Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of ^(A)the temple.

¹⁷ “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ ^18 (A)you shall not be afraid of them but you shall ^(B)remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, ¹⁹ the great trials that your eyes saw, ^(C)the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. ²⁰ Moreover, ^(D)the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. ²¹ You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is ^(E)in your midst, ^(F)a great and awesome God. ^22 (G)The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once,^[a] lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. ^23 (H)But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. ²⁴ And ^(I)he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall ^(J)make their name perish from under heaven. ^(K)No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. ²⁵ The carved images of their gods ^(L)you shall burn with fire. You ^(M)shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ^(N)ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. ²⁶ And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction^[b] like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, ^(O)for it is devoted to destruction.

Be Ready for Every Good Work

3 Remind them ^(A)to be submissive to rulers and authorities, ^(B)to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ^2 (C)to speak evil of no one, ^(D)to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and ^(E)to show perfect courtesy toward all people. ³ For ^(F)we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when ^(G)the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, ^(H)not because of works done by us in righteousness, but ^(I)according to his own mercy, by ^(J)the washing of regeneration and ^(K)renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he ^(L)poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that ^(M)being justified by his grace we might become ^(N)heirs ^(O)according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸ The saying is ^(P)trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful ^(Q)to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. ⁹ But ^(R)avoid foolish ^(S)controversies, ^(T)genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for ^(U)they are unprofitable and worthless. ¹⁰ As for a person who stirs up division, ^(V)after warning him once and then twice, ^(W)have nothing more to do with him, ¹¹ knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Final Instructions and Greetings

¹² When I send Artemas or ^(X)Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me ^(Y)at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and ^(Z)Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. ¹⁴ And let our people learn ^(AA)to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not ^(AB)be unfruitful.

¹⁵ All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

^(AC)Grace be with you all.

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

^43 (A)The next day Jesus decided ^(B)to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^(C)Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found ^(D)Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom ^(E)Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus ^(F)of Nazareth, ^(G)the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, ^(H)“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, ^(I)an Israelite indeed, ^(J)in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How ^(K)do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, ^(L)“Rabbi, ^(M)you are the Son of God! You are the ^(N)King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,^[a] you will see ^(O)heaven opened, and ^(P)the angels of God ascending and descending on ^(Q)the Son of Man.”