41 Bible Verses about Joy

To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:

And he took them into his house and gave them food, and he was full of joy, having faith in God with all his family.

And you took us and the Lord as your example, after the word had come to you in much trouble, with joy in the Holy Spirit;

What then? only that in every way, falsely or truly, the preaching of Christ goes on; and in this I am glad, and will be glad. For I am conscious that this will be for my salvation, through your prayer and the giving out of the stored wealth of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

A man who is a lover of wisdom is a joy to his father: but he who goes in the company of loose women is a waster of wealth.

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man has no respect for his mother.

The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.

My son, be wise and make my heart glad, so that I may give back an answer to him who puts me to shame.

And get the fat young ox and put it to death, and let us have a feast, and be glad. For this, my son, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away from me, and has come back. And they were full of joy.

Your feasts will be turned into sorrow and all your melody into songs of grief; everyone will be clothed with haircloth, and the hair of every head will be cut; I will make the weeping like that for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day.

And I will put an end to all her joy, her feasts, her new moons, and her Sabbaths, and all her regular meetings.

And never again will the shining of lights be seen in you; and the voice of the newly-married man and the bride will never again be sounding in you: for your traders were the lords of the earth, and by your evil powers were all the nations turned out of the right way.

I will put an end to the noise of your songs, and the sound of your instruments of music will be gone for ever.

There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; there is an end of all delight, the joy of the land is gone.

Have joy with the woman of your love all the days of your foolish life which he gives you under the sun. Because that is your part in life and in your work which you do under the sun.

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

You have made them very glad, increasing their joy. They are glad before you as men are glad in the time of getting in the grain, or when they make division of the goods taken in war.

This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God.

Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.

Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.

Unhappy are you who are full of food now: for you will be in need. Unhappy are you who are laughing now: for you will be crying in sorrow.

And the seventy came back with joy, saying, Lord, even the evil spirits are under our power in your name.

My delight is to do your pleasure, O my God; truly, your law is in my heart.

Who, when he came and saw the grace of God, was glad; and he made clear to them the need of keeping near the Lord with all the strength of their hearts:

And on that day they made great offerings and were glad; for God had made them glad with great joy; and the women and the children were glad with them: so that the joy of Jerusalem came to the ears of those who were far off.

Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

And all joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field; and in the vine-gardens there are no songs or sounds of joy: the crushing of grapes has come to an end, and its glad cry has been stopped.

A glad heart makes a healthy body, but a crushed spirit makes the bones dry.

Come, take your bread with joy, and your wine with a glad heart. God has taken pleasure in your works.

And all the people went away to take food and drink, and to send food to others, and to be glad, because the words which were said to them had been made clear.

And from them will go out praise and the sound of laughing: and I will make them great in number, and they will not become less; and I will give them glory, and they will not be small.

For this, my son, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away from me, and has come back. And they were full of joy.

Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

And all joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field; and in the vine-gardens there are no songs or sounds of joy: the crushing of grapes has come to an end, and its glad cry has been stopped.

I will make them come to my holy mountain, and will give them joy in my house of prayer; I will take pleasure in the burned offerings which they make on my altar: for my house will be named a house of prayer for all peoples.

Even those whom he has made free, will come back again; they will come with songs to Zion; on their heads will be eternal joy; delight and joy will be theirs, and sorrow and sounds of grief will be gone for ever.

For you will go out with joy, and be guided in peace: the mountains and the hills will make melody before you, and all the trees of the fields will make sounds of joy.

And not only so, but we have joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we are now at peace with God.

Still, I will be glad in the Lord, my joy will be in the God of my salvation.

In your name will they have joy all the day: in your righteousness will they be lifted up.

Let Israel have joy in his maker; let the children of Zion be glad in their King.

My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles.

For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God;

I have no greater joy than to have news that my children are walking in the true way.

Truly I say to you, You will be weeping and sorrowing, but the world will be glad: you will be sad, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

Even those whom he has made free, will come back again; they will come with songs to Zion; on their heads will be eternal joy; delight and joy will be theirs, and sorrow and sounds of grief will be gone for ever.

So all the people of the land were glad and the town was quiet, for they had put Athaliah to death with the sword

And they made an oath to the Lord, with a loud voice, sounding wind-instruments and horns. And all Judah was glad because of the oath, for they had taken it with all their heart, turning to the Lord with all their desire; and he was with them and gave them rest on every side.

And Jehoiada put the work and the care of the house of the Lord into the hands of the priests and the Levites, who had been grouped in divisions by David to make burned offerings to the Lord, as it is recorded in the law of Moses, with joy and song as David had said.

Then King Hezekiah and the captains gave orders to the Levites to give praise to God in the words of David and Asaph the seer. And they made songs of praise with joy, and with bent heads gave worship.

And Hezekiah and all the people were full of joy, because God had made the people ready: for the thing was done suddenly.

So that I may come to you in joy by the good pleasure of God, and have rest with you.

So we have been comforted: and we had the greater joy in our comfort because of the joy of Titus, for his spirit had been made glad by you all.

So that we made a request to Titus that, as he had made a start before, so he might make this grace complete in you.

For they gave comfort to my spirit and to yours: for which cause give respect to such people.

For though the fig-tree has no flowers, and there is no fruit on the vine, and work on the olive comes to nothing, and the fields give no food; and the flock is cut off from its resting-place, and there is no herd in the cattle-house: Still, I will be glad in the Lord, my joy will be in the God of my salvation.

Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven: for so were the prophets attacked who were before you.

Be glad in that day, and be lifted up for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great: for their fathers did these same things to the prophets.

Desiring to see you, keeping in my memory your weeping, so that I may be full of joy;

We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ: And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be made complete.

Having much to say to you, it is not my purpose to put it all down with paper and ink: but I am hoping to come to you, and to have talk with you face to face, so that your joy may be full.

So my brothers, well loved and very dear to me, my joy and crown, be strong in the Lord, my loved ones.

For you are our glory and our joy.

And I am conscious, my God, that you are the searcher of hearts, taking pleasure in righteousness. As for me, with an upright heart I have freely given all these things; and I have seen with joy your people who are here to make their offerings freely to you.

Then the people were glad because their offerings were freely given, for with a true heart they freely gave what they had to the Lord; and David the king was full of joy.

And being certain of this, I am conscious that I will go on, yes, and go on with you all, for your growth and joy in the faith;

Not that we have authority over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy: for it is faith which is your support.

Have joy, O young man, while you are young; and let your heart be glad in the days of your strength, and go in the ways of your heart, and in the desire of your eyes; but be certain that for all these things God will be your judge.

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

But even if a man's life is long and he has joy in all his years, let him keep in mind the dark days, because they will be great in number. Whatever may come is to no purpose.

And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.

As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things.

Now I have joy in my pain because of you, and in my flesh I undergo whatever is still needed to make the sorrows of Christ complete, for the salvation of his body, the church;

And their voices are sounding in a new song, saying, It is right for you to take the book and to make it open: for you were put to death and have made an offering to God of your blood for men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation, And have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are ruling on the earth.

Be glad then, O heavens, and you who are in them. But there is trouble for the earth and the sea: because the Evil One has come down to you, being very angry, having the knowledge that he has but a short time.

As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things.

Be glad in the Lord at all times: again I say, Be glad.

Offering the word of life; so that I may have glory in you in the day of Christ, because my running was not for nothing and my work was not without effect.

Give ear to those who are rulers over you, and do as they say: for they keep watch over your souls, ready to give an account of them; let them be able to do this with joy and not with grief, because that would be of no profit to you.

And he took his people out with joy, the men of his selection with glad cries:

Give ear to the word of the Lord, O you nations, and give news of it in the sea-lands far away, and say, He who has sent Israel wandering will get him together and will keep him as a keeper does his flock. For the Lord has given a price for Jacob, and made him free from the hands of him who was stronger than he. So they will come with songs on the high places, flowing together to the good things of the Lord, to the grain and the wine and the oil, to the young ones of the flock and of the herd: their souls will be like a watered garden, and they will have no more sorrow. read more.
Then the virgin will have joy in the dance, and the young men and the old will be glad: for I will have their weeping turned into joy, I will give them comfort and make them glad after their sorrow.

Then the virgin will have joy in the dance, and the young men and the old will be glad: for I will have their weeping turned into joy, I will give them comfort and make them glad after their sorrow.

And from them will go out praise and the sound of laughing: and I will make them great in number, and they will not become less; and I will give them glory, and they will not be small.

Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in harmony and of one mind;

So brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: give new life to my heart in Christ.

But to me your word is a joy, making my heart glad; for I am named by your name, O Lord God of armies.

And all the people went away to take food and drink, and to send food to others, and to be glad, because the words which were said to them had been made clear.

For the rest, my brothers, be glad in the Lord. Writing the same things to you is no trouble to me, and for you it is safe.

Be glad in the Lord with joy, you upright men; give cries of joy, all you whose hearts are true.

To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

Lord, you have put joy in my heart, more than they have when their grain and their wine are increased.

Offering the word of life; so that I may have glory in you in the day of Christ, because my running was not for nothing and my work was not without effect.

So they, being sent on their way by the church, went through Phoenicia and Samaria, giving news of the salvation of the Gentiles, to the great joy of all the brothers.

Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise.

Joining with one another in holy songs of praise and of the Spirit, using your voice in songs and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

That the pride of the sinner is short, and the joy of the evil-doer but for a minute?

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

For we are the circumcision, who give worship to God and have glory in Jesus Christ, and have no faith in the flesh:

My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of glory? Are not even you, before our Lord Jesus, at his coming? For you are our glory and our joy.

For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God;

For I had great joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been made strong again through you, brother.

And truly, I will take pleasure in doing them good, and all my heart and soul will be given to planting them in this land in good faith.

And the Lord your God will make you fertile in all good things, blessing the work of your hands, and the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land: for the Lord will have joy in you, as he had in your fathers:

And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and increasing you, so the Lord will take pleasure in cutting you off and causing your destruction, and you will be uprooted from the land which you are about to take as your heritage.

You have made them very glad, increasing their joy. They are glad before you as men are glad in the time of getting in the grain, or when they make division of the goods taken in war.

The kingdom of heaven is like a secret store of wealth in a field, which a man came across and put back again; and in his joy he goes and gives all he has, to get that field.

So Haman was put to death by hanging him on the pillar he had made for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath became less.

And Mordecai went out from before the king, dressed in king-like robes of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold and clothing of purple and the best linen: and all the town of Shushan gave loud cries of joy. And the Jews had light and joy and honour.

But let all those who put their faith in you be glad with cries of joy at all times, and let all the lovers of your name be glad in you.

I have put the Lord before me at all times; because he is at my right hand, I will not be moved. Because of this my heart is glad, and my glory is full of joy: while my flesh takes its rest in hope.

I will be full of joy in the Lord, my soul will be glad in my God; for he has put on me the clothing of salvation, covering me with the robe of righteousness, as the husband puts on a fair head-dress, and the bride makes herself beautiful with jewels.

The king will be glad in your strength, O Lord; how great will be his delight in your salvation!

Be full of joy, O daughter of Zion; give a glad cry, O daughter of Jerusalem: see, your king comes to you: he is upright and has overcome; gentle and seated on an ass, on a young ass.

And there was much joy in that town.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of glory? Are not even you, before our Lord Jesus, at his coming? For you are our glory and our joy.

Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to give you a place in his glory, free from all evil, with great joy,

But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy.

And when they had given them a great number of blows, they put them in prison, giving orders to the keeper of the prison to keep them safely:

But about the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were making prayers and songs to God in the hearing of the prisoners;

You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways,

Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;

Be glad in that day, and be lifted up for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great: for their fathers did these same things to the prophets.

Be glad in the Lord with joy, you upright men; give cries of joy, all you whose hearts are true.

For you have made him a blessing for ever: you have given him joy in the light of your face.

But let the upright be glad; let them have delight before God; let them be full of joy.

And they gave him worship and went back to Jerusalem with great joy.

And he took them into his house and gave them food, and he was full of joy, having faith in God with all his family.

The Lord is my strength and my breastplate, my heart had faith in him and I am helped; for this cause my heart is full of rapture, and I will give him praise in my song.

Make me full of joy and rapture; so that the bones which have been broken may be glad.

Will you not give us life again, so that your people may be glad in you?

And all the people put their clothing down in the way; and others got branches from the trees, and put them down in the way. And those who went before him, and those who came after, gave loud cries, saying, Glory to the Son of David: A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord: Glory in the highest.

And a great number put down their clothing in the way; and others put down branches which they had taken from the fields. And those who went in front, and those who came after, were crying, Glory: A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord: A blessing on the coming kingdom of our father David: Glory in the highest.

Let my soul be overflowing with grief when these things come back to my mind, how I went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with the song of those who were keeping the feast.

And kept the feast of unleavened bread for seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them full of joy, by turning the heart of the king of Assyria to them to give them help in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

And day by day, going in agreement together regularly to the Temple and, taking broken bread together in their houses, they took their food with joy and with true hearts,

And the disciples were full of joy and of the Holy Spirit.

Have joy at all times.

And you took us and the Lord as your example, after the word had come to you in much trouble, with joy in the Holy Spirit;

As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things.

And a voice from heaven came to my ears, like the sound of great waters, and the sound of loud thunder: and the voice which came to me was like the sound of players, playing on instruments of music. And they made as it seemed a new song before the high seat, and before the four beasts and the rulers: and no man might have knowledge of the song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, even those from the earth whom God has made his for a price.

How while they were undergoing every sort of trouble, and were in the greatest need, they took all the greater joy in being able to give freely to the needs of others.

Then the people were glad because their offerings were freely given, for with a true heart they freely gave what they had to the Lord; and David the king was full of joy.

And on the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents, full of joy and glad in their hearts, because of all the good which the Lord had done to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

But they will be your food before the Lord your God in the place of his selection, where you may make a feast of them, with your son and your daughter, and your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is living with you: and you will have joy before the Lord your God in everything to which you put your hand.

For though the fig-tree has no flowers, and there is no fruit on the vine, and work on the olive comes to nothing, and the fields give no food; and the flock is cut off from its resting-place, and there is no herd in the cattle-house: Still, I will be glad in the Lord, my joy will be in the God of my salvation.

Dear brothers, do not be surprised, as if it was something strange, if your faith is tested as by fire: But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy.

And there came to my ears the voice of a great army, like the sound of waters, and the sound of loud thunders, saying, Praise to the Lord: for the Lord our God, Ruler of all, is King.

Happy are you when men give you a bad name, and are cruel to you, and say all evil things against you falsely, because of me. Be glad and full of joy; for great is your reward in heaven: for so were the prophets attacked who were before you.

So David, and the responsible men of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went with joy to get the ark of the agreement of the Lord out of the house of Obed-edom.

And David gave orders to the chief of the Levites to put their brothers the music-makers in position, with instruments of music, corded instruments and brass, with glad voices making sounds of joy.

So all Israel took up the ark of the agreement of the Lord, with loud cries and with horns and brass and corded instruments sounding loudly.

The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.

A man has joy in the answer of his mouth: and a word at the right time, how good it is!

Deceit is in the heart of those whose designs are evil, but for those purposing peace there is joy.

It is a joy to the good man to do right, but it is destruction to the workers of evil.

Give me back the joy of your salvation; let a free spirit be my support. Then will I make your ways clear to wrongdoers; and sinners will be turned to you.

Foolish behaviour is joy to the unwise; but a man of good sense makes his way straight.

Even while laughing the heart may be sad; and after joy comes sorrow.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,

For you had pity on those who were in prison, and had joy in the loss of your property, in the knowledge that you still had a better property and one which you would keep for ever.

If you keep my laws, you will be ever in my love, even as I have kept my Father's laws, and am ever in his love. I have said these things to you so that I may have joy in you and so that your joy may be complete.

Not that we have authority over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy: for it is faith which is your support.

And I said this very thing in my letter, for fear that when I came I might have sorrow from those from whom it was right for me to have joy; being certain of this, that my joy is the joy of you all.

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, May the blessing of the Lord, who has at all times been kind to the living and to the dead, be on him. And Naomi said to her, The man is of our family, one of our near relations.

And the women said to Naomi, A blessing on the Lord, who has not let you be this day without a near relation, and may his name be great in Israel.

His lord said to him, Well done, good and true servant: you have been true in a small thing, I will give you control over great things: take your part in the joy of your lord.

Then he said to them, Go away now, and take the fat for your food and the sweet for your drink, and send some to him for whom nothing is made ready: for this day is holy to our Lord: and let there be no grief in your hearts; for the joy of the Lord is your strong place.

And suddenly there was with the angel a great band of spirits from heaven, giving praise to God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased.

And they went away quickly, with fear and great joy, to give his disciples the news.

And when they saw the star they were full of joy.

Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Being glad in hope, quiet in trouble, at all times given to prayer,

And when they saw the star they were full of joy.

And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation.

Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So that I may come to you in joy by the good pleasure of God, and have rest with you.

Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.

And all joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field; and in the vine-gardens there are no songs or sounds of joy: the crushing of grapes has come to an end, and its glad cry has been stopped.

So David gave praise to the Lord before all the people; and David said, Praise be to you, O Lord the God of Israel, our father for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the strength and the power and the glory, and the authority and the honour: for everything in heaven and on earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are lifted up as head over all. Wealth and honour come from you, and you are ruler over all, and in your hand is power and strength; it is in your power to make great, and to give strength to all. read more.
So now, our God, we give you praise, honouring the glory of your name. But who am I and what is my people, that we have power to give so freely in this way? for all things come from you, and what we have given you is yours. For we, as all our fathers were, are like men from a strange country before you, who have got a place for a time in the land; our days on the earth are like a shade, and there is no hope of going on. O Lord our God, all this store, which we have made ready for the building of a house for your holy name, comes from your hand and is yours. And I am conscious, my God, that you are the searcher of hearts, taking pleasure in righteousness. As for me, with an upright heart I have freely given all these things; and I have seen with joy your people who are here to make their offerings freely to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the deepest thoughts of your people, and let their hearts be fixed and true to you; And give to Solomon my son a true heart, to keep your orders, your rules, and your laws, and to do all these things, and to put up this great house for which I have made ready.

Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.

Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and have joy in the Lord your God: for he gives you food in full measure, making the rain come down for you, the early and the late rain as at the first. And the floors will be full of grain, and the crushing-places overflowing with wine and oil.

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy.

And the angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people: For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord.

And the poor will have their joy in the Lord increased, and those in need will be glad in the Holy One of Israel.

You will make clear to me the way of life; where you are joy is complete; in your right hand there are pleasures for ever and ever.

To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:

To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:

And when he gets back to his house, he sends for his neighbours and friends, saying to them, Be glad with me, for I have got back my sheep which had gone away. I say to you that even so there will be more joy in heaven when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing, than for ninety-nine good men, who have no need of a change of heart.

And news of them came to the ears of the church at Jerusalem: and they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch: Who, when he came and saw the grace of God, was glad; and he made clear to them the need of keeping near the Lord with all the strength of their hearts:

And they gave praise to the Lord, answering one another in their songs and saying, For he is good, for his mercy to Israel is eternal. And all the people gave a great cry of joy, when they gave praise to the Lord, because the base of the Lord's house was put in place. But a number of the priests and Levites and the heads of families, old men who had seen the first house, when the base of this house was put down before their eyes, were overcome with weeping; and a number were crying out with joy: So that in the ears of the people the cry of joy was mixed with the sound of weeping; for the cries of the people were loud and came to the ears of those who were a long way off.

And he got up and went to his father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved with pity for him and went quickly and took him in his arms and gave him a kiss. And his son said to him, Father, I have done wrong, against heaven and in your eyes: I am no longer good enough to be named your son. But the father said to his servants, Get out the first robe quickly, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet: read more.
And get the fat young ox and put it to death, and let us have a feast, and be glad. For this, my son, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away from me, and has come back. And they were full of joy. Now the older son was in the field: and when he came near the house, the sounds of music and dancing came to his ears. And he sent for one of the servants, questioning him about what it might be. And he said to him, Your brother has come; and your father has had the young ox put to death because he has come back safely. But he was angry and would not go in; and his father came out and made a request to him to come in. But he made answer and said to his father, See, all these years I have been your servant, doing your orders in everything: and you never gave me even a young goat so that I might have a feast with my friends: But when this your son came, who has been wasting your property with bad women, you put to death the fat young ox for him. And he said to him, Son, you are with me at all times, and all I have is yours. But it was right to be glad and to have a feast; for this your brother, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away and has come back.

And now, as you see, I am going to Jerusalem, a prisoner in spirit, having no knowledge of what will come to me there: Only that the Holy Spirit makes clear to me in every town that prison and pains are waiting for me. But I put no value on my life, if only at the end of it I may see the work complete which was given to me by the Lord Jesus, to be a witness of the good news of the grace of God.

So with joy will you get water out of the springs of salvation.

And kept the feast of unleavened bread for seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them full of joy, by turning the heart of the king of Assyria to them to give them help in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had come back, kept the feast of the opening of this house of God with joy.

To give them a fair head-dress in place of dust, the oil of joy in place of the clothing of grief, praise in place of sorrow; so that they may be named trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, and so that he may have glory.

Even so, I say to you, There is joy among the angels of God, when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing. And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me that part of your property which will be mine. And he made division of his goods between them. read more.
And not long after, the younger son got together everything which was his and took a journey into a far-away country, and there all his money went in foolish living. And when everything was gone, there was no food to be had in that country, and he was in need. And he went and put himself into the hands of one of the people of that country, and he sent him into his fields to give the pigs their food. And so great was his need that he would have been glad to take the pigs' food, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to his senses, he said, What numbers of my father's servants have bread enough, and more, while I am near to death here through need of food! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have done wrong, against heaven and in your eyes: I am no longer good enough to be named your son: make me like one of your servants. And he got up and went to his father. But while he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved with pity for him and went quickly and took him in his arms and gave him a kiss. And his son said to him, Father, I have done wrong, against heaven and in your eyes: I am no longer good enough to be named your son. But the father said to his servants, Get out the first robe quickly, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet: And get the fat young ox and put it to death, and let us have a feast, and be glad. For this, my son, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away from me, and has come back. And they were full of joy. Now the older son was in the field: and when he came near the house, the sounds of music and dancing came to his ears. And he sent for one of the servants, questioning him about what it might be. And he said to him, Your brother has come; and your father has had the young ox put to death because he has come back safely. But he was angry and would not go in; and his father came out and made a request to him to come in. But he made answer and said to his father, See, all these years I have been your servant, doing your orders in everything: and you never gave me even a young goat so that I might have a feast with my friends: But when this your son came, who has been wasting your property with bad women, you put to death the fat young ox for him. And he said to him, Son, you are with me at all times, and all I have is yours. But it was right to be glad and to have a feast; for this your brother, who was dead, is living again; he had gone away and has come back.

You will make clear to me the way of life; where you are joy is complete; in your right hand there are pleasures for ever and ever.

To give them a fair head-dress in place of dust, the oil of joy in place of the clothing of grief, praise in place of sorrow; so that they may be named trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, and so that he may have glory.

Light is shining on the lovers of righteousness, and for the upright in heart there is joy.

And now I come to you; and these things I say in the world so that they may have my joy complete in them.

And they gave him worship and went back to Jerusalem with great joy.

Up to now you have made no request in my name: do so, and it will be answered, so that your hearts may be full of joy.

Give worship to the Lord with fear, kissing his feet and giving him honour,

And he took them into his house and gave them food, and he was full of joy, having faith in God with all his family.

But I put no value on my life, if only at the end of it I may see the work complete which was given to me by the Lord Jesus, to be a witness of the good news of the grace of God.

And day by day, going in agreement together regularly to the Temple and, taking broken bread together in their houses, they took their food with joy and with true hearts, Giving praise to God, and having the approval of all the people; and every day the number of those who had salvation was increased by the Lord.

Then Moses and the children of Israel made this song to the Lord, and said, I will make a song to the Lord, for he is lifted up in glory: the horse and the horseman he has sent down into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my strong helper, he has become my salvation: he is my God and I will give him praise; my father's God and I will give him glory. The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. read more.
Pharaoh's war-carriages and his army he has sent down into the sea: the best of his captains have gone down into the Red Sea. They were covered by the deep waters: like a stone they went down under the waves. Full of glory, O Lord, is the power of your right hand; by your right hand those who came against you are broken. When you are lifted up in power, all those who come against you are crushed: when you send out your wrath, they are burned up like dry grass. By your breath the waves were massed together, the flowing waters were lifted up like a pillar; the deep waters became solid in the heart of the sea. Egypt said, I will go after them, I will overtake, I will make division of their goods: my desire will have its way with them; my sword will be uncovered, my hand will send destruction on them. You sent your wind and the sea came over them: they went down like lead into the great waters. Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? who is like you, in holy glory, to be praised with fear, doing wonders? When your right hand was stretched out, the mouth of the earth was open for them. In your mercy you went before the people whom you have made yours; guiding them in your strength to your holy place. Hearing of you the peoples were shaking in fear: the people of Philistia were gripped with pain. The chiefs of Edom were troubled in heart; the strong men of Moab were in the grip of fear: all the people of Canaan became like water. Fear and grief came on them; by the strength of your arm they were turned to stone; till your people went over, O Lord, till the people went over whom you have made yours. You will take them in, planting them in the mountain of your heritage, the place, O Lord, where you have made your house, the holy place, O Lord, the building of your hands. The Lord is King for ever and ever. For the horses of Pharaoh, with his war-carriages and his horsemen, went into the sea, and the Lord sent the waters of the sea back over them; but the children of Israel went through the sea on dry land. And Miriam, the woman prophet, the sister of Aaron, took an instrument of music in her hand; and all the women went after her with music and dances. And Miriam, answering, said, Make a song to the Lord, for he is lifted up in glory; the horse and the horseman he has sent into the sea. Then Moses took Israel forward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the waste land of Shur; and for three days they were in the waste land where there was no water.

Then he took him in his arms and gave praise to God and said, Now you are letting your servant go in peace, O Lord, as you have said; For my eyes have seen your salvation, read more.
Which you have made ready before the face of all nations; A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free, Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, read more.
(As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,) Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us; To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word, The oath which he made to Abraham, our father, That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship, In righteousness and holy living before him all our days. And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways; To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins, Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us, To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace.

And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God; My spirit is glad in God my Saviour. For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me. read more.
For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name. His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him. With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts. He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree. Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands; His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever, As he gave his word to our fathers. And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.

And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation. No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no Rock like our God. Say no more words of pride; let not uncontrolled sayings come out of your mouths: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him acts are judged. read more.
The bows of the men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed with strength. Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow. The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up; Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world. He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome. Those who make war against the Lord will be broken; against them he will send his thunder from heaven: the Lord will be judge of the ends of the earth, he will give strength to his king, lifting up the horn of him on whom the holy oil has been put. Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child became the servant of the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.

Even so, I say to you, There is joy among the angels of God, when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing.

I say to you that even so there will be more joy in heaven when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing, than for ninety-nine good men, who have no need of a change of heart.

And suddenly there was with the angel a great band of spirits from heaven, giving praise to God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on the earth peace among men with whom he is well pleased.

I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world.

Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God.

Do not be glad, however, because you have power over spirits, but because your names are recorded in heaven.

In that same hour he was full of joy in the Holy Spirit and said, I give praise to you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have kept these things secret from the wise and the men of learning, and have made them clear to little children: for so, O Father, it was pleasing in your eyes.

And now I come to you; and these things I say in the world so that they may have my joy complete in them.

I have said these things to you so that I may have joy in you and so that your joy may be complete.

Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music. And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death his thousands and David his tens of thousands.

And I will give her vine-gardens from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope; and she will give her answer there as in the days when she was young, and as in the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

Truly I say to you, You will be weeping and sorrowing, but the world will be glad: you will be sad, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

So they went away from the Sanhedrin, happy to undergo shame for the Name.

I say to you that even so there will be more joy in heaven when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing, than for ninety-nine good men, who have no need of a change of heart.

You have made me see the ways of life; I will be full of joy when I see your face.

But a number of the priests and Levites and the heads of families, old men who had seen the first house, when the base of this house was put down before their eyes, were overcome with weeping; and a number were crying out with joy:

So they, being sent on their way by the church, went through Phoenicia and Samaria, giving news of the salvation of the Gentiles, to the great joy of all the brothers.

My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.

He who does the cutting now has his reward; he is getting together fruit for eternal life, so that he who did the planting and he who gets in the grain may have joy together.

Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.

And Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were the teachers of the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; let there be no sorrow or weeping; for all the people were weeping on hearing the words of the law. Then he said to them, Go away now, and take the fat for your food and the sweet for your drink, and send some to him for whom nothing is made ready: for this day is holy to our Lord: and let there be no grief in your hearts; for the joy of the Lord is your strong place. So the Levites made all the people quiet, saying, Be quiet, for the day is holy; and do not give way to grief. read more.
And all the people went away to take food and drink, and to send food to others, and to be glad, because the words which were said to them had been made clear. And on the second day the heads of families of all the people and the priests and the Levites came together to Ezra the scribe, to give attention to the words of the law. And they saw that it was recorded in the law that the Lord had given orders by Moses, that the children of Israel were to have tents for their living-places in the feast of the seventh month: And that they were to give out an order, and make it public in all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain and get olive branches and branches of field olives and of myrtle, and palm branches and branches of thick trees, to make tents, as it says in the book. And the people went out and got them and made themselves tents, every one on the roof of his house, and in the open spaces and in the open squares of the house of God, and in the wide place of the water-doorway, and the wide place of the doorway of Ephraim. All the people who had been prisoners and had come back, made tents and were living in them: for from the time of Jeshua, the son of Nun, till that day, the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great joy. And day by day, from the first day till the last, he was reading from the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast for seven days: and on the eighth day there was a holy meeting, as it is ordered in the law.

To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory: For so you have the true end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the order of Abijah; and he had a wife of the family of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong. And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old. read more.
Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God, And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes. And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes. And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him. But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John. And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth. For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth. And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God. And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord. And Zacharias said to the angel, How may I be certain of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far on in years. And the angel, answering, said, I am Gabriel, whose place is before God; I have been sent to say these words to you and to give you this good news. Now, see, you will be without voice or language till the day when these things come about, because you had not faith in my words, which will have effect at the right time. And the people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised because he was in the Temple for such a long time. And when he came out he was not able to say anything, and they saw that he had seen a vision in the Temple; and he was making signs to them without words. And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house. After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying, The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary. And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words? And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval. And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus. He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father: He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man? And the angel in answer said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you, and so that which will come to birth will be named holy, Son of God. Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children. For there is nothing which God is not able to do. And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say. And the angel went away. Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah; And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms. And when the voice of Mary came to the ears of Elisabeth, the baby made a sudden move inside her; then Elisabeth was full of the Holy Spirit, And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body. How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy.

So they, being sent on their way by the church, went through Phoenicia and Samaria, giving news of the salvation of the Gentiles, to the great joy of all the brothers.

And when he has got it again, he takes it in his arms with joy.

And those who were near, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came with food on asses and camels and mules and oxen, with meal for food and cakes of figs and masses of grapes, and wine and oil and oxen and sheep in great numbers, for there was joy in Israel.

And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see the man of the Lord's selection, how there is no other like him among all the people? And all the people with loud cries said, Long life to the king!

The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart.

When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?

And there was much joy in that town.

And hearing these things they said nothing more, but gave glory to God, saying, Then to the Gentiles as to us has God given a change of heart, so that they may have life.