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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.
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,
which is translated “God is with us.”
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”[fn]
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:
Because out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”
After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping,[fn] and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children;
and she refused to be consoled,
because they are no more.
For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!
“And don't presume to say 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.
“His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the land of the shadow of death,
a light has dawned.[fn]
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.
“Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“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.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
“Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you're on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to[fn] the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.
“But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
“But I tell you, don't take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God's throne;
“or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.
“so that you may be[fn] children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness[fn] in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven.
“So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
“so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[fn]
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
“But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[fn]
“When you pray, don't babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.
“Therefore, you should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.
“so that your fasting isn't obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[fn]
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal.
“But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness!
“Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.
“For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.
“Why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye but don't notice the beam of wood in your own eye?
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,' and look, there's a beam of wood in your own eye?
“Don't give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.
“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name? '
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with so great a faith.
“I tell you that many will come from east and west to share the banquet[fn] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
Then Jesus told the centurion, “Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that very moment.[fn]
Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves — but Jesus kept sleeping.
“Go! ” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.
Perceiving their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?[fn]
While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples.
When the demon had been driven out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed, saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel! ”
“When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave.
“Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
“Look, I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.
“Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts[fn] and flog you in their synagogues.
“But when they hand you over, don't worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour,
“because it isn't you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.
“When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
“What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper,[fn] proclaim on the housetops.
“Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
“But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.
When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples
“What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces.
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,[fn] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
“To what should I compare this generation? It's like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children:
Then he proceeded to denounce the towns where most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent:
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago.
“But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
“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.
“But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
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.
At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
“Or haven't you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?
When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
“And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
“If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.
“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.
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow.
Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables? ”
“That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.
“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.
“But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.
He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
“But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
“The landowner's servants came to him and said, ‘Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from? '
“Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I'll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.' ”
He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
“It's the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it's taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,
so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
I will open my mouth in parables;
I will declare things kept secret
from the foundation of the world.[fn]
“Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Let anyone who has ears[fn] listen.
“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.
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,
He went to his hometown and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?
And they were offended by him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”
“This is John the Baptist,” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that's why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
For Herod had arrested John, chained[fn] him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,
When Herod's birthday celebration came, Herodias's daughter danced before them[fn] and pleased Herod.
When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns.
Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they've already stayed with me three days and have nothing to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to feed such a crowd? ”
Aware of this, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread?
Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,[fn] because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
“For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.
“Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
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 I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn't recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
As they were gathering together[fn] in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.
At that time[fn] the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? ”
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
“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.
“See to it that you don't despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.[fn]
“In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
“If you want to be perfect,”[fn] Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“When he went out about nine in the morning,[fn] he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way,
“What do you want? ” he asked her.
“Promise,”[fn] she said to him, “that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left, in your kingdom.”
“It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.
Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
Jesus went into the temple[fn] and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.
When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David! ” they were indignant
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.
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority? ”
Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
“Did John's baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin? ”
They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,' he will say to us, ‘Then why didn't you believe him? '
So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”
And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.'
“For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn't believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn't even change your minds then and believe him.
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.
“But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.'
“He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his fruit at the harvest.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.[fn]
This is what the Lord has done
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don't care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality.[fn]
That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him:
“In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had married her.”[fn]
“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like[fn] angels in heaven.
He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
He asked them, “How is it then that David, inspired by the Spirit,[fn] calls him ‘Lord':
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the temple, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.'[fn]
“Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.'
“Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it.
“The one who takes an oath by the temple takes an oath by it and by him who dwells in it.
“And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne and by him who sits on it.
“and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn't have taken part with them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
“This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
“For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'! ”
“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),
“So if they tell you, ‘See, he's in the wilderness! ' don't go out; or, ‘See, he's in the storerooms! ' do not believe it.
“For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.
“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?
“that servant's master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know.
“the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more.
“So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.'
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels[fn] with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
“I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.'
“I was a stranger and you didn't take me in; I was naked and you didn't clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn't take care of me.'
“Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you? '
“Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
“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 told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Then Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place because all who take up the sword will perish by the sword.
At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal,[fn] to capture me? Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple, and you didn't arrest me.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl approached him and said, “You were with Jesus the Galilean too.”
They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews! ”
and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross! ”
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!
John came baptizing[fn] in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels were serving him.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! ”
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.
Going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat putting their nets in order.
Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
While he was reclining at the table in Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating[fn] with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him.
Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the groom with them, they cannot fast.
“But the time[fn] will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.
On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain.
The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
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
“But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.
And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and more will be added to you.
“The soil produces a crop by itself — first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head.
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it?
On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let's cross over to the other side of the sea.”
So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him.
He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don't you care that we're going to die? ”
As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him.
He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore — not even with a chain —
Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.
When Jesus had crossed over again by boat[fn] to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the sea.
Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing.
Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes? ”
When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. “Where did this man get these things? ” they said. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him, and how are these miracles performed by his hands?
“Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren't his sisters here with us? ” So they were offended by him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household.”
King Herod heard about it, because Jesus's name had become well known. Some[fn] said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that's why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
For Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her.
The king immediately sent for an executioner and commanded him to bring John's head. So he went and beheaded him in prison,
When John's disciples heard about it, they came and removed his corpse and placed it in a tomb.
Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded,
Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And everyone who touched it was healed.
In those days there was again a large crowd, and they had nothing to eat. He called the disciples and said to them,
“If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a long distance.”
The disciples had forgotten to take bread and had only one loaf with them in the boat.
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? ”
“For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Then he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come in power.”
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way? ”
But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.
He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone[fn] driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn't following us.”
“And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ — truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.
“Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,[fn] follow me.”
“who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time — houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions — and eternal life in the age to come.
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him.
“But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant,
Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.
Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord!
Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.
They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves,
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”[fn]
They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came
and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things? ”
Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
So they answered Jesus, “We don't know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away.
“In the resurrection, when they rise,[fn] whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her? ”
“For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
“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?
While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David?
“David himself says by the Holy Spirit:
The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.'
He also said in his teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who want greetings in the marketplaces,
“So when they arrest you and hand you over, don't worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn't you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
“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.
“But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light;
“the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
“Now concerning that day or hour no one knows — neither the angels in heaven nor the Son — but only the Father.
It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a cunning way to arrest Jesus and kill him.
“Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won't be a riot among the people.”
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.
Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing for me.
“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.”
“Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn't arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.
Those who passed by were yelling insults at[fn] him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
In Galilee these women followed him and took care of him. Many other women had come up with him to Jerusalem.
After he bought some linen cloth, Joseph took him down and wrapped him in the linen. Then he laid him in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed.
After this, he appeared in a different form to two of them walking on their way into the country.
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;[fn]
“they will pick up snakes;[fn] if they should drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled[fn] among 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.
Both were righteous in God's sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord.
But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.
“And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”
“How can I know this? ” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless.
“The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
“And consider your relative Elizabeth — even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless.
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]
“For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me.
He has done a mighty deed with his arm;
he has scattered the proud
because of the thoughts of their hearts;
When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.
Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become? ” For, indeed, the Lord's hand was with him.
to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The child grew up and became strong in spirit,[fn] and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire[fn] should be registered.
Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger,[fn] because there was no guest room available for them.
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
“This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.
When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus — the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
(just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated[fn] to the Lord)
and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).
There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel's consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,
Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed[fn] —
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]
After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents[fn] did not know it.
Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day's journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
“Why were you searching for me? ” he asked them. “Didn't you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father's house? ”[fn]
Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart.
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,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God's word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make his paths straight!
“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.
Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[fn] the Holy Spirit and fire.
“His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”
When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened,
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”
Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry.
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.
He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.
He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”
Then he said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb[fn] to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. What we've heard that took place in Capernaum, do here in your hometown also.' ”
“But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah's days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land.
“And in the prophet Elisha's time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy,[fn] and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath.
In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice,
Amazement came over them all, and they were saying to one another, “What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out! ”
As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God's word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.[fn]
So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
While he was in one of the towns, a man was there who had leprosy[fn] all over him. He saw Jesus, fell facedown, and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
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 perceiving their thoughts, Jesus replied to them, “Why are you thinking this in your hearts?[fn]
Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them.
Jesus said to them, “You can't make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you?
“But the time[fn] will come when the groom will be taken away from them — then they will fast in those days.”
On a Sabbath, he passed through the grainfields. His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against him.
During those days he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God.
“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. Take note — your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.
“Why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, but don't notice the beam of wood in your own eye?
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,' when you yourself don't see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother's eye.
Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.”
Afterward he was on his way to a town called Nain. His disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him.
At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people.
“What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces.
“I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John,[fn] but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
“They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other:
We played the flute for you,
but you didn't dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn't weep!
And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him — she's a sinner! ”
Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins? ”
Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,
“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.
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.
“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.
“But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.
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.
A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to permit them to enter the pigs, and he gave them permission.
because he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying.
While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him.
A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors[fn] and yet could not be healed by any,
Late in the day, the Twelve approached and said to him, “Send the crowd away, so that they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find food and lodging, because we are in a deserted place here.”
While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am? ”
“For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
As the two men were departing from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it's good for us to be here. Let's set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he was saying.
While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed them. They became afraid as they entered the cloud.
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent, and at that time told no one what they had seen.
He told them, “Whoever welcomes[fn] this little child in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. For whoever is least among you — this one is great.”
John responded, “Master, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow us.”
When the days were coming to a close for him to be taken up, he determined[fn] to journey to Jerusalem.
As they were traveling on the road someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
“Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don't move from house to house.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
The seventy-two[fn] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
“However, don't rejoice that[fn] the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
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.”
“A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
While they were traveling, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.[fn]
He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”
But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul.
“And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
“If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you! ”
“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.
As he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him. So he went in and reclined at the table.
“Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
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.
“Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
“And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God,
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.”
“He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don't have anywhere to store my crops?
“Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.
“If that's how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you — you of little faith?
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make money-bags for yourselves that won't grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
“If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,[fn] and finds them alert, blessed are those servants.
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?
“But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,' and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
“Do you think that I came here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
“From now on, five in one household will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
“As you are going with your adversary to the ruler, make an effort to settle with him on the way. Then he won't drag you before the judge, the judge hand you over to the bailiff, and the bailiff throw you into prison.
At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
“Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed — do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.
“He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it even waste the soil? '
But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”
“It's like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the sky nested in its branches.”
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves thrown out.
“They will come from east and west, from north and south, to share the banquet[fn] in the kingdom of God.
At that time some Pharisees came and told him, “Go, get out of here. Herod wants to kill you.”
“See, your house is abandoned to you. I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when[fn] you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'! ”
One Sabbath, when he went in to eat[fn] at the house of one of the leading Pharisees, they were watching him closely.
And to them, he said, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day? ”
“And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God! ”
“Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
“What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field[fn] and go after the lost one until he finds it?
“I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don't need repentance.
“Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I'm not strong enough to dig; I'm ashamed to beg.
“Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.
“So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine?
“And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?
And he told them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God's sight.
“And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side.
“‘Father Abraham! ' he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame! '
“ ‘Son,'[fn] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
“Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.'
“If you have faith the size of[fn] a mustard seed,” the Lord said, “you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
When he saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed.
“For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.
“It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.
“On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise the man who is in the field must not turn back.
“And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.'
“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don't fear God or respect people,
“I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? ”
When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell all you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
“who will not receive many times more at this time, and eternal life in the age to come.”
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”
“He called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas,[fn] and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.'
“At his return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those servants he had given the money to, so that he could find out how much they had made in business.
“ ‘Well done, good[fn] servant! ' he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over ten towns.'
“And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it safe in a cloth
and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
Blessed is the King who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heaven!
saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes.
“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.”
Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill him,
One day as he was teaching the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders, came
and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority? ”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Then the scribes and the chief priests looked for a way to get their hands on him that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
“In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”
“For David himself says in the Book of Psalms:
The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
“Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.
“These things that you see — the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”
“Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those inside the city must leave it, and those who are in the country must not enter it,
“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.
“But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength[fn] to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”
During the day, he was teaching in the temple, but in the evening he would go out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives.
“For I tell you, I will not eat it again[fn] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.[fn]
“It is not to be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you should become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving.
“For who is greater, the one at the table or the one serving? Isn't it the one at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
“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.
“For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in me:[fn] And he was counted among the lawless. Yes, what is written about me is coming to its fulfillment.”
Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.[fn]
When those around him saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword? ”
“Every day while I was with you in the temple, you never laid a hand on me. But this is your hour — and the dominion of darkness.”
They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them.
Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds for charging this man.”
Finding that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
That very day Herod and Pilate became friends.[fn] Previously, they had been enemies.
and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people. But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse him of.
(He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”
“Look, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the women without children, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed! '
“For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? ”
But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don't you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment?
Taking it down, he wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed.[fn]
While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes.
“He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee,
Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles[fn] from Jerusalem.
And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them.
The one named Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that happened there in these days? ”
“What things? ” he asked them.
So they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people,
Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.
It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
They said to each other, “Weren't our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us? ”
Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
As they were saying these things, he himself stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace to you! ”
He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him.
He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord — just as Isaiah the prophet said.”
“I baptize with[fn] water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don't know him.
“I didn't know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
“I didn't know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on — he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there.
Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build,[fn] and will you raise it up in three days? ”
While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.
and because he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
“But anyone who lives by[fn] the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”
John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized,
“But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well[fn] of water springing up in him for eternal life.”
“Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”
Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
“But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.[fn] Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him.
When they entered Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen everything he did in Jerusalem during the festival. For they also had gone to the festival.
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.
He asked them at what time he got better. “Yesterday at one in the afternoon[fn] the fever left him,” they answered.
The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household.
By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda[fn] in Aramaic, which has five colonnades.
“Sir,” the disabled man answered, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I'm coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.
Now that day was the Sabbath,
But the man who was healed did not know who it was, because Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.[fn]
After this, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn't happen to you.”
Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus[fn] because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
“For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself.
“Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice
“John[fn] was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
“You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.
“I have come in my Father's name, and yet you don't accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.”
There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.
“Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
“This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day.
“For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws[fn] him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
“It is written in the Prophets: And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to me —
So Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves.
Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you?
After this, Jesus traveled in Galilee, since he did not want to travel in Judea because the Jews were trying to kill him.
“For no one does anything in secret while he's seeking public recognition. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”
After his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not openly but secretly.
And there was a lot of murmuring about him among the crowds. Some were saying, “He's a good man.” Others were saying, “No, on the contrary, he's deceiving the people.”
“The one who speaks on his own seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
“This is why Moses has given you circumcision — not that it comes from Moses but from the fathers — and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
“If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses won't be broken, are you angry at me because I made a man entirely well on the Sabbath?
As he was teaching in the temple, Jesus cried out, “You know me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on my own, but the one who sent me is true. You don't know him;
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.
Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.
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.”
He spoke these words by the treasury, while teaching in the temple. But no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.
Then he said to them again, “I'm going away; you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I'm going, you cannot come.”
“Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word,[fn] you really are my disciples.
“I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill me because my word has no place among you.
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature,[fn] because he is a liar and the father of lies.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him.
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs? ” And there was a division among them.
“This is an amazing thing! ” the man told them. “You don't know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes.
“You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us? ” Then they threw him out.
“I did tell you and you don't believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in my Father's name testify about me.
“But if I am doing them and you don't believe me, believe the works. This way you will know and understand[fn] that the Father is in me and I in the Father.”
So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was.
“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.
“But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.”
As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house.
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him.
The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. They followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there.
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
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.
They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? He won't come to the festival, will he? ”
they took palm branches and went out to meet him. They kept shouting:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel! ”
“The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn't overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn't know where he's going.
“I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.
“The one who rejects me and doesn't receive my sayings has this as his judge:[fn] The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
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.
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.
“If God is glorified in him,[fn] God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
“In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
“Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works.
“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe[fn] because of the works themselves.
“Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
“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.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.
“I will not talk with you much longer, because the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me.[fn]
“Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.
“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
“If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
“My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[fn] my disciples.
“If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.
“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
“You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
“If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. Now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
“But this happened so that the statement written in their law might be fulfilled: They hated me for no reason.
“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.
“In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
“Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
“I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.
“On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
His disciples said, “Look, now you're speaking plainly and not using any figurative language.
“Now we know that you know everything and don't need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
“Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them.
“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect[fn] them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.
“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.
“Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them.
“May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be[fn] in us, so that the world may believe you sent me.
“I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
“I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”
“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered him. “I have always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews gather, and I haven't spoken anything in secret.
One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn't I see you with him in the garden? ”
“What is truth? ” said Pilate.
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him.
“You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? ”
Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I'm bringing him out to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging him.”
When the chief priests and the temple servants[fn] saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify! ”
Pilate responded, “Take him and crucify him yourselves, since I find no grounds for charging him.”
Since it was the preparation day, the Jews did not want the bodies to remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special[fn] day). They requested that Pilate have the men's legs broken and that their bodies be taken away.
There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it.
She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus's body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
So the other disciples were telling him, “We've seen the Lord! ”
But he said to them, “If I don't see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,[fn] and that by believing you may have life in his name.
“I'm going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.
“We're coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that's going to betray you? ”
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.
“for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time? ”
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.
“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.”
While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters[fn] — the number of people who were together was about a hundred twenty — and said,
“For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Let his dwelling become desolate;
let no one live in it; and
Let someone else take his position.
“Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us —
“And it will be in the last days, says God,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all people;
then your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
“I will even pour out my Spirit
on my servants in those days, both men and women
and they will prophesy.
“I will display wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below:
blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
“Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know.
“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.
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts,
But Peter said, “I don't have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk! ”
“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.
“God raised up his servant[fn] and sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your evil ways.”
because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this? ”
“If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed,
“let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead — by him this man is standing here before you healthy.
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.
“For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed,
“while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.
For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold,
“Wasn't it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn't it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to people but to God.”
Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Colonnade.
But when the servants[fn] got there, they did not find them in the jail; so they returned and reported,
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
Someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”
After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked,
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the men[fn] to be taken outside for a little while.
“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.
Every day in the temple, and in various homes, they continued teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.
So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
“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,
“Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living.
“He didn't give him an inheritance in it — not even a foot of ground — but he promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.
“God spoke in this way: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and they would enslave and oppress them for four hundred years.
“I will judge the nation that they will serve as slaves, God said. After this, they will come out and worship me in this place.
“The second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.
“were carried back to Shechem, and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
“As the time was approaching to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt
“At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God's sight. He was cared for in his father's home for three months.
“So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.
“When he heard this, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
“After forty years had passed, an angel[fn] appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
“I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt.
“This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge? — this one God sent as a ruler and a deliverer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
“This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.
“He is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors. He received living oracles to give to us.
“Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him. Instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.
“They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made.
“God turned away and gave them up to worship the stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
House of Israel, did you bring me offerings and sacrifices
for forty years in the wilderness?
“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.
“Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, until the days of David.
“but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:
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.
The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing.
A man named Simon had previously practiced sorcery in that city and amazed the Samaritan people, while claiming to be somebody great.
When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
“You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will describe his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth.
As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.
“Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there.
“In a vision[fn] he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”
“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time.
But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.
Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas). She was always doing good works and acts of charity.
About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don't delay in coming with us.”
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.”
In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky.
While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon's house, stood at the gate.
“Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner's house by the sea.'[fn]
“but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
“We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.
He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
“I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.
“At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.
“He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.
“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.
“I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up! ” And the chains fell off his wrists.
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.”
At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”
“The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty[fn] arm.
“and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
“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.
“Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.
“God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm:
You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.[fn]
“Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.
“Everyone who believes is justified[fn] through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.
“Look, you scoffers,
marvel and vanish away,
because I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you.”
In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth.
“People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.
After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,[fn] that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.
The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
“For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”
Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.
But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.
After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let's go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they're doing.”
Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.
As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe.
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
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.
She did this for many days.
Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! ” And it came out right away.
He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.
The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”
The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined[fn] the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
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.
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.
“For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.' Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
“The God who made the world and everything in it — he is Lord of heaven and earth — does not live in shrines made by hands.
“For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.'
“because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.
The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent.
“For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”
After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside[fn] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples
But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit[fn] to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I've been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”
On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.
But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, “Don't be alarmed, because he's alive.”
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.
“serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.
“And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit,[fn] not knowing what I will encounter there,
“And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again.
“Therefore I declare to you this day that I am innocent[fn] of the blood of all of you,
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God,[fn] which he purchased with his own blood.
“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.
He came to us, took Paul's belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him over to the Gentiles.' ”
After greeting them, he reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When they heard it, they glorified God and said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.
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,
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks.
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.
“and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead! ”
The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party got up and argued vehemently, “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? ”[fn]
he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers also get here.” He ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod's palace.[fn]
“They didn't find me arguing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.
“But I admit this to you: I worship the God of my ancestors according to the Way, which they call a sect, believing everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets.
“While I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar.
“other than this one statement I shouted while standing among them, ‘Today I am on trial before you concerning the resurrection of the dead.' ”
Festus, however, answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly.
“Therefore,” he said, “let those of you who have authority go down with me and accuse him, if he has done anything wrong.”
When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought in.
“All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem.
“the promise our twelve tribes hope to reach as they earnestly serve him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope.
“I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.
“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.
“For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner.
Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily? ”[fn]
“I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty,[fn] not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am — except for these chains.”
Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone.
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.
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
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.
After this, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.
After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Gods[fn] as its figurehead.
“After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.
Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him,
and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness[fn] by the resurrection of the dead.
To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith[fn] is being reported in all the world.
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about his Son — that I constantly mention you,
always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God's will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
Now I don't want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry[fn] among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles.
For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth,
since what can be known[fn] about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.
For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.
Therefore, every one of you[fn] who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.
Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment is revealed.
For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under[fn] the law will be judged by the law.
on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.
and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness,
an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law —
For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh.
On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart — by the Spirit, not the letter.[fn] That person's praise is not from people but from God.
Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar, as it is written:
That you may be justified in your words
and triumph when you judge.
But if by my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?
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.
In what way, then, was it credited — while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised.
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.
And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,
This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath.
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person's account when there is no law.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man's trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many.
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.
so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[fn] its desires.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions aroused through the law were working in us[fn] to bear fruit for death.
But now we have been released from the law, since we have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the old letter of the law.
And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead.
For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.
Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me.
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]
in order that the law's requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through[fn] his Spirit who lives in you.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba,[fn] Father! ”
Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits — we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
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 is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
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] —
For the Scripture tells Pharaoh, I raised you up for this reason so that I may display my power in you and that my name may be proclaimed in the whole earth.
And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction?
And it will be in the place where they were told,
you are not my people,
there they will be called sons of the living God.
As it is written,
Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
and the one who believes on him
will not be put to shame.
since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.
But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven? ” that is, to bring Christ down
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:
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
And Isaiah says boldly,
I was found
by those who were not looking for me;
I revealed myself
to those who were not asking for me.
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he pleads with God against Israel?
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 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.
Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function,
in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal;[fn] do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.
One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.[fn]
Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
Now may the God who gives[fn] endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus,
so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.
and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and I will sing praise to your name.
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.
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the gospel of God. God's purpose is that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
by the power of miraculous signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.[fn]
But now I no longer have any work to do in these regions,[fn] and I have strongly desired for many years to come to you
because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
Yes, they were pleased, and indeed are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual benefits, then they are obligated to minister to them in material needs.
I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing[fn] of Christ.
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.
Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to[fn] Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
and that, by God's will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you.
So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many — and of me also.
Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.[fn] Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord — both their Lord and ours.
I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus,
so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe's people, that there is rivalry among you.
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
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.
It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us — our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption —
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom[fn] but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,
We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
On the contrary, we speak God's hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory.
For who knows a person's thoughts[fn] except his spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.[fn]
For my part, brothers and sisters, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.
because you are still worldly. For since there is envy and strife[fn] among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans?
each one's work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one's work.
Don't you yourselves know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool so that he can become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness;
For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me.
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.
We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
For you may have countless instructors in Christ, but you don't have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church.
What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated[fn] among the Gentiles — a man is sleeping with his father's wife.
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
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.
Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Or don't you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the trivial cases?
So if you have such matters, do you appoint as your judges those who have no standing in the church?
I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between fellow believers?
And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
For the unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy by the husband.[fn] Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you[fn] to live in peace.
Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him.[fn] This is what I command in all the churches.
Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.
For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ's slave.
Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.
But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep her as his fiancée, will do well.
A wife is bound[fn] as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to anyone she wants — only in 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” —
However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, won't his weak conscience be encouraged[fn] to eat food offered to idols?
So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died, is ruined[fn] by your knowledge.
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
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.
For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain. Is God really concerned about oxen?
For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast!
What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.
Don't you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.
Nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them, since they were struck down in the wilderness.
Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience,
In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman.
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
For at the meal, each one eats his own supper.[fn] So one person is hungry while another gets drunk!
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!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.
Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.
to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
For we were all baptized by[fn] one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free — and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, various kinds of tongues.[fn]
For now we see only a reflection[fn] as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.
So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning.
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.
yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
It is written in the law,
I will speak to this people
by people of other tongues
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.
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.”
But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God.
since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints,
the women[fn] should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but are to submit themselves, as the law also says.
If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, since it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand
For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”?
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
I face death every day, as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.
So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
I don't want to see you now just in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows.
So let no one look down on him. Send him on his way in peace so that he can come to me, because I am expecting him with the brothers.
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.
All the brothers and sisters send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our[fn] brother:
To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.
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.
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, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
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.
just as you have partially understood us — that we are your reason for pride, just as you also are ours in the day of our[fn] Lord Jesus.
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you — Silvanus,[fn] Timothy, and I — did not become “Yes and no.” On the contrary, in him it is always “Yes.”
For every one of God's promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.
He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.
In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit.[fn]
Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven — if I have forgiven anything — it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ,
When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door for me,
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 to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many.[fn] On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.
Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses's face because of its glory, which was set aside,
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.
We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body.
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus's sake, so that Jesus's life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh.
For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.
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.
So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.
We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has[fn] come!
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.
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin[fn] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
For he says:
At an acceptable time I listened to you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.
See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!
We are not giving anyone an occasion for offense, so that the ministry will not be blamed.
Instead, as God's ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardships, by difficulties,
by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger,
by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
by the word of truth,[fn] by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,
We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.
And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we[fn] are the temple of the living God, as God said:
I will dwell
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion[fn] in the fear of God.
I don't say this to condemn you, since I have already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we[fn] had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears within.
and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
For even if I grieved you with my letter, I don't regret it. And if I regretted it — since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a while —
I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn't experience any loss from us.
For consider how much diligence this very thing — this grieving as God wills — has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.
For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been disappointed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth.
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.
Now as you excel in everything — in faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us[fn] — excel also in this act of grace.
And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you, who began last year not only to do something but also to want to do it.
At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality.
We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry.[fn]
We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering.
We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent — and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.
But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter would not prove empty, and so that you would be ready just as I said.
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]
And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.
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.
For we don't dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.
For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.
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,
so that we may preach the gospel to the regions beyond you without boasting about what has already been done in someone else's area of ministry.
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.
Even if I am untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have in every way made that clear to you in everything.
When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, since the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.
As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped[fn] in the regions of Achaia.
But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny[fn] an opportunity to those who want to be regarded as our equals in what they boast about.
What I am saying in this matter[fn] of boasting, I don't speak as the Lord would, but as it were, foolishly.
I say this to our shame: We have been too weak for that!
But in whatever anyone dares to boast — I am talking foolishly — I also dare:
Are they servants of Christ? I'm talking like a madman — I'm a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, many times near death.
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.
On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers;
toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.
In Damascus, a ruler[fn] under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me.
So I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands.
I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don't know; God knows.
I know that this man — whether in the body or out of the body I don't know; God knows —
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”
Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me.
So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The signs of an apostle were performed with unfailing endurance among you, including signs and wonders and miracles.
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.
since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but powerful among you.
For he was crucified in weakness, but he lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by God's power.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless you fail the test.[fn]
I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel —
For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God's church and tried to destroy it.
I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.[fn]
I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those recognized as leaders. I wanted to be sure I was not running, and had not been running, in vain.
This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us.
But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter[fn] of sin? Absolutely not!
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body,[fn] I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
So then, does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law? Or is it by believing what you heard —
Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations[fn] will be blessed through you.
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone who does not do everything written in the book of the law is cursed.
Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.
But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them.
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.
Why, then, was the law given? It was added for the sake of transgressions[fn] until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you.[fn] On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself.
But it is always good to be pursued[fn] in a good manner — and not just when I am with you.
I would like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don't know what to do about you.
Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything; what matters is faith working through love.
I myself am persuaded in the Lord you will not accept any other view. But whoever it is that is confusing you will pay the penalty.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit,[fn] watching out for yourselves so that you also won't be tempted.
Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised — but only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
For even the circumcised don't keep the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh.
But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.
From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.
For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.[fn]
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ
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 we have also received an inheritance,[fn] because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,
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.
This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
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,
He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens —
far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,[fn] not only in this age but also in the one to come.
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 we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
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.
But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.
He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.[fn]
This was not made known to people[fn] in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.
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.
So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,
Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us —
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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 —
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.
But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head — Christ.
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.
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts.
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.
They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.[fn]
and to put on[fn] the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him[fn] for the day of redemption.
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you[fn] in Christ.
and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of[fn] among you, as is proper for saints.
For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light —
for the fruit of the light[fn] consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth —
And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:
speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.
Fathers, don't stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, obey your human[fn] masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
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.
For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.
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.
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.
For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant[fn] in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus:
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you[fn] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
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.
For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,
so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ.
Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word[fn] fearlessly.
What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice
My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don't know which one I should choose.
so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord,[fn] contending together for the faith of the gospel,
not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation — and this is from God.
since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.
If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.[fn]
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow —
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth —
Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.
so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,
Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you.
In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you.
For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh —
although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ[fn] — the righteousness from God based on faith.
Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things.
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.
Yes, I also ask you, true partner,[fn] to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.
Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.
I don't say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.
I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone.
And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.[fn]
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel
that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God's grace.[fn]
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,[fn]
so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully
giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[fn] to share in the saints' inheritance in the light.
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.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for his body, that is, the church.
God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.
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]
I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable.
being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.
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.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.[fn]
Therefore, don't let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.[fn]
If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations:
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]
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
When Christ, who is your[fn] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,[fn] singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don't work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.
Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.
Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured[fn] in everything God wills.
For I testify about him that he works hard[fn] for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.
Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her home.
After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.”
because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit,
and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.
For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith[fn] in God has gone out. Therefore, we don't need to say anything,
On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition.
For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives — God is our witness —
This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.
For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God's churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country, just as they did from the Jews
But as for us, brothers and sisters, after we were forced to leave you[fn] for a short time (in person, not in heart), we greatly desired and made every effort to return and see you face to face.
For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.
And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker[fn] in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith,
so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.
May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.[fn]
Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God — as you are doing[fn] — do this even more.
This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you.
In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more,
For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,[fn] with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief.
Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you[fn] in the Lord and admonish you,
and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
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.
Paul, Silvanus,[fn] and Timothy:
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the 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.
and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels,
on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.
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,
so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan's working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie,
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.
But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning[fn] God has chosen you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace,
We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.
Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister who is idle and does not live[fn] according to the tradition received from us.
we did not eat anyone's food free of charge; instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
For we hear that there are some among you who are idle. They are not busy but busybodies.
Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and provide for themselves.[fn]
May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand, which is an authenticating mark in every letter; this is how I write.
To Timothy, my true son in the faith.
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the[fn] Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine
or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God's plan, which operates by faith.
even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief,
and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.
Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight,
for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth;[fn] I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.
Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel,
I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.
But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.
He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity.
Wives,[fn] likewise, should be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self-controlled, faithful in everything.
For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
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,
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.
Don't neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.
Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all.
and is well known for good works — that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints' feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work.
The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor,[fn] especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,[fn] who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.
Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share,
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, for the sake of the promise of life in Christ Jesus:
I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.
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.
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
You know that all those in the province of Asia have deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from him on that day. You know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.
for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.
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.
instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.
along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured — and yet the Lord rescued me from them all.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you,
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.
All Scripture is inspired by God[fn] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
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]
When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments.
At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be counted against them.
In his own time he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our Savior:
The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.
An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful[fn] children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion.
holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.
This testimony is true. For this reason, rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the faith
In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to excessive drinking. They are to teach what is good,
in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity[fn] in your teaching.
Slaves are to submit to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back
or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,
For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
he saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
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.
For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right,
I wanted to keep him with me, so that in my imprisonment for the gospel he might serve me in your place.
no longer as a slave, but more than a slave — as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe[fn] through him.
and subjected everything under his feet.
For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him.
saying:
I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will sing hymns to you in the congregation.
For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's household.
Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future.
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
As it is said:
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn't it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what[fn] he has said,
So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest,”
even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world.
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.
also says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
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.
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.
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,
These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.
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.
By saying a new covenant, he has declared that the first is obsolete. And what is obsolete and growing old is about to pass away.
For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves.
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.
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Therefore, it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than these.
He did not do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary yearly with the blood of another.
Then I said, “See —
it is written about me
in the scroll —
I have come to do your will, God.”
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.[fn]
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus —
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
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?
Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.
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.
He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.[fn]
quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
They were stoned,[fn] they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.
to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written[fn] in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,
Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Don't be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.
Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.
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,
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:
To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.[fn]
Greetings.
And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
But let him ask in faith without doubting.[fn] For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.
Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent,[fn] humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
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.
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in,
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?
For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.
and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it?
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.
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.
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God's likeness.
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.
What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don't they come from your passions that wage war within you?[fn]
You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Or do you think it's without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?[fn]
Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days.
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name as an example of suffering and patience.
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
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.
My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back,
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
You are being guarded by God's power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
You rejoice in this,[fn] even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials
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.
They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.[fn]
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
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.
Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word,[fn] so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,
For it stands in Scripture:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored[fn] cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.
Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,[fn] so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.
Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
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.
Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused,[fn] those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.
who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few — that is, eight people[fn] — were saved through water.
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God's will.
For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the Gentiles choose to do: carrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
They are surprised that you don't join them in the same flood of wild living — and they slander[fn] you.
If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God's words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to 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.
But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.[fn]
So then, let those who suffer according to God's will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.
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:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,
Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son.
Simeon[fn] Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
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 this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have.
I think it is right, as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder,
We ourselves heard this voice when it came from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.
We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.
They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
(for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) —
especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones;
But these people, like irrational animals — creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed — slander what they do not understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed.
They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions[fn] while they feast with you.
but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped[fn] from those who live in error.
For if, having escaped the world's impurity through the knowledge of the Lord[fn] and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first.
Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere understanding by way of reminder,
Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires,
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness
But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.
He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some things hard to understand in them. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.[fn]
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.
If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn't keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him:
Yet I am writing you a new command, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now.
The one who loves his brother or sister remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.[fn]
But the one who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he's going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the one who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God's word remains in you,
and you have conquered the evil one.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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.
What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don't need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you,[fn] remain in him.
So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins,[fn] and there is no sin in him.
This is how God's children and the devil's children become obvious. Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother or sister.
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
If anyone has this world's goods and sees a fellow believer[fn] in need but withholds compassion from him — how does God's love reside in him?
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him
The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
but every spirit that does not confess Jesus[fn] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.
You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
God's love was revealed among us[fn] in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice[fn] for our sins.
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in[fn] us and his love is made complete in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
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.
There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment.[fn] So the one who fears is not complete in love.
This is how we know that we love God's children: when we love God and obey[fn] his commands.
Jesus Christ — he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one.[fn] We are in the true one — that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
The elder:
To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth — and not only I, but also all who know the truth —
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father.
This is love: that we walk according to his commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.[fn]
Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
Anyone who does not remain in Christ's teaching but goes beyond it does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son.
For I was very glad when fellow believers came and testified to your fidelity to the truth — how you are walking in truth.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James:
To those who are the called, loved[fn] by God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
But these people blaspheme anything they do not understand. And what they do understand by instinct — like irrational animals — by these things they are destroyed.
These people are dangerous reefs[fn] at your love feasts as they eat with you without reverence. They are shepherds who only look after themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn — fruitless, twice dead and uprooted.
It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones
But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
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,
The revelation of[fn] Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
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,
I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I was in the Spirit[fn] on the Lord's day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet
and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man,[fn] dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest.
His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading[fn] waters.
He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.
“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:
“Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword:
“So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
“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 will strike her children dead.[fn] Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
“I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven't known “the so-called secrets[fn] of Satan” — as they say — I am not putting any other burden on you.
“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:
“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:
“To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne.
Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side.
I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? ”
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 I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.
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!
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come! ” And I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand.
Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius,[fn] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.”
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.
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.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night in his temple.
The one seated on the throne will shelter[fn] them:
The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
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! ”
In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to harm people for five months.
This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.
For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that inflict injury.
The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk.
and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land,
He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will no longer be a delay,
“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.”
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
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.
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.
But after three and a half days, the breath[fn] of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them.
Then they heard[fn] a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.
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.
The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying,
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever and ever.
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.
She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule[fn] all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say,
The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Christ
have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them
before our God day and night,
has been thrown down.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
Woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has come down to you
with great fury,
because he knows his time is short.
It began to speak[fn] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling — those who dwell in heaven.
It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
I heard a sound[fn] from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps.
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.”
And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
“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 heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”
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.”
Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign[fn] in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God's wrath will be completed.
After this I looked, and the heavenly temple — the tabernacle of testimony — was opened.
The second[fn] poured out his bowl into the sea. It turned to blood like that of a dead person, and all life in the sea died.
The fourth[fn] poured out his bowl on the sun. It was allowed to scorch people with fire,
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable and with the impurities of her[fn] prostitution.
“The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.
Pay her back the way she also paid,
and double it according to her works.
In the cup in which she mixed,
mix a double portion for her.
As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways,
give her that much torment and grief.
For she says in her heart,
“I sit as a queen;
I am not a widow,
and I will never see grief.”
For this reason her plagues will come in just one day —
death and grief and famine.
She will be burned up with fire,
because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
saying,
Woe, woe, the great city,
dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet,
adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls;
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 sound of harpists, musicians,
flutists, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you again;
no craftsman of any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the sound of a mill
will never be heard in you again;
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.
After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
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 saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war.
The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power[fn] over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
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.
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.
Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works.
And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
“But the cowards, faithless,[fn] detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars — their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
He then carried me away in the Spirit[fn] to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
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,
and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him.
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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