When they go, I'll cast my net over them. I'll bring them down, as one shoots birds in the sky. I'll chasten them, as the assembly has already heard.

"Sound the ram's horn! Like a vulture the enemy will come against the Temple of the LORD, because Israel violated my covenant, transgressing my Law.

I prescribed great things from my Law for them, but they considered them profane.

"The fields lie in ruins and the ground is dried up. Indeed, the grain is ruined, the new wine has evaporated, and the olive oil has run out.

Seeds shrivel within their furrows, the storehouses lie empty, and granaries stand in ruins because the grain has withered.

"Furthermore, what have you to do with me, Tyre, Sidon, and all the sea coasts of Philistia? Are you taking revenge on me? If you are taking revenge on me, I'll send it back on you swiftly and promptly,

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Judah and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they rejected the Law of the LORD and did not keep his statutes. Their own lies made them wander off, following along the same path their ancestors walked.

They lay down beside every altar, on garments pledged as collateral, drinking wine paid for through fines imposed by the temple of their gods.

This is what the LORD says: "Just as a shepherd might save from the lion's mouth only two leg bones or a scrap of an ear, the Israelis will be saved in a similar manner those in Samaria who sit on the remains of their broken beds, and those in Damascus who lie on the edge of their couches."

"because on that day I will lay out the charges against Israel. I will also bring judgment upon the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and will fall to the ground.

All your allies will force you out of the land, your associates will deceive you and prevail against you. Your friends will lay out a trap for you, and you will never understand it!

Many nations will approach and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the Temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk according to his directions.' "Indeed, the Law will proceed from Zion, and the message of the LORD from Jerusalem.

You'll eat, but you won't have enough; and hunger will be common among you. You'll horde things, but you won't save them, and what you preserve I'll give over to the sword.

You'll plant, but you won't reap. You'll crush the olive harvest, but you'll have no oil to anoint yourself. You'll tread out the grapes, but you'll never drink wine.

You keep Omri's statutes and observe the customs of the house of Ahab. Because you live according to their advice, I'll make you desolate and turn your inhabitants into an object of scorn. Therefore you will bear the shame of my people."

The son disrespects his father, the daughter rebels against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies are the people of his own house.

Don't be glad on my account, my enemy. When I fall, I'll get up. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.

Hey king of Assyria! Your shepherds are asleep and your nobles are lying down! Your people lie scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them together.

Therefore, the Law has become paralyzed, and justice never comes about. Because criminals outnumber the righteous, whenever judgments are issued, they come out crooked."

Won't your creditors revolt unexpectedly? Won't those who make you tremble wake up? As a result, you'll become their prey!

"I'll utterly sweep away everything from the land," declares the LORD.

"I'll consume both human beings and animals I'll consume the birds of the sky, the fish in the sea, and the wicked along with their sin, when I eliminate human beings from the land," declares the LORD.

"I will also stretch out my hand against Judah, and upon all inhabitants of Jerusalem. I'll wipe out every trace of Baal from this place, and the name of the pagan priests, along with my own priests.

I'll wipe out those who worship the stars that they view from their housetops, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and who also swear by Milcom,

"It will come about during the LORD's sacrifice that I'll punish the officials, the royal descendants, and all who wear foreign clothing.

At the same time, I'll punish every idol worshipper, especially those who are filling their master's temple with violence and deceit.

"And I'll bring so much distress to people that they will walk around like the blind. Because they have sinned against the LORD, their blood will be poured out like dust and their intestines will spill out like manure.

Woe to those who live along the coast, the people of Philistia! This message from the LORD is being spoken against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: "I'll destroy you until no one lives there!'

The survivors of Judah will find pasture on it; at twilight they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon, for the LORD their God will visit them, restoring their prosperity."

This they will have in lieu of their pride, because they have insulted and mocked the people of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

Flocks will lie down in her midst, along with animals of every kind. Desert owls and screeching owls will nest at the top of the pillars, hooting through the vacant windows, "Ruin sits at these doorsills,' for he will expose even the cedar framework.

Its prophets are arrogant and treacherous. Its priests have contaminated the sanctuary. They give perverse interpretations of the Law.

"This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Ask the priests about what the Law says:

They made their hearts hard like a diamond, to keep from obeying the Law and the messages that the LORD of the Heavenly Armies sent by his Spirit through the former prophets.

They will pass through the sea of affliction, and they will strike the waves in that sea. All of the depths of the Nile will evaporate, Assyria's arrogance will be brought down low, and the ruling power of Egypt will disappear.

"Look, I am making Jerusalem an unstable cup toward all of its surrounding armies when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.

I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem, to lay siege against it. The city will be captured, the houses will be ransacked, the women raped, and half of the city will go into exile, but the remaining people will not be cut off from the city.

Even though Edom may claim, "We were crushed, but we will return and rebuild the ruins,' this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "They may rebuild, but I'll demolish. People will call them, "The Wicked Land,' and, "The People With Whom the LORD is Forever Angry.'

"Oh, that one of you would shut the Temple doors and not light useless fires on the altar! I'm not pleased with you," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I'll accept no offerings from you.

"If you don't listen, and if you don't choose to give honor to my name," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "then I'll curse both you and your blessings. I've even cursed them already, because none of you are taking it to heart.

Look! I'm rebuking your descendants because of you, and I'll spread waste on your faces, the waste of your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.

he will sit refining and purifying silver, purifying the descendants of Levi, refining them like gold and silver. Then they'll bring a righteous offering to the LORD.

"I'll come near to you for judgment. I'll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don't fear me," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

"Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees and haven't kept them. Return to me and I'll return to you," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. "But you ask, "How will we return?'

And I'll prevent the devourer from harming you, so that he does not destroy the crops of your land. Nor will the vines in your fields drop their fruit," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

"They'll be mine," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "in the day when I prepare my treasured possession. I'll spare them, just as a man spares his own son who serves him.

"Remember the Law of Moses my servant that I gave him at Horeb for all Israel both the decrees and laws.

and he will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I'll come, strike the land, and utterly destroy it."

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn't come to destroy them, but to fulfill them,

because I tell all of you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished.

Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets."

When Jesus went into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed, sick with a fever.

While Jesus was telling them these things, an official came up and fell down before him. "My daughter has just died," he said. "But come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."

I came to turn "a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

because the Law and all the Prophets prophesied up to the time of John.

"And you, Capernaum! You won't be lifted up to heaven, will you? You'll go down to Hell! Because if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

Or haven't you read in the Law that on every Sabbath the priests in the Temple violate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?

Then Peter told Jesus, "Lord, it's good that we're here! If you want, I'll set up three shelters one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, "Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything!'

Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

One of them, an expert in the Law, tested him by asking,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

They tie up burdens that are heavy and unbearable and lay them on people's shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to remove them.

"How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others.

You'll hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you aren't alarmed. These things must take place, but the end hasn't come yet,

"Then they'll hand you over to suffer and will kill you, and you'll be hated by all the nations because of my name.

He'll send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they'll gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another."

In the same way, when you see all these things, you'll know that the Son of Man is near, right at the door.

Since the groom was late, all of them became sleepy and lay down.

"His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!'

"His master told him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you've been trustworthy with a small amount, I'll put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master's joy!'

because to everyone who has something, more will be given, and he'll have more than enough. But from the person who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him.

But they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."

You'll always have the destitute with you, but you'll not always have me.

Peter remembered the words of Jesus when he said, "Before a rooster crows, you'll deny me three times." Then he went outside and cried bitterly.

If this is reported to the governor, we'll personally persuade him to keep you out of trouble."

Jesus told them, "Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of people!"

Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever, so they promptly told Jesus about her.

and begged him urgently, saying, "My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on her so that she may get well and live."

He couldn't perform a miracle there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king told the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you."

He swore with an oath to her, "I'll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom."

Some people brought him a deaf man who also had a speech impediment. They begged him to lay his hand on him.

If I send them away to their homes hungry, they'll faint on the road. Some of them have come a long distance."

Once again, Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. "Pay attention! We're going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they'll condemn him to death. Then they'll hand him over to the unbelievers,

and they'll make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he'll be raised."

Jesus told them, "I'll ask you one question. Answer me, and then I'll tell you by what authority I'm doing these things.

They began discussing this among themselves. "If we say, "From heaven,' he'll say, "Then why didn't you believe him?'

He'll send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven."

because they kept saying, "This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there'll be a riot among the people."

because you'll always have the destitute with you and can help them whenever you want, but you won't always have me.

I tell all of you with certainty, I'll never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

However, after I've been raised, I'll go to Galilee ahead of you."

Jesus told him, "I tell you with certainty, today, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times."

But Peter kept saying emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I'll never deny you!" And all the others kept saying the same thing.

These are the signs that will accompany those who believe: In my name they'll drive out demons, they'll speak in new languages,

and they'll pick up snakes with their hands.Even if they drink any deadly poison, it won't hurt them, and they'll place their hands on the sick, and they'll recover."

When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn son is to be designated as holy to the Lord."