John 4:15-26

New King James Version

¹⁵^(A)The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

¹⁷The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

¹⁹The woman said to Him, “Sir, ^(B)I perceive that You are a prophet. ²⁰Our fathers worshiped on ^(C)this mountain, and you Jews say that in ^(D)Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming ^(E)when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²²You worship ^(F)what you do not know; we know what we worship, for ^(G)salvation is of the Jews. ²³But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will ^(H)worship the Father in ^(I)spirit ^(J)and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴^(K)God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

²⁵The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah ^(L)is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, ^(M)He will tell us all things.”

²⁶Jesus said to her, ^(N)“I who speak to you am He.”

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James 5:13-20

New King James Version

Meeting Specific Needs^(A)

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him ^(B)pray. Is anyone cheerful? ^(C)Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(D)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. ^(E)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶^[a]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(F)The effective, ^[b]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷Elijah was a man ^(G)with a nature like ours, and ^(H)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸And he prayed ^(I)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

¹⁹Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone ^(J)turns him back, ²⁰let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way ^(K)will save ^[c]a soul from death and ^(L)cover a multitude of sins.

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Footnotes

James 5:16 NU Therefore confess your sins
James 5:16 supplication
James 5:20 NU his soul

Ecclesiastes 9

New King James Version

Death Comes to All

9 For I ^[a]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: ^(A)that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. ²^(B)All things come alike to all:

One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the ^[b]good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. ⁴But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die;
But ^(C)the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For ^(D)the memory of them is forgotten.
⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.

⁷Go, ^(E)eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
⁸Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.

⁹^[c]Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; ^(F)for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

¹⁰^(G)Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your ^(H)might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

¹¹I returned ^(I)and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and ^(J)chance happen to them all.
¹²For ^(K)man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are ^(L)snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.

Wisdom Superior to Folly

¹³This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: ¹⁴^(M)There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great ^[d]snares around it. ¹⁵Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than ^(N)strength.
Nevertheless ^(O)the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
¹⁷Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But ^(P)one sinner destroys much good.”

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit. put
Ecclesiastes 9:2 LXX, Syr., Vg. good and bad,
Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit. See life
Ecclesiastes 9:14 LXX, Syr., Vg. bulwarks

Jeremiah 30-31

New King James Version

Restoration of Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ²“Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. ³For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that ^(A)I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ^(B)‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”

⁴Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

⁵“For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of ^[a]fear, and not of peace.
⁶Ask now, and see,
Whether a ^[b]man is ever in ^[c]labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
^(C)Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
⁷^(D)Alas! For that day is great,
^(E)So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

⁸‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
⁹But they shall serve the Lord their God,
And ^(F)David their king,
Whom I will ^(G)raise up for them.

¹⁰‘Therefore ^(H)do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed ^(I)from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.
¹¹For I am with ^(J)you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
^(K)Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
^(L)Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you ^(M)in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

¹²“For thus says the Lord:

^(N)‘Your affliction is incurable,
Your wound is severe.
¹³There is no one to plead your cause,
That you may be bound up;
^(O)You have no healing medicines.
¹⁴^(P)All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound ^(Q)of an enemy,
With the chastisement ^(R)of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
^(S)Because your sins have increased.
¹⁵Why ^(T)do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you.

¹⁶‘Therefore all those who devour you ^(U)shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into ^(V)captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become ^(W)plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a ^(X)prey.
¹⁷^(Y)For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.” ’

¹⁸“Thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
And ^(Z)have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own ^[d]mound,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
¹⁹Then ^(AA)out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
^(AB)I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
²⁰Their children also shall be ^(AC)as before,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all who oppress them.
²¹Their nobles shall be from among them,
^(AD)And their governor shall come from their midst;
Then I will ^(AE)cause him to draw near,
And he shall approach Me;
For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
²²‘You shall be ^(AF)My people,
And I will be your God.’ ”

²³Behold, the ^(AG)whirlwind of the Lord
Goes forth with fury,
A ^[e]continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
²⁴The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.

^(AH)In the latter days you will consider it.

The Remnant of Israel Saved

31 “At ^(AI)the same time,” says the Lord, ^(AJ)“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

²Thus says the Lord:

“The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when ^(AK)I went to give him rest.”

³The Lord has appeared ^[f]of old to me, saying:
“Yes, ^(AL)I have loved you with ^(AM)an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have ^(AN)drawn you.
⁴Again ^(AO)I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your ^(AP)tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.
⁵^(AQ)You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria;
The planters shall plant and ^[g]eat them as ordinary food.
⁶For there shall be a day
When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim,
^(AR)‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’ ”

⁷For thus says the Lord:

^(AS)“Sing with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘O Lord, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel!’
⁸Behold, I will bring them ^(AT)from the north country,
And ^(AU)gather them from the ends of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child
And the one who labors with child, together;
A great throng shall return there.
⁹^(AV)They shall come with weeping,
And with supplications I will lead them.
I will cause them to walk ^(AW)by the rivers of waters,
In a straight way in which they shall not stumble;
For I am a Father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My ^(AX)firstborn.

¹⁰“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare it in the ^[h]isles afar off, and say,
‘He who scattered Israel ^(AY)will gather him,
And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
¹¹For ^(AZ)the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And ransomed him ^(BA)from the hand of one stronger than he.
¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in ^(BB)the height of Zion,
Streaming to ^(BC)the goodness of the Lord—
For wheat and new wine and oil,
For the young of the flock and the herd;
Their souls shall be like a ^(BD)well-watered garden,
^(BE)And they shall sorrow no more at all.

¹³“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and the old, together;
For I will turn their mourning to joy,
Will comfort them,
And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.
¹⁴I will ^[i]satiate the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”

Mercy on Ephraim

¹⁵Thus says the Lord:

^(BF)“A voice was heard in ^(BG)Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter ^(BH)weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because ^(BI)they are no more.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord:

“Refrain your voice from ^(BJ)weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷There is ^(BK)hope in your future, says the Lord,
That your children shall come back to their own border.

¹⁸“I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:
‘You have ^(BL)chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained bull;
^(BM)Restore me, and I will return,
For You are the Lord my God.
¹⁹Surely, ^(BN)after my turning, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;
I was ^(BO)ashamed, yes, even humiliated,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
²⁰Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a pleasant child?
For though I spoke against him,
I earnestly remember him still;
^(BP)Therefore My ^[j]heart yearns for him;
^(BQ)I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord.

²¹“Set up signposts,
Make landmarks;
^(BR)Set your heart toward the highway,
The way in which you went.
^[k]Turn back, O virgin of Israel,
Turn back to these your cities.
²²How long will you ^(BS)gad about,
O you ^(BT)backsliding daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—
A woman shall encompass a man.”

Future Prosperity of Judah

²³Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: ^(BU)‘The Lord bless you, O home of justice, and ^(BV)mountain of holiness!’ ²⁴And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and ^(BW)in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. ²⁵For I have ^[l]satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”

²⁶After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was ^(BX)sweet to me.

²⁷“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that ^(BY)I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. ²⁸And it shall come to pass, that as I have ^(BZ)watched over them ^(CA)to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them ^(CB)to build and to plant, says the Lord. ²⁹^(CC)In those days they shall say no more:

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

³⁰^(CD)But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

A New Covenant

³¹“Behold, the ^(CE)days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³²not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that ^(CF)I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, ^[m]though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. ³³^(CG)But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: ^(CH)I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their ^[n]hearts; ^(CI)and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for ^(CJ)they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For ^(CK)I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

³⁵Thus says the Lord,
^(CL)Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs ^(CM)the sea,
And its waves roar
^(CN)(The Lord of hosts is His name):

³⁶“If ^(CO)those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”

³⁷Thus says the Lord:

^(CP)“If heaven above can be measured,
And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,
I will also ^(CQ)cast off all the seed of Israel
For all that they have done, says the Lord.

³⁸“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the city shall be built for the Lord ^(CR)from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹^(CS)The surveyor’s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. ⁴⁰And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, ^(CT)to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, ^(CU)shall be holy to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.”