Bible Passages

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may know what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty, so that the innocent and guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?
The Lord replied, If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.
Abraham spoke up again: See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?
I will not destroy it, he answered, if I find forty-five there.
But Abraham persisted, saying, What if only forty are found there?
He replied, I will forbear doing it for the sake of the forty.
Then he said, Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?
He replied, I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there.
Still he went on, Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord, what if there were no more than twenty?
I will not destroy it, he answered, for the sake of the twenty.
But he still persisted, Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time. What if there are at least ten there?
For the sake of those then, he replied, I will not destroy it.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him, Feed my lambs.
He then said for a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
He said to him, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.
He said to him, Tend my sheep.
He then said the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me?
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, Do you love me? and he said to him, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.
Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, Follow me.