adventure

³²And the impious within the testament will imitate deceitfully, but the people, knowing their God, will persevere and will act.

³⁷For no word will be impossible with God.”

³¹But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will take up wings like eagles. They will run and not struggle. They will walk and not tire.

³Cry out to me and I will heed you. And I will announce to you great things, things that are certain, though you do not know them.

⁶Then Jonathan said to the youth who bore his armor: “Come, let us go across to the garrison of these uncircumcised. And perhaps the Lord may act on our behalf. For it is not difficult for the Lord to save, either by many, or by few.” ⁷And his armor bearer said to him: “Do all that is pleasing to your soul. Go wherever you wish, and I will be with you, wherever you will choose.”

¹⁰For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has prepared and in which we should walk.

¹⁷Let everything whatsoever that you do, whether in word or in deed, be done all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

²⁸And we know that, for those who love God, all things work together unto good, for those who, in accordance with his purpose, are called to be saints.

¹⁰But the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself perfect, confirm, and establish us, after a brief time of suffering.

⁵“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you went forth from the womb, I sanctified you. And I made you a prophet to the nations.”

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.

¹⁷But if we are sons, then we are also heirs: certainly heirs of God, but also co-heirs with Christ, yet in such a way that, if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him.

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with that future glory which shall be revealed in us.

⁵Have confidence in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend upon your own prudence. ⁶In all your ways, consider him, and he himself will direct your steps.

¹³In your virtue, you confirmed the sea. You crushed the heads of the serpents in the waters. ¹⁴You have broken the heads of the serpent. You have given him as food for the people of the Ethiopians.

¹In that day, the Lord will visit, with his harsh and great and strong sword, against Leviathan, the barred serpent, and against Leviathan, the twisted serpent, and he will slay the whale that is in the sea.

¹⁹And he said to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

¹¹You have made known to me the ways of life; you will fill me with joy by your countenance. At your right hand are delights, even to the end.

¹And so, I beg you, brothers, by the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, with the subservience of your mind. ²And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.

¹⁵Rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Weep with those who are weeping. ¹⁶Be of the same mind toward one another: not savoring what is exalted, but consenting in humility. Do not choose to seem wise to yourself. ¹⁷Render to no one harm for harm. Provide good things, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of all men. ¹⁸If it is possible, in so far as you are able, be at peace with all men. ¹⁹Do not defend yourselves, dearest ones. Instead, step aside from wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is mine. I shall give retribution, says the Lord.” ²⁰So if an enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap burning coals upon his head.

¹A Psalm of David himself. Do not choose to imitate the malicious; neither should you envy those who work iniquity. ²For they will quickly wither away like dry grass, and in like manner to kitchen herbs, they will soon droop. ³Hope in the Lord and do good, and dwell in the land, and so you shall be pastured with its riches. ⁴Delight in the Lord, and he will grant to you the petitions of your heart. ⁵Reveal your way to the Lord, and hope in him, and he will accomplish it. ⁶And he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like the midday.

³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about the tenth hour.

¹⁶And Barak pursued the fleeing chariots, and the army, as far as Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the entire multitude of the enemy was cut down, unto utter annihilation. ¹⁷But Sisera, while fleeing, arrived at the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite. For there was peace between Jabin, the king of Hazor, and the house of Heber, the Kenite. ¹⁸Therefore, Jael went out to meet Sisera, and she said to him: “Enter to me, my lord. Enter, you should not be afraid.” And he entered her tent, and having been covered by her with a cloak, ¹⁹he said to her: “Give me, I beg you, a little water. For I am very thirsty.” And she opened a bottle of milk, and she gave him to drink. And she covered him. ²⁰And Sisera said to her: “Stand before the door of the tent. And if anyone arrives, questioning you and saying, ‘Could there be any man here?’ you shall respond, ‘There is no one.’ ” ²¹And so Jael, the wife of Heber, took a spike from the tent, and also took a mallet. And entering unseen and with silence, she placed the spike over the temple of his head. And striking it with the mallet, she drove it through his brain, as far as the ground. And so, joining deep sleep to death, he fell unconscious and died.