Jethro's Advice

¹mJethro, nthe priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ²Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, ³along with her otwo sons. The name of the one was Gershom (pfor he said, q“I have been a sojourner1 in a foreign land”), ⁴and the name of the other, Eliezer2 (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). ⁵Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the rmountain of God. ⁶And when he sent word to Moses, “I,3 your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” ⁷Moses swent out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and tkissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. ⁸Then Moses told his father-in-law uall that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. ⁹And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰Jethro said, v“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that wthe Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they xdealt arrogantly with the people.”4 ¹²And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law ybefore God.

¹³The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. ¹⁴When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” ¹⁵And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because zthe people come to me to inquire of God; ¹⁶awhen they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I bmake them know the statutes of God and his laws.” ¹⁷Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. cYou are not able to do it alone. ¹⁹Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall drepresent the people before God and ebring their cases to God, ²⁰and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know fthe way in which they must walk and gwhat they must do. ²¹Moreover, look for hable men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²²And ilet them judge the people at all times. jEvery great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will kbear the burden with you. ²³If you do this, God will direct you, you will be lable to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

²⁴So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ²⁵mMoses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²⁶And nthey judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. ²⁷Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and ohe went away to his own country.

The Widow's Offering

¹yJesus1 looked up and saw the rich zputting their gifts into athe offering box, ²and he saw a poor widow put in two bsmall copper coins.2 ³And he said, “Truly, I tell you, cthis poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her dpoverty put in all eshe had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

⁵fAnd while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ⁶“As for these things that you see, gthe days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷And they asked him, “Teacher, hwhen will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” ⁸And he said, i“See that you are not led astray. For jmany will come in my name, saying, k‘I am he!’ and, l‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. ⁹And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be mterrified, for these things nmust first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

¹⁰Then he said to them, o“Nation will rise against nation, and pkingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great qearthquakes, and in various places rfamines and pestilences. And there will be sterrors and great tsigns from heaven. ¹²But before all this uthey will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to vthe synagogues and wprisons, and you xwill be brought before ykings and zgovernors for my name's sake. ¹³aThis will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴Settle it therefore in your minds bnot to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵for cI will give you a mouth and dwisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or econtradict. ¹⁶You will be delivered up feven by parents and brothers3 and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ¹⁷gYou will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸But hnot a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your iendurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

²⁰“But jwhen you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that kits desolation has come near. ²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²²for these are ldays of mvengeance, to fulfill nall that is written. ²³oAlas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and pwrath against this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and qbe led captive among all nations, and rJerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, suntil the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵“And tthere will be signs in sun and moon uand stars, and on the earth vdistress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For wthe powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷And then they will see xthe Son of Man coming in a cloud ywith power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and zraise your heads, because ayour redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see bfor yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²cTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ³³dHeaven and earth will pass away, but emy words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

³⁴“But watch yourselves flest gyour hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and hcares of this life, and ithat day come upon you suddenly jlike a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶But kstay awake at all times, lpraying that you may mhave strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and nto stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷And oevery day he was teaching in the temple, but pat night he went out and lodged on qthe mount called Olivet. ³⁸And early in the morning oall the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

Elihu Extols God's Greatness

¹And Elihu continued, and said:

²“Bear with me a little, and I will show you,

for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.

³I will get my knowledge from oafar

and ascribe prighteousness to my qMaker.

⁴For truly my words are not false;

one who is rperfect in knowledge is with you.

⁵“Behold, God is mighty, and sdoes not despise any;

he is tmighty in strength of understanding.

⁶He does not keep the wicked alive,

but gives uthe afflicted their right.

⁷He does not withdraw his veyes from the righteous,

but with wkings on the throne

he sets them forever, and they are xexalted.

⁸And if they are ybound in chains

and caught in the cords of affliction,

⁹then he declares to them their work

and their transgressions, that they are zbehaving arrogantly.

¹⁰He aopens their ears to instruction

and commands that they breturn from iniquity.

¹¹cIf they listen and serve him,

they dcomplete their days in prosperity,

and their years in pleasantness.

¹²But if they do not listen, they eperish by the sword

and die fwithout knowledge.

¹³“The ggodless in heart cherish anger;

they do not cry for help when he hbinds them.

¹⁴They idie in youth,

and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.

¹⁵He delivers jthe afflicted by their affliction

and kopens their ear by adversity.

¹⁶He also allured you out of distress

into la broad place where there was no cramping,

and what was set on your mtable was full of nfatness.

¹⁷“But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;

judgment and justice seize you.

¹⁸Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,

and let not the greatness of othe ransom turn you aside.

¹⁹Will your pcry for help avail to keep you from distress,

or all the force of your strength?

²⁰Do not long for qthe night,

when peoples vanish rin their place.

²¹Take care; sdo not turn to iniquity,

for this you have chosen rather than affliction.

²²Behold, God is exalted in his power;

who is ta teacher like him?

²³Who has uprescribed for him his way,

or who can say, v‘You have done wrong’?

²⁴“Remember to wextol his work,

of which men have xsung.

²⁵All mankind has looked on it;

man beholds it from afar.

²⁶Behold, God is great, and we yknow him not;

the number of his zyears is unsearchable.

²⁷For he draws up the drops of water;

they distill his amist in brain,

²⁸which cthe skies pour down

and drop on mankind abundantly.

²⁹Can anyone understand dthe spreading of the clouds,

the thunderings of his epavilion?

³⁰Behold, he scatters his lightning about him

and covers the roots of the sea.

³¹For by these he fjudges peoples;

he gives gfood in abundance.

³²He covers his hhands with the lightning

and commands it to strike the mark.

³³Its crashing declares his presence;1

the cattle also declare that he rises.

¹tWorking together with him, then, uwe appeal to you vnot to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For he says,

w“In a favorable time I listened to you,

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, xnow is the yfavorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³We zput no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴but aas servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: bby great endurance, cin afflictions, dhardships, calamities, ⁵ebeatings, imprisonments, friots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ⁶gby purity, hknowledge, patience, kindness, ithe Holy Spirit, jgenuine love; ⁷by ktruthful speech, and lthe power of God; with mthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸through honor and dishonor, nthrough slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹as unknown, and oyet well known; pas dying, and behold, we live; qas punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ras sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; sas poor, yet making many rich; tas having nothing, uyet possessing everything.

¹¹We have spoken freely to you,1 Corinthians; vour heart is wide open. ¹²You are not restricted by us, but wyou are restricted in your own affections. ¹³xIn return (I speak yas to children) widen your hearts also.

The Temple of the Living God

¹⁴zDo not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For awhat partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or bwhat fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵cWhat accord has Christ with Belial?2 Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For dwe are the temple of the living God; as God said,

e“I will make my dwelling among them and fwalk among them,

and gI will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Therefore hgo out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

¹⁸iand I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”