“ Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say,‘ The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say,‘ I’m a dried up tree with no children and no future.’

与耶和华联合的外邦人不要说：“耶和华必定将我从他民中分别出来。”太监也不要说：“我是枯树。”

与耶和华联合的外邦人不要说：“耶和华将我和他的子民分别出来。”太监也不要说：“看哪，我是枯树。”

与耶和华联合的外邦人不要说：“耶和华将我和他的子民分别出来。”太监也不要说：“看哪，我是枯树。”

皈依耶和华的外族人啊，不要以为耶和华会把你和祂的子民分开，太监也不要觉得自己只是一棵枯树。

与耶和华联合的外族人不要说：“耶和华必把我从他的子民中分别出来。”被阉割了的人也不要说：“看哪！我是一棵枯树。”

不要让归附于耶和华的外邦人说：“耶和华必定会把我从他的子民中分离出去。”也不要让被阉割的人说：“看哪，我是一棵枯树！”

與耶和華聯合的外邦人不要說：耶和華必定將我從他民中分別出來。太監也不要說：我是枯樹。

與耶和華聯合的外邦人不要說：「耶和華將我和他的子民分別出來。」太監也不要說：「看哪，我是枯樹。」

與耶和華聯合的外邦人不要說：「耶和華將我和他的子民分別出來。」太監也不要說：「看哪，我是枯樹。」

皈依耶和華的外族人啊，不要以為耶和華會把你和祂的子民分開，太監也不要覺得自己只是一棵枯樹。

與耶和華聯合的外族人不要說：“耶和華必把我從他的子民中分別出來。”被閹割了的人也不要說：“看哪！我是一棵枯樹。”

皈依永恆主的外族人不要說：『永恆主必定將我從他人民中分別出來』；被閹割的人也不要說：『唉，我是棵枯乾了的樹了。』

不要讓歸附於耶和華的外邦人說：「耶和華必定會把我從他的子民中分離出去。」也不要讓被閹割的人說：「看哪，我是一棵枯樹！」

附耶和華之異邦人、勿曰耶和華必別我於其民、閹者勿曰我乃枯木、

異邦之人歸誠於我者、勿曰、耶和華不以我為赤子、閹者亦勿曰、我若枯木、

異邦之人歸主者勿曰、主必別我於其民之中、閹者亦勿曰、我若枯木、

Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,“ The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain,“ I am only a dry tree.”

Suppose an outsider wants to follow the Lord. Then that person shouldn’t say,“ The Lord won’t accept me as one of his people.” And a eunuch shouldn’t say,“ I’m like a dry tree that doesn’t bear any fruit.”

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,“ The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say,“ Behold, I am a dry tree.”

No foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD should say,“ The LORD will exclude me from his people,” and the eunuch should not say,“ Look, I am a dried-up tree.”

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,“ The Lord will certainly separate me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say,“ Behold, I am a dry tree.”

Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying,“ The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say,“ Here I am, a dry tree.”

Neither let the foreigner, that hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah will surely separate me from his people; neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord should say,“ The Lord will exclude me from His people”; and the eunuch should not say,“ Look, I am a dried-up tree.”

Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I[ am] a dry tree.

No foreigner who becomes a follower of the LORD should say,‘ The LORD will certainly exclude me from his people.’ The eunuch should not say,‘ Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

Let no foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying,“ Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say,“ Behold, I am a dry tree.”

He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:“ For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”And in another place it is written,“ Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”And yet again,“ Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”And in another place Isaiah said,“ The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”

“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem.The people of one city will say to the people of another,‘ Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing.“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say,‘ Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.“ Select only strong, healthy, and good looking young men,” he said.“ Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego.But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.But he responded,“ I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.“ Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said.“ At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.”The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king.So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar.The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service.Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

For the Lord gave us this command when he said,‘ I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.

I will give them— within the walls of my house— a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!

“ Say to Ebed melech the Ethiopian,‘ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will do to this city everything I have threatened. I will send disaster, not prosperity. You will see its destruction,but I will rescue you from those you fear so much.

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

But the Lord will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. He will choose Israel as his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and unite with the people of Israel.

But Ebed melech the Ethiopian, an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate,so Ebed melech rushed from the palace to speak with him.“ My lord the king,” he said,“ these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.”So the king told Ebed melech,“ Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.”So Ebed melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope.Ebed melech called down to Jeremiah,“ Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.” Then when Jeremiah was ready,they pulled him out. So Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard— the palace prison— where he remained.

Jesus responded,“ It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”She replied,“ That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good— for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.For God does not show favoritism.

They will ask the way to Jerusalem and will start back home again. They will bind themselves to the Lord with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten.

In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment.He was a devout, God fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.

So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say,“ Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor.I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say,‘ Go,’ and they go, or‘ Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves,‘ Do this,’ they do it.”

Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue.

Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.But Jesus said,“ Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.Someone came to Jesus with this question:“ Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”“ Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.“ There is only One who is good. But to answer your question— if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”“ Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied:“‘ You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely.Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”“ I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.“ What else must I do?”Jesus told him,“ If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.Then Jesus said to his disciples,“ I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.I’ll say it again— it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”The disciples were astounded.“ Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.Jesus looked at them intently and said,“ Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”Then Peter said to him,“ We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”Jesus replied,“ I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

Then Peter replied,“ I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.

Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

‘ Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’”

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.”

The Lord will terrify them as he destroys all the gods in the land. Then nations around the world will worship the Lord, each in their own land.

“ If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.“ If a person is illegitimate by birth, neither he nor his descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.“ No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said,“ I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world— from east and west— and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Levites must join you in fulfilling their responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the Tabernacle, but no unauthorized person may assist you.

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him,“ Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.The Holy Spirit said to Philip,“ Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked,“ Do you understand what you are reading?”The man replied,“ How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:“ He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”The eunuch asked Philip,“ Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said,“ Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”