Children, Family, and Household Freedom

⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. ⁵And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁵But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

¹A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth. ²I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning, ³that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us. ⁴We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed. ⁵For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, ⁶that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children ⁷that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments. ⁸Then they will not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. ³“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. ⁶But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! ⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. ¹⁰See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.

¹⁴When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were filled with awe and ran to greet Him. ¹⁶“What are you disputing with them?” He asked. ¹⁷Someone in the crowd replied, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable.” ¹⁹“O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.” ²⁰So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said. ²²“It often throws him into the fire or into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³“If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!” ²⁴Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵When Jesus saw that a crowd had come running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him again.” ²⁶After shrieking and convulsing him violently, the spirit came out. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.” ²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. ²⁸After Jesus had gone into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” ²⁹Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come out, except by prayer.”

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²“Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³“that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.” ⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

¹⁷And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁸Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ¹⁹For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

³Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. ⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. ⁵Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.

⁶Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

²⁴Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered? ²⁵Indeed, this is what the LORD says: “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.

¹³Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.

²¹When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea. ²²A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet ²³and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.” ²⁴So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd followed and pressed around Him. ³⁵While He was still speaking, messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?” ³⁶But Jesus overheard their conversation and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” ³⁷And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. ³⁸When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child. ⁴¹Taking her by the hand, Jesus said, “Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ⁴²Immediately the girl got up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). And at once they were utterly astounded. ⁴³Then Jesus gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.

²⁴Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. ²⁵Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. ²⁶Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ²⁸“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰And she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

⁴⁰And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

³⁸Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

¹At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment. ²He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly. ³One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” ⁴Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God. ⁵Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter. ⁶He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants. ⁸He explained what had happened and sent them to Joppa. ⁹The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. ¹¹He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹²It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air. ¹³Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” ¹⁴“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” ¹⁵The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” ¹⁶This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven. ¹⁷While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate. ¹⁸They called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying there. ¹⁹As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰So get up! Go downstairs and accompany them without hesitation, because I have sent them.” ²¹So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?” ²²“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.” ²³So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa. ²⁴The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him. ²⁶But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ²⁷As Peter talked with him, he went inside and found many people gathered together. ²⁸He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. ²⁹So when I was invited, I came without objection. I ask, then, why have you sent for me?” ³⁰Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God. ³²Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ ³³So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed you to tell us.” ³⁴Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, ³⁵but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. ³⁶He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. ³⁹We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, ⁴⁰God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen— ⁴¹not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. ⁴²And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.” ⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message. ⁴⁵All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they heard them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!” ⁴⁸So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

²⁵About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!” ²⁹Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³²Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. ³³At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized. ³⁴Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.

¹⁸Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. ²⁰Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. ²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.

⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

¹⁴But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them. ¹⁵From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

⁶These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

¹³Now people were bringing the little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them, and blessed them.

¹³Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity. ¹⁷No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.