Encorajamento

10 Do not fear, for I am with you;  *

do not be afraid, for I am your God.  *

I will strengthen you; I will help you;

I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.  *

2 When you pass through the waters,  *

I will be with you,  *

and the rivers will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire,  *

you will not be scorched,

and the flame will not burn you.

4 Because you are precious in my sight  *

and honored, and I love you,  *

I will give people in exchange for you

and nations instead of your life.

5 Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,  *

and gather you from the west.  *

4 "Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame;  *

don’t be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced.

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

and you will no longer remember

the disgrace of your widowhood.  *

The Lord’s Response

1 "I was sought by those who did not ask;

I was found by those who did not seek me.

I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’

to a nation that did not call on  *  my name.  *

31 but those who trust in the  Lord

will renew their strength;  *

they will soar on wings like eagles;  *

they will run and not become weary,

they will walk and not faint.

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord asking:

Who will I send?

Who will go for us?

I said:

Here I am. Send me.

9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  * Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  * Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

16 The people replied, "We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery,  * and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through.

6 Be strong and courageous;  * don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you;  * he will not leave you or abandon you."  *

8 The Lord is the one who will go before you.  * He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.  * Do not be afraid or discouraged."

The Believer’s Triumph

31 What, then, are we to say about these things?  * If God is for us, who is against us?  *

15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.  * Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption,  * by whom we cry out, "Abba,  * Father! "  *

2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  *

5 Now may the God who gives  * endurance and encouragement  * grant you to live in harmony with one another,  * according to Christ Jesus,

11 For I want very much to see you,  * so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

13 I am able to do all things through him  * who strengthens me.  *

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work  * in you  * will carry it on to completion  * until the day of Christ Jesus.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  * the old has passed away, and see,  * the new has  * come!  *

16 Therefore we do not give up.  * Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person  * is being renewed day by day.

17 For our momentary light affliction  * is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.  *

Treasure in Clay Jars

7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power  * may be from God and not from us. 8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus  * in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death  * for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh.

11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord,  * we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind,  * it is for God; if we are in our right mind,  * it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all,  * and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all  * so that those who live should no longer live for themselves,  * but for the one  * who died for them and was raised.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.  * Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective,  * yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;  * the old has passed away, and see,  * the new has  * come!  *18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.  *19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world  * to himself,  * not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors  * for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf,  * "Be reconciled to God." 21 He made the one who did not know sin  * to be sin  * for us,  * so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.  *

The God of Comfort

3 Blessed be  * the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies  * and the God of all comfort.  *4 He comforts us in all our affliction,  * so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world."

Jesus’s Gift of Peace

27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.*

Jesus’s Gift of Peace

27 "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.*

18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear,  * because fear involves punishment.  * So the one who fears is not complete in love.  *

28 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.*

28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul;*rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.*

22 Cast your burden on the  Lord,

and he will sustain you;  *

he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.  *

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,  *

I fear no danger,

for you are with me;  *

your rod and your staff — they comfort me.  *

4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,  *

I fear no danger,

for you are with me;  *

your rod and your staff — they comfort me.  *

My Stronghold

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation —

whom should I fear?  *

The Lord is the stronghold of my life —

whom should I dread?  *

14 Wait for the  Lord;

be strong, and let your heart be courageous.  *

Wait for the  Lord.  *

24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous,  *

all you who put your hope in the  Lord.  *

8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go;  *

with my eye on you, I will give counsel.  *

God Our Refuge

1 God is our refuge and strength,

a helper who is always found

in times of trouble.  *

2 Therefore we will not be afraid,

though the earth trembles

and the mountains topple

into the depths of the seas,  *

3 though its water roars and foams

and the mountains quake with its turmoil.  *Selah

3 When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.  *

4 In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?  *

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;

establish for us the work of our hands —

establish the work of our hands!  *

The Lord Our Protector

1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.

Where will my help come from?  *

2 My help comes from the  Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.  *

8 I always let the Lord guide me.  *

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.  *

9 The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted,

a refuge in times of trouble.  *

10 Those who know your name trust in you

because you have not abandoned

those who seek you, Lord.  *

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.  *

6 You rejoice in this,  * even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials  *

Undeserved Suffering

13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness,  * you are blessed. Do not fear them*,*or be intimidated,*,*

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other,  * and all the more as you see the day approaching.

5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.*,*6 Therefore, we may boldly say,

The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?*,*

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,  * because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Final Exhortation

13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith,  * be courageous,  * be strong.

Final Exhortation

13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith,  * be courageous,  * be strong.

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear,  * but one of power,  *,* love,  * and sound judgment.

20 Then David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and courageous,  * and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or abandon you  * until all the work for the service of the Lord’s house is finished.

17 The Lord your God is among you,

a warrior  * who saves.

He will rejoice over you  * with gladness.

He will be quiet  * in his love.

He will delight in you with singing."  *

11 For I know the plans I have for you"  *  — this is the Lord’s declaration — "plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

23 There is profit in all hard work,

but endless talk  * leads only to poverty.  *

17 "Follow me,"* Jesus told them, "and I will make you fish for*,*people."*18 Immediately they left their nets and followed  * him.  *

2 That night God spoke to Israel in a vision:  * "Jacob, Jacob! " he said.

And Jacob replied, "Here I am."

11 In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob! ’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham! "

He replied, "Here I am."

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses! "

"Here I am," he answered.

16 but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son."

"Here I am," answered Samuel.

Saul’s Baptism

10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias."

"Here I am, Lord," he replied.  *

38 "See, I am the Lord’s servant," said Mary. "May it happen to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?*Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.*7 Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.