Morning Devotion

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
¹ Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
² Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
³ O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
⁵ The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
⁸ Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
⁹ For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
¹⁰ Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
¹² For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (ESV)

A Psalm of Asaph.
¹ God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
² “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
³ Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
⁵ They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
⁶ I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;
⁷ nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”
⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations! (ESV)

¹ By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
² On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
³ For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
⁴ How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
⁵ If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
⁶ Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
⁷ Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
⁸ O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
⁹ Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

Of David.
¹ I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
² I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
³ On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.
⁴ All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵ and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
⁶ For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.
⁸ The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (ESV)

¹ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (ESV)

¹ Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.
² The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
³ When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.
⁴ And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
⁵ Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.
⁶ When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
⁸ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
⁹ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
¹⁰ When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
¹¹ One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.
¹² He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
¹³ When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”
¹⁴ He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”
¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.
¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.
¹⁸ When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?”
¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”
²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.
²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” (ESV)

³² And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
³³ And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.
³⁴ And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
³⁵ And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
³⁶ And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
³⁷ And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?
³⁸ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
⁴⁰ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.
⁴¹ And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
⁴² Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
⁴³ And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.”
⁴⁵ And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him.
⁴⁶ And they laid hands on him and seized him.
⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?
⁴⁹ Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.”
⁵⁰ And they all left him and fled.
⁵¹ And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him,
⁵² but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. (ESV)

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
² “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you,
³ and you offer to the LORD from the herd or from the flock a food offering or a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or at your appointed feasts, to make a pleasing aroma to the LORD,
⁴ then he who brings his offering shall offer to the LORD a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil;
⁵ and you shall offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, a quarter of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb.
⁶ Or for a ram, you shall offer for a grain offering two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of oil.
⁷ And for the drink offering you shall offer a third of a hin of wine, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
⁸ And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or for peace offerings to the LORD,
⁹ then one shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil.
¹⁰ And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
¹¹ “Thus it shall be done for each bull or ram, or for each lamb or young goat.
¹² As many as you offer, so shall you do with each one, as many as there are.
¹³ Every native Israelite shall do these things in this way, in offering a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
¹⁴ And if a stranger is sojourning with you, or anyone is living permanently among you, and he wishes to offer a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he shall do as you do.
¹⁵ For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before the LORD.
¹⁶ One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.”
¹⁷ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
¹⁸ “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you
¹⁹ and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD.
²⁰ Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.
²¹ Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.
²² “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses,
²³ all that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations,
²⁴ then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering.
²⁵ And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their mistake.
²⁶ And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
²⁷ “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.
²⁸ And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
²⁹ You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
³⁰ But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
³¹ Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”
³² While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
³³ And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation.
³⁴ They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.
³⁵ And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
³⁶ And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses.
³⁷ The LORD said to Moses,
³⁸ “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.
³⁹ And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
⁴⁰ So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
⁴¹ I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD your God.”

¹ Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
² And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.
³ They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
⁴ When Moses heard it, he fell on his face,
⁵ and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
⁶ Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company;
⁷ put fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow, and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”
⁸ And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:
⁹ is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,
¹⁰ and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also?
¹¹ Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”
¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up.
¹³ Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us?
¹⁴ Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”
¹⁵ And Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”
¹⁶ And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the LORD, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow.
¹⁷ And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the LORD his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”
¹⁸ So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
¹⁹ Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
²⁰ And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
²¹ “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
²² And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”
²³ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
²⁴ “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
²⁵ Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.”
²⁷ So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
²⁸ And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.
²⁹ If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.
³⁰ But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD.”
³¹ And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.
³² And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods.
³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
³⁴ And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
³⁵ And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. (ESV)

³⁸ And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf.
³⁹ And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them.
⁴⁰ Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.
⁴¹ And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
⁴² And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them,
⁴³ but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
⁴⁴ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

¹ On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
² and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
⁹ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,
¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
¹² While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
¹³ And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
¹⁴ And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
¹⁵ But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.
¹⁶ But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. (ESV)

Of David.
¹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. (ESV)

¹ When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
² Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
³ So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
⁴ Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
⁵ They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
⁶ When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
⁷ So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.”
⁹ This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.”
¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
¹² So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.
¹³ First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.
¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.
¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,
¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.
¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
¹⁸ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
¹⁹ The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.
²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.”
²² When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”
²³ Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”
²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
²⁷ Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.
²⁸ Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.
²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
³⁰ They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”
³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”
³² This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.
³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

¹ Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.
² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.
³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.
⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”
⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.
⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?”
¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha.
¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”
¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
¹⁷ and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.
¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
¹⁹ Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.
²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”
²² Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,
²⁴ so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things,
²⁵ but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
³¹ Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him.
³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
³⁵ He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe.
³⁶ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”
³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
³⁸ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
³⁹ Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.
⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
⁴² So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

¹ Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
³ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.
⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
⁷ and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
⁹ for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes.
¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.
¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

¹ After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
² Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
³ Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
⁴ Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”
⁶ He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
⁷ That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.
⁸ The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
⁹ When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.
¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
¹¹ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”
²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
²³ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
²⁴ This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
²⁵ Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (ESV)