For in this earthly house ¹  we groan, because we desire to put on ²  our heavenly dwelling,

In him ¹  the whole building, ²  being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, ¹  deceiving others and being deceived themselves. ² 

And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

Then ¹  he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest.

May grace and peace be lavished on you ¹  as you grow ²  in the rich knowledge ³  of God and of Jesus our Lord! ⁴ 

After noticing a fig tree ¹  by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once.

I tell you the solemn truth, ¹  when you were young, you tied your clothes around you ²  and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up ³  and bring you where you do not want to go.”

For these past two years there has been famine in ¹  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

Fish ¹  in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable ²  to drink water from the Nile.”’”

I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals ¹  multiply against you.

I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain ¹  my covenant with you.

when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything,

You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees while still unripe. ¹ 

“But there is hope for ¹  a tree: ²  If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.

as water wears away stones, and torrents ¹  wash away the soil, ²  so you destroy man’s hope. ³ 

For my life nears its end in pain; my years draw to a close as I groan. ¹  My strength fails me because of ²  my sin, and my bones become brittle. ³ 

Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

“Look, here is the man who would not make ¹  God his protector! He trusted in his great wealth and was confident about his plans to destroy others.” ² 

You saturate ¹  its furrows, and soak ²  its plowed ground. ³  With rain showers you soften its soil, ⁴  and make its crops grow. ⁵