Wednesday, December 9, 2026

^4:9Be diligent to come to me soon, ¹⁰for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. ¹²But I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come—and the books, especially the parchments. ¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵Beware of him, for he greatly opposed our words. ¹⁶At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. ¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. ¹⁸And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ¹⁹Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. ²⁰Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick. ²¹Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers. ²²The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

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^4:22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. ²³However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. ²⁵For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband.” ²⁸Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. ²⁹But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰However, what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman.

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^21:5As some were talking about the temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts, he said, ⁶“As for these things which you see, the days will come in which there will not be left here one stone on another that will not be thrown down.” ⁷They asked him, “Teacher, so when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are about to happen?” ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ²⁰“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. ²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. ²²For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath to this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

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^8:16“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has.” ¹⁹His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd. ²⁰Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you.” ²¹But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

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^4:9Be diligent to come to me soon, ¹⁰for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. ¹²But I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come—and the books, especially the parchments. ¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵Beware of him, for he greatly opposed our words. ¹⁶At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. ¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. ¹⁸And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ¹⁹Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. ²⁰Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick. ²¹Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers. ²²The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

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^18:15They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these. ¹⁷Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn’t receive God’s Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.” ²⁶Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷But he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” ²⁸Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹He said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for God’s Kingdom’s sake, ³⁰who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

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