Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.” ¹ 

Do not cause me dismay! ¹  You are my source of safety in times of trouble.

Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; ¹  I will surely ²  defend ³  my ways to his face!

Then they will place their confidence in God. They will not forget the works of God, and they will obey ¹  his commands.

He ¹  delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him ²  that ³  he will deliver us yet again,

Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.

All who encountered them devoured them. Their enemies who did this said, ‘We are not liable for punishment! For those people have sinned against the Lord, their true pasture. ¹  They have sinned against the Lord in whom their ancestors ²  trusted.’ ³ 

Nor do we boast beyond certain limits ¹  in the work ²  done by others, but we hope ³  that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded ⁴  among you according to our limits, ⁵ 

that you were at that time without the Messiah, ¹  alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, ²  having no hope and without God in the world.

My confident hope ¹  is that I will in no way be ashamed ²  but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. ³ 

because we recall ¹  in the presence of our God and Father ²  your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope ³  in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  about those who are asleep, ³  so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

But Christ ¹  is faithful as a son over God’s ²  house. We are of his house, ³  if in fact we hold firmly ⁴  to our confidence and the hope we take pride in. ⁵ 

so that we who have found refuge in him ¹  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

But set Christ ¹  apart ²  as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. ³ 

for the needy are not permanently ignored, ¹  the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed. ² 

Yet ¹  I wait for you, O Lord! You will respond, O Lord, my God!

My blessing is on those people who trust in me, who put their confidence in me. ¹ 

Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. ¹  Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, ²