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So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, fourteen generations.
The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged[fn] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.[fn] Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen.
Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?[fn] It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
“Don't store up for yourselves treasures[fn] on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
“Therefore I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?
“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.
“But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
So he touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve him.
When he had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes,[fn] two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then he told the paralytic, “Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
“Don't take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worthy of his food.
“If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.
“For I came to turn
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
“And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.
“how he entered the house of God, and they ate[fn] the bread of the Presence — which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?
“Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
“A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil.
“For as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish[fn] three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
“The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's preaching; and look — something greater than Jonah is here.
“The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look — something greater than Solomon is here.
He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.
“When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.
“the field is the world; and the good seed — these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
When Herod's birthday celebration came, Herodias's daughter danced before them[fn] and pleased Herod.
Prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter.”
“For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.
“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”
Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment[fn] her daughter was healed.
Moving on from there, Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountain and sat there,
Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven[fn] of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
“Why is it you don't understand that when I told you, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,' it wasn't about bread? ”
Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the leaven in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
“For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?
While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered[fn] them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him! ”
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.
“If he doesn't pay attention to them, tell the church.[fn] If he doesn't pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.
His disciples said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it's better not to marry.”
“‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day's work and the burning heat.'
Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again! ” At once the fig tree withered.
Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.
“Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven't you read what was spoken to you by God:
No one was able to answer him at all,[fn] and from that day no one dared to question him anymore.
“Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed[fn] and self-indulgence.
“So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you,[fn] from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? ”
“This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world[fn] as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
“So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand),
“Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows — neither the angels of heaven nor the Son[fn] — except the Father alone.
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?
“For this is my blood of the covenant,[fn] which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
“But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.
Peter was following him at a distance right to the high priest's courtyard. He went in and was sitting with the servants to see the outcome.
“You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future[fn] you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Above his head they put up the charge against him in writing: This Is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him were there, watching from a distance.
“So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.
There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.
As they were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.
They took the money and did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
As he passed alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon's brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen.
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew's house with James and John.
So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her,[fn] and she began to serve them.
“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he told the paralytic —
“how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence — which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests — and also gave some to his companions? ”
After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee, and a large crowd followed from Judea,
Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to him because they heard about everything he was doing.
Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.
He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables
“It's like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground.
Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”
Then he took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum”[fn] (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”).
An opportune time came on his birthday, when Herod gave a banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the leading men of Galilee.
When Herodias's own daughter[fn] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I'll give it to you.”
He promised her with an oath: “Whatever you ask me I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
“For from within, out of people's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders,
The woman was a Gentile,[fn] a Syrophoenician by birth, and she was asking him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
But she replied to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.”
Then he told her, “Because of this reply, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
Again, leaving the region of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through[fn] the region of the Decapolis.
So he took him away from the crowd in private. After putting his fingers in the man's ears and spitting, he touched his tongue.
Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak clearly.
He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. So they served them to the crowd.
Then he gave them strict orders: “Watch out! Beware of the leaven[fn] of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
He took the blind man by the hand and brought him out of the village. Spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything? ”
Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am? ”
and his clothes became dazzling — extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them.
A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him! ”
So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Then they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it.
He set out from there and went to the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Then crowds converged on him again, and as was his custom he taught them 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.”
He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
“And as for the dead being raised — haven't you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.[fn]
“And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding,[fn] and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question him any longer.
“For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had — all she had to live on.”
“When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
“A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house,
“Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.
“Now concerning that day or hour no one knows — neither the angels in heaven nor the Son — but only the Father.
“Therefore be alert, since you don't know when the master of the house is coming — whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning.
While he was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,[fn] as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head.
He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant,[fn] which is poured out for many.
“Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new[fn] in the kingdom of God.”
He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
“You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision? ” They all condemned him as deserving death.
The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor's residence) and called the whole company together.
Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise.
They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us? ”
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah's division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged[fn] to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed![fn]
because he has looked with favor
on the humble condition of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations
will call me blessed,
Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David,
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,[fn]
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch[fn] of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
“Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don't start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.
But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the evil things he had done,
So he took him up[fn] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity.
They were all speaking well of him[fn] and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn't this Joseph's son? ”
They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff.
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.
After he left the synagogue, he entered Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her.
He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then he sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat.
“Master,” Simon replied, “we've worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I'll let down the nets.”[fn]
On one of those days while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem. And the Lord's power to heal was in him.
“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he told the paralyzed man, “I tell you: Get up, take your stretcher, and go home.”
“how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat? He even gave some to those who were with him.”
After coming down with them, he stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.
“A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
“But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great.”
Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don't trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
Just as he neared the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was also with her.
Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up! ”
“To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?
and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.
So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that
Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.
“The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
“And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.
One day he and his disciples got into a boat, and he told them, “Let's cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they set out,
When he got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs.
Then all the people of the Gerasene region[fn] asked him to leave them, because they were gripped by great fear. So getting into the boat, he returned.
Just then, a man named Jairus came. He was a leader of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus's feet and pleaded with him to come to his house,
After he came to the house, he let no one enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child's father and mother.
“If they do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
When the crowds found out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the Chosen One;[fn] listen to him! ”
But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts,[fn] took a little child and had him stand next to him.
When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined[fn] to journey to Jerusalem.
“‘We are wiping off even the dust of your town that clings to our feet as a witness against you. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.'
He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”
“The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look — something greater than Solomon is here.
“The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah's preaching, and look — something greater than Jonah is here.
“so that this generation may be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world[fn] —
“from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.
“Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible.[fn]
“Woe to you experts in the law! You have taken away the key to knowledge. You didn't go in yourselves, and you hindered those who were trying to go in.”
Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to his disciples first, “Be on your guard against the leaven[fn] of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
“Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one's life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time?
“Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why don't you know how to interpret this present time?
When Jesus saw her, he called out to her,[fn] “Woman, you are free of your disability.”
But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Doesn't each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water?
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won't be able
“But he will say, ‘I tell you, I don't know you or where you're from. Get away from me, all you evildoers! '
“So the servant came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.'
“The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets[fn] to them.
“Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
“So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.'
“I know what I'll do so that when I'm removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.'
“The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd than the children of light in dealing with their own people.[fn]
“And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth[fn] so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.
“He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man's table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores.
“because I have five brothers — to warn them, so that they won't also come to this place of torment.'
“And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,' you must forgive him.”
“For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.
“But first it is necessary that he suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
“I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? ”
So he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left a house, wife or brothers or sisters, parents or children because of the kingdom of God,
“They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”
“But those who are counted worthy to take part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
“For they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, since they are children of the resurrection.
“Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.
“Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for there will be great distress in the land[fn] and wrath against this people.
“Then there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
“Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples? ” '
“For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
“so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief.
They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them.
“But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he started even to here.”
Finding that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
But all who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed.
But while they still were amazed and in disbelief because of their joy, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat? ”
Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.”
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
“How can anyone be born when he is old? ” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born? ”
“Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms.[fn] The one who comes from heaven is above all.
so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property[fn] that Jacob had given his son Joseph.
Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon.[fn]
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of what the woman said[fn] when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”
He went again to Cana of Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a certain royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum.
When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and pleaded with him to come down and heal his son, since he was about to die.
Now this was also the second sign Jesus performed after he came from Judea to Galilee.
“Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
“Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already set in, but Jesus had not yet come to them.
After they had rowed about three or four miles,[fn] they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid.
Then they were willing to take him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.
The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw there had been only one boat.[fn] They also saw that Jesus had not boarded the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone off alone.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here? ”
“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach.
“If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me[fn] and drink.
“The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.”
Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some said, “Surely the Messiah doesn't come from Galilee, does he?
“Doesn't the Scripture say that the Messiah comes from David's offspring[fn] and from the town of Bethlehem, where David lived? ”
“You aren't from Galilee too, are you? ” they replied. “Investigate and you will see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only he was left, with the woman in the center.
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn't enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
“The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
“But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
Now a man was sick — Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
“Aren't there twelve hours in a day? ” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews but departed from there to the countryside near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and he stayed there with the disciples.
Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country to purify themselves before the Passover.
Then Mary took a pound of perfume, pure and expensive nard, anointed Jesus's feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
So they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
“Now my soul is troubled. What should I say — Father, save me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour.
Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
“He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn't see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be[fn] in you.
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin.
“When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father — he will testify about me.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.
“When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.
“While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction,[fn] so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.
“You are a king then? ” Pilate asked.
“You say that I'm a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.[fn] He revealed himself in this way:
Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”[fn]), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples were together.
Since they were not far from land (about a hundred yards[fn] away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish.
So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish — 153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Now this man acquired a field with his unrighteous wages. He fell headfirst, his body burst open and his intestines spilled out.
“beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us — from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
“to take the place[fn] in this apostolic ministry that Judas left to go where he belongs.”
When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
“Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts),
“For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only nine in the morning.[fn]
“I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
“Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
“Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants[fn] on his throne.
“Seeing what was to come, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He[fn] was not abandoned in Hades, and his flesh did not experience decay.
With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt[fn] generation! ”
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.[fn]
Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong.
“You killed the source[fn] of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.
“You are the sons[fn] of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.
“The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers assemble together
against the Lord and against his Messiah.
With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.
However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife's knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.
“Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land?
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said,
“Didn't we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood.”
“After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and attracted a following. He also perished, and all his followers were scattered.
“Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.
Opposition arose, however, from some members of the Freedmen's Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, and they began to argue with Stephen.
“Brothers and fathers,” he replied, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,
“and said to him: Leave your country and relatives, and come to the land that I will show you.
“As the time was approaching to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth my footstool.
What sort of house will you build for me?
says the Lord,
or what will be my resting place?
“Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Saul agreed with putting him to death.
On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.
A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.
But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
When Simon saw that the Spirit[fn] was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
“Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart's intent may be forgiven.
So he got up and went. There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to worship in Jerusalem
Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:
He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will describe his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth.
Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.
and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.
So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.
About three in the afternoon[fn] he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”
He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth.
In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky.
“You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached:
“When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,
When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.
When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”
As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many had assembled and were praying.
She recognized Peter's voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.
Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place.
After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Blastus, who was in charge of the king's bedroom, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king's country.
But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.
They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
“Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
“Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham's race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.
“and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Paul and Barnabas boldly replied, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
I have made you
a light for the Gentiles
to bring salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
But the Jews incited the prominent God-fearing women and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.
So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders.
But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles.
they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside.
The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.
Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.
When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
“On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”
“but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.
During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us! ”
and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days.
On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there.
When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.
He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.
So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town.
After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia's house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.
As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting[fn] the crowds.
“From one man[fn] he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.
“Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,
where he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them,
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word[fn] and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal.
but he said farewell and added,[fn] “I'll come back to you again, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business.
“You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.
“Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin — the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”
When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn't know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great[fn] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven?
“In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.”
and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, for the day of Pentecost.
“But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course[fn] and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God's grace.
“And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
When our time had come to an end, we left to continue our journey, while all of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach to pray,
After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him,
As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos.
Paul said, “I am a Jewish man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people.”
He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
“Since I couldn't see because of the brightness of the light,[fn] I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.
They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live! ”
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”
But the son of Paul's sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul.
The commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, “What is it you have to report to me? ”
He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.[fn]
When Paul was called in, Tertullus began to accuse him and said, “We enjoy great peace because of you, and reforms are taking place for the benefit of this nation because of your foresight.
“For we have found this man to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
“While I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.
Since Felix was well informed about the Way, he adjourned the hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.”
Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus.
“Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive.
So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in.
“I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write.
“They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee.
“I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests.
“to open their eyes so that they may turn[fn] from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
“Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.
“To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place —
After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.
When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.
After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda,[fn] we were barely able to get control of the skiff.
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.
When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land.
“So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.”
But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.
As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.
When the local people saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man, no doubt, is a murderer. Even though he has escaped the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
Now in the area around that place was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
“For this reason I've asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I'm wearing this chain.”
Then they said to him, “We haven't received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you.
“But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”
Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing[fn] that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law —
they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God presented him as the mercy seat[fn] by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith[fn] while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.
And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.
He did not weaken in faith when he considered[fn] his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah's womb.
How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.[fn]
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression. He is a type of the Coming One.
If by the one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
For just as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness[fn] of life.
For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be[fn] in the likeness of his resurrection.
But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed[fn] over,
I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh.[fn] For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.
But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification — and the outcome is eternal life!
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.
Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again
For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.
Therefore, did what is good become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment, sin might become sinful beyond measure.
but I see a different law in the parts of my body,[fn] waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.
For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering,[fn]
For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit.
Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.
The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.
that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God's children.
For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I speak the truth in Christ — I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit[fn] —
That is, it is not the children by physical descent[fn] who are God's children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.
And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory —
But Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,
Though the number of Israelites
is like the sand of the sea,
only the remnant will be saved;
Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God concerning them[fn] is for their salvation.
On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim:
But I ask, “Did they not hear? ” Yes, they did:
Their voice has gone out to the whole earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
as it is written,
God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that cannot see
and ears that cannot hear,
to this day.
Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root[fn] of the cultivated olive tree,
For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these — the natural branches — be grafted into their own olive tree?
For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one's[fn] faith;
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.
Now may the God who gives[fn] endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf.
who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches.
because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites.[fn] They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.[fn]
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ — to him be the glory forever![fn] Amen.
For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached.
None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless;
hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,”[fn] and that “there is no God but one.”
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth — as there are many “gods” and many “lords” —
If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?
Isn't he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop.
If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don't we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.
Now I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?
This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.
Don't you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!
In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.
Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner[fn] to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.
So also you — since you are zealous for spiritual gifts,[fn] seek to excel in building up the church.
The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”
Now about the collection for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian churches.
Brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits of Achaia and have devoted themselves to serving the saints. I urge you
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla send you greetings warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.
He comforts us in all our affliction,[fn] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.
And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.
We don't want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strength — so that we even despaired of life itself.
Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom but by God's grace.
I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in your faith.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ's triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place.
For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory.
In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.
but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.
Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone's conscience by an open display of the truth.
In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,[fn] who is the image of God.
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.
And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
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.
by the word of truth,[fn] by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia:
During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.
Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you.
Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be put to shame in that situation.[fn]
Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
Because of the proof provided by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone.
Now I, Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ — I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent.
since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments
and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
For if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be put to shame.
We are not boasting beyond measure about other people's labors. On the contrary, we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged,
But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure[fn] devotion to Christ.
As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped[fn] in the regions of Achaia.
What I am saying in this matter[fn] of boasting, I don't speak as the Lord would, but as it were, foolishly.
Have you been thinking all along that we were defending ourselves to you? No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up.
But when God, who from my mother's womb set me apart and called me by his grace, was pleased
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised,
since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.
The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.
you know[fn] that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.
But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.
For it is written,
Rejoice, childless woman,
unable to give birth.
Burst into song and shout,
you who are not in labor,
for the children of the desolate woman will be many,
more numerous than those
of the woman who has a husband.
But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.”
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.
You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.
For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity[fn] for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:[fn] sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity,
because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
as a plan for the right time[fn] — to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.
The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.[fn]
We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift —
So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands.
At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.
assuming you have heard about the administration of God's grace that he gave me for you.
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
This is so that God's multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,
and to know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,
There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope[fn] at your calling —
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.
From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because[fn] of the hardness of their hearts.
to take off[fn] your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires,
and to put on[fn] the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need,[fn] so that it gives grace to those who hear.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God's wrath is coming on the disobedient[fn] because of these things.
because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body.
Slaves, obey your human[fn] masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,
In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart,[fn] and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
because I know this will lead to my salvation[fn] through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.
But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus — my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need —
because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ
My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,
He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household.
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully
He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities —
all things have been created through him and for him.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.[fn]
But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him —
if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery — Christ.[fn]
For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.
Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.
You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,
when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.
Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.[fn]
Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.
We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker[fn] in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith,
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith.
as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith?
For this is God's will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality,
About brotherly love: You don't need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God's churches — about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring.
It is clear evidence of God's righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God's kingdom, for which you also are suffering,
They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord's presence and from his glorious strength
In view of this, we always pray for you that our God will make you worthy of his calling, and by his power fulfill your every desire to do good[fn] and your work produced by faith,
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters,
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way,
and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming.
and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don't associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope:
Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.
and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.
But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:
He[fn] was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed.
For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Don't let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love,[fn] in faith, and in purity.
Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but serve them even better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.[fn]
Teach and encourage these things.
and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.[fn]
For the love of money is a root[fn] of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
to keep this command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of what is truly life.
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus:
I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.
Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.
This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.
Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close.
There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.[fn]
while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
All those who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all of you.
I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us[fn] for the glory of Christ.
But I didn't want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be out of obligation, but of your own free will.
but to[fn] the Son:
Your throne, God,
is forever and ever,
and the scepter of your kingdom
is a scepter of justice.
For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — for whom and through whom all things exist — should make the pioneer[fn] of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.
But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.[fn]
But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.
For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality[fn] that we had at the start.
As it is said:
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.[fn]
For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.
he again specifies a certain day — today. He specified this speaking through David after such a long time:
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.
Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens — Jesus the Son of God — let us hold fast to our confession.
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
During his earthly life,[fn] he offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God's revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.
Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God,
For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit,
For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love[fn] you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints — and by continuing to serve them.
Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end,
Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,
so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings,
The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people — that is, from their brothers and sisters — though they have also descended from Abraham.
Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron?
For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.
Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man.
not like the covenant
that I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
I showed no concern for them, says the Lord,
because they did not continue in my covenant.
It had the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
The Holy Spirit was making it clear that the way into the most holy place had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.
But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come.[fn] In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation),
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow, sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant,[fn] so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood.
Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
he has inaugurated[fn] for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh) —
Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.
For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane[fn] the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.
By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.
Therefore, from one man — in fact, from one as good as dead — came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.
These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned[fn] the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.
The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:
My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly
or lose heart when you are reproved by him,
Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn't we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.
Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.
See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven.
Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.
Remember your leaders who have spoken God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.
Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify[fn] the people by his own blood.
Don't neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus — the great Shepherd of the sheep — through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.
Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy send you greetings.
Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God[fn] has promised to those who love him.
Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face[fn] in a mirror.
But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works — this person will be blessed in what he does.
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn't God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed[fn] among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.
But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and deny the truth.
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring — what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name as an example of suffering and patience.
Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land.
My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back,
so that the proven character of your faith — more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated.
Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one's work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.
For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul.
Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God's slaves.
In the same way, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by the way their wives live
but rather what is inside the heart[fn] — the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
They are surprised that you don't join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander[fn] you.
Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.
If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God[fn] rests on you.
I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed:
By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying “This is my beloved Son,[fn] with whom I am well-pleased! ”
Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them.
They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.
It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”
so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.
saying, “Where is his ‘coming' that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming.[fn] Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life —
For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's possessions — is not from the Father, but is from the world.
I have not written to you because you don't know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth.
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him
whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.
We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.
This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome fellow believers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.
Everyone speaks well of Demetrius — even the truth itself. And we also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.
save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy,
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep[fn] what is written in it, because the time is near.
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has set us free[fn] from our sins by his blood,
“Write to the angel[fn] of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in[fn] the paradise of God.
“Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life:
“Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown[fn] of life.
“Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword:
“Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:
“I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.
“In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.
“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:
“Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.
“Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
“The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God — the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God — and my new name.
“Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator[fn] of God's creation:
“I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see.
“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it.
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and[fn] its seven seals.”
I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say,
Blessing and honor and glory and power
be to the one seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever!
Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.
They cried out with a loud voice, “Lord,[fn] the one who is holy and true, how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood? ”
Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.
I said to him, “Sir,[fn] you know.”
Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So a third of the sea became blood,
The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night.
I looked and heard an eagle[fn] flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound! ”
The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key for the shaft to the abyss was given to him.
He opened the shaft to the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great[fn] furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft.
Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power[fn] was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth.
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who do not have God's seal on their foreheads.
And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.
“but in the days when the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
Then I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord[fn] of the earth.
They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.
When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them.
Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
A great sign[fn] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child.
They conquered him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
for they did not love their lives
to the point of death.
From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb,[fn] but it spoke like a dragon.
It deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image[fn] of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it makes everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
They sang[fn] a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth — to every nation, tribe, language, and people.
He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
“he will also drink the wine of God's wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb,
Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man[fn] was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.”
So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath.
Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses' bridles for about 180 miles.[fn]
I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image,[fn] and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.
After this I looked, and the heavenly temple — the tabernacle of testimony — was opened.
Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
For they are demonic spirits performing signs, who travel to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And a severe earthquake occurred like no other since people have been on the earth, so great was the quake.
The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations[fn] fell. Babylon the Great was remembered in God's presence; he gave her the cup filled with the wine of his fierce anger.
Enormous hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[fn] fell from the sky on people, and they blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.
“The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”
On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth.
Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her.
“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and is to come.
“And the woman you saw is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.”
After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
For all the nations have drunk[fn]
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her sensuality and excess.
The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and shared her sensual and excessive ways will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning.
The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any longer —
The fruit you craved has left you.
All your splendid and glamorous things are gone;
they will never find them again.
as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out, “Who was like the great city? ”
They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning,
Woe, woe, the great city,
where all those who have ships on the sea
became rich from her wealth;
for in a single hour she was destroyed.
the light of a lamp
will never shine in you again;
and the voice of a groom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
All this will happen
because your merchants
were the nobility of the earth,
because all the nations were deceived
by your sorcery.
In her was found the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all those slaughtered on the earth.
because his judgments are true[fn] and righteous,
because he has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and he has avenged the blood of his servants
that was on her hands.
Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit[fn] of prophecy.”
Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea.
They came up across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven[fn] and consumed them.
I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.
And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.
The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street[fn] of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.[fn]
Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb's book of life.
down the middle of the city's main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Then he said to me, “Don't seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.
“Blessed are those who wash their robes,[fn] so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.
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