26^* The LORD said to Moses: 27When an ox or a lamb or a goat is born, it shall remain with its mother for seven days; only from the eighth day onward will it be acceptable, to be offered as an oblation to the LORD.^s 28You shall not slaughter an ox or a sheep on one and the same day with its young. 29Whenever you offer a thanksgiving sacrifice to the LORD, so offer it that it may be acceptable on your behalf; 30it must be eaten on the same day; none of it shall be left over until morning.^t I am the LORD.

31Be careful to observe my commandments. I am the LORD. 32Do not profane my holy name, that in the midst of the Israelites I may be hallowed. I, the LORD, make you holy, 33who led you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.

1^* But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah^a

least among the clans of Judah,

From you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel;

Whose origin is from of old,

from ancient times.

2Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time

when she who is to give birth has borne,^*

Then the rest of his kindred shall return

to the children of Israel.^b

3He shall take his place as shepherd

by the strength of the LORD,

by the majestic name of the LORD, his God;

And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness

shall reach to the ends of the earth:

4he shall be peace.^*

If Assyria invades our country

and treads upon our land,

We shall raise against it seven shepherds,

eight of royal standing;

5They shall tend the land of Assyria with the sword,

and the land of Nimrod^* with the drawn sword;

They will deliver us from Assyria,

when it invades our land,

when it treads upon our borders.

6The remnant of Jacob shall be

in the midst of many peoples,

Like dew coming from the LORD,

like showers on the grass,

Which wait for no one,

delay for no human being.

7And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples,

Like a lion among beasts of the forest,

like a young lion among flocks of sheep;

When it passes through it tramples;

it tears and no one can rescue.

8Your hand shall be lifted above your foes,

and all your enemies shall be cut down.

Obedience. 13^* Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind,^* live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance^* 15but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,ⁱ 16for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”^j

Reverence. 17Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,^k 18realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold^l 19but with the precious blood of Christ^m as of a spotless unblemished lamb.^* 20He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, 21who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Mutual Love.^* 22Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart.ⁿ 23You have been born anew,^o not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God,^* 24for:

“All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory like the flower of the field;

the grass withers,

and the flower wilts;^p

25but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

43The next day he^* decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”^b 46But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite.^* There is no duplicity in him.” 48^{* c} Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” 49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God;^* you are the King of Israel.”^d 50Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?^* You will see greater things than this.” 51And he said to him, “Amen, amen,^* I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”^e

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant.^* 45^u “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?^* 46Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. 47Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. 48^* But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, 50the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour 51^v and will punish him severely^* and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Last Supper Discourses. 1^* “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith^* in God; have faith also in me. 2In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3^* And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.^a 4Where [I] am going you know the way.”^* 5Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth^* and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.^b