For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you.

Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience,

Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all!

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord ¹  will come in the same way as a thief in the night. ² 

But you, brothers and sisters, ¹  are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.

Similarly good works are also obvious, and the ones that are not cannot remain hidden.

For just a little longer ¹  and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. ² 

And these all were commended ¹  for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. ² 

Its gates will never be closed during the day ¹  (and ²  there will be no night there). ³ 

Please let us pass through ¹  your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway; ²  we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’” ³ 

When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on up, for ¹  this is the time when you can find him!”

This young woman pleased him, ¹  and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen ²  young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem. ³ 

When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter ¹ ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her.

The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages ¹  the one who pounds on the anvil. He approves the quality of the welding, ²  and nails it down so it won’t fall over.”

Disaster will overtake you; you will not know how to charm it away. ¹  Destruction will fall on you; you will not be able to appease it. Calamity will strike you suddenly, before you recognize it. ² 

But you must obey me and set the Sabbath day apart to me. You must not carry any loads in through ¹  the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. If you disobey, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. It will burn down all the fortified dwellings in Jerusalem and no one will be able to put it out.’”

“‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘Will it prosper? Will he not rip out its roots and cause its fruit to rot ¹  and wither? All its foliage ²  will wither. No strong arm or large army will be needed to pull it out by its roots. ³ 

For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ ¹ 

For the heart of this people has become dull, ¹  and their ears are hard of hearing, ²  and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, ³  and I would heal them.”’ ⁴ 

“Very well,” he replied, ¹  “I will grant this request too ²  and will not overthrow ³  the town you mentioned.