Psalm 36

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

¹I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
²In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
³The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
⁴Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.
⁵Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
⁷How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
¹⁰Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹²See how the evildoers lie fallen-
thrown down, not able to rise!

---

Genesis 43:1-15

The Second Journey to Egypt

¹Now the famine was still severe in the land.²So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."³But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'⁴If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.⁵But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"⁶Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?"

⁷They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"⁸Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.⁹I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.

¹⁰As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift-a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.¹²Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.

¹³Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.¹⁴And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."¹⁵So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.

---

Acts 6:1-7

The Choosing of the Seven

¹In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.²So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.³Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them⁴and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

⁵This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.⁶They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.⁷So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Psalm 36

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

¹I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
²In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
³The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
⁴Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.
⁵Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
⁷How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
¹⁰Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹²See how the evildoers lie fallen-
thrown down, not able to rise!

---

Genesis 45:1-15

Joseph Makes Himself Known

¹Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.²And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.³Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

⁴Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!⁵And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.⁶For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.

⁷But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.⁸"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.⁹"Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay.

¹⁰You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me-you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.¹¹I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.¹²"You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.

¹³Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."¹⁴Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping.¹⁵And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

---

Acts 7:9-16

⁹Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him;¹⁰he rescued him from all his troubles, he gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

¹¹"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.¹²When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit.¹³On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.¹⁴After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all.¹⁵Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died.¹⁶Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

Psalm 36

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.

¹I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
before their eyes.
²In their own eyes they flatter themselves
too much to detect or hate their sin.
³The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
they fail to act wisely or do good.
⁴Even on their beds they plot evil;
they commit themselves to a sinful course
and do not reject what is wrong.
⁵Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
⁷How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
⁹For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
¹⁰Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
¹¹May the foot of the proud not come against me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹²See how the evildoers lie fallen-
thrown down, not able to rise!

---

Genesis 47:13-26

Joseph and the Famine

¹³There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.¹⁴Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace.¹⁵When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone."¹⁶ "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone."

¹⁷So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.¹⁸When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.¹⁹Why should we perish before your eyes-we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed, so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."

²⁰So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's.²¹And Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.²²However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.²³Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground.²⁴But when the crops come in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children."²⁵"You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh."²⁶So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt-still in force today-that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.

---

Mark 8:14-21

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

¹⁴The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.¹⁵"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod."¹⁶They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread."¹⁷Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them, "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?¹⁸Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?¹⁹When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"

"Twelve," they replied.²⁰"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"They answered, "Seven."²¹He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Psalm 34:15-22

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
²¹Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

---

Joshua 22:1-9

Eastern Tribes Return Home

¹Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh²and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.³For a long time now-to this very day-you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you.⁴Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan.⁵But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."⁶Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.

⁷To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,⁸saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth-with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing-and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites."

---

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

The Day of the Lord

¹Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.³While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.⁴But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

⁵You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Psalm 34:15-22

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
²¹Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

---

Joshua 22:10-20

¹⁰When they came to Gilead, near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.¹¹And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Gilead, near the Jordan, on the Israelite side,¹²the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.¹³So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead-to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

¹⁴With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.¹⁵When they went to Gilead-to Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh-they said to them,¹⁶"The whole assembly of the Lord says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?

¹⁷Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord.¹⁸And are you now turning away from the Lord? If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.¹⁹If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord's land, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves other than the altar of the Lord our God.²⁰When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'"

---

Romans 13:11-14

The Day Is Near

¹¹And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.¹²The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.¹⁴Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Psalm 34:15-22

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
²¹Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

---

Joshua 22:21-34

²¹Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:²²"The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows, and let Israel know. If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day.²³If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.

²⁴No! We did it for fear that someday your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?²⁵The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you-you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the Lord.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.

²⁶"That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar-but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.²⁷On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the Lord.'²⁸"And we said, 'If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer, 'Look at the replica of the Lord's altar which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'²⁹"Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle."³⁰When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community-the heads of the clans of the Israelites-heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.³¹And Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand."³²Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.³³They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.³⁴And the Reubenites and Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us-that the Lord is God.

---

Luke 11:5-13

⁵Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;⁶a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.'⁷And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'⁸I tell you that even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.⁹"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.¹¹"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Psalm 34:15-22

¹⁵The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
²¹Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²²The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

---

Joshua 24:1-2

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

¹Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.²Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.

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Joshua 24:14-18

¹⁴"Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.¹⁵But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

¹⁶Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!¹⁷It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled.¹⁸And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God."

---

Ephesians 6:10-20

The Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

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John 6:56-69

⁵⁶"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.⁵⁷Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.⁵⁸This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."⁵⁹He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus
⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?⁶²Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you-they are full of the Spirit and life.⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe."For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
⁶⁵He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.⁶⁹We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."