2)throne of Your glory.
Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us.
22 Are there any among the (F1)(C1)idols of the nations who (C2)give rain?
Or can the heavens grant showers?
Is it not You, LORD our God?
Therefore we (C3)wait for You,
For You are the one who has done all these things.
Colossians 1
Chapter 1
Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments
1 (C1)Paul, (C2)an apostle of Christ Jesus (F1)(C3)by the will of God, and (C4)Timothy (F2)our brother,
2 To the (F1)(C1)saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: (C2)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 (C1)We (F1)give thanks to God, (C2)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,4 (C1)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the (C2)love which you have (F1)for (C3)all the (F2)saints;5 because of the (C1)hope (C2)reserved for you in (F1)heaven, of which you previously (C3)heard in the word of truth, (F2)the gospel6 which has come to you, just as (F1)(C1)in all the world also it is bearing (C2)fruit and (F2)increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you (C3)heard it and (F3)understood the grace of God in truth;7 just as you learned it from (C1)Epaphras, our (C2)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,8 and he also informed us of your (C1)love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason we also, (C1)since the day we heard about it, (C2)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the (F1)(C3)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (C4)wisdom and understanding,10 so that you will (C1)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, (F1)(C2)to please Him in all respects, (C3)bearing fruit in every good work and (F2)increasing in the (F3)knowledge of God;11 (C1)strengthened with all power, according to (F1)His glorious might, (F2)for the attaining of all perseverance and (F3)patience; (C2)joyously12 giving thanks to (C1)the Father, who has qualified us (F1)to share in (C2)the inheritance of the (F2)saints in (C3)light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 (F1)For He rescued us from the (F2)(C1)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of (F3)(C2)His beloved Son,14 (C1)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.15 (F1)He is the (C1)image of the (C2)invisible God, the (C3)firstborn of all creation:16 for (F1)(C1)by Him all things were created, (C1)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (C2)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—(C3)all things have been created through Him and for Him.17 He (F1)(C1)is before all things, and in Him all things (F2)hold together.18 He is also the (C1)head of (C2)the body, the church; and He is (C3)the beginning, (C4)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.19 For (F1)it was (C1)the Father's good pleasure for all (C2)the (F2)fullness to dwell in Him,20 and through Him to (C1)reconcile all things to Himself, (C2)whether things on earth or things in (F1)heaven, having made (C3)peace through (C4)the blood of His cross.
21 And although you were (C1)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,22 yet He has now (C1)reconciled you in His (C2)body of flesh through death, in order to (C3)present you before Him (C4)holy and blameless and beyond reproach—23 if indeed you continue in (F1)the faith firmly (C1)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the (C2)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed (C3)in all creation under heaven, (C4)and of which I, Paul, (F2)was made a (F3)(C5)minister.
24 (C1)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh (C2)I am supplementing what is lacking (F1)in Christ's afflictions in behalf of (C3)His body, which is the church.25 (C1)I (F1)was made a minister of this church according to the (C2)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might (F2)fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,26 that is, (C1)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His (F1)saints,27 to whom (C1)God willed to make known what (C2)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is (C3)Christ in you, the (C4)hope of glory.28 We proclaim Him, (C1)admonishing every person and teaching every person (F1)with all (C2)wisdom, so that we may (C3)present every person (F2)(C4)complete in Christ.29 For this purpose I also (C1)labor, (C2)striving (C3)according to His (F1)power which (F2)works mightily within me.
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
