and rejected Esau. I turned Esau's mountains into a deserted wasteland and gave his territory to the wild jackals."

Edom says, "Though we are devastated, we will once again build the ruined places." So the Lord who rules over all responds, "They indeed may build, but I will overthrow. They will be known as the land of evil, the people with whom the Lord is permanently displeased.

Your eyes will see it, and then you will say, 'May the Lord be magnified even beyond the border of Israel!'"

For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick, is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them to your governor! Will he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord who rules over all.

"I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you," says the Lord who rules over all, "and I will no longer accept an offering from you.

For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord who rules over all.

"There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the Lord who rules over all, "and my name is awesome among the nations."

If you do not listen and take seriously the need to honor my name," says the Lord who rules over all, "I will send judgment on you and turn your blessings into curses -- indeed, I have already done so because you are not taking it to heart.

I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces, the very offal produced at your festivals, and you will be carried away along with it.

Then you will know that I sent this commandment to you so that my covenant may continue to be with Levi," says the Lord who rules over all.

"I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming," says the Lord who rules over all.

Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like a launderer's soap.

He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the Lord a proper offering.

The offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in former times and years past.

"I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me," says the Lord who rules over all.

From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord who rules over all. "But you say, 'How should we return?'

"Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter," says the Lord who rules over all, "to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all.

Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest," says the Lord who rules over all.

"All nations will call you happy, for you indeed will live in a delightful land," says the Lord who rules over all.

"They will belong to me," says the Lord who rules over all, "in the day when I prepare my own special property. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

Then once more you will see that I make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not.

"For indeed the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. The coming day will burn them up," says the Lord who rules over all. "It will not leave even a root or branch.

But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication will rise with healing wings, and you will skip about like calves released from the stall.

You will trample on the wicked, for they will be like ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the Lord who rules over all.

Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.

He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment."

She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

"Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel," which means "God with us."

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

Now John wore clothing made from camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am -- I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire."

and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you' and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

And he said to him, "I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me."

He said to them, "Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people."

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.

So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 'Do not murder,' and 'whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.'

But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says 'Fool' will be sent to fiery hell.

Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison.

I tell you the truth, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny!

Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

"For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

"When you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, they have their reward.

so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won't he clothe you even more, you people of little faith?

So then, don't worry saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'

But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.

Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?

So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven -- only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?'

Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'

Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.

I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you." And the servant was healed at that hour.

Then an expert in the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse.

As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live."

For she kept saying to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed."

And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.

I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!

Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues.

And you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.

Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.

"Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Whenever they persecute you in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house 'Beelzebul,' how much more will they defame the members of his household!

"Do not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing is secret that will not be made known.