Then I will reply, ¹  ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north. I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth. Blind and lame people will come with them, so will pregnant women and women about to give birth. A vast throng of people will come back here.

I considered all the living who walk on earth, ¹  as well as the successor ²  who would arise ³  in his place.

We know our noisy worship of false gods on the hills and mountains did not help us. ¹  We know that the Lord our God is the only one who can deliver Israel. ² 

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘I will throw my net over you ¹  in the assembly of many peoples; and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while ¹  the whole crowd stood on the shore.

Then ¹  Jesus went away with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him. ²  And from Judea,

Because of the crowd, he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him so the crowd ¹  would not press toward him.

So ¹  after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, ²  and other boats were with him.

When Jesus had crossed again in a boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he was by the sea.

Immediately Jesus ¹  made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dispersed the crowd.

A member of the crowd said to him, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute.

If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ¹  And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

Soon ¹  afterward ²  Jesus ³  went to a town ⁴  called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.

After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob, I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. ¹  I will bring them together like sheep in a fold, ²  like a flock in the middle of a pasture; ³  they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise. ⁴ 

Then ¹  he came down with them and stood on a level place. ²  And a large number ³  of his disciples had gathered ⁴  along with ⁵  a vast multitude from all over Judea, from ⁶  Jerusalem, ⁷  and from the seacoast of Tyre ⁸  and Sidon. ⁹  They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases,

So Death ¹  will open up its throat, and open wide its mouth; ²  Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it, including those who revel and celebrate within her. ³ 

I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, ¹  so that you will once again be built up. Once again you will take up the tambourine and join in the happy throng of dancers. ² 

When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof ¹  above Jesus. ²  Then, ³  after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.

Then ¹  Jesus ²  called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ³  he must deny ⁴  himself, take up his cross, ⁵  and follow me.