Jeremiah 3

New International Version

3 “If a man divorces^(A) his wife
    and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
    Would not the land be completely defiled?^(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers^(C)—
    would you now return to me?”^(D)
declares the Lord.
²“Look up to the barren heights^(E) and see.
    Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside^(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
    sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land^(G)
    with your prostitution^(H) and wickedness.
³Therefore the showers have been withheld,^(I)
    and no spring rains^(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen^(K) look of a prostitute;
    you refuse to blush with shame.^(L)
⁴Have you not just called to me:
    ‘My Father,^(M) my friend from my youth,^(N)
⁵will you always be angry?^(O)
    Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
    but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

⁶During the reign of King Josiah,^(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless^(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree^(R) and has committed adultery^(S) there. ⁷I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister^(T) Judah saw it.^(U) ⁸I gave faithless Israel^(V) her certificate of divorce^(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;^(X) she also went out and committed adultery. ⁹Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land^(Y) and committed adultery^(Z) with stone^(AA) and wood.^(AB) ¹⁰In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return^(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,^(AD)” declares the Lord.^(AE)

¹¹The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous^(AF) than unfaithful^(AG) Judah.^(AH) ¹²Go, proclaim this message toward the north:^(AI)

“‘Return,^(AJ) faithless^(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’^(AL) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry^(AM) forever.
¹³Only acknowledge^(AN) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods^(AO)
    under every spreading tree,^(AP)
    and have not obeyed^(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.

¹⁴“Return,^(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.^(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. ¹⁵Then I will give you shepherds^(AT) after my own heart,^(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark^(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;^(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne^(AX) of the Lord, and all nations^(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor^(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.^(BA) ¹⁸In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,^(BB) and together^(BC) they will come from a northern^(BD) land to the land^(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

¹⁹“I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,^(BF)
    the most beautiful inheritance^(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’^(BH)
    and not turn away from following me.
²⁰But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
    so you, Israel, have been unfaithful^(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.

²¹A cry is heard on the barren heights,^(BJ)
the weeping^(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten^(BL) the Lord their God.

²²“Return,^(BM) faithless people;
I will cure^(BN) you of backsliding.”^(BO)

“Yes, we will come to you,
    for you are the Lord our God.
²³Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills^(BP)
    and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
    is the salvation^(BQ) of Israel.
²⁴From our youth shameful^(BR) gods have consumed
    the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
    their sons and daughters.
²⁵Let us lie down in our shame,^(BS)
    and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned^(BT) against the Lord our God,
    both we and our ancestors;^(BU)
from our youth^(BV) till this day
    we have not obeyed^(BW) the Lord our God.”

Jeremiah 4

New International Version

4 “If you, Israel, will return,^(A)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols^(B) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
²and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,^(C) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(D)
then the nations will invoke blessings^(E) by him
    and in him they will boast.^(F)”

³This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground^(G)
    and do not sow among thorns.^(H)
⁴Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,^(I)
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath^(J) will flare up and burn like fire^(K)
    because of the evil^(L) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench^(M) it.

Disaster From the North

⁵“Announce in Judah and proclaim^(N) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet^(O) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’^(P)
⁶Raise the signal^(Q) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster^(R) from the north,^(S)
    even terrible destruction.”

⁷A lion^(T) has come out of his lair;^(U)
    a destroyer^(V) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste^(W) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins^(X)
    without inhabitant.
⁸So put on sackcloth,^(Y)
    lament^(Z) and wail,
for the fierce anger^(AA) of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

⁹“In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,^(AB)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”^(AC)

¹⁰Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived^(AD) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’^(AE) when the sword is at our throats!”

¹¹At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind^(AF) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; ¹²a wind^(AG) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments^(AH) against them.”

¹³Look! He advances like the clouds,^(AI)
    his chariots^(AJ) come like a whirlwind,^(AK)
his horses^(AL) are swifter than eagles.^(AM)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!^(AN)
¹⁴Jerusalem, wash^(AO) the evil from your heart and be saved.^(AP)
    How long^(AQ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
¹⁵A voice is announcing from Dan,^(AR)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.^(AS)
¹⁶“Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,^(AT)
    raising a war cry^(AU) against the cities of Judah.^(AV)
¹⁷They surround^(AW) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled^(AX) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
¹⁸“Your own conduct and actions^(AY)
    have brought this on you.^(AZ)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter^(BA) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

¹⁹Oh, my anguish, my anguish!^(BB)
    I writhe in pain.^(BC)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds^(BD) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.^(BE)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;^(BF)
    I have heard the battle cry.^(BG)
²⁰Disaster follows disaster;^(BH)
    the whole land lies in ruins.^(BI)
In an instant my tents^(BJ) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
²¹How long must I see the battle standard^(BK)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?^(BL)

²²“My people are fools;^(BM)
    they do not know me.^(BN)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.^(BO)
They are skilled in doing evil;^(BP)
    they know not how to do good.”^(BQ)

²³I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;^(BR)
and at the heavens,
    and their light^(BS) was gone.
²⁴I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;^(BT)
    all the hills were swaying.
²⁵I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.^(BU)
²⁶I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;^(BV)
    all its towns lay in ruins^(BW)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.^(BX)

²⁷This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,^(BY)
    though I will not destroy^(BZ) it completely.
²⁸Therefore the earth will mourn^(CA)
    and the heavens above grow dark,^(CB)
because I have spoken and will not relent,^(CC)
    I have decided and will not turn back.^(CD)”

²⁹At the sound of horsemen and archers^(CE)
    every town takes to flight.^(CF)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.^(CG)
All the towns are deserted;^(CH)
    no one lives in them.

³⁰What are you doing,^(CI) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels^(CJ) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?^(CK)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers^(CL) despise you;
    they want to kill you.^(CM)

³¹I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,^(CN)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion^(CO) gasping for breath,^(CP)
    stretching out her hands^(CQ) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”^(CR)

John 11

New International Version

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,^(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.^(B) ²(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)^(C) ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love^(D) is sick.”

⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory^(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”^(F)

⁸“But Rabbi,”^(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,^(H) and yet you are going back?”

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.^(I) ¹⁰It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend^(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;^(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹²His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.^(L)

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶Then Thomas^(M) (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.^(N) ¹⁸Now Bethany^(O) was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.^(P) ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.^(Q)

²¹“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.^(R) ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”^(S)

²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection^(T) at the last day.”^(U)

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am^(V) the resurrection and the life.^(W) The one who believes^(X) in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶and whoever lives by believing^(Y) in me will never die.^(Z) Do you believe this?”

²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,^(AA) the Son of God,^(AB) who is to come into the world.”^(AC)

²⁸After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher^(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.^(AE) ³¹When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,^(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³²When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”^(AG)

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^(AH) in spirit and troubled.^(AI) ³⁴“Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵Jesus wept.^(AJ)

³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”^(AK)

³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man^(AL) have kept this man from dying?”^(AM)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved,^(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.^(AO) ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”^(AP)

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,^(AQ) you will see the glory of God?”^(AR)

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up^(AS) and said, “Father,^(AT) I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,^(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”^(AV)

⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”^(AW) ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,^(AX) and a cloth around his face.^(AY)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,^(AZ) and had seen what Jesus did,^(BA) believed in him.^(BB) ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees^(BC) called a meeting^(BD) of the Sanhedrin.^(BE)

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.^(BF) ⁴⁸If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

⁴⁹Then one of them, named Caiaphas,^(BG) who was high priest that year,^(BH) spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”^(BI)

⁵¹He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵²and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.^(BJ) ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to take his life.^(BK)

⁵⁴Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.^(BL) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

⁵⁵When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,^(BM) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing^(BN) before the Passover. ⁵⁶They kept looking for Jesus,^(BO) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” ⁵⁷But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.