Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone would come after Me,

he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,

leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth." When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate;

when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree,

so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;

By His wounds you have been healed.

But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.

But thanks be to God!

He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.

He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?

Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see;

a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die."

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him-the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor

to be with you forever-the Spirit of Truth.

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things,

and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name;

Make known among the nations what He has done.

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.

They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the LORD of lords: His love endures forever.

To Him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

Who by His understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

Who made the great lights? His love endures forever.

The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

To Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever.

And brought Israel out from among them, His love endures forever.

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.

You who minister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the LORD,

for the LORD is good; sing praise to His name, for that is pleasant.

I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever."

"Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.

Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

Yet give attention to Your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God.

Hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence.

These I will bring to My holy mountain

and give them joy in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar;

for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him."

In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

They will perish, but You remain;

they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded.

But You remain the same, and your years will never end.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

A new command I give you: Love one another.

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him.

The LORD foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He chose for His inheritance.

From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;

from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth-

No king is saved by the size of His army;

no warrior escapes by His great strength.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love,

to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You.

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will praise the LORD all my life;

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them-- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted.

The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise Him.

Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power.

Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.

When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD,

children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child

is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name

welcomes Me.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Train a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Honor your father and your mother,

so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.

May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield

and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.

Just as it is written: the righteous will live by faith.

If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day.

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods.

Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart.

How sweet are Your promises to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

I gain understanding from Your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow Your righteous laws.

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.

These are the Scriptures that testify about Me,

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Then he said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant? not of the letter

but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

His master replied, "well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;

I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.