The Hope of Christmas: A Men's Devotional

The Way of the Wildflower: Gospel Meditations to Unburden Your Anxious Soul

John Through Song in 7 Days

When the Flood of the Enemy Comes

Hope Through an Elder’s Counsel

Redeemed in the Aftermath

Proverbs Through Song in 31 Days

Understanding God as Father

10 Commandments for Athletes From Philippians

Unmasked — Rediscovering Your True Identity in Christ

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch17" data-usfm="GEN.17">
 <div class="label">17</div><div class="s1">The Covenant of Circumcision</div><div class="p"> 1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, &#8220;I am God Almighty#17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4&#8220;As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5No longer will you be called Abram#17:5 Abram means exalted father.; your name will be Abraham,#17:5 Abraham probably means father of many. for I have made you a father of many nations. 6I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Then God said to Abraham, &#8220;As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner&#8212;those who are not your offspring. 13Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15God also said to Abraham, &#8220;As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, &#8220;Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?&#8221; 18And Abraham said to God, &#8220;If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then God said, &#8220;Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.#17:19 Isaac means he laughs. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.&#8221; 22When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.</div><div class="p"> 23On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him. 24Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, 25and his son Ishmael was thirteen; 26Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27And every male in Abraham&#8217;s household, including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="GEN.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">The Three Visitors</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 3He said, &#8220;If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,#18:3 Or eyes, Lord do not pass your servant by. 4Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way&#8212;now that you have come to your servant.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Very well,&#8221; they answered, &#8220;do as you say.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. &#8220;Quick,&#8221; he said, &#8220;get three seahs#18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Where is your wife Sarah?&#8221; they asked him.</div><div class="p">&#8220;There, in the tent,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 10Then one of them said, &#8220;I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, &#8220;After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then the Lord said to Abraham, &#8220;Why did Sarah laugh and say, &#8216;Will I really have a child, now that I am old?&#8217; 14Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, &#8220;I did not laugh.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But he said, &#8220;Yes, you did laugh.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Abraham Pleads for Sodom</div><div class="p"> 16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, &#8220;Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.#18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20) 19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Then the Lord said, &#8220;The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.#18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham 23Then Abraham approached him and said: &#8220;Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare#18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26 the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing&#8212;to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26The Lord said, &#8220;If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Then Abraham spoke up again: &#8220;Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;If I find forty-five there,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29Once again he spoke to him, &#8220;What if only forty are found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;For the sake of forty, I will not do it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Then he said, &#8220;May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;I will not do it if I find thirty there.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Abraham said, &#8220;Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32Then he said, &#8220;May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch19" data-usfm="GEN.19">
 <div class="label">19</div><div class="s1">Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed</div><div class="p"> 1The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2&#8220;My lords,&#8221; he said, &#8220;please turn aside to your servant&#8217;s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;No,&#8221; they answered, &#8220;we will spend the night in the square.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom&#8212;both young and old&#8212;surrounded the house. 5They called to Lot, &#8220;Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7and said, &#8220;No, my friends. Don&#8217;t do this wicked thing. 8Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don&#8217;t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Get out of our way,&#8221; they replied. &#8220;This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We&#8217;ll treat you worse than them.&#8221; They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.</div><div class="p"> 10But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.</div><div class="p"> 12The two men said to Lot, &#8220;Do you have anyone else here&#8212;sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry#19:14 Or were married to his daughters. He said, &#8220;Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!&#8221; But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.</div><div class="p"> 15With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, &#8220;Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. 17As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, &#8220;Flee for your lives! Don&#8217;t look back, and don&#8217;t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But Lot said to them, &#8220;No, my lords,#19:18 Or No, Lord; or No, my lord please! 19Your#19:19 The Hebrew is singular. servant has found favor in your#19:19 The Hebrew is singular. eyes, and you#19:19 The Hebrew is singular. have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can&#8217;t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I&#8217;ll die. 20Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it&#8212;it is very small, isn&#8217;t it? Then my life will be spared.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21He said to him, &#8220;Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.&#8221; (That is why the town was called Zoar.#19:22 Zoar means small.)</div><div class="p"> 23By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah&#8212;from the Lord out of the heavens. 25Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities&#8212;and also the vegetation in the land. 26But Lot&#8217;s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.</div><div class="p"> 27Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.</div><div class="p"> 29So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.</div><div class="s1">Lot and His Daughters</div><div class="p"> 30Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31One day the older daughter said to the younger, &#8220;Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children&#8212;as is the custom all over the earth. 32Let&#8217;s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.</div><div class="p"> 34The next day the older daughter said to the younger, &#8220;Last night I slept with my father. Let&#8217;s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.&#8221; 35So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.</div><div class="p"> 36So both of Lot&#8217;s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab#19:37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi#19:38 Ben-Ammi means son of my father&#8217;s people.; he is the father of the Ammonites#19:38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon of today.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch20" data-usfm="GEN.20">
 <div class="label">20</div><div class="s1">Abraham and Abimelek</div><div class="p"> 1Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, &#8220;She is my sister.&#8221; Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.</div><div class="p"> 3But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, &#8220;You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, &#8220;Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5Did he not say to me, &#8216;She is my sister,&#8217; and didn&#8217;t she also say, &#8216;He is my brother&#8217;? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Then God said to him in the dream, &#8220;Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7Now return the man&#8217;s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, &#8220;What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.&#8221; 10And Abimelek asked Abraham, &#8220;What was your reason for doing this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Abraham replied, &#8220;I said to myself, &#8216;There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.&#8217; 12Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13And when God had me wander from my father&#8217;s household, I said to her, &#8216;This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, &#8220;He is my brother.&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15And Abimelek said, &#8220;My land is before you; live wherever you like.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16To Sarah he said, &#8220;I am giving your brother a thousand shekels#20:16 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek&#8217;s household from conceiving because of Abraham&#8217;s wife Sarah.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJHN">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="JHN.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">The Good Shepherd and His Sheep</div><div class="p"> 1 &#8220;Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger&#8217;s voice.&#8221; 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.</div><div class="p"> 7Therefore Jesus said again, &#8220;Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.#10:9 Or kept safe They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.</div><div class="p"> 11 &#8220;I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.</div><div class="p"> 14 &#8220;I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me&#8212; 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father&#8212;and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life&#8212;only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20Many of them said, &#8220;He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21But others said, &#8220;These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Further Conflict Over Jesus&#8217; Claims</div><div class="p"> 22Then came the Festival of Dedication#10:22 That is, Hanukkah at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon&#8217;s Colonnade. 24The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, &#8220;How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Jesus answered, &#8220;I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father&#8217;s name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all#10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father&#8217;s hand. 30I and the Father are one.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 31Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, &#8220;I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33&#8220;We are not stoning you for any good work,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 34Jesus answered them, &#8220;Is it not written in your Law, &#8216;I have said you are &#8220;gods&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;#10:34 Psalm 82:6? 35If he called them &#8216;gods,&#8217; to whom the word of God came&#8212;and Scripture cannot be set aside&#8212; 36what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, &#8216;I am God&#8217;s Son&#8217;? 37Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.&#8221; 39Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.</div><div class="p"> 40Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41and many people came to him. They said, &#8220;Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.&#8221; 42And in that place many believed in Jesus.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJHN">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="JHN.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">The Death of Lazarus</div><div class="p"> 1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, &#8220;Lord, the one you love is sick.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4When he heard this, Jesus said, &#8220;This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God&#8217;s glory so that God&#8217;s Son may be glorified through it.&#8221; 5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7and then he said to his disciples, &#8220;Let us go back to Judea.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;But Rabbi,&#8221; they said, &#8220;a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Jesus answered, &#8220;Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world&#8217;s light. 10It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, &#8220;Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12His disciples replied, &#8220;Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.&#8221; 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.</div><div class="p"> 14So then he told them plainly, &#8220;Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Then Thomas (also known as Didymus#11:16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.) said to the rest of the disciples, &#8220;Let us also go, that we may die with him.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus</div><div class="p"> 17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was less than two miles#11:18 Or about 3 kilometers from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.</div><div class="p"> 21&#8220;Lord,&#8221; Martha said to Jesus, &#8220;if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Jesus said to her, &#8220;Your brother will rise again.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Martha answered, &#8220;I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Jesus said to her, &#8220;I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27&#8220;Yes, Lord,&#8221; she replied, &#8220;I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. &#8220;The Teacher is here,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and is asking for you.&#8221; 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.</div><div class="p"> 32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, &#8220;Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34&#8220;Where have you laid him?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Come and see, Lord,&#8221; they replied.</div><div class="p"> 35Jesus wept.</div><div class="p"> 36Then the Jews said, &#8220;See how he loved him!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37But some of them said, &#8220;Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead</div><div class="p"> 38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39&#8220;Take away the stone,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p">&#8220;But, Lord,&#8221; said Martha, the sister of the dead man, &#8220;by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 40Then Jesus said, &#8220;Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, &#8220;Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 43When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, &#8220;Lazarus, come out!&#8221; 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.</div><div class="p">Jesus said to them, &#8220;Take off the grave clothes and let him go.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Plot to Kill Jesus</div><div class="p"> 45Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.</div><div class="p">&#8220;What are we accomplishing?&#8221; they asked. &#8220;Here is this man performing many signs. 48If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 49Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, &#8220;You know nothing at all! 50You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 51He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53So from that day on they plotted to take his life.</div><div class="p"> 54Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.</div><div class="p"> 55When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, &#8220;What do you think? Isn&#8217;t he coming to the festival at all?&#8221; 57But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.</div>
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