American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the {Or, matter}demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the lowest of men.
This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
For the Chief Musician; set to {That is, Lilies, a testimony}Shoshannim Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;Thou that {Or, art enthroned}sittest above the cherubim, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might,And come to save us.
{Or, Restore}Turn us again, O God;And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
O Jehovah God of hosts,How long {Hebrew: wilt thou smoke. See Psalm 74:1}wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears,And given them tears to drink in large measure.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors;And our enemies laugh among themselves.
{Or, Restore}Turn us again, O God of hosts;And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Thou broughtest a vine out of Egypt:Thou didst drive out the nations, and plantedst it.
Thou preparedst room before it,And it took deep root, and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it,And {Or, the cedars of God with the boughs thereof}the boughs thereof were like {Or, goodly cedars}cedars of God.
It sent out its branches unto the sea,And its shoots unto the River.
Why hast thou broken down its walls,So that all they that pass by the way do pluck it?
The boar out of the wood doth ravage it,And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
Turn again, we beseech thee, O God of hosts:Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,
And {Or, protect (or, maintain) that which &c.}the stock which thy right hand planted,And the {Hebrew: son.}branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down:They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So shall we not go back from thee:Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name.
{Or, Restore}Turn us again, O Jehovah God of hosts;Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I remember {Or, concerning}for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
Israel was holiness unto Jehovah, the first-fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon them, saith Jehovah.
Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
Thus saith Jehovah, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Neither said they, Where is Jehovah that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of {Or, deep darkness}the shadow of death, through a land that none passed through, and where no man dwelt?
And I brought you into a plentiful land, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.
The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the {Hebrew: shepherds.}rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
Wherefore I will yet contend with you, saith Jehovah, and with your children's children will I contend.
For pass over to the isles of Kittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently; and see if there hath been such a thing.
Hath a nation changed its gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith Jehovah.
For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Is Israel a servant? is he a home-born slave? why is he become a prey?
The young lions have roared upon him, and {Hebrew: given out their voice.}yelled; and they have made his land waste: his cities are burned up, without inhabitant.
The children also of Memphis and Tahpanhes have {Or, fed on}broken the crown of thy head.
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, when he led thee by the way?
And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of the {That is, the Nile.}Shihor? or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of {That is, the Euphrates.}the River?
Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.
For of old time {Or, thou hast}I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bonds; and thou saidst, I will not {Another reading is, transgress.}serve; for upon every high hill and under every green tree thou didst bow thyself, playing the harlot.
Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me?
For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord Jehovah.
How canst thou say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift {Or, young camel}dromedary traversing her ways;
a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind in her desire; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, It is in vain; no, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.
As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets;
who say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast {Or, begotten me}brought {Another reading is, us.}me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
Wherefore will ye contend with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith Jehovah.
In vain have I smitten your children; they received no {Or, instruction}correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
O generation, see ye the word of Jehovah. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? or a land of {Or, darkness of Jah}thick darkness? wherefore say my people, We are broken loose; we will come no more unto thee?
Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
How trimmest thou thy way to seek love! therefore even the wicked women hast thou taught thy ways.
Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocent poor: {Or, I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these}thou didst not find them breaking in; but it is because of all these things.
Yet thou saidst, I am innocent; surely his anger is turned away from me. Behold, I will enter into judgment with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
From thence also shalt thou go forth, with thy hands upon thy head: for Jehovah hath rejected those in whom thou trustest, and thou shalt not prosper with them.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which {Or, was}is among the trees of the forest?
Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned: is it profitable for any work?
Behold, when it was whole, it was {Hebrew: made into}meet for no work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be {Hebrew: made into}meet for any work!
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so {Or, have I given}will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And I will set my face against them; they {Or, have gone forth}shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them.
And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.
For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of.
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the {Or, clouds}thick boughs.
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir-trees were not like its boughs, and the plane-trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like unto it in its beauty.
On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
And there were gathered unto him great multitudes, so that he entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach.
And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow;
and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:
and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth:
and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them:
and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
He that hath ears {Some ancient authorities add here, and in verse 43, to hear: as in Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8.}, let him hear.
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, {Isaiah 6:9, 10.}By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
For this people's heart is waxed gross,And their ears are dull of hearing,And their eyes they have closed;Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,And hear with their ears,And understand with their heart,And should turn again,And I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.
Hear then ye the parable of the sower.
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one, and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side.
And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it;
yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth.
And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the {Or, age}world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field:
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed {Or, darnel}tares also among the wheat, and went away.
But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?
And he said unto them, An {Greek: A man this is an enemy.}enemy hath done this. And the {Greek: bondservants.}servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three {The word in the Greek denotes the Hebrew seah, a measure containing nearly a peek and a half.}measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, {Psalm 78:2.}I will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things hidden from the foundation {Many ancient authorities omit of the world.}of the world.
Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears {See verse 9.}, let him hear.
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in the field; which a man found, and hid; and {Or, for joy thereof}in his joy he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls:
and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a {Greek: drag-net.}net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away.
So shall it be in {Or, the consummation of the age}the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous,
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea.
And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these {Greek: powers.}mighty works?
Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, {Or, Jacob}James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?
And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
And they were {Greek: caused to stumble.}offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house.
And he did not many {Greek: powers.}mighty works there because of their unbelief.
At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat.
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.
But he said unto them, {1 Samuel 21:6.}Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him;
how he entered into the house of God, and {Some ancient authorities read they ate.}ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have ye not read in the law, {Numbers 28:9, 10}that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?
But I say unto you, that {Greek: a greater thing.}one greater than the temple is here.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, {Hosea 6:6}I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.
And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue:
and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day.
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other.
But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him.
And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all,
and charged them that they should not make him known:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
{Isaiah 42:1 ff.}Behold, my {See marginal note on Acts 3:13.}servant whom I have chosen;My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased:I will put my Spirit upon him,And he shall declare judgment to the {See marginal note on chapter 4:15.}Gentiles.
He shall not strive, nor cry aloud;Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed shall he not break,And smoking flax shall he not quench,Till he send forth judgment unto victory.
And in his name shall the {See marginal note on chapter 4:15.}Gentiles hope.
Then was brought unto him {Or, a demoniac}one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw.
And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David?
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but {Or, in}by {Greek: Beelzebul.}Beelzebub the prince of the demons.
And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?
And if I {Or, in}by {Greek: Beelzebul.}Beelzebub cast out demons, {Or, in}by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
But if I {Or, in}by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.
He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this {Or, age}world, nor in that which is to come.
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.
Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:
for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the {Greek: sea-monster.}whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, {Greek: more than.}a greater than Jonah is here.
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, {Greek: more than.}a greater than Solomon is here.
But the unclean spirit, when {Or, it}he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not.
Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when {Or, it}he is come, {Or, it}he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Then goeth {Or, it}he, and taketh with {Or, itself}himself seven other spirits more evil than {Or, itself}himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.
While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.
{Some ancient authorities omit verse 47.}And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee.
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren!
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.