I know your troubles; I know that you are poor---but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan!

Some people pretend to be rich, but have nothing. Others pretend to be poor, but own a fortune.

'We are rich,' they say. 'We've made a fortune. And no one can accuse us of getting rich dishonestly.'

Their owners kill them and go unpunished. They sell the meat and say, 'Praise the LORD! We are rich!' Even their own shepherds have no pity on them."

He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands.

"But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life!

The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there.

I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.'

That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid.

There is a secret truth, my friends, which I want you to know, for it will keep you from thinking how wise you are. It is that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent, but will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to God.

And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.

Do you already have everything you need? Are you already rich? Have you become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we could be kings together with you.

For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honored!

When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in

be sure that you do not become proud and forget the LORD your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.

If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.

People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me?

Jesus heard them and answered, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick.

What about you? You call yourself a Jew; you depend on the Law and boast about God;

you are sure that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in darkness,

You teach others---why don't you teach yourself ? You preach, "Do not steal"---but do you yourself steal?

You boast about having God's law---but do you bring shame on God by breaking his law?

"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!

What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death?

Is anyone more blind than my servant, more deaf than the messenger I send?

Some Pharisees who were there with him heard him say this and asked him, "Surely you don't mean that we are blind, too?"

Jesus answered, "If you were blind, then you would not be guilty; but since you claim that you can see, this means that you are still guilty."

But if you do not have them, you are so shortsighted that you cannot see and have forgotten that you have been purified from your past sins.

"Listen! I am coming like a thief ! Happy is he who stays awake and guards his clothes, so that he will not walk around naked and be ashamed in public!"

As soon as they had eaten it, they were given understanding and realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves.

He answered, "I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked."

"Who told you that you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat?"

So the LORD sent a disease on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.