# verses

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The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.


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To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.


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Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, <J>"Do you believe in the Son of Man?"</J>


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Jesus said, <n>Some early manuscripts do not have [Then the man said … [39] Jesus said.]</n> <J>"For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."</J>


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Jesus said, <J>"If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.</J>


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<J>"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.</J>


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<J>The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.</J>


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<J>When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.</J>


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<J>But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."</J>


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<J>All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.</J>


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<J>I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. <n>Or [kept safe]</n> They will come in and go out, and find pasture.</J>


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<J>The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.</J>


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<J>The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.</J>


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<J>I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.</J>


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<J>No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."</J>


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But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"


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The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."


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Jesus answered, <J>"I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me,</J>


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<J>I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.</J>


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<J>My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all <n>Many early manuscripts [What my Father has given me is greater than all]</n>; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.</J>


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but Jesus said to them, <J>"I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"</J>


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"We are not stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."


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<J>what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?</J>


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<J>But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."</J>


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Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed,


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and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true."


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(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)


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When he heard this, Jesus said, <J>"This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."</J>


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"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?"


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Jesus answered, <J>"Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.</J>


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After he had said this, he went on to tell them, <J>"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."</J>


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Then Thomas (also known as Didymus <n>[Thomas] (Aramaic) and [Didymus] (Greek) both mean [twin].</n>) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."


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Jesus said to her, <J>"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;</J>


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"Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."


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After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you."


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When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.


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When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."


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When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.


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But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"


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Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.


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<J>"Take away the stone,"</J> he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."


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So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, <J>"Father, I thank you that you have heard me.</J>


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<J>I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."</J>


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The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, <J>"Take off the grave clothes and let him go."</J>


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Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.


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Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many signs.


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If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation."


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Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all!


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You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."


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He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,


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and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.


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Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.


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When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.


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They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the festival at all?"


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But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.


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Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.


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Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.


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Then Mary took about a pint <n>Or about 0.5 liter</n> of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.


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"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. <n>Greek [three hundred denarii]</n>"


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He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.


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<J>"Leave her alone,"</J> Jesus replied. <J>"It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.</J>


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Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.


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The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.


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They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! <n>A Hebrew expression meaning "Save!" which became an exclamation of praise</n>" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the king of Israel!"


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At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.


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Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.


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So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"


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They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."


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<J>Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.</J>


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<J>Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.</J>


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<J>Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.</J>


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<J>"Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.</J>


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<J>Father, glorify your name!"</J> Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."


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The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.


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<J>And I, when I am lifted up <n>The Greek for [lifted up] also means [exalted].</n> from the earth, will draw all people to myself."</J>


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The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, <J>'The Son of Man must be lifted up'</J>? Who is this 'Son of Man'?"


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Then Jesus told them, <J>"You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.</J>


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<J>Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light."</J> When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.


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Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.


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This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"


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"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them."


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Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;


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Then Jesus cried out, <J>"Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.</J>


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<J>I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.</J>


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<J>"If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.</J>


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<J>There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.</J>


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<J>For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.</J>


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<J>I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."</J>


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It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.


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The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.


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Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;


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After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.


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"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, <J>"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."</J>


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Jesus answered, <J>"Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."</J>


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When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. <J>"Do you understand what I have done for you?"</J> he asked them.


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<J>Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.</J>


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<J>Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.</J>


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<J>"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: 'He who shared my bread has turned <n>Greek [has lifted up his heel]</n> against me.'</J>


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<J>"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.</J>


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<J>Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."</J>


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After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, <J>"Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me."</J>


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Jesus answered, <J>"It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish."</J> Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.


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As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, <J>"What you are about to do, do quickly."</J>


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Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.


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<J>If God is glorified in him, <n>Many early manuscripts do not have [If God is glorified in him.]</n> God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.</J>


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<J>"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.</J>


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<J>"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.</J>


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Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, <J>"Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."</J>


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Then Jesus answered, <J>"Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!</J>


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<J>"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God <n>Or [Believe in God]</n>; believe also in me.</J>


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<J>My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?</J>


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<J>And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.</J>


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Jesus answered, <J>"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.</J>


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<J>If you really know me, you will know <n>Some manuscripts [If you really knew me, you would know]</n> my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."</J>


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Jesus answered: <J>"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?</J>


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<J>Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.</J>


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<J>Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.</J>


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<J>Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.</J>


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<J>And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—</J>


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<J>the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be <n>Some early manuscripts [and is]</n> in you.</J>


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<J>Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.</J>


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<J>Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."</J>


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Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"


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Jesus replied, <J>"Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.</J>


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<J>Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.</J>


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<J>But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.</J>


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<J>Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.</J>


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<J>"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.</J>


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<J>I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,</J>


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<J>but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave.</J>


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<J>He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes <n>The Greek for [he prunes] also means [he cleans].</n> so that it will be even more fruitful.</J>


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<J>Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.</J>


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<J>"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.</J>


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<J>If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.</J>


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<J>If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.</J>


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<J>This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.</J>


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<J>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.</J>


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<J>I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.</J>


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<J>You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.</J>


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<J>If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.</J>


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<J>Remember what I told you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.</J>


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<J>If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.</J>


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<J>If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.</J>


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<J>"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.</J>


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<J>They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.</J>


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<J>I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,</J>


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<J>But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.</J>


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<J>When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:</J>


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<J>But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.</J>


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<J>He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.</J>


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<J>All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."</J>


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Jesus went on to say, <J>"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."</J>


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At this, some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, <J>'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,'</J> and <J>'Because I am going to the Father'</J>?"


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They kept asking, "What does he mean by <J>'a little while'</J>? We don't understand what he is saying."


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Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, <J>"Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'?</J>


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<J>Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.</J>


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<J>A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.</J>


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<J>So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.</J>


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<J>In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.</J>


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<J>Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.</J>


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<J>"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.</J>


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<J>In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.</J>


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<J>No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.</J>


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<J>I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."</J>


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Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."


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<J>"A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.</J>


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<J>"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."</J>


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After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: <J>"Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.</J>


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<J>For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.</J>


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<J>Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.</J>


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<J>And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.</J>


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<J>"I have revealed you <n>Greek [your name]</n> to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.</J>


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<J>For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.</J>


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<J>I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.</J>


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<J>I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of <n>Or [Father, keep them faithful to]</n> your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.</J>


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<J>While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by <n>Or [kept them faithful to]</n> that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.</J>


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<J>"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.</J>


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<J>I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.</J>


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<J>My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.</J>


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<J>"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,</J>


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<J>that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.</J>


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<J>I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.</J>


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<J>"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.</J>


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<J>"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.</J>


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<J>I have made you <n>Greek [your name]</n> known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."</J>


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When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.


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So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.


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Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, <J>"Who is it you want?"</J>


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"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. <J>"I am he,"</J> Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)


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This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: <J>"I have not lost one of those you gave me."</J>


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Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)


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Jesus commanded Peter, <J>"Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"</J>


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Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him


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Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.


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Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard,


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but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.


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It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.


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<J>"I have spoken openly to the world,"</J> Jesus replied. <J>"I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.</J>


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When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded.


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<J>"If I said something wrong,"</J> Jesus replied, <J>"testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"</J>


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Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, "You aren't one of his disciples too, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not."


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One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the garden?"


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Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.


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Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," they objected.


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Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"


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"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"


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Jesus said, <J>"My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."</J>


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"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, <J>"You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."</J>


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"What is truth?" retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.


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But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"


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The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe


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and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they slapped him in the face.


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Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him."


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When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"


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As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."


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The Jewish leaders insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."


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and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.


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"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"


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Jesus answered, <J>"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."</J>


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From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."


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When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).


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It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.


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But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.


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Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).


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Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews.


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Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.


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The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."


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When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.


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"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, "They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment." So this is what the soldiers did.


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Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.


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When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, <J>"Woman, <n>The Greek for [Woman] does not denote any disrespect.</n> here is your son,"</J>


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and to the disciple, <J>"Here is your mother."</J> From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.


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Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, <J>"I am thirsty."</J>


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A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.


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When he had received the drink, Jesus said, <J>"It is finished."</J> With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.


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Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.


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The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.


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Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.


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The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.


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These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"


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Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.


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He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. <n>Or about 34 kilograms</n>


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Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.


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At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.


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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.


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So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"


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Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,


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as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.


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and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.


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They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him."


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He asked her, <J>"Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"</J> Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."


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Jesus said to her, <J>"Mary."</J> She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher").


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Jesus said, <J>"Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"</J>


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Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.


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On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, <J>"Peace be with you!"</J>


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After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.


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<J>If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."</J>


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Now Thomas (also known as Didymus <n>[Thomas] (Aramaic) and [Didymus] (Greek) both mean [twin].</n>), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.


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So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."


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A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, <J>"Peace be with you!"</J>


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Then he said to Thomas, <J>"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."</J>


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Then Jesus told him, <J>"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."</J>


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Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.


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But these are written that you may believe <n>Or [may continue to believe]</n> that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.


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Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. <n>Greek [Tiberias]</n> It happened this way:


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Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus <n>[Thomas] (Aramaic) and [Didymus] (Greek) both mean [twin].</n>), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.


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"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.


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Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.


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He said, <J>"Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some."</J> When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.


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Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.


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The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. <n>Or about 90 meters</n>


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So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.


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Jesus said to them, <J>"Come and have breakfast."</J> None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.


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When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, <J>"Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"</J> "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, <J>"Feed my lambs."</J>


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Again Jesus said, <J>"Simon son of John, do you love me?"</J> He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, <J>"Take care of my sheep."</J>


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The third time he said to him, <J>"Simon son of John, do you love me?"</J> Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, <J>"Do you love me?"</J> He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, <J>"Feed my sheep.</J>


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<J>Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."</J>


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Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, <J>"Follow me!"</J>


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Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?")


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Jesus answered, <J>"If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."</J>


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Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, <J>"If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"</J>


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This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.


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Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.


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until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.


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After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.


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On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: <J>"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.</J>


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<J>For John baptized with <n>Or [in]</n> water, but in a few days you will be baptized with <n>Or [in]</n> the Holy Spirit."</J>


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Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"


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He said to them: <J>"It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.</J>


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<J>But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."</J>


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They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.


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"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."


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Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk <n>That is, about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometer</n> from the city.


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When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.


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They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.


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and said, "Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus.


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(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.


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Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)


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"For," said Peter, "it is written in the Book of Psalms: "'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,' and, "'May another take his place of leadership.'


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Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us,


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beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."


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Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.


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All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues <n>Or [languages]; also in verse 11</n> as the Spirit enabled them.


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When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.


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Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, <n>That is, the Roman province by that name</n>


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(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"


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Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.


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"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.


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Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.


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I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.


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The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.


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"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.


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This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, <n>Or [of those not having the law] (that is, Gentiles)</n> put him to death by nailing him to the cross.


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But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.


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David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.


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"Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.


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But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.


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Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.


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Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.


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For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand


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"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."


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When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"


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Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


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The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."


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With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."


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Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.


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They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.


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Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,


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praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.


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Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.


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Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."


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Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.


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He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.


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they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.


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While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.


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When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?


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The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.


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By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.


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But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.


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Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,


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Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.


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For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.


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And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'


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When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."


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The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.


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They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.


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But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.


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Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest's family.


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They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"


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If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed,


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then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.


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Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."


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When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.


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But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.


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"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.


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But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name."


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Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.


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But Peter and John replied, "Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!


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After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.


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On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.


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When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.


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You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?


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The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. <n>That is, Messiah or Christ</n>'


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Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.


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Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."


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After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.


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All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.


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With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all


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that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales


text:
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"),


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With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.


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Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?


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Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God."


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When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.


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Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."


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Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."


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At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


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The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.


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As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.


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Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.


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Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.


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At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.


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"We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside."


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On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.


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Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people."


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At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.


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The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.


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"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."


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God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.


text:
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."


text:
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.


text:
Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.


text:
Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.


text:
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.


text:
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.


text:
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."


text:
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.


text:
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.


text:
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.


text:
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews <n>That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture</n> among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.


text:
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.


text:
Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them


text:
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.


text:
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.


text:
Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.


text:
Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen.


text:
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."


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So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.


text:
They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law.


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For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."


text:
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.


text:
To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran.


text:
"So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.


text:
He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child.


text:
God spoke to him in this way: 'For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated.


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But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,' God said, 'and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.'


text:
Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.


text:
"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him


text:
and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.


text:
"Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food.


text:
On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.


text:
Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.


text:
"As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.


text:
He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.


text:
"At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. <n>Or [was fair in the sight of God]</n> For three months he was cared for by his family.


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He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian.


text:
Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.


text:
The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?'


text:
"But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, 'Who made you ruler and judge over us?


text:
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.


text:
When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say:


text:
'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.' Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.


text:
"Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.


text:
I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.'


text:
"This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, 'Who made you ruler and judge?' He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.


text:
He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness.


text:
"This is the Moses who told the Israelites, 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.'


text:
He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.


text:
"But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.


text:
They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don't know what has happened to him!'


text:
That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.


text:
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: "'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?


text:
You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile' beyond Babylon.


text:
"Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.


text:
After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David,


text:
who enjoyed God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. <n>Some early manuscripts [the house of Jacob]</n>


text:
"'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?


text:
"You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!


text:
Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—


text:
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.


text:
dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.


text:
Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.


text:
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.


text:
But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.


text:
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.


text:
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great,


text:
and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is rightly called the Great Power of God."


text:
But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.


text:
Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.


text:
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.


text:
because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.


text:
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money


text:
and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."


text:
Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!


text:
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.


text:
After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.


text:
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."


text:
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian <n>That is, from the southern Nile region</n> eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means "queen of the Ethiopians"). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,


text:
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.


text:
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.


text:
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.


text:
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."


text:
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"


text:
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?"


text:
[37]  <n>Some manuscripts include here [Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." The eunuch answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."]</n>


text:
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.


text:
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.


text:
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.


text:
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest


text:
and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.


text:
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.


text:
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, <J>"Ananias!"</J> "Yes, Lord," he answered.


text:
The Lord told him, <J>"Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.</J>


text:
"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.


text:
But the Lord said to Ananias, <J>"Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.</J>


text:
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."


text:
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,


text:
and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.


text:
All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?"


text:
Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.


text:
but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.


text:
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.


text:
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.


text:
So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.


text:
He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, <n>That is, Jews who had adopted the Greek language and culture</n> but they tried to kill him.


text:
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.


text:
"Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.


text:
In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.


text:
Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"


text:
Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.


text:
Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.


text:
He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.


text:
He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.


text:
One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"


text:
Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.


text:
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.


text:
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.


text:
He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.


text:
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate.


text:
While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three <n>One early manuscript [two]; other manuscripts do not have the number.</n> men are looking for you.


text:
The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say."


text:
Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.


text:
The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.


text:
He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.


text:
Cornelius answered: "Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me


text:
Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.'


text:
So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."


text:
You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.


text:
You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—


text:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.


text:
"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,


text:
He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.


text:
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.


text:
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."


text:
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.


text:
For they heard them speaking in tongues <n>Or [other languages]</n> and praising God. Then Peter said,


text:
"Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."


text:
So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.


text:
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.


text:
"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.


text:
"The voice spoke from heaven a second time, <J>'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.'</J>


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"Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.


text:
The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house.


text:
He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.


text:
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: <J>'John baptized with <n>Or [in]</n> water, but you will be baptized with <n>Or [in]</n> the Holy Spirit.'</J>


text:
So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?"


text:
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life."


text:
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.


text:
Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.


text:
When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.


text:
He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.


text:
and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.


text:
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)


text:
The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea.


text:
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.


text:
When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.


text:
After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.


text:
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.


text:
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.


text:
Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him.


text:
Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.


text:
They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.


text:
Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen."


text:
When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.


text:
When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"


text:
"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."


text:
Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this," he said, and then he left for another place.


text:
After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.


text:
He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply.


text:
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.


text:
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.


text:
When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from <n>Some manuscripts [to]</n> Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.


text:
Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.


text:
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."


text:
The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.


text:
When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.


text:
They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,


text:
who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.


text:
But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.


text:
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,


text:
"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?


text:
Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun." Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.


text:
When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.


text:
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.


text:
From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.


text:
After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak."


text:
Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!


text:
The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;


text:
for about forty years he endured their conduct <n>Some manuscripts [he cared for them]</n> in the wilderness;


text:
All this took about 450 years. "After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.


text:
Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.


text:
After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'


text:
As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.'


text:
"Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.


text:
The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.


text:
When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.


text:
and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.


text:
he has fulfilled 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.'


text:
God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'


text:
"Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.


text:
"Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.


text:
Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.


text:
"'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"


text:
As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.


text:
When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.


text:
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.


text:
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.


text:
For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you <n>The Greek is singular.</n> a light for the Gentiles, that you <n>The Greek is singular.</n> may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"


text:
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.


text:
But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.


text:
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.


text:
But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.


text:
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.


text:
There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.


text:
But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country,


text:
He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed


text:
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"


text:
The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.


text:
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:


text:
"Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.


text:
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."


text:
Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.


text:
But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.


text:
They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,


text:
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.


text:
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders <n>Or [Barnabas ordained elders]; or [Barnabas had elders elected]</n> for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.


text:
From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.


text:
On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.


text:
Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."


text:
This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.


text:
The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.


text:
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.


text:
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses."


text:
After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.


text:
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.


text:
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?


text:
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.


text:
Simon <n>Greek [Simeon], a variant of [Simon]; that is, Peter</n> has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.


text:
"'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,


text:
that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'—


text:
things known from long ago. <n>Some manuscripts [things'— / [18] the Lord's work is known to him from long ago]</n>


text:
"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.


text:
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.


text:
For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."


text:
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers.


text:
With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.


text:
We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.


text:
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:


text:
You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.


text:
So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.


text:
After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.


text:
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.


text:
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."


text:
but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.


text:
They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,


text:
Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.


text:
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.


text:
As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.


text:
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.


text:
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.


text:
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."


text:
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.


text:
From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.


text:
From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district <n>The text and meaning of the Greek for [the leading city of that district] are uncertain.</n> of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.


text:
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.


text:
One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.


text:
When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.


text:
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.


text:
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."


text:
She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.


text:
When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.


text:
They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar


text:
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.


text:
After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.


text:
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.


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Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose.


text:
The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.


text:
At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.


text:
The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.


text:
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men."


text:
The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."


text:
But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."


text:
The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.


text:
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.


text:
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.


text:
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,


text:
explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said.


text:
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.


text:
But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. <n>Or [the assembly of the people]</n>


text:
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,


text:
and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."


text:
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.


text:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.


text:
As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.


text:
But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.


text:
Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.


text:
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.


text:
So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.


text:
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.


text:
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?


text:
(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)


text:
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.


text:
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.


text:
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.


text:
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.


text:
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.


text:
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.


text:
'For in him we live and move and have our being.' <n>From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides</n> As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' <n>From the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus</n>


text:
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.


text:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead."


text:
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."


text:
Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.


text:
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,


text:
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.


text:
But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."


text:
Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.


text:
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: <J>"Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.</J>


text:
<J>For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."</J>


text:
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.


text:
Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.


text:
But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things."


text:
Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.


text:
Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.


text:
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.


text:
When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.


text:
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.


text:
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.


text:
He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor <n>Or [with fervor in the Spirit]</n> and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.


text:
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.


text:
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.


text:
For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.


text:
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples


text:
and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when <n>Or [after]</n> you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."


text:
Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."


text:
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues <n>Or [other languages]</n> and prophesied.


text:
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.


text:
But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.


text:
This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.


text:
so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.


text:
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out."


text:
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.


text:
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.


text:
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. <n>A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day's wages.</n>


text:
After all this had happened, Paul decided <n>Or [decided in the Spirit]</n> to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also."


text:
He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.


text:
A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.


text:
He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: "You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.


text:
And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.


text:
There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."


text:
Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together.


text:
Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.


text:
The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.


text:
The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people.


text:
But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"


text:
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Fellow Ephesians, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven?


text:
You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.


text:
If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges.


text:
As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."


text:
When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.


text:
He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,


text:
where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.


text:
He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.


text:
But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.


text:
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.


text:
Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.


text:
Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"


text:
We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot.


text:
The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.


text:
Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.


text:
When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.


text:
I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.


text:
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.


text:
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.


text:
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.


text:
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.


text:
"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.


text:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, <n>Many manuscripts [of the Lord]</n> which he bought with his own blood. <n>Or [with the blood of his own Son.]</n>


text:
Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.


text:
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.


text:
"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.


text:
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.


text:
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: <J>'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'</J> "


text:
What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.


text:
After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.


text:
After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.


text:
We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.


text:
When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.


text:
We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.


text:
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.


text:
Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"


text:
Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."


text:
Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.


text:
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.


text:
They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.


text:
Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.


text:
As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."


text:
The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.


text:
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,


text:
shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place."


text:
(They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)


text:
The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.


text:
While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.


text:
He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.


text:
The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.


text:
Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.


text:
When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.


text:
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you speak Greek?" he replied.


text:
"Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?"


text:
Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."


text:
After receiving the commander's permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:


text:
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.


text:
I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,


text:
as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.


text:
"'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. " <J>'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,'</J> he replied.


text:
"'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. " <J>'Get up,'</J> the Lord said, <J>'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'</J>


text:
"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.


text:
He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.


text:
"Then he said: 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.


text:
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'


text:
and saw the Lord speaking to me. <J>'Quick!'</J> he said. <J>'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.'</J>


text:
"'Lord,' I replied, 'these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.


text:
And when the blood of your martyr <n>Or [witness]</n> Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'


text:
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!"


text:
the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.


text:
As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?"


text:
When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "This man is a Roman citizen."


text:
Then the commander said, "I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied.


text:
Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.


text:
The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.


text:
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."


text:
Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"


text:
Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'"


text:
Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead."


text:
When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.


text:
(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)


text:
There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"


text:
The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.


text:
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, <J>"Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."</J>


text:
The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.


text:
They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.


text:
Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."


text:
Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him."


text:
So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you."


text:
The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?"


text:
He said: "Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him.


text:
Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request."


text:
The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me."


text:
Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen <n>The meaning of the Greek for this word is uncertain.</n> to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.


text:
This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen.


text:
I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment.


text:
When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.


text:
So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris.


text:
When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.


text:
The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia,


text:
he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.


text:
Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor.


text:
When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation.


text:
"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect


text:
[7]  <n>Some manuscripts include here [him, and we would have judged him in accordance with our law. [7] But the commander Lysias came and took him from us with much violence, [8] ordering his accusers to come before you.]</n>


text:
By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him."


text:
When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense.


text:
My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city.


text:
However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,


text:
and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.


text:
"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.


text:
I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.


text:
But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.


text:
unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"


text:
Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. "When Lysias the commander comes," he said, "I will decide your case."


text:
He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.


text:
Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.


text:
As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."


text:
At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.


text:
When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.


text:
where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.


text:
They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.


text:
Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there."


text:
After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him.


text:
When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.


text:
Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar."


text:
Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"


text:
Paul answered: "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.


text:
If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"


text:
After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"


text:
Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.


text:
When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.


text:
"I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.


text:
When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in.


text:
Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.


text:
I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges.


text:
But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."


text:
Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."


text:
The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.


text:
Festus said: "King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.


text:
I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.


text:
But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write.


text:
For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him."


text:
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:


text:
"King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,


text:
and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.


text:
"The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem.


text:
They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee.


text:
This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.


text:
"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.


text:
And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord's people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.


text:
Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.


text:
"On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.


text:
About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.


text:
We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, <n>Or [Hebrew]</n> <J>'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'</J>


text:
"Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' " <J>'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,'</J> the Lord replied.


text:
<J>'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.</J>


text:
<J>to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'</J>


text:
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.


text:
But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—


text:
that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."


text:
At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane."


text:
The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.


text:
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"


text:
Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."


text:
After they left the room, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment."


text:
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.


text:
We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.


text:
The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.


text:
From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.


text:
When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.


text:
We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.


text:
We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.


text:
Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. <n>That is, Yom Kippur</n> So Paul warned them,


text:
"Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."


text:
But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.


text:
Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.


text:
When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.


text:
The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.


text:
As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure,


text:
so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor <n>Or [the sails]</n> and let the ship be driven along.


text:
We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.


text:
When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.


text:
After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.


text:
But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.


text:
and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.'


text:
On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic <n>In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.</n> Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.


text:
They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet <n>Or about 37 meters</n> deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet <n>Or about 27 meters</n> deep.


text:
Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.


text:
In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.


text:
Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved."


text:
Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven't eaten anything.


text:
Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head."


text:
After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.


text:
When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.


text:
When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.


text:
Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.


text:
But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.


text:
But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.


text:
The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.


text:
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.


text:
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.


text:
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live."


text:
The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.


text:
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days.


text:
His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.


text:
They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.


text:
After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.


text:
From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.


text:
There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.


text:
The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged.


text:
Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.


text:
The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people.


text:
For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."


text:
They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.


text:
But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."


text:
They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.


text:
They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:


text:
"'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."


text:
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'


text:
"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"


text:
[29]  <n>Some manuscripts include here [After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves.]</n>


text:
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!


text:
regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life <n>Or [who according to the flesh]</n> was a descendant of David,


text:
and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power <n>Or [was declared with power to be the Son of God]</n> by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.


text:
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from <n>Or [that is]</n> faith for his name's sake.


text:
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.


text:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.


text:
God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you


text:
in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.


text:
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.


text:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.


text:
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, <n>Or [is from faith to faith]</n> just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."


text:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,


text:
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.


text:
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.


text:
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.


text:
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.


text:
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.


text:
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.


text:
In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.


text:
Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.


text:
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,


text:
slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;


text:
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.


text:
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.


text:
So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?


text:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?


text:
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.


text:
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.


text:
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.


text:
There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;


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All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.


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For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.


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(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.


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They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)


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This will take place on the day when God judges people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.


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an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—


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you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?


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You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?


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Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.


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So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?


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The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the <n>Or [who, by means of a]</n> written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.


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No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God.


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Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."


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But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)


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Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?"


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Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!


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What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.


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All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."


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"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips."


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Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.


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Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.


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But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.


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This righteousness is given through faith in <n>Or [through the faithfulness of]</n> Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,


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God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—


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he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.


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Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.


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since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.


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What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?


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However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.


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David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:


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Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness.


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Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!


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And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.


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And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.


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It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.


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Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.


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As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.


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Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."


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Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead.


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Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,


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but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.


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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we <n>Many manuscripts [let us]</n> have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,


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through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we <n>Or [let us]</n> boast in the hope of the glory of God.


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Not only so, but we <n>Or [let us]</n> also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;


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And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.


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Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.


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Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!


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For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!


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Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.


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Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—


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To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law.


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Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.


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But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!


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Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.


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For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!


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Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.


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For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.


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The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,


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so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


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We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.


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For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.


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For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, <n>Or [be rendered powerless]</n> that we should no longer be slaves to sin—


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For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.


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Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.


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Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?


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But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.


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I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.


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What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!


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But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.


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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in <n>Or [through]</n> Christ Jesus our Lord.


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Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?


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For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him.


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So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.


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So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.


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For when we were in the realm of the flesh, <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.</n> the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.


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But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.


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What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."


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But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.


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For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.


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Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.


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For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. <n>Or [my flesh]</n> For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.


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Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.


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but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.


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Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature <n>Or [in the flesh]</n> a slave to the law of sin.


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because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you <n>The Greek is singular; some manuscripts [me]</n> free from the law of sin and death.


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For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses 4-13.</n> God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. <n>Or [flesh, for sin]</n> And so he condemned sin in the flesh,


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in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.


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Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.


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The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.


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You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.


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But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life <n>Or [you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive]</n> because of righteousness.


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And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of <n>Some manuscripts [bodies through]</n> his Spirit who lives in you.


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Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.


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For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.


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The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. <n>The Greek word for [adoption to sonship] is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.</n> And by him we cry, <i>"Abba,</i> <n>Aramaic for [father]</n> Father."


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Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.


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I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.


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For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope


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that <n>Or [subjected it in hope. [21] For]</n> the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.


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We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.


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Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.


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For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?


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In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.


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And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.


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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who <n>Or [that all things work together for good to those who love God, who]; or [that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who]</n> have been called according to his purpose.


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For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.


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And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.


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He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?


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Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.


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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?


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As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."


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For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, <n>Or [nor heavenly rulers]</n> neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,


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neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


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For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race,


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the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.


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Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! <n>Or [Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised!] Or [Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!]</n> Amen.


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Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."


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In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.


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For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."


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Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand:


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For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."


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For Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."


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But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"


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Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?


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What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?


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What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—


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As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"


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and, "In the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'children of the living God.'"


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Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.


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It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."


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What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;


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but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.


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Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.


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As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."


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Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.


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For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.


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Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.


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Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: "The person who does these things will live by them."


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But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)


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But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim:


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If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.


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For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.


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For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,


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How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?


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And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"


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But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"


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Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.


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But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."


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Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding."


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And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."


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But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."


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I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.


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God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:


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"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"?


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And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."


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What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,


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as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day."


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And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.


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Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.


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But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!


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I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry


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For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?


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If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.


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If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,


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do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.


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Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.


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Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.


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And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.


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After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!


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I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,


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and in this way <n>Or [and so]</n> all Israel will be saved. As it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.


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As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,


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Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience,


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so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now <n>Some manuscripts do not have [now.]</n> receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.


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Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and <n>Or [riches and the wisdom and the]</n> knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!


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Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.


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Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


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For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.


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For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,


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We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your <n>Or [the]</n> faith;


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if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, <n>Or [to provide for others]</n> do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.


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Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. <n>Or [willing to do menial work]</n> Do not be conceited.


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Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.


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On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."


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Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.


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Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.


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For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.


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For the one in authority is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.


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Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.


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This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.


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Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.


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Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.


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The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."


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And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.


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The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.


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Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.


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Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.</n>


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One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.


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The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.


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Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.


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One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.


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Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.


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If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.


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For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.


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You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister <n>The Greek word for [brother or sister] ([adelphos]) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God's family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.</n>? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.


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It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'"


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Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.


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I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.


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If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.


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For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,


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Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.


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It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.


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So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.


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But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.


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For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."


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For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.


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May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,


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For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews <n>Greek [circumcision]</n> on behalf of God's truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed


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and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name."


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And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope."


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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


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I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.


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Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me


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to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.


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I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—


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by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.


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It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.


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Rather, as it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."


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But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,


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I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.


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For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem.


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They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.


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So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.


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I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.


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Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord's people there,


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I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.


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Greet Priscilla <n>Greek [Prisca], a variant of [Priscilla]</n> and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus.


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They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.


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Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.


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Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among <n>Or [are esteemed by]</n> the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.


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Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.


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Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.


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Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord's people who are with them.


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I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.


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For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.


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Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.


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Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.


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Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.


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[24]  <n>Some manuscripts include here [May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.]</n>


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Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,


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but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from <n>Or [that is]</n> faith—


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To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:


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Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.


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He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.


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My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.


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What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas <n>That is, Peter</n>"; still another, "I follow Christ."


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(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.)


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For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.


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For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


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For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."


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Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?


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For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.


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but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.


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For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.


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Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.


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But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.


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God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,


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It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.


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And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. <n>Some manuscripts [proclaimed to you God's mystery]</n>


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My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,


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We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.


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No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.


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None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.


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However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived"— the things God has prepared for those who love him—


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these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.


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For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.


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What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.


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This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. <n>Or [Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual]</n>


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The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.


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The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,


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Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.


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I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.


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You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?


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What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.


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So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.


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The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.


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By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.


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their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work.


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If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.


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If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.


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Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become "fools" so that you may become wise.


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For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";


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whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas <n>That is, Peter</n> or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,


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This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.


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Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.


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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, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.


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For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?


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Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!


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For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.


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We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!


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To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.


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We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;


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when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.


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Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.


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For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.


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But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.


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What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?


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It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father's wife.


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And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this?


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For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.


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hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.</n> <n>Or [of his body]</n> so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.


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Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.


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Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.


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not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.


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But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.


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If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord's people?


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Or do you not know that the Lord's people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?


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Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church?


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I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?


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The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?


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Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men <n>The words [men who have sex with men] translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.</n>


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nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.


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And that is what some of you were. 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.


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"I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but I will not be mastered by anything.


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You say, "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both." The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.


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Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!


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Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."


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Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.


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Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;


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Now for the matters you wrote about: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman."


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But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.


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The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.


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Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.


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I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.


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Now to the unmarried <n>Or [widowers]</n> and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.


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But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.


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To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.


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But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.


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To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.


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And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.


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For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.


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But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.


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How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?


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Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.


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Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.


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Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.


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For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ's slave.


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Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.


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Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.


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Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife.


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But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.


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What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;


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those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;


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those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.


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I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord.


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and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband.


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I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.


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If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong <n>Or [if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage]</n> and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.


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But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.


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So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better. <n>Or [[36] If anyone thinks he is not treating his daughter properly, and if she is getting along in years] (or [if her passions are too strong])[, and he feels she ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. He should let her get married. [37] But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind to keep the virgin unmarried—this man also does the right thing. [38] So then, he who gives his virgin in marriage does right, but he who does not give her in marriage does better.]</n>


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A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.


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In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.


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Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.


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But whoever loves God is known by God. <n>An early manuscript and another ancient witness [think they have knowledge do not yet know as they ought to know. [3] But whoever loves truly knows.]</n>


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So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "There is no God but one."


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For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),


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yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.


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But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.


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Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.


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For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?


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Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.


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Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?


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Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.


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Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas <n>That is, Peter</n>?


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Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?


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For it is written in the Law of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." Is it about oxen that God is concerned?


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Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.


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If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.


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Don't you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?


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In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.


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But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.


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For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!


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If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.


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What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.


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Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.


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To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.


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To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.


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To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.


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Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.


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Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.


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No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.


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For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.


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and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.


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Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.


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Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."


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We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.


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We should not test Christ, <n>Some manuscripts [test the Lord]</n> as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.


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These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.


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No temptation <n>The Greek for [temptation] and [tempted] can also mean [testing] and [tested].</n> has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted <n>The Greek for [temptation] and [tempted] can also mean [testing] and [tested].</n> beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, <n>The Greek for [temptation] and [tempted] can also mean [testing] and [tested].</n> he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.


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Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?


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No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.


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You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.


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"I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but not everything is constructive.


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If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.


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But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.


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I am referring to the other person's conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another's conscience?


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If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?


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even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.


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I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.


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But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, <n>Or [of the wife is her husband]</n> and the head of Christ is God.


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But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.


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For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.


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A man ought not to cover his head, <n>Or [[4] Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. [5] But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head—she is just like one of the "shorn women." [6] If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. [7] A man ought not to have long hair]</n> since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.


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It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own <n>Or [have a sign of authority on her]</n> head, because of the angels.


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In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.


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for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.


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Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!


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For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,


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and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, <J>"This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."</J>


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In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, <J>"This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."</J>


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So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.


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For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.


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Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.


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Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.


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You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.


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Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.


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There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.


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To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,


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to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, <n>Or [languages]; also in verse 28</n> and to still another the interpretation of tongues. <n>Or [languages]; also in verse 28</n>


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All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.


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Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.


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For we were all baptized by <n>Or [with]; or [in]</n> one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.


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Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.


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And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.


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If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?


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The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!"


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and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty,


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while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,


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so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.


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If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.


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And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.


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Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues <n>Or [other languages]</n>? Do all interpret?


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If I speak in the tongues <n>Or [languages]</n> of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.


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If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.


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If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, <n>Some manuscripts [body to the flames]</n> but do not have love, I gain nothing.


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It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.


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Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.


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When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.


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For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.


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For anyone who speaks in a tongue <n>Or [in another language]; also in verses 4, 13, 14, 19, 26 and 27</n> does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.


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I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, <n>Or [in other languages]; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39</n> but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, <n>Or [in other languages]; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39</n> unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.


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Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?


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Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?


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So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.


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If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.


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So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.


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So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.


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Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, <n>The Greek word for [inquirer] is a technical term for someone not fully initiated into a religion; also in verses 23 and 24.</n> say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying?


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But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.


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Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.


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In the Law it is written: "With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."


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Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.


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So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?


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But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all,


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as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"


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What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.


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If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.


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If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.


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Women <n>Or [peace. As in all the congregations of the Lord's people, [34] women]</n> should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.


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If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. <n>In a few manuscripts these verses come after verse 40.</n>


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If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.


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But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. <n>Some manuscripts [But anyone who is ignorant of this will be ignorant]</n>


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Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.


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By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.


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For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance <n>Or [you at the first]</n>: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,


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After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.


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For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.


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But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.


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But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?


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More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.


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Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.


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For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.


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When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.


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Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?


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If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."


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Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.


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When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.


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Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.


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There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.


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The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.


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So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;


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it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.


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As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.


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And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we <n>Some early manuscripts [so let us]</n> bear the image of the heavenly man.


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I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.


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in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.


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When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."


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Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


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On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.


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Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.


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Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.


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For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.


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When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.


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No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.


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Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.


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You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord's people. I urge you, brothers and sisters,


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I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.


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The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla <n>Greek [Prisca], a variant of [Priscilla]</n> greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.


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If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord <n>The Greek for [Come, Lord] reproduces an Aramaic expression ([Marana tha]) used by early Christians.</n>!


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:


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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,


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who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.


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For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.


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If we are distressed, 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 we suffer.


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And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.


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We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.


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Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.


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He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,


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as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.


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Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity <n>Many manuscripts [holiness]</n> and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.


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as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.


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I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea.


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Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both "Yes, yes" and "No, no"?


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For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas <n>Greek [Silvanus], a variant of [Silas]</n> and Timothy—was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes."


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For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.


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set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.


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I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.


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Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.


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I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy.


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For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.


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If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely.


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Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.


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Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,


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Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,


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I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.


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But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.


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For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.


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To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?


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Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.


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Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?


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You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.


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Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.


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He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.


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Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was,


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If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!


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We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.


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But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.


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And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate <n>Or [reflect]</n> the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.


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Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.


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The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.


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For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.


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For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.


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But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.


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We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.


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For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.


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It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." Since we have that same spirit of <n>Or [Spirit-given]</n> faith, we also believe and therefore speak,


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because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.


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All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.


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Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.


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For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.


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So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


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For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.


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For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.


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Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.


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Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.


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For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.


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Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.


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We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.


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If we are "out of our mind," as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.


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For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.


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And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.


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So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.


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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: <n>Or [Christ, that person is a new creation.]</n> The old has gone, the new is here!


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All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:


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that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.


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We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.


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God made him who had no sin to be sin <n>Or [be a sin offering]</n> for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


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For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.


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Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;


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in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;


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sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.


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Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?


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What harmony is there between Christ and Belial <n>Greek [Beliar], a variant of [Belial]</n>? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?


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What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."


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Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."


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Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.


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Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.


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I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you.


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I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.


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For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within.


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and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.


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Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—


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yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.


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Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.


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See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.


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So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.


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By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.


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I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well.


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And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling.


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And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.


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In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.


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For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,


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And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.


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So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.


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But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you <n>Some manuscripts [and in your love for us]</n>—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.


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I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.


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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.


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And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.


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Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.


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For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.


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Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.


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At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality,


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as it is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little."


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For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.


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And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.


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What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.


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For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.


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In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.


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As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.


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Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.


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For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.


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But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.


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For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.


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So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.


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Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.


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Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.


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And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.


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As it is written: "They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever."


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Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.


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You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.


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This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.


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Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.


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And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.


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By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" toward you when away!


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I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.


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The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.


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We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.


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You are judging by appearances. <n>Or [Look at the obvious facts]</n> If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.


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So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.


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For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."


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Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.


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We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.


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We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.


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We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.


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Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand,


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so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else's territory.


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I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.


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But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.


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For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.


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I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." <n>Or [to the most eminent apostles]</n>


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I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.


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Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?


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And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.


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As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.


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And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.


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It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.


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I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting.


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In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face.


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To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.


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Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.


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Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,


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I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.


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I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.


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In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.


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I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.


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I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.


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Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,


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or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.


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But he said to me, <J>"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."</J> Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.


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That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


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I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the "super-apostles," <n>Or [the most eminent apostles]</n> even though I am nothing.


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I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.


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How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!


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Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.


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So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?


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Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery!


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I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?


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Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.


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For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.


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I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.


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This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."


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I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others,


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since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.


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For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him in our dealing with you.


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Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?


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Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.


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We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.


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This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.


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Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.


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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.


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Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—


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who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,


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I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—


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which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.


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But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!


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As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!


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Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.


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I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.


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For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.


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I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.


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to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.


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I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.


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Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas <n>That is, Peter</n> and stayed with him fifteen days.


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They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."


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Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.


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I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.


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This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.


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We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.


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As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.


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On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, <n>That is, Gentiles</n> just as Peter had been to the circumcised. <n>That is, Jews; also in verses 8 and 9</n>


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For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles.


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James, Cephas <n>That is, Peter; also in verses 11 and 14</n> and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.


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All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.


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For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.


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The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.


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When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?


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know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in <n>Or [but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of]</n> Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.


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"But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!


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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


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I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" <n>Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.</n>


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You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.


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I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?


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Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.</n>


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So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?


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Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."


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For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."


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Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because "the righteous will live by faith."


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The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, "The person who does these things will live by them."


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Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."


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He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.


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Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.


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The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.


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What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.


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For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.


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Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.


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Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.


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But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.


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Before the coming of this faith, <n>Or [through the faithfulness of Jesus … [23] Before faith came]</n> we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.


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There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


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What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.


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So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces <n>Or [under the basic principles]</n> of the world.


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to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. <n>The Greek word for [adoption to sonship] is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.</n>


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Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, <i>"Abba</i>, <n>Aramaic for [Father]</n> Father."


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So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.


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But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces <n>Or [principles]</n>? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?


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and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.


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Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.


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Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.


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It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.


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For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.


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His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.


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These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar.


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Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.


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For it is written: "Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child; shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband."


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At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now.


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But what does Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son."


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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.


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Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.


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Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.


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You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.


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For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.


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I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.


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Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.


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You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.


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For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever <n>Or [you do not do what]</n> you want.


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idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions


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and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.


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Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.


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Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,


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Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.


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Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.


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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.


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Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.


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Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.


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Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh.


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May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which <n>Or [whom]</n> the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God's holy people in Ephesus, <n>Some early manuscripts do not have [in Ephesus.]</n> the faithful in Christ Jesus:


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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.


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For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love


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he <n>Or [sight in love. [5] He]</n> predestined us for adoption to sonship <n>The Greek word for [adoption to sonship] is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.</n> through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—


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In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace


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he <n>Or [us with all wisdom and understanding. [9] And he]</n> made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,


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to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.


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In him we were also chosen, <n>Or [were made heirs]</n> having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,


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in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.


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And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,


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who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.


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For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people,


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I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit <n>Or [a spirit]</n> of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.


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I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,


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he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,


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far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.


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And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,


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in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.


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All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.</n> and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.


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made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.


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in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.


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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—


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For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


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Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)—


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remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.


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For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,


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by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,


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and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.


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Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household,


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built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.


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which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.


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This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.


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I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.


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Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,


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and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.


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His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,


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from whom every family <n>The Greek for [family] ([patria]) is derived from the Greek for [father] ([pater]).</n> in heaven and on earth derives its name.


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I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,


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so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,


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may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,


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and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.


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Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,


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to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.


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As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.


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This is why it <n>Or [God]</n> says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people."


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(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions <n>Or [the depths of the earth]</n>?


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He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)


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until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.


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Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.


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Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.


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From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.


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So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.


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They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.


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Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.


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You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;


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Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.


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Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.


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Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.


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and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.


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But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.


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Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.


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For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. <n>Or [kingdom of the Messiah and God]</n>


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Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.


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But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.


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speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,


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For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.


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to make her holy, cleansing <n>Or [having cleansed]</n> her by the washing with water through the word,


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and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.


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In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.


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After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—


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"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."


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However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.


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Fathers, <n>Or [Parents]</n> do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.


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Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.


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Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.


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because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.


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And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.


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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.


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Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.


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Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,


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In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.


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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.


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Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,


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Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.


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I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.


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Peace to the brothers and sisters, <n>The Greek word for [brothers and sisters] ([adelphoi]) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God's family.</n> and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. <n>Or [Grace and immortality to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.]</n>


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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:


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being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


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It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.


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so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,


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filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.


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Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.


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As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard <n>Or [whole palace]</n> and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.


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And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.


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The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.


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But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,


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for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. <n>Or [vindication]; or [salvation]</n>


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I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.


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If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!


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Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,


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Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, <n>Or [in one spirit]</n> striving together as one for the faith of the gospel


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without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.


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For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,


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Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,


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then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.


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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,


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Who, being in very nature <n>Or [in the form of]</n> God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;


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rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature <n>Or [the form]</n> of a servant, being made in human likeness.


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And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!


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Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,


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so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky


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as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.


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But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.


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I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.


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But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.


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But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.


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Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.


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Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.


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because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.


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Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.


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For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—


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though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:


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circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;


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What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ


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and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in <n>Or [through the faithfulness of]</n> Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.


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I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,


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Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.


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Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,


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All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.


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Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.


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For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.


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Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.


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who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.


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Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!


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Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.


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Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.


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And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


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Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.


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Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.


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I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.


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I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.


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I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.


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Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;


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I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.


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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. <n>Some manuscripts do not have [Amen].</n>


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To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. <n>Some manuscripts [Father and the Lord Jesus Christ]</n>


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the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel


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that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace.


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You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, <n>Or [slave]</n> who is a faithful minister of Christ on our <n>Some manuscripts [your]</n> behalf,


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For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, <n>Or [all spiritual wisdom and understanding]</n>


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so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,


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being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,


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and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you <n>Some manuscripts [us]</n> to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.


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For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,


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For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.


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And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.


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and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.


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Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of <n>Or [minds, as shown by]</n> your evil behavior.


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But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—


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if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.


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Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.


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I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—


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the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people.


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To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


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He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.


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I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.


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My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,


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For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.


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rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.


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See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces <n>Or [the basic principles]; also in verse 20</n> of this world rather than on Christ.


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In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh <n>In contexts like this, the Greek word for [flesh] ([sarx]) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.</n> was put off when you were circumcised by <n>Or [put off in the circumcision of]</n> Christ,


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having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.


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When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you <n>Some manuscripts [us]</n> alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,


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having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.


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And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. <n>Or [them in him]</n>


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Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.


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Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.


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They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.


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Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:


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These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.


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Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.


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Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.


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When Christ, who is your <n>Some manuscripts [our]</n> life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.


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Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.


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Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. <n>Some early manuscripts [coming on those who are disobedient]</n>


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But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.


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Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.


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Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.


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Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.


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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.


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Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.


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And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


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Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.


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since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.


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Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.


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And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.


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Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.


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Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant <n>Or [slave]; also in verse 12</n> in the Lord.


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I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our <n>Some manuscripts [that he may know about your]</n> circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.


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He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.


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My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)


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Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews <n>Greek [only ones of the circumcision group]</n> among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.


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Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.


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Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.


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After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.


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Paul, Silas <n>Greek [Silvanus], a variant of [Silas]</n> and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.


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We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.


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because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.


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You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.


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The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,


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for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,


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and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.


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We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.


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For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.


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On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.


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We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.


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Instead, we were like young children <n>Some manuscripts [were gentle]</n> among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,


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so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.


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Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.


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You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.


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encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.


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And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.


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For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people the same things those churches suffered from the Jews


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who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone


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in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last. <n>Or [them fully]</n>


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But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.


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For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?


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We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God's service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,


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so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.


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In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.


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For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.


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But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.


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Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.


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How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?


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Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.


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May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.


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May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.


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As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.


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that each of you should learn to control your own body <n>Or [learn to live with your own wife]; or [learn to acquire a wife]</n> in a way that is holy and honorable,


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and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. <n>The Greek word for [brother or sister] ([adelphos]) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God's family.</n> The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.


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Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.


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Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.


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And in fact, you do love all of God's family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,


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and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,


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so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.


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Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.


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For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.


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According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.


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For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.


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After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.


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While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.


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But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.


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You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.


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But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.


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Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.


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And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.


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Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.


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May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Paul, Silas <n>Greek [Silvanus], a variant of [Silas]</n> and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:


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We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.


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Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.


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All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.


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and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.


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They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might


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on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.


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With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.


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We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. <n>Or [God and Lord, Jesus Christ]</n>


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Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,


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not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.


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Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness <n>Some manuscripts [sin]</n> is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.


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He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.


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For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.


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And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.


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The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,


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and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.


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But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits <n>Some manuscripts [because from the beginning God chose you]</n> to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.


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He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings <n>Or [traditions]</n> we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.


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May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,


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As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.


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In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching <n>Or [tradition]</n> you received from us.


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For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you,


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nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.


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We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.


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For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat."


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Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed.


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Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.


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I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.


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To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.


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As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer


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or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work—which is by faith.


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The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.


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They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.


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We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,


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for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine


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I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.


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Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.


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The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.


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Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.


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But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.


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Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,


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holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.


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Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.


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I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—


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for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.


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And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.


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I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,


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I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; <n>Or [over her husband]</n> she must be quiet.


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But women <n>Greek [she]</n> will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.


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Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,


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He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full <n>Or [him with proper]</n> respect.


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He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.


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He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.


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In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.


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In the same way, the women <n>Possibly deacons' wives or women who are deacons</n> are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.


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Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.


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if I am delayed, 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.


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Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, <n>Or [vindicated in spirit]</n> was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.


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The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.


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Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.


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They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.


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For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,


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If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, <n>The Greek word for [brothers and sisters] ([adelphoi]) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God's family.</n> you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.


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For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.


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That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.


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Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.


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Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.


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Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.


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Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers,


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But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.


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The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.


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Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.


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No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,


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and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord's people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.


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As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry.


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Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to.


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So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.


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If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.


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The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.


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For Scripture says, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."


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But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.


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I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.


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Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.


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Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.


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The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.


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In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.


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All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered.


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Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare <n>Or [and benefit from the service]</n> of their slaves. These are the things you are to teach and insist on.


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If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,


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they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions


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and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.


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Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.


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For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.


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But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.


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Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


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In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you


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which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,


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who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.


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Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.


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In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.


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Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,


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I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.


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I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.


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For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.


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So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.


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He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,


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but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.


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That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.


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Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.


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May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.


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May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.


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And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.


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No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.


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Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules.


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for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained.


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Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.


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Keep reminding God's people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.


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Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.


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who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.


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Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."


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In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.


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Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.


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Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.


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Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.


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And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.


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Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,


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and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.


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People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,


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They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,


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Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.


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But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.


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You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,


text:
persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.


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But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,


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and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.


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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,


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so that the servant of God <n>Or [that you, a man of God,]</n> may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.


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In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:


text:
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.


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For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.


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But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.


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Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.


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for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.


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When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.


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Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.


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At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.


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But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.


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The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Greet Priscilla <n>Greek [Prisca], a variant of [Priscilla]</n> and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.


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Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters. <n>The Greek word for [brothers and sisters] ([adelphoi]) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God's family.</n>


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Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—


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and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior,


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To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.


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The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint <n>Or [ordain]</n> elders in every town, as I directed you.


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An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe <n>Or [children are trustworthy]</n> and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.


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Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.


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Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.


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He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.


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For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.


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They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.


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One of Crete's own prophets has said it: "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." <n>From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides</n>


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and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth.


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To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.


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They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.


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Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.


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Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.


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to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.


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In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness


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and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.


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Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them,


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and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.


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It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,


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while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,


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who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.


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These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.


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Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,


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At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.


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he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,


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This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.


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But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.


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Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.


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As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there.


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Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need.


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Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.


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Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—


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also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:


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Grace and peace to you <n>The Greek is plural; also in verses 22 and 25; elsewhere in this letter "you" is singular.</n> from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.


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Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people.


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yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—


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that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, <n>[Onesimus] means [useful.]</n> who became my son while I was in chains.


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I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.


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But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary.


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Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—


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no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.


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I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self.


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And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.


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but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.


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The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.


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For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?


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And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."


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But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.


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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."


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He also says, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.


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You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."


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To which of the angels did God ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?


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We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.


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For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,


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how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.


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God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.


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But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him?


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You made them a little <n>Or [them for a little while]</n> lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor


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and put everything under their feet." <n>Or [[7] You made him a little lower than the angels;/ you crowned him with glory and honor/ [8] and put everything under his feet."]</n> In putting everything under them, <n>Or [him]</n> God left nothing that is not subject to them. <n>Or [him]</n> Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them. <n>Or [him]</n>


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But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.


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In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.


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Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.


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He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises."


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And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."


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Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—


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For this reason he had to be made like them, <n>Or [like his brothers]</n> fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.


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Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.


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Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.


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"Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house," bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.


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But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.


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do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness,


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That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.'


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See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.


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But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.


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As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion."


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And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?


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Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.


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For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. <n>Some manuscripts [because those who heard did not combine it with faith]</n>


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Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.


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For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "On the seventh day God rested from all his works."


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Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,


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God again set a certain day, calling it "Today." This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."


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for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, <n>Or [labor]</n> just as God did from his.


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Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.


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For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.


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Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.


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Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, <n>Greek [has gone through the heavens]</n> Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.


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For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.


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Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.


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Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.


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He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.


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In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."


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During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.


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We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.


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In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!


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Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.


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But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.


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Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, <n>Or [from useless rituals]</n> and of faith in God,


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instruction about cleansing rites, <n>Or [about baptisms]</n> the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.


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It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,


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and who have fallen <n>Or [age, [6] if they fall]</n> away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.


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Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.


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But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.


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Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.


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God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.


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We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.


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We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.


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When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,


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People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.


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Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.


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God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.


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We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,


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where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.


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This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,


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and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace."


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Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.


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Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.


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This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.


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In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.


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If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?


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He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.


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For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.


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one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.


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but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.'"


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Therefore he is able to save completely <n>Or [forever]</n> those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.


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Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.


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Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.


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For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.


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Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,


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Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.


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If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.


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They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."


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But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.


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For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.


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But God found fault with the people and said <n>Some manuscripts may be translated [fault and said to the people.]</n>: "The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.


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It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.


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This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.


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No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.


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By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.


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A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.


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which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.


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Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.


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When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.


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But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.


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The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.


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This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.


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They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.


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But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, <n>Some early manuscripts [are to come]</n> he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation.


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He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining <n>Or [blood, having obtained]</n> eternal redemption.


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The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.


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How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, <n>Or [from useless rituals]</n> so that we may serve the living God!


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For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.


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In the case of a will, <n>Same Greek word as [covenant]; also in verse 17</n> it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,


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because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.


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When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.


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In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.


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In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.


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It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.


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For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.


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Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.


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Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.


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so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.


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The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.


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Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.


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Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;


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Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.'"


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First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them"—though they were offered in accordance with the law.


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Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.


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And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.


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Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.


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But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,


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"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."


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Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,


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let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.


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not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


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If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,


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How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?


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For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."


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Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.


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Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.


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You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.


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You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.


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And, "But my righteous <n>Some early manuscripts [But the righteous]</n> one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back."


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But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.


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By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.


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By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.


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By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: "He could not be found, because God had taken him away." For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.


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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.


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By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.


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By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.


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By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.


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And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she <n>Or [By faith Abraham, even though he was too old to have children—and Sarah herself was not able to conceive—was enabled to become a father because he]</n> considered him faithful who had made the promise.


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And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.


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All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.


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Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.


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By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,


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Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.


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By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.


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By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.


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By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.


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He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.


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He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.


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By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.


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By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.


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By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.


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By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. <n>Or [unbelieving]</n>


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And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,


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who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,


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quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.


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Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.


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They were put to death by stoning; <n>Some early manuscripts [stoning; they were put to the test;]</n> they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—


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the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.


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since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.


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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,


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fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


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Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.


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And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,


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Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?


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If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.


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Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!


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They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.


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No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.


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Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.


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See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.


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See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.


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Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.


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You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;


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to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,


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because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."


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But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,


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to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,


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to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.


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See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?


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At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."


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The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.


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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,


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Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.


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Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.


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Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.


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Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."


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So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"


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Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.


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Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.


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The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp.


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Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.


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Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.


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Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,


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equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.


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I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.


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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.


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If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.


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But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.


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For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.


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Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.


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When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;


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Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.


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Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.


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He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.


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My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,


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Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.


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Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror


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But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.


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Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.


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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.


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Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.


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If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"


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Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?


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But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?


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If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.


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For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.


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because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.


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What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?


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If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?


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But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.


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You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless <n>Some early manuscripts [dead]</n>?


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Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?


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You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.


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And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.


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In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?


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Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.


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We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.


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Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.


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Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.


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The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.


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All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,


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With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness.


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My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


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Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.


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But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.


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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.


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What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?


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You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.


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When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.


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You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.


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Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us <n>Or [that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely;] or [that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously]</n>?


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But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."


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Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.


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Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister <n>The Greek word for [brother or sister] ([adelphos]) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God's family.</n> or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.


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There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?


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Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."


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Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.


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Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.


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Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.


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You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. <n>Or [yourselves as in a day of feasting]</n>


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Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.


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Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!


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Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


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As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.


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Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned.


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Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.


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And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.


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Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.


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Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.


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My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,


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remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.


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Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,


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who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.


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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,


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and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,


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who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.


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In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.


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These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.


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Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,


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Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,


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trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.


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It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.


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Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.


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Since you call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.


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For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,


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Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.


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Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. <n>Some early manuscripts [from a pure heart]</n>


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For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.


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For, "All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,


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you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house <n>Or [into a temple of the Spirit]</n> to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.


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For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."


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Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"


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and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.


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But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.


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Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


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Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.


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Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.


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Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,


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or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.


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Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.


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For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.


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But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.


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To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.


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When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.


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"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."


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For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.


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Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,


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Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.


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Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.


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For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,


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like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.


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Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.


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Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.


