Elijah. Man of Courage, Man of Faith, Man of God.

The Gospel of Mark (Part Seven)

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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah</div><div class="p"> 1This is the genealogy#1:1 Or is an account of the origin of Jesus the Messiah#1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18. the son of David, the son of Abraham:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1"> 2Abraham was the father of Isaac,</div><div class="li2">Isaac the father of Jacob,</div><div class="li2">Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,</div><div class="li2"> 3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,</div><div class="li2">Perez the father of Hezron,</div><div class="li2">Hezron the father of Ram,</div><div class="li2"> 4Ram the father of Amminadab,</div><div class="li2">Amminadab the father of Nahshon,</div><div class="li2">Nahshon the father of Salmon,</div><div class="li2"> 5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,</div><div class="li2">Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,</div><div class="li2">Obed the father of Jesse,</div><div class="li2"> 6and Jesse the father of King David.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1">David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah&#8217;s wife,</div><div class="li2"> 7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,</div><div class="li2">Rehoboam the father of Abijah,</div><div class="li2">Abijah the father of Asa,</div><div class="li2"> 8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,</div><div class="li2">Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,</div><div class="li2">Jehoram the father of Uzziah,</div><div class="li2"> 9Uzziah the father of Jotham,</div><div class="li2">Jotham the father of Ahaz,</div><div class="li2">Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,</div><div class="li2"> 10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,</div><div class="li2">Manasseh the father of Amon,</div><div class="li2">Amon the father of Josiah,</div><div class="li2"> 11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah#1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="li1"> 12After the exile to Babylon:</div><div class="li2">Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,</div><div class="li2">Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,</div><div class="li2"> 13Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,</div><div class="li2">Abihud the father of Eliakim,</div><div class="li2">Eliakim the father of Azor,</div><div class="li2"> 14Azor the father of Zadok,</div><div class="li2">Zadok the father of Akim,</div><div class="li2">Akim the father of Elihud,</div><div class="li2"> 15Elihud the father of Eleazar,</div><div class="li2">Eleazar the father of Matthan,</div><div class="li2">Matthan the father of Jacob,</div><div class="li2"> 16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.</div><div class="s1">Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son</div><div class="p"> 18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about#1:18 Or The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet#1:19 Or was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.</div><div class="p"> 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, &#8220;Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,#1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves. because he will save his people from their sins.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23&#8220;The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel&#8221;#1:23 Isaiah 7:14 (which means &#8220;God with us&#8221;).</div><div class="p"> 24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">The Magi Visit the Messiah</div><div class="p"> 1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi#2:1 Traditionally wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, &#8220;Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people&#8217;s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5&#8220;In Bethlehem in Judea,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;for this is what the prophet has written:</div><div class="q1"> 6&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,</div><div class="q2">are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;</div><div class="q1">for out of you will come a ruler</div><div class="q2">who will shepherd my people Israel.&#8217;#2:6 Micah 5:2,4&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, &#8220;Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.</div><div class="s1">The Escape to Egypt</div><div class="p"> 13When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. &#8220;Get up,&#8221; he said, &#8220;take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: &#8220;Out of Egypt I called my son.&#8221;#2:15 Hosea 11:1</div><div class="p"> 16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:</div><div class="q1"> 18&#8220;A voice is heard in Ramah,</div><div class="q2">weeping and great mourning,</div><div class="q1">Rachel weeping for her children</div><div class="q2">and refusing to be comforted,</div><div class="q2">because they are no more.&#8221;#2:18 Jer. 31:15</div><div class="s1">The Return to Nazareth</div><div class="p"> 19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20and said, &#8220;Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child&#8217;s life are dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Prepares the Way</div><div class="p"> 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2and saying, &#8220;Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.&#8221; 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;A voice of one calling in the wilderness,</div><div class="q1">&#8216;Prepare the way for the Lord,</div><div class="q2">make straight paths for him.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#3:3 Isaiah 40:3</div><div class="p"> 4John&#8217;s clothes were made of camel&#8217;s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.</div><div class="p"> 7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: &#8220;You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, &#8216;We have Abraham as our father.&#8217; I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;I baptize you with#3:11 Or in water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with#3:11 Or in the Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Baptism of Jesus</div><div class="p"> 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, &#8220;I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Jesus replied, &#8220;Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.&#8221; Then John consented.</div><div class="p"> 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, &#8220;This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">The Word Became Flesh</div><div class="p"> 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome#1:5 Or understood it.</div><div class="p"> 6There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.</div><div class="p"> 9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God&#8212; 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband&#8217;s will, but born of God.</div><div class="p"> 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.</div><div class="p"> 15(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, &#8220;This is the one I spoke about when I said, &#8216;He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;) 16Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and#1:18 Some manuscripts but the only Son, who is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.</div><div class="s1">John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah</div><div class="p"> 19Now this was John&#8217;s testimony when the Jewish leaders#1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John&#8217;s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15,16; 7:1,11,13; 9:22; 18:14,28,36; 19:7,12,31,38; 20:19. in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, &#8220;I am not the Messiah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21They asked him, &#8220;Then who are you? Are you Elijah?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;I am not.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Are you the Prophet?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;No.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Finally they said, &#8220;Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, &#8220;I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, &#8216;Make straight the way for the Lord.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;#1:23 Isaiah 40:3</div><div class="p"> 24Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, &#8220;Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26&#8220;I baptize with#1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice) water,&#8221; John replied, &#8220;but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.</div><div class="s1">John Testifies About Jesus</div><div class="p"> 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, &#8220;Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, &#8216;A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.&#8217; 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32Then John gave this testimony: &#8220;I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, &#8216;The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.&#8217; 34I have seen and I testify that this is God&#8217;s Chosen One.&#8221;#1:34 See Isaiah 42:1; many manuscripts is the Son of God.</div><div class="s1">John&#8217;s Disciples Follow Jesus</div><div class="p"> 35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, &#8220;Look, the Lamb of God!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, &#8220;What do you want?&#8221;</div><div class="p">They said, &#8220;Rabbi&#8221; (which means &#8220;Teacher&#8221;), &#8220;where are you staying?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39 &#8220;Come,&#8221; he replied, &#8220;and you will see.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.</div><div class="p"> 40Andrew, Simon Peter&#8217;s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, &#8220;We have found the Messiah&#8221; (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.</div><div class="p">Jesus looked at him and said, &#8220;You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas&#8221; (which, when translated, is Peter#1:42 Cephas (Aramaic) and Peter (Greek) both mean rock.).</div><div class="s1">Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael</div><div class="p"> 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, &#8220;Follow me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, &#8220;We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote&#8212;Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 46&#8220;Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?&#8221; Nathanael asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Come and see,&#8221; said Philip.</div><div class="p"> 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, &#8220;Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 48&#8220;How do you know me?&#8221; Nathanael asked.</div><div class="p">Jesus answered, &#8220;I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 49Then Nathanael declared, &#8220;Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 50Jesus said, &#8220;You believe#1:50 Or Do you believe&#8230;? because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.&#8221; 51He then added, &#8220;Very truly I tell you,#1:51 The Greek is plural. you#1:51 The Greek is plural. will see &#8216;heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on&#8217;#1:51 Gen. 28:12 the Son of Man.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">Jesus Changes Water Into Wine</div><div class="p"> 1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus&#8217; mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus&#8217; mother said to him, &#8220;They have no more wine.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4 &#8220;Woman, # 2:4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect. why do you involve me?&#8221; Jesus replied. &#8220;My hour has not yet come.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5His mother said to the servants, &#8220;Do whatever he tells you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.#2:6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters</div><div class="p"> 7Jesus said to the servants, &#8220;Fill the jars with water&#8221;; so they filled them to the brim.</div><div class="p"> 8Then he told them, &#8220;Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.&#8221;</div><div class="p">They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, &#8220;Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.</div><div class="p"> 12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.</div><div class="s1">Jesus Clears the Temple Courts</div><div class="p"> 13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, &#8220;Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father&#8217;s house into a market!&#8221; 17His disciples remembered that it is written: &#8220;Zeal for your house will consume me.&#8221;#2:17 Psalm 69:9</div><div class="p"> 18The Jews then responded to him, &#8220;What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Jesus answered them, &#8220;Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20They replied, &#8220;It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?&#8221; 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.</div><div class="p"> 23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.#2:23 Or in him 24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Jesus Teaches Nicodemus</div><div class="p"> 1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, &#8220;Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Jesus replied, &#8220;Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.#3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;How can someone be born when they are old?&#8221; Nicodemus asked. &#8220;Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother&#8217;s womb to be born!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Jesus answered, &#8220;Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit#3:6 Or but spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, &#8216;You#3:7 The Greek is plural. must be born again.&#8217; 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.&#8221;#3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;How can this be?&#8221; Nicodemus asked.</div><div class="p"> 10 &#8220;You are Israel&#8217;s teacher,&#8221; said Jesus, &#8220;and do you not understand these things? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven&#8212;the Son of Man.#3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,#3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted. 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.&#8221;#3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.</div><div class="p"> 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God&#8217;s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.</div><div class="s1">John Testifies Again About Jesus</div><div class="p"> 22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An argument developed between some of John&#8217;s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26They came to John and said to him, &#8220;Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan&#8212;the one you testified about&#8212;look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27To this John replied, &#8220;A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, &#8216;I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.&#8217; 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom&#8217;s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.&#8221;#3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.</div><div class="p"> 31The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God#3:34 Greek he gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God&#8217;s wrath remains on them.</div>
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