Philippians Cross References - Common

¹ Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: ² grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always making my prayer with joy in every prayer of mine for you all, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ For I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. ¹² Now I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that my imprisonment for Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, ¹⁴ and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷ the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed in anything, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I do not know. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴ but to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. ²⁷ Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ in no way frightened by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction to them, but of salvation for you and that too, from God. ²⁹ For to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, ³⁰ having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

²⁵ Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

³¹ Another parable he put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; ³² it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." ³³ He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour till it was all leavened."

¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

²³ But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

⁶ "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of temptations to sin! For temptations must come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes!

⁵ But they do all their works to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and the tassels of their garments long.

¹³ "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who would enter to go in.

³³ Peter declared to him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."

³⁸ John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he was not one of us." ³⁹ But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who does a miracle in my name can soon afterward speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For he who is not against us is for us.

⁴⁰ who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

⁷⁴ to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

⁷⁸ through the tender mercy of our God, with which the sunrise from on high will visit us;

²⁹ "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation

⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,

⁴⁵ But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he that is not against you is for you."

⁴ "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him! ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

⁶ He told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ So he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?' ⁸ And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

¹² But before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. And you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. ¹³ This will turn into an opportunity for you to bear testimony. ¹⁴ Therefore settle it in your minds not to meditate beforehand how you will answer;

¹⁴ Therefore settle it in your minds not to meditate beforehand how you will answer; ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ You will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will gain your lives.

³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren."

⁴³ It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,

¹² But to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"

²⁰ For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

²⁹ Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor. ²⁷ "Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I came to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."

¹ Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

² Every branch in me that bears no fruit he takes away; and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.

⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.

⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

²² So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage! I have overcome the world."

²⁰ "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

¹⁹ This he said to show by what death he would glorify God. And after this he said to him, "Follow me."

²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his homestead be made desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it'; and, 'let another man take his office.'

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

¹⁷ And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; ²⁰ for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." ²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. ²³ When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God together and said, "Sovereign Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them, ²⁵ who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David your servant, said, 'Why did the gentiles rage, and the peoples plot futile things? ²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.' ²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰ while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus." ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. ³² Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

⁴⁰ So they took his advice, and 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. ⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

¹ Now in those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." ⁵ And the statement pleased the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. ⁷ The word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

⁴ Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. ⁵ Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them.

³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus.

¹³ But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints at Jerusalem;

²⁰ And immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

³⁶ You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).

¹⁸ When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "So then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance unto life." ¹⁹ Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts;

³⁹ and through him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

²⁷ When they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

¹ And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁷ And when they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit o Jesus did not allow them;

¹² and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. We stayed in this city some days;

¹² and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony. We stayed in this city some days; ¹³ and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come together.

¹³ and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, who was a worshiper of God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, who was a worshiper of God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, who was a worshiper of God, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

¹⁵ When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us. ¹⁶ It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination. She brought her owners much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, crying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way of salvation." ¹⁸ She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out at that very moment. ¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, ²⁰ and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, "These men are Jews and they are throwing our city into an uproar. ²¹ They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice." ²² The crowd joined against them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them securely.

²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

²⁵ But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" ²⁹ And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" ³¹ They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." ³² They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ He took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with his whole household that he had believed in God. ³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent their police, saying, "Release those men." ³⁶ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, "The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go in peace." ³⁷ But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, without trial, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now cast us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out." ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them, and they took them out and asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ They went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia, and when they saw the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

²³ except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.

²³ except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But I do not consider my life of any account nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

²⁴ But I do not consider my life of any account nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ And now, behold, I know that all of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he purchased with the blood of his Own. ²⁹ I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night and day to admonish each one with tears.

¹¹ And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" ¹² When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

¹³ Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

²⁸ crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place; and besides he also brought Greeks into the temple, and he has defiled this holy place." ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then all the city was aroused, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.

³³ Then the commander came up and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing, and some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. ³⁵ When he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; ³⁶ for the mob of the people followed, shouting, "Away with him!"

¹ "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you."

¹ "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you." ² And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew language, they became more quiet. And he said: ³ "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. ⁴ I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women, ⁵ as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished. ⁶ "As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. ⁷ And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' ⁸ And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' ⁹ And those who were with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.' ¹¹ But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. ¹² "A certain Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, ¹³ came to me, and standing near said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very time I looked up at him. ¹⁴ Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.' ¹⁷ "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' ¹⁹ And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in you. ²⁰ When the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments of those who were killing him.' ²¹ And he said to me, 'Go; for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" ²² Up to this word they listened to him, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he ought not to live." ²³ And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and commanded him to be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. ²⁵ But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?" ²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen." ²⁷ So the commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." ²⁸ The commander answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." ²⁹ So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately; and the commander also was afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains. ³⁰ But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

¹⁶ And so I do my best always to have a clear conscience before God and men.

²⁴ But some days later Felix came with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

¹ Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:

²⁴ And as he was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad."

²⁹ And Paul said, "Whether in a short or a long time, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I amexcept for these chains."

³¹ and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment."

¹ When we had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. ² The natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³ But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." ⁵ However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after they had waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. ⁷ Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ It happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed sick with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ When this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰ They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. ¹¹ After three months we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, an Alexandrian ship, with the Twin Brothers as figurehead. ¹² After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. ¹³ From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ And the brethren, when they heard of us, came from there as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ¹⁶ And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him. ¹⁷ After three days Paul called together the local leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

¹⁷ After three days Paul called together the local leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ¹⁸ And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. ¹⁹ But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesarnot that I had any charge to bring against my own nation. ²⁰ For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."

²⁰ For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." ²¹ They said to him, "We have not received letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brethren who have come here has reported or spoken anything bad about you. ²² But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against." ²³ When they had appointed a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in great numbers. And he explained the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. ²⁴ Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. ²⁵ When they disagreed among themselves, they began to leave, after Paul had made one final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: ²⁶ saying, 'Go to this people and say, "you will be ever hearing, but will never understand; and you will be ever seeing, but will never perceive. ²⁷ For this people's heart has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and their eyes they have closed; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them."' ²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."

²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." ²⁹ (...)³⁰ And he stayed there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all who came to him,

³⁰ And he stayed there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered.

¹ Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

⁵ Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

⁷ To all in Rome who are beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

¹¹ For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have some harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish: ¹⁵ so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

¹⁸ and know his will and approve of what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law,

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? Certainly not; for we have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin.

² through whom we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;

⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

¹³ Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

¹⁷ But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

¹⁹ I am speaking in human terms, because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for holiness.

²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is holiness and its end, eternal life.

¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.

²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,

⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so;

⁹ But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to him.

¹⁷ and if children, then heirsheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, in order that we may also be glorified with him.

¹⁹ For the creation waits with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined, he also called; those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified.

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

³⁶ As it is written: "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹ I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit,

³³ as it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone that will make men stumble, and a rock that will make them fall; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."

⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach);

² God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

¹⁷ And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the rest to share the root of the olive tree,

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

⁹ Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.

⁷ For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. ⁸ If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

²⁰ Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble.

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

¹⁶ to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed

²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

²⁸ When therefore I have completed this, and have delivered to them this fruit, I shall go on by way of you to Spain. ²⁹ And I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

¹⁷ I urge you, brethren, to take note of those who cause divisions and difficulties, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; avoid them.

¹⁷ I urge you, brethren, to take note of those who cause divisions and difficulties, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; avoid them. ¹⁸ For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple.

¹ Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, ² to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

⁴ I thank my God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

⁸ who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹⁰ I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment.

²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

³ for you are still carnal. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal, and are you not walking like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?

²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future; all belong to you,

⁹ For, I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all, like men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. ¹¹ To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and we are poorly clothed, and roughly treated, and homeless; ¹² and we toil, working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; ¹³ when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. ¹⁴ I do not write this to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

²⁰ you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

³⁴ and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman, and the virgin, is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but the married woman is concerned about the affairs of the world, how she may please her husband.

¹³ Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to fall.

¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion. For woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if it is not of my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

¹⁹ What do I mean then? That a thing offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³² Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, slaves or freeand we were all made to drink of one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body is not made up of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason be any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ 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 be any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But now God has arranged the members in the body, each one of them, just as he desired. ¹⁹ If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we treat with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ while our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then those having gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and those speaking in various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

³ If I give all I have to the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

¹⁵ What am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

²⁰ Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; be infants in evil, but in thinking be mature.

¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

³⁰ Why are we also in danger every hour? ³¹ I protest, brethren, by my pride in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day.

³¹ I protest, brethren, by my pride in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day. ³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

¹⁰ Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you with nothing to fear, for he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am.

¹³ Be on the your guard, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. ¹⁴ Let all that you do be done in love.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: ² grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ⁶ If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ 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.

¹¹ You also must help us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to the prayers of many. ¹² For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with holiness and godly sincerity, not in worldly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and still more toward you.

¹⁴ as you have understood us in part, that you can be proud of us just as we can be of you, in the day of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double benefit.

¹⁹ For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by usby me and Silvanus and Timothywas not Yes and No, but in him it has always been Yes.

²⁴ Not that we lord it over your faith; but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

³ And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I had confidence in all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, ¹⁶ to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷ For we are not, like so many, peddling the word of God; but as men of sincerity, as from God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

² You yourselves are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men.

¹ Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. ² But 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 every man's conscience in the sight of God.

⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

¹⁰ always carrying about in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

¹ For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

⁶ Therefore we are always of good courage; and we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

⁸ We are confident, I say, and would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

¹² We are not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

¹⁵ 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.

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

¹² You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.

³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

¹⁴ For if I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus has proved true. ¹⁵ And his affection goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.

¹ Now, brethren, we want you to know about the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

⁷ But as you excel in everythingin faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for ussee that you excel in this work of grace also. ⁸ I am not speaking this as a command, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

⁴ lest if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, wenot to say anything about you would be ashamed of having been so confident.

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will multiply the harvest of your righteousness.

¹³ Because of the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in your confession of the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others;

³ For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war as the flesh does.

⁸ For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame.

¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their deeds.

²⁰ For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you what I wish you to be, and you may not find me what you wish me to be; I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

⁹ For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. What we pray for is your perfection.

¹¹ Finally, brethren, farewell. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

⁷ which is really not another gospel; but there are some who are disturbing you, and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

²⁰ (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I do not lie.)

⁴ But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

⁷ but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸ (for he who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles),

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

⁶ Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

¹⁹ My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you

⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.

¹⁰ I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and the one who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. ¹¹ But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

¹⁴ But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus:

¹² in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him, you also have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having also believed, you were sealed in him with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of those who are God's possessionto the praise of his glory.

¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of those who are God's possessionto the praise of his glory. ¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

¹⁶ I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. ¹⁸ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might ²⁰ which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.

¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are members of God's household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord; ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

¹ For this reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles

⁶ that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

¹³ Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

¹¹ And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ;

¹² to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to become mature, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him, who is the head, into Christ,

⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), ¹⁰ and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

²⁷ that he might present the church to himself in all her glory, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and blameless.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all this, taking up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and petition. And with this in view, keep alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and petition. And with this in view, keep alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also pray for me, that in the opening of my mouth, utterance may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

¹⁹ and also pray for me, that in the opening of my mouth, utterance may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

²⁴ Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ For I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.

⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ;

¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. ¹² Now I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

¹⁴ and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear.

¹⁴ and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have been encouraged to speak the word of God without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel;

¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel;

¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷ the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

¹⁷ the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed in anything, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

²² But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I do not know. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴ but to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

²⁴ but to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

²⁹ For to you it has been granted for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake,

¹ Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

¹ Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

²¹ For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

²⁴ and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

²⁶ for he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was ill.

¹ Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

³ For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh,

¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

¹ Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!

¹⁰ I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you had no opportunity.

¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵ You yourselves also know, Philippians, that in the first preaching of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only;

¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.

²² All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ² to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father. ³ We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints,

⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints,

⁶ which has come to you, just as in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, even as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth;

⁹ For this reason also, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you will live a life worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

²¹ And although you were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death, in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a minister. ²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share for the sake of his body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

²⁹ For this end I labor, striving with all his energy, which so mightily works within me.

¹ For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh,

⁵ For even though I am absent in flesh, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

⁴ When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

¹² So, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

³ And pray for us as well, that God may open a door to us for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains,

³ And pray for us as well, that God may open a door to us for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, ⁴ so that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.

⁴ so that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak. ⁵ Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. ⁶ Let your speech always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. ⁷ Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

⁷ Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. ⁸ I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; ⁹ and with him Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of yourselves. They will tell you everything that has taken place here. ¹⁰ My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, and also Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you have received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him.) ¹¹ and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of your number, a servant of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings. ¹⁵ Give my greetings to the brethren at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. ¹⁶ When this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read the letter from Laodicea. ¹⁷ Say to Archippus, "See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." ¹⁸ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

¹⁸ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

¹ Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace and peace to you. ² We give thanks to God always for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers;

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers;

² We give thanks to God always for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers; ³ remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

³ remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

³ remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; ⁵ for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we have no need to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God,

¹ For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain; ² but after we had already suffered and been shamefully treated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition.

⁵ For, as you know, we never used flattery nor a pretext for greed God is witness

⁸ Having so fond an affection for you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.

¹¹ for you know how, as a father with his own children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you ¹² to live a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. ¹³ And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵ who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men,

¹⁹ For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.

² and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³ so that no one would be unsettled by these afflictions. You yourselves know that we have been destined for this. ⁴ For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.

⁶ But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, just as we long to see you

⁹ For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you in return for all the joy which we feel for your sake before our God,

¹² and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we do for you, ¹³ so that he may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

¹ Finally, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more.

⁹ Now concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to do so more and more.

¹³ But we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁷ Then we who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

⁵ For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

²¹ But test everything; hold fast to what is good.

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

¹ Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

³ We ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

⁵ This is evidence of God's righteous judgment, so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

¹⁰ when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believedbecause our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power, ¹² 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.

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things which we command.

² to Timothy, my true child in the faith: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and made shipwreck of their faith.

⁷ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

¹ It is a trustworthy saying: if any one aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

⁸ Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, and not fond of sordid gain;

¹⁰ They must also first be tested; and then if they are beyond reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ The women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Deacons must be the husband of one wife, and must manage their children and their households well. ¹³ For those who have served well as deacons gain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶ By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: he was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

¹² Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

³ I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. ⁴ As I recall your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed to testify of our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

⁸ So do not be ashamed to testify of our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

¹¹ For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² For this reason I also suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of wearing chains like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: if we died with him, we will also live with him; ¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.

¹ Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness,

⁷ For the overseer must be blameless as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not fond of sordid gain,

¹⁰ and not to steal, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in everything they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

⁴ But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but because of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

⁴ I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,

⁵ because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, ⁶ and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing that is ours in Christ. ⁷ For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

¹² I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

¹⁷ So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.

²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. ²¹ Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

¹ Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ if we hold our first confidence firm to the end,

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food; ¹³ for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their sense trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their sense trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

⁹ Even though we speak like this, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that accompany salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love which you have shown for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.

³² But remember the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to insult and persecution; and at other times standing side by side with those who were so treated.

³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to insult and persecution; and at other times standing side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

¹¹ For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

⁶ So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

¹⁵ Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶ Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

²³ You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I will see you if he comes soon.

¹ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: greetings. ² Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

¹⁸ And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says without reason: "He jealously desires the Spirit which he has made to dwell in us"? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with his blood: may grace and peace be yours in abundance.

² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with his blood: may grace and peace be yours in abundance. ³ Blessed be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ as you obtain the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹¹ seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

²² Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹² Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

² so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.

¹⁰ As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. ¹¹ Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belongs the glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

¹³ But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

¹³ But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a troublesome meddler; ¹⁶ yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.

¹⁶ yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.

¹ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed, ² shepherd the flock of God that is under your care, serving as overseersnot under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; ³ not as lording it over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.

¹ Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

⁴ By these he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and become partakers of the divine nature. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge,

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge, ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness,

⁶ and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹² Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,

¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ since I know that the putting aside of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will see to it that after my departure you will be able at any time to call these things to mind.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. ¹¹ Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy lives and godliness,

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless.

¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

¹⁷ But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

⁴ I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.

⁹ Anyone who runs ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting; ¹¹ for he who greets him shares in his wicked work.

³ For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, and how you are walking in truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

³ Beloved, although I was very eager to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

¹ The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place. And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

² I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot bear evil men, but you have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false;

⁸ "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'These are the words of the First and the Last, who died, and came to life:

¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful even until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful even until death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹¹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.' ¹² "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:

¹⁴ I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. ¹⁶ They will hunger no more, nor thirst anymore; the sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. ¹⁷ For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

¹¹ They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even to the death.

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them."

¹⁰ Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

⁹ But he said to me, "Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."