Luke 12 Cross References - Goodspeed

¹ Meanwhile as the people gathered in thousands, until they actually trod on one another, he proceeded to say to his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, hypocrisy. ² There is nothing covered up that is not going to be uncovered, nor secret that is not going to be known. ³ For what you say in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you whisper in someone's ear, behind closed doors, will be proclaimed from the housetops. ⁴ I tell you, who are my friends, have no fear of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. ⁵ I will show you whom to fear: fear him who, after killing you, has power to hurl you into the pit. Yes, fear him, I tell you. ⁶ Do not sparrows sell five for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight. ⁷ But the very hairs on your heads are all counted! You must not be afraid, you are worth more than a great many sparrows! ⁸ I tell you, everyone who will acknowledge me before men, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God, ⁹ but anyone who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And anyone who speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven for it, but no one who reviles the holy Spirit will be forgiven. ¹¹ When they bring you before the synagogues or the magistrates or the authorities, you must have no anxiety about how to defend yourselves or what to say, ¹² for at the very moment the holy Spirit will teach you what you ought to say." ¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, "Master, tell my brother to give me my share of our inheritance." ¹⁴ But he said to him, "Who made me a judge or arbitrator of your affairs?" ¹⁵ And he said to them, "Take care! You must be on your guard against any form of greed, for a man's life does not belong to him, no matter how rich he is." ¹⁶ And he told them this story: "A certain rich man's lands yielded heavily. ¹⁷ And he said to himself, 'What am I going to do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' ¹⁸ Then he said, 'This is what I will do; I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and in them I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have great wealth stored up for years to come. Now take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." ' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will have all you have prepared?' ²¹ That is the way with the man who lays up money for himself, and is not rich with God." ²² And he said to his disciples, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear. ²³ Life is more important than food, and the body than clothes. ²⁴ Think of the crows! They do not sow or reap, and they have no storehouses or barns, and God feeds them. How much more you are worth than the birds! ²⁵ Which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life? ²⁶ So if you cannot do the least good, why should you worry about the rest? ²⁷ See how the lilies grow. They do not toil or spin, but, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them. ²⁸ But if God so dresses the wild grass, which is alive today, and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more surely will he clothe you, who have so little faith? ²⁹ So you must not ask what you are to have to eat or drink, and you must not be anxious about it. ³⁰ For these are all things the nations of the world are in pursuit of, and your Father knows well that you need them. ³¹ But you must strive to find his kingdom, and you will have these other things besides. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell what belongs to you, and give away the money! Get yourselves purses that will never wear out, inexhaustible riches in heaven, where thieves cannot get near nor moths destroy. ³⁴ For wherever your treasure is, your heart will be too. ³⁵ You must be ready with your lamps burning, ³⁶ like men waiting for their master to come home from a wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. ³⁷ Blessed are the slaves whom their master will find on the watch when he comes. I tell you, he will gird up his robe and make them take their places at table, and go around and wait on them. ³⁸ Whether he comes late at night or early in the morning and finds them on the watch, they are blessed. ³⁹ But you may be sure of this, that if the master of the house had known what time the thief was coming, he would have been on the watch, and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You must be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not expect him." ⁴¹ Peter said to him, "Master, do you mean this figure for us, or is it for everybody?" ⁴² And the Master said, "Who then will be the faithful, thoughtful manager, whom his master will put in charge of his household, to give the members of it their supplies at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that slave if his master when he returns finds him doing it. ⁴⁴ I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁵ But if the slave says to himself, 'My master is not coming back for a long time,' and begins to beat the men and women slaves and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ that slave's master will come back some day when he does not expect him, and at some time of which he does not know, and will cut him in two, and put him with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ The slave who knows his master's wishes, but does not get ready or act upon them, will be severely punished. ⁴⁸ But one who does wrong without knowing them will be lightly punished. From anyone who has been given much, much will be required, and of the man to whom people have intrusted much, they will demand even more. ⁴⁹ I have come to bring fire down to the earth, and how I wish it were kindled already! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am till it is over! ⁵¹ Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? Not peace, I tell you, but discord! ⁵² For from now on if there are five people in a house they will be divided three against two and two against three. ⁵³ Father will be against son, and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." ⁵⁴ And he said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rise in the west, you say at once, 'It is going to rain,' and it does. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'It is going to be very hot,' and it is. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the look of the earth and sky; and why can you not interpret this present time? ⁵⁷ Why do you not decide what is right yourselves? ⁵⁸ For when you are going before the magistrate with your opponent, do your best on the way to get rid of him, or he may hurry you off to the judge and the judge hand you over to the constable and the constable throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will never get out again until you have paid the last cent!"

¹⁰ But the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹ I am baptizing you in water in token of your repentance, but he who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not fit to carry his shoes. He will baptize you in the holy Spirit and in fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean up his threshing-floor, and store his wheat in his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with inextinguishable fire."

¹⁶ Your light must burn in that way among men so that they will see the good you do, and praise your Father in heaven.

²² But I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will have to answer to the court, and anyone who speaks contemptuously to his brother will have to answer to the great council, and anyone who says to his brother 'You cursed fool!' will have to answer for it in the fiery pit! ²³ So when you are presenting your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, ²⁴ leave your gift right there before the altar and go and make up with your brother; then come back and present your gift. ²⁵ Be quick and come to terms with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ I tell you, you will never get out again until you have paid the last penny!

³⁶ You must not swear by your own head, for you cannot make one single hair white or black.

⁴² If anyone begs from you, give to him, and when anyone wants to borrow from you, do not turn away.

⁴⁵ so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on bad and good alike, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the wrongdoers.

⁴⁷ And if you are polite to your brothers and no one else, what is there remarkable in that? Do not the very heathen do that?

¹ "But take care not to do your good deeds in public for people to see, for, if you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven.

⁸ You must not be like them. For God, who is your Father, knows what you need before you ask him.

¹⁹ "Do not store up your riches on earth, where moths and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them,

¹⁹ "Do not store up your riches on earth, where moths and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them,

¹⁹ "Do not store up your riches on earth, where moths and rust destroy them, and where thieves break in and steal them, ²⁰ but store up your riches in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them.

²⁰ but store up your riches in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. ²¹ For wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also.

²¹ For wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also.

²⁵ Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat or drink, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body than clothes?

²⁵ Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat or drink, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they?

²⁶ Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they?

²⁶ Look at the wild birds. They do not sow or reap, or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more account than they? ²⁷ But which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life?

²⁷ But which of you with all his worry can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin,

²⁸ Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin, ²⁹ and yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them.

²⁹ and yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them. ³⁰ But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith?

³⁰ But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith?

³⁰ But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will he not much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith? ³¹ So do not worry and say, 'What shall we have to eat?' or 'What shall we have to drink?' or 'What shall we have to wear?'

³¹ So do not worry and say, 'What shall we have to eat?' or 'What shall we have to drink?' or 'What shall we have to wear?' ³² For these are all things the heathen are in pursuit of, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need all this.

³² For these are all things the heathen are in pursuit of, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need all this. ³³ But you must make his kingdom, and uprightness before him, your greatest care, and you will have all these other things besides.

³³ But you must make his kingdom, and uprightness before him, your greatest care, and you will have all these other things besides. ³⁴ So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries of its own. Let each day be content with its own ills.

¹⁵ "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you disguised as sheep but are ravenous wolves underneath.

²² Many will say to me on that Day, 'Lord! Lord! Was it not in your name that we prophesied, and by your name that we drove out demons, and by your name that we did many mighty acts?' ²³ Then I will say to them plainly, 'I never knew you! Go away from me, you who do wrong!'

²³ Then I will say to them plainly, 'I never knew you! Go away from me, you who do wrong!'

²⁶ And he said to them, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and reproved the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.

¹⁷ But be on your guard against men, for they will give you up to their courts, and have you flogged in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you will be brought before governors and kings on my account, to bear your testimony before them and the heathen. ¹⁹ But when they give you up, you must have no anxiety about how to speak or what to say, for you will be told at the very moment what you ought to say, ²⁰ for it is not you who will speak, it is the Spirit of your Father that will speak through you.

²⁰ for it is not you who will speak, it is the Spirit of your Father that will speak through you. ²¹ One brother will give up another to death, and a father his child, and children will turn against their parents, and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everybody on my account, but the man who holds out to the very end will be saved.

²⁶ So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing covered up that is not going to be uncovered, nor secret that is not going to be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark you must say in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, you must proclaim from the housetops.

²⁷ What I tell you in the dark you must say in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, you must proclaim from the housetops. ²⁸ Have no fear of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. You had better be afraid of one who can destroy both soul and body in the pit.

²⁸ Have no fear of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. You had better be afraid of one who can destroy both soul and body in the pit. ²⁹ Do not sparrows sell two for a cent? And yet not one of them can fall to the ground against your Father's will!

²⁹ Do not sparrows sell two for a cent? And yet not one of them can fall to the ground against your Father's will! ³⁰ But the very hairs on your heads are all counted.

³⁰ But the very hairs on your heads are all counted. ³¹ You must not be afraid; you are worth more than a great many sparrows!

³¹ You must not be afraid; you are worth more than a great many sparrows!

³¹ You must not be afraid; you are worth more than a great many sparrows! ³² Therefore everyone who will acknowledge me before men I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, ³³ but anyone who disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

³³ but anyone who disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven. ³⁴ "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, ³⁶ and a man's enemies will be in his own household.

²² But I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will fare better on the Day of Judgment than you will! ²³ And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have stood until today. ²⁴ But I tell you that the land of Sodom will fare better on the Day of Judgment than you will!" ²⁵ At that same time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent and revealing it to children.

²⁵ At that same time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent and revealing it to children. ²⁶ Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so. ²⁷ Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one understands the Son but the Father, nor does anyone understand the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

¹² And how much more a man is worth than a sheep! Therefore, it is right to do people good on the Sabbath."

³¹ Therefore, I tell you, men will be forgiven for any sin or abusive speech, but abusive speech about the Spirit cannot be forgiven. ³² And whoever speaks against the Son of Man will be forgiven for it, but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit cannot be forgiven for it, either in this world or in the world to come.

³⁶ But I tell you, for every careless word that men utter they will have to answer on the Day of Judgment.

¹² For people who have will have more given to them, and will be plentifully supplied, and from people who have nothing even what they have will be taken away.

⁴¹ the Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather up out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and the wrongdoers ⁴² and throw them into the blazing furnace; there they will wail and grind their teeth.

⁴⁹ That is what will happen at the close of the age. The angels will go out and remove the wicked from among the upright, ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace. There they will wail and grind their teeth.

⁵² He said to them, "Then remember that every scribe who has become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven must be like a householder who can supply from his storeroom new things as well as old."

²⁷ But Jesus immediately spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid."

³¹ Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and caught hold of him, and said to him, "Why did you waver? You have so little faith!"

¹⁰ And he called the people to him and said to them, ¹¹ "Listen to this, and grasp it! It is not what goes into a man's mouth that pollutes him; it is what comes out of his mouth that pollutes a man." ¹² Then his disciples came up to him and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked to hear you say that?" ¹³ But he answered, "Any plant that my heavenly Father did not plant must be uprooted! ¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides! But if one blind man leads another, they will both fall into the ditch!"

² He answered, ³ OMITTED TEXT

³ OMITTED TEXT ⁴ "It is a wicked and faithless age that insists on a sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah." And he left them and went away.

⁶ And Jesus said to them, "Look out, and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" ⁷ But they were discussing something with one another, and saying, "We have not brought any bread!" ⁸ Jesus noticed it and said, "Why are you discussing with one another your being without bread? You have so little faith!

⁸ Jesus noticed it and said, "Why are you discussing with one another your being without bread? You have so little faith! ⁹ Do you not understand yet? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets full you gathered up? ¹⁰ Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets full you gathered up? ¹¹ Why do you not see that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" ¹² Then they understood that he was warning them not against yeast but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹⁷ Jesus answered, "O you unbelieving, obstinate people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!"

²⁰ He said to them, "Because you have so little faith. For I tell you, if you have faith the size of a grain of mustard, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here over to there!' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills, and go in search of the one that is astray? ¹³ And if he happens to find it, I tell you he rejoices more over it than he does over the ninety-nine that did not stray. ¹⁴ In just that way, it is the will of my Father in heaven that not a single one of these children be lost.

¹⁴ In just that way, it is the will of my Father in heaven that not a single one of these children be lost.

³⁰ But he refused and went and had him put in prison until he should pay the debt.

³⁴ So his master in his anger handed him over to the jailers, until he should pay all he owed him.

²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go! Sell your property and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come back and be a follower of mine."

⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'

¹² and said, 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have put them on the same footing with us who have done the heavy work of the day and have stood the midday heat.'

¹⁶ So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last." ¹⁷ When Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve off by themselves, and said to them as they were on the way, ¹⁸ "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹ and hand him over to the heathen to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised to life." ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came up to him with her sons, bowing low, to ask a favor of him. ²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Give orders that these two sons of mine sit one at your right and one at your left, when you are king!" ²² But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking for! Can you drink what I am going to drink?" They answered, "Yes, we can."

²¹ Jesus answered, "I tell you, if you have faith and have no doubt, you will not only do what I have done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Get up and throw yourself into the sea,' it will be done.

³² For John came to you with a way of uprightness, and you would not believe him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes believed him, but even after seeing that, you would not change your minds and believe him!

¹ And Jesus spoke to them again in figures, and said, ² "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king, who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³ And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, and they would not come. ⁴ He sent other slaves a second time, and said to them, 'Tell those who have been asked, "Here I have my banquet all ready, my bullocks and fat cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!" ' ⁵ But they took no notice of it, and went off, one to his estate, and another to his business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves, and ill treated them and killed them.

⁶ and the rest seized his slaves, and ill treated them and killed them. ⁷ This made the king angry, and he sent his troops and put those murderers to death and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his slaves, 'The banquet is ready, but those who were invited have proved unworthy of it. ⁹ So go out where the roads leave the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.' ¹⁰ So his slaves went out on the roads, and got together all the people they could find, good or bad, and the hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw among them a man who did not have on wedding clothes. ¹² And he said to him, 'My friend, how did you happen to come here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say. ¹³ Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the darkness, there to weep and grind his teeth.' ¹⁴ For many are invited but few chosen."

³⁴ This is why I am going to send you prophets, wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and hunt from one town to another;

⁷ For nation will rise in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes here and there. ⁸ All this is only the beginning of the sufferings. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to persecution and they will put you to death, and you will be hated by all the heathen because you bear my name. ¹⁰ Then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

¹⁰ Then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

³² "Let the fig tree teach you the lesson. As soon as its branches grow soft and put forth leaves, you know that summer is coming. ³³ So when you see all these things, you must know that he is just at the door.

⁴² So you must be on the watch, for you do not know on what day your Master is coming.

⁴² So you must be on the watch, for you do not know on what day your Master is coming. ⁴³ But you may be sure of this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the watch, and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you must be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not expect him.

⁴⁴ Therefore you must be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not expect him. ⁴⁵ "Who then will be the faithful, thoughtful slave whom his master put in charge of his household, to give the members of it their supplies at the proper time?

⁴⁵ "Who then will be the faithful, thoughtful slave whom his master put in charge of his household, to give the members of it their supplies at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave if his master when he returns finds him doing it.

⁴⁶ Blessed is that slave if his master when he returns finds him doing it. ⁴⁷ I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

⁴⁷ I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁸ But if he is a bad slave and says to himself, 'My master is going to stay a long time,'

⁴⁸ But if he is a bad slave and says to himself, 'My master is going to stay a long time,' ⁴⁹ and begins to beat the other slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

⁴⁹ and begins to beat the other slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ that slave's master will come back some day when he does not expect him, and at some time of which he does not know

⁵⁰ that slave's master will come back some day when he does not expect him, and at some time of which he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in two, and put him with the hypocrites, to weep and gnash his teeth.

⁵¹ and will cut him in two, and put him with the hypocrites, to weep and gnash his teeth.

¹ "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

¹ "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were foolish and five were sensible. ³ For the foolish ones brought their lamps but brought no oil with them, ⁴ but the sensible ones with their lamps brought oil in their flasks.

⁴ but the sensible ones with their lamps brought oil in their flasks. ⁵ As the bridegroom was slow in coming, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

⁵ As the bridegroom was slow in coming, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!'

⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!'

⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!' ⁷ Then all the bridesmaids awoke, and trimmed their lamps.

⁷ Then all the bridesmaids awoke, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

⁸ And the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' ⁹ But the sensible ones answered, 'There may not be enough for us and you. You had better go to the dealers and buy yourselves some.'

⁹ But the sensible ones answered, 'There may not be enough for us and you. You had better go to the dealers and buy yourselves some.' ¹⁰ But while they were gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and the ones that were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was closed.

¹⁰ But while they were gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and the ones that were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was closed. ¹¹ Afterward the other bridesmaids came and said, 'Sir! Sir! Open the door for us!' ¹² But he answered, 'I tell you, I do not know you!'

¹² But he answered, 'I tell you, I do not know you!' ¹³ So you must be on the watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour.

¹³ So you must be on the watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour. ¹⁴ "For it is just like a man who was going on a journey, and called in his slaves, and put his property in their hands. ¹⁵ He gave one five thousand dollars, and another two thousand, and another one thousand; to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ The man who had received the five thousand dollars immediately went into business with the money, and made five thousand more. ¹⁷ In the same way the man who had received the two thousand made two thousand more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received the one thousand went away and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹ Long afterward, their master came back and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And the man who had received the five thousand dollars came up bringing him five thousand more, and said, 'Sir, you put five thousand dollars in my hands; here I have made five thousand more.'

²⁰ And the man who had received the five thousand dollars came up bringing him five thousand more, and said, 'Sir, you put five thousand dollars in my hands; here I have made five thousand more.' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come, share your master's enjoyment!'

²¹ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come, share your master's enjoyment!' ²² And the man who had received the two thousand came up and said, 'Sir, you put two thousand dollars into my hands; here I have made two thousand more.'

²² And the man who had received the two thousand came up and said, 'Sir, you put two thousand dollars into my hands; here I have made two thousand more.' ²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come! share your master's enjoyment.'

²³ His master said to him, 'Well done, my excellent, faithful slave! you have been faithful about a small amount; I will put a large one into your hands. Come! share your master's enjoyment.' ²⁴ And the man who had received the one thousand came up and said, 'Sir, I knew you were a hard man, who reaped where you had not sown, and gathered where you had not threshed, ²⁵ and I was frightened, and I went and hid your thousand dollars in the ground. Here is your money!' ²⁶ His master answered, 'You wicked, idle slave! You knew that I reaped where I had not sown and gathered where I had not threshed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and then when I came back I would have gotten my property with interest. ²⁸ So take the thousand dollars away from him, and give it to the man who has the ten thousand, ²⁹ for the man who has will have more given him, and will be plentifully supplied, and from the man who has nothing even what he has will be taken away.

³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his splendor, with all his angels with him, he will take his seat on his glorious throne,

³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his splendor, with all his angels with him, he will take his seat on his glorious throne, ³² and all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates his sheep from his goats, ³³ and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world.

³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world.

⁴¹ Then he will say to those at his left, 'Begone, you accursed people, to the everlasting fire destined for the devil and his angels!

⁴⁶ Then they will go away to everlasting punishment, and the upright to everlasting life."

²⁸ I tell you, men will be forgiven for everything, for all their sins and all the abusive things they say. ²⁹ But whoever reviles the holy Spirit can never be forgiven, but is guilty of an unending sin." ³⁰ This was because they said, "He is possessed by a foul spirit."

²² For no one hides anything except for the purpose of sometime bringing it to light again, and people keep things secret only to reveal them some day.

²⁶ The king was exceedingly sorry, but on account of his oath and his guests he did not like to break his word to her,

²² greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, abusiveness, arrogance, folly—

¹⁵ And he warned them, saying, "Look out! Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!" ¹⁶ They were discussing with one another their being without bread. ¹⁷ And he noticed it and said to them, "Why do you discuss your being without bread? Do you not yet see nor understand? Are your minds so dull? ¹⁸ When you have eyes can you not see, and when you have ears can you not hear? Do you not remember ¹⁹ how many baskets of pieces you picked up when I broke the five loaves in pieces for those five thousand men?" They said to him, "Twelve." ²⁰ "When I broke the seven loaves in pieces for the four thousand, how many baskets of pieces did you pick up?" They said to him, "Seven." ²¹ He said to them, "Do you not understand yet?"

³⁸ For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teachings in this unfaithful and sinful age, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes back in his Father's glory, with the holy angels."

³² As they went on their way up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them, and they were in dismay, and those who still followed were afraid. And he took the Twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ "See!" he said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the heathen ³⁴ and they will ridicule him and spit on him and flog him and kill him; and three days after he will rise again." ³⁵ And Zebedee's two sons, James and John, came up to him and said, "Master, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." ³⁶ He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³⁷ They said to him, "Let us sit one at your right hand and one at your left, in your triumph." ³⁸ Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink what I am drinking, or undergo the baptism that I am undergoing?"

⁴² A poor widow came up and dropped in two little copper coins which make a cent.

⁹ But you must be on your guard; they will hand you over to courts and you will be taken into synagogues and beaten, and you will be brought before governors and kings on my account, to testify to them. ¹⁰ For before the end the good news must be preached to all the heathen. ¹¹ When they are taking you off to trial do not worry beforehand about what you ought to say, but say whatever is given you when the time comes, for it is not you that will speak, but the holy Spirit.

²³ But you must be on your guard; I have told you all about it beforehand.

³³ You must look out and be on the alert, for you do not know when it will be time; ³⁴ just as a man when he leaves home to go on a journey, and puts his slaves in charge, each with his duties, gives orders to the watchman to keep watch.

³⁴ just as a man when he leaves home to go on a journey, and puts his slaves in charge, each with his duties, gives orders to the watchman to keep watch. ³⁵ So you must be on the watch, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening or at midnight or toward daybreak or early in the morning—

³⁵ So you must be on the watch, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening or at midnight or toward daybreak or early in the morning— ³⁶ for fear he should come unexpectedly and find you asleep.

³⁶ for fear he should come unexpectedly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I am telling you I mean for all—Be on the watch!"

³⁷ And what I am telling you I mean for all—Be on the watch!"

³⁷ When he went back he found them asleep and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Were you not able to watch for one hour?

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Symeon, an upright, devout man, who was living in expectation of the comforting of Israel, and under the influence of the holy Spirit. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah. ²⁷ And under the Spirit's influence he went into the Temple, and when Jesus' parents brought him there to do for him what the Law required, ²⁸ Symeon also took him in his arms and blessed God, and said, ²⁹ "Now, Master, you will let your slave go free In peace, as you promised, ³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation

¹¹ And he answered, "The man who has two shirts must share with the man who has none, and the man who has food must do the same."

¹ Once as the crowd was pressing about him to hear God's message, he happened to be standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,

¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread more and more, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

²⁰ When he saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven!"

¹⁷ And he came down with them and took his stand on a level place with a great throng of his disciples, and a large number of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be cured of their diseases.

²⁴ "But alas for you who are rich, for you have had your comfort!

⁴⁵ A good man, out of the good he has accumulated in his heart, produces good, and a bad man, out of what he has accumulated that is bad, produces what is bad. For his mouth says only what his heart is full of.

¹³ And when the Master saw her, he pitied her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

¹⁴ And what falls among the thorns means those who listen and pass on, and the worries and wealth and pleasures of life stifle them and they yield nothing.

¹⁷ For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor kept secret that shall not be known and come to light.

²⁵ And he said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and amazed, and said to one another, "Who can he be? For he gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey him!"

²⁶ For if anyone is ashamed of me and my teaching the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when he comes with all the glory of his Father and of the holy angels.

⁷ Stay at the same house, eating and drinking what they offer you, for the workman deserves his pay. Do not change from one house to another. ⁸ Whenever you come to a town and they welcome you, eat what is offered you,

¹² I tell you, on that Day Sodom will fare better than that town! ¹³ Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the wonders that have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes! ¹⁴ But Tyre and Sidon will fare better than you at the Judgment! ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum! Are you to be exalted to the skies? You will go down among the dead!

²¹ At that moment he was inspired with joy, and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent, and revealing it to children! Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so!

²⁵ Then an expert in the Law got up to test him and said, "Master, what must I do to make sure of eternal life?"

⁴² indeed there is only one thing we need. For Mary has chosen the right thing, and it must not be taken away from her."

⁴⁰ You fools! Did not the Creator of the outside make the inside too? ⁴¹ But give your inmost life as charity, and you will immediately find everything clean.

⁴⁴ Alas for you! For you are like unmarked graves which men tread upon without knowing it."

⁵³ After he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began to watch him closely and to try to draw him out on many subjects, ⁵⁴ plotting to entrap him in something he might say.

⁷ But the very hairs on your heads are all counted! You must not be afraid, you are worth more than a great many sparrows!

¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have great wealth stored up for years to come. Now take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself." ' ²⁰ But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded of you. Then who will have all you have prepared?' ²¹ That is the way with the man who lays up money for himself, and is not rich with God." ²² And he said to his disciples, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about life, wondering what you will have to eat, or about your body, wondering what you will have to wear.

²⁴ Think of the crows! They do not sow or reap, and they have no storehouses or barns, and God feeds them. How much more you are worth than the birds!

²⁷ See how the lilies grow. They do not toil or spin, but, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them.

²⁹ So you must not ask what you are to have to eat or drink, and you must not be anxious about it. ³⁰ For these are all things the nations of the world are in pursuit of, and your Father knows well that you need them. ³¹ But you must strive to find his kingdom, and you will have these other things besides. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.

³² Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell what belongs to you, and give away the money! Get yourselves purses that will never wear out, inexhaustible riches in heaven, where thieves cannot get near nor moths destroy.

⁴⁰ You must be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not expect him."

⁴³ Blessed is that slave if his master when he returns finds him doing it.

⁴⁹ I have come to bring fire down to the earth, and how I wish it were kindled already!

⁵¹ Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? Not peace, I tell you, but discord! ⁵² For from now on if there are five people in a house they will be divided three against two and two against three.

⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the look of the earth and sky; and why can you not interpret this present time?

²⁴ "You must strain every nerve to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you many will try to get in, and will not succeed, ²⁵ when the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock on the door, and say, 'Open it for us, sir!' Then he will answer you and say, 'I do not know where you come from,' ²⁶ Then you will go on to say, 'We have been entertained with you, and you have taught in our streets!'

²⁶ Then you will go on to say, 'We have been entertained with you, and you have taught in our streets!' ²⁷ And he will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wrongdoers!'

²⁷ And he will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Get away from me, all you wrongdoers!' ²⁸ There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are put outside.

³¹ Just then some Pharisees came up and said to him, "Go! Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you!" ³² He said to them, "Go and say to that fox, 'Here I am, driving out demons and performing cures, today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be through. ³³ But I must go on today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.'

¹³ But when you give an entertainment, invite people who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind. ¹⁴ Then you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright."

³¹ Or what king, if he is going to meet another king in battle, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the other who is coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if he cannot, while the other is still far away, he sends envoys to him and asks on what terms he will make peace.

¹⁰ In just that way, I tell you, there is joy among the angels of God over one sinful person who repents!"

¹ And he said to his disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this man was squandering his property. ² So he called him in and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Make an accounting for your conduct of my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer!'

² So he called him in and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Make an accounting for your conduct of my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer!' ³ Then the manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do, because my master is going to take my position away from me? I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

³ Then the manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do, because my master is going to take my position away from me? I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my position people will take me into their homes.' ⁵ Then he called in each of his master's debtors, and he said to the first one, 'How much do you owe my master?' ⁶ He said, 'Eight hundred gallons of oil.' And he said to him, 'Here is your agreement; sit right down and write four hundred!' ⁷ Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' He answered, 'Fifteen hundred bushels of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your agreement; write twelve hundred.' ⁸ And his master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder in their relation to their own age than the sons of the light. ⁹ So I tell you, make friends for yourselves with your ill-gotten wealth, so that when it fails, they may take you into the eternal dwellings.

⁹ So I tell you, make friends for yourselves with your ill-gotten wealth, so that when it fails, they may take you into the eternal dwellings. ¹⁰ The man who can be trusted in a very small matter can be trusted in a large one, and the man who cannot be trusted in a very small matter cannot be trusted in a large one.

¹⁰ The man who can be trusted in a very small matter can be trusted in a large one, and the man who cannot be trusted in a very small matter cannot be trusted in a large one. ¹¹ So if you have proved untrustworthy in using your ill-gotten wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

¹¹ So if you have proved untrustworthy in using your ill-gotten wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

¹¹ So if you have proved untrustworthy in using your ill-gotten wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have been untrustworthy about what belonged to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you?

¹² And if you have been untrustworthy about what belonged to someone else, who will give you what belongs to you? ¹³ No servant can belong to two masters, for he will either hate one and love the other, or he will stand by one and make light of the other. You cannot serve God and money!" ¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were avaricious, heard all this, and they ridiculed him.

¹⁴ The Pharisees, who were avaricious, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, "You are the men who parade your uprightness before people, but God knows your hearts. For what men consider great is detestable in the sight of God. ¹⁶ Until John came, it was the Law and the Prophets. From that time the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone has been crowding into it. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dotting of an i in the Law to go unfulfilled. ¹⁸ Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman who has been divorced from her husband commits adultery. ¹⁹ "There was once a rich man, who used to dress in purple and fine linen, and to live in luxury every day.

¹⁹ "There was once a rich man, who used to dress in purple and fine linen, and to live in luxury every day. ²⁰ And a beggar named Lazarus was put down at his gate covered with sores ²¹ and eager to satisfy his hunger with what was thrown away from the rich man's table. Why, the very dogs came and licked his sores. ²² And it came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to the companionship of Abraham, and the rich man too died and was buried.

²² And it came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to the companionship of Abraham, and the rich man too died and was buried. ²³ And in Hades he looked up, tormented as he was, and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus beside him.

²³ And in Hades he looked up, tormented as he was, and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus beside him. ²⁴ And he called to him and said, 'Father Abraham! take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in torment, here in the flames!' ²⁵ And Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus had his misfortunes in his; and now he is being comforted here, while you are in anguish. ²⁶ Besides there is a great chasm set between you and us, so that those who want to go over from this side to you cannot, and they cannot cross from your side to us.'

²⁶ Besides there is a great chasm set between you and us, so that those who want to go over from this side to you cannot, and they cannot cross from your side to us.' ²⁷ And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers; let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torture.' ²⁹ Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.' ³⁰ But he said, 'No! Father Abraham, but if someone will go to them from the dead, they will repent!' ³¹ He answered, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead!' "

⁸ instead of saying to him, 'Get my supper ready, and dress yourself, and wait on me while I eat and drink, and you can eat and drink afterward'?

⁴ And he would not for a time, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God nor respect for men,

⁶ And the Master said, "Listen to what this dishonest judge said!

²² When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is one thing that you still lack. Sell all that you have, and divide the money among the poor, and then you will have riches in heaven; and come back and be a follower of mine."

³ who wanted to see who Jesus was, and he could not because of the crowd, for he was a small man.

¹⁵ And when he had secured the appointment and returned, he ordered the slaves to whom he had given the money to be called in, so that he could find out how much they had made. ¹⁶ The first one came in and said, 'Your twenty dollars has made two hundred, sir!' ¹⁷ And he said to him, 'Well done, my excellent slave! You have proved trustworthy about a very small amount, you shall be governor of ten towns.'

¹⁷ And he said to him, 'Well done, my excellent slave! You have proved trustworthy about a very small amount, you shall be governor of ten towns.' ¹⁸ The second came in and said, 'Your twenty dollars has made a hundred, sir!' ¹⁹ And he said to him, 'And you shall be governor of five towns!'

³⁹ Some Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Master, reprove your disciples!" ⁴⁰ And he answered, "I tell you, if they keep silence, the stones will cry out!"

⁴² and said, "If you yourself only knew today the conditions of peace! But as it is, they are hidden from you. ⁴³ For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up earthworks about you and surround you and shut you in on all sides, ⁴⁴ and they will throw you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not know when God visited you!"

¹² But before all this, men will arrest you and persecute you, and hand you over to synagogues and prisons and have you brought before kings and governors on my account. ¹³ It will all lead to your testifying. ¹⁴ So make up your minds not to prepare your defense, ¹⁵ for I will give you such wisdom of utterance as none of your opponents will be able to resist or dispute.

¹⁸ Yet not a hair of your head will perish!

³⁰ As soon as they put out their leaves, you see them and you know without being told that summer is coming.

³⁴ But take care that your hearts are not loaded down with self-indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares, and that day takes you by surprise, like a trap.

³⁴ But take care that your hearts are not loaded down with self-indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares, and that day takes you by surprise, like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come on all who are living anywhere on the face of the earth. ³⁶ But you must be vigilant and always pray that you may succeed in escaping all this that is going to happen, and in standing in the presence of the Son of Man."

³⁶ But you must be vigilant and always pray that you may succeed in escaping all this that is going to happen, and in standing in the presence of the Son of Man."

²⁹ So just as my Father has conferred a kingdom on me ³⁰ I confer on you the right to eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and to sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel!

³⁵ And he said to them, "When I sent you out without any purse or bag or shoes, was there anything you needed?" They said, "No, nothing."

⁵⁸ Shortly after, a man saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "I am not!"

³⁴ And they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots for them,

³⁴ Jesus said to them, "My food is doing the will of him who has sent me, and finishing his work.

¹⁵ So Jesus, seeing that they meant to come and carry him off to make him king, retired again to the hill by himself.

²⁷ You must not work for the food that perishes, but for that which lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has authorized him to do so."

⁶ Then Jesus said to them, "It is not yet time for me to act, but any time is suitable for you. ⁷ It is impossible for the world to hate you, but it does hate me for testifying that its ways are wrong. ⁸ As for you, go up to the festival; I am not going up to this festival as yet, for it is not quite time for me to go."

¹⁰ But after his brothers had gone up to the festival, then Jesus went up also, not publicly, but as though he did not wish to be observed.

²⁴ You must not judge so externally; you must judge justly!"

⁴¹ Others said, "This is the Christ!" But they rejoined, "What! Is the Christ to come from Galilee? ⁴² Do not the Scriptures say that the Christ is to spring from the descendants of David and to come from the village of Bethlehem where David lived?" ⁴³ So the people were divided about him,

¹¹ OMITTED TEXT

⁴ We must carry on the work of him who has sent me while the daylight lasts. Night is coming, when no one can do any work.

¹⁶ Then some of the Pharisees said, "This man does not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man show such signs as this?" And there was a division of opinion among them.

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would be guilty of no sin, but as it is, you say 'We can see'; so your sin continues.

¹⁹ These words caused a fresh division of opinion among the Jews. ²⁰ Many of them said, "He is possessed and mad! Why do you listen to him?" ²¹ Others said, "These are not the words of a man who is possessed. Can a madman make blind men see?"

²⁶ but you do not believe it because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them and they follow me, ²⁸ and I give them eternal life, and they shall never be lost, and no one shall tear them out of my hands. ²⁹ What my Father has intrusted to me is of more importance than everything else, and no one can tear anything out of the Father's hands. ³⁰ The Father and I are one."

³⁹ In consequence of this they again tried to arrest him, and he withdrew out of their reach. ⁴⁰ He went across the Jordan again to the place where John used to baptize at first, and there he stayed. ⁴¹ And people came to him in great numbers, and they said of him, "John did not show any sign in proof of his mission, but all that he said about this man was true."

⁸ The disciples said to him, "Master, the Jews have just been trying to stone you, and are you going back there again?" ⁹ Jesus answered, "Is not the day twelve hours long? If a man travels by day he will not stumble, for he can see the light of this world; ¹⁰ but if he travels at night he will stumble because he has no light."

⁶ But he did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief and when he had charge of the purse he used to take what was put in it.

¹⁷ The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead was telling about it. ¹⁸ That was why the crowd went out to meet him, because they heard that he had showed that sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see, you cannot do anything! The whole world has run after him!"

²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and wherever I am found, my servant must be also. If anyone serves me, my Father will show him honor. ²⁷ Now my heart is troubled; what am I to say? Father, save me from this trial! And yet it was for this very purpose that I have come to this trial. ²⁸ Father, honor your own name!" Then there came a voice from the sky, "I have honored it, and I will honor it again!"

⁴⁸ Whoever rejects me and refuses to accept my teachings is not without his judge; the very message I have given will be his judge on the Last Day,

⁴ rose from the table, took off his outer clothing, and fastened a towel about his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel that was about his waist.

¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you to do. ¹⁵ I do not call you slaves any longer, for a slave does not know what his master is doing, but now I call you friends, for I have made known to you everything that I have learned from my Father.

¹⁸ If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, the world would love what was its own. But it is because you do not belong to the world, but I have selected you from the world, that the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I said to you: No slave is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me they will persecute you too. If they have observed my teaching, they will observe yours too. ²¹ But they will do all this to you on my account, because they do not understand him who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin.

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but as it is, they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done things before them that no one else ever did they would not be guilty of sin. But as it is, they have seen both me and my Father, and they have hated us both.

² They will exclude you from their synagogues; why, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing religious service to God.

¹¹ Then Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has offered me?"

³⁵ Pilate answered, "Do you take me for a Jew? Your own people and the high priests handed you over to me. What offense have you committed?" ³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin."

³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin."

¹¹ Jesus answered him, "You would have no power at all over me, if it were not given to you from above. So you are less guilty than the man who betrayed me to you."

³⁰ When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, "It is finished!" Then bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, "You must not cling to me, for I have not yet gone up to my Father, but go to my brothers and say to them that I am going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, are you more devoted to me than these others are?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Master, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Then feed my lambs!" ¹⁶ Again Jesus said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, are you devoted to me?" He said to him, "Yes, Master, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Then be a shepherd to my sheep!" ¹⁷ Jesus said to him a third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because the third time Jesus asked him if he loved him, and he answered, "Master, you know everything, you can see that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Then feed my sheep!

³⁷ When they heard this, they were stung to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

⁴⁰ He said much more besides in giving his testimony, and urged them to save themselves from that crooked age.

⁴⁵ and sold their property and belongings, and divided the money with all the rest, according to their special needs.

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has done this honor to his servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and disowned before Pilate, when he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ But you disowned the Holy, Righteous One. You asked to have a murderer released for you,

²⁴ Why, all the prophets from Samuel down, who have spoken, have also foretold these days. ²⁵ You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the agreement that God made with your forefathers when he said to Abraham, 'Through your posterity all the families of the earth will be blessed.' ²⁶ It was to you that God first sent his servant after he had raised him from the dead, to bless you by making every one of you turn from his wickedness."

⁵ On the next day the leading members of the council, the elders, and the scribes met in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who belonged to the high priest's family. ⁷ They had the apostles brought before them and demanded of them, "By what power or authority have men like you done this?" ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders of the people and members of the council,

¹³ They were amazed to see how outspoken Peter and John were, and to find that they were uneducated men with no advantages. They recognized them as companions of Jesus,

³⁴ No one among them was in any want, for any who owned lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sale ³⁵ and put them at the disposal of the apostles; then they were shared with everyone in proportion to his need.

²⁷ So they brought them before the council. The high priest called on them for an explanation. ²⁸ "We strictly forbade you," he said, "to teach on this authority, and here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and propose to hold us responsible for this man's death!" ²⁹ Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our forefathers raised Jesus to life when you had hung him on a cross and killed him. ³¹ God took him up to his right hand as our leader and savior, in order to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³² We and the holy Spirit which God has given to those who obey him are witnesses to these things."

⁹ But members of the synagogue known as that of the Libyans, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia undertook to debate with Stephen, ¹⁰ but they could not meet his wisdom and the inspiration with which he spoke.

¹⁰ but they could not meet his wisdom and the inspiration with which he spoke. ¹¹ So they instigated people to say, "We have heard him use abusive language about Moses and about God." ¹² They aroused the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they set upon him and seized him, and brought him before the council. ¹³ Then they brought forward false witnesses, who said, "This man is constantly saying things against this holy place and against the Law, ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will tear this place down and change the customs that have been handed down to us by Moses." ¹⁵ Everyone who sat in the council fixed his eyes on him, and they saw that his face was like that of an angel.

² He answered, "Brothers and fathers, listen. The glorious God appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, ³ and he said to him, 'Leave your country and your relatives and come to the country that I will show you.' ⁴ So he left the country of the Chaldeans and went to live in Haran, and from there after the death of his father, God caused him to move into this country where you now live. ⁵ He gave him no property in it, not a single foot, but he promised to give it to him and his posterity after him permanently, though he had no children at that time. ⁶ This was what God said: 'His descendants will be strangers, living in a foreign land, and they will be enslaved and misused for four hundred years, ⁷ and I will sentence the nation that has enslaved them,' God said, 'and afterward they will leave that country and worship me on this spot.' ⁸ And he made the agreement of circumcision with him, and so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. ⁹ The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God was with him, ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor of Egypt and of his whole household. ¹¹ Then a famine spread all over Egypt and Canaan, and there was great suffering, and our forefathers could not find any food. ¹² But Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and he sent our forefathers on their first visit there. ¹³ On their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Pharaoh learned of Joseph's parentage. ¹⁴ Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all, ¹⁵ and Jacob came down to Egypt. There he and our forefathers died, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. ¹⁷ As the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise God had made to Abraham, the people became more and more numerous in Egypt, ¹⁸ until another king, who knew nothing about Joseph, became ruler of Egypt. ¹⁹ He took advantage of our people and oppressed our forefathers, making them abandon their infant children, so that they should not live. ²⁰ It was at this time that Moses was born. He was a wonderfully beautiful child, and for three months he was taken care of in his father's house. ²¹ When he was abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh adopted him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was educated in all the Egyptian culture; he was strong in speech and action. ²³ When he was forty years old, it occurred to him to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. ²⁴ Seeing one of them being imposed upon, he interfered and defended the man who was being ill treated, striking down the Egyptian. ²⁵ He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him as the means of delivering them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day, he came across two of them fighting and tried to pacify them. He said to them, 'You are brothers. Why should you injure each other?' ²⁷ But the aggressor thrust him off, saying, 'Who made you our ruler and judge? ²⁸ Do you mean to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?' ²⁹ At those words Moses fled, and went and lived for a time in Midian, and two sons were born to him there. ³⁰ When forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it he wondered at the sight, and when he went up to see what it was, the voice of the Lord said, ³² 'I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Moses was terrified and did not dare to look at it. ³³ Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your shoes, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have seen all the oppression of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groans, and I have come down to save them. So come! I will make you my messenger to Egypt!' ³⁵ The Moses whom they had refused, saying to him, 'Who made you our ruler and judge?' God sent both to rule and to deliver them, with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ It was he who brought them out of Egypt, and did wonders and signs there, and at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the desert. ³⁷ This was the Moses who said to the descendants of Israel, 'God will make a prophet rise from among your brothers to teach you, just as he made me rise.' ³⁸ It was he who with the congregation in the desert went between the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and our forefathers, and received and communicated to you utterances that still live. ³⁹ Yet our forefathers would not listen to him, but thrust him off, and their hearts turned back to Egypt, ⁴⁰ for they said to Aaron, 'Make us gods to march in front of us, for as for this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!' ⁴¹ They even made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to their idol, and held a celebration over what their own hands had made. ⁴² So God turned his back on them and left them to worship the starry host, just as the Book of the Prophets says, " 'Was it victims and sacrifices that you offered to me, O house of Israel, Those forty years in the desert? ⁴³ You offered me the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rompha, The images you had made to worship! So I will deport you beyond Babylon.' ⁴⁴ In the desert our forefathers had the Tent of the Testimony built like the model Moses had seen, just as he who spoke to him told him to make it. ⁴⁵ This tent was handed down to our forefathers and they brought it here with them when under Joshua they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before them, and it existed until the time of David. ⁴⁶ He won the approval of God and begged to be allowed to provide a dwelling for the God of Jacob, ⁴⁷ and Solomon actually built a house for him. ⁴⁸ But the Most High does not live in buildings made by human hands. As the prophet says, ⁴⁹ " 'The sky is my throne, And the earth a footstool for my feet. What house can you build for me? says the Lord, Or what place is there where I can rest? ⁵⁰ Was it not my hand that made it all?' ⁵¹ You stubborn people, with heathen hearts and ears, you are always opposing the holy Spirit, just as your forefathers did! ⁵² Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? They killed the men who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and killed— ⁵³ you who had the Law given to you by angels, and did not obey it!"

⁵⁵ But he, full of the holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at God's right hand.

¹⁸ But when Simon saw that the holy Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, "Give me also this power to communicate the holy Spirit to anyone I place my hands upon."

²⁶ Brothers! Descendants of the house of Abraham, and those others among you who reverence God! It is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For the people of Jerusalem and their leaders refused to recognize him, and condemned him, thus fulfilling the very utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, ²⁸ and though they could find no ground for putting him to death, they demanded of Pilate that he be executed. ²⁹ When they had carried out everything that had been said about him in the Scriptures, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up to Jerusalem with him from Galilee, and they are now witnesses for him to the people. ³² So we now bring you the good news ³³ that God has fulfilled to us, their children, the promise that he made to our forefathers, by raising Jesus to life, just as the Scripture says in the second psalm, You are my Son! Today I have become your Father!' ³⁴ Now as evidence that he has raised him from the dead, never again to return to decay, he said this: 'I will fulfil to you my sacred promises to David.' ³⁵ For in another psalm he says, 'You will not let your Holy One undergo decay.' ³⁶ Now David, after serving God's purposes in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his forefathers and did undergo decay, ³⁷ but he whom God raised to life did not undergo it. ³⁸ You must understand therefore, my brothers, that through him the forgiveness of your sins is announced to you,

⁴³ and after the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout converts to Judaism went away with Paul and Barnabas, and they talked with them, and urged them to rely on the favor of God. ⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost all the town gathered to hear God's message. ⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowd, they were very jealous, and they contradicted what Paul said and abused him. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly, and said, "God's message had to be told to you first, but since you thrust it off and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the heathen.

¹ At Iconium in the same way, they went to the Jewish synagogue and spoke with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ² But the Jews who refused their message stirred up the heathen and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³ They spent some time there, speaking fearlessly and relying upon the Lord, who bore witness to his gracious message by letting signs and wonders be done by them. ⁴ But the people of the town were divided, some siding with the Jews and some with the apostles.

¹⁷ though he did not fail to give some evidence about himself, through his kindnesses to you, in sending you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, giving you food and happiness to your heart's content."

³⁰ He led them out of the jail and said to them, "Gentlemen, what must I do to be saved?"

³⁰ While God overlooked those times of ignorance, he now calls upon all men everywhere to repent,

²² I am here now on my way to Jerusalem, for the Spirit compels me to go there, though I do not know what will happen to me there,

²⁴ But my life does not matter, if I can only finish my race and do the service intrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of declaring the good news of God's favor.

²⁸ Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the holy Spirit has made you guardians, and be shepherds of the church of God, which he got at the cost of his own life.

²⁰ They praised God when they heard it, and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousand believers there are among the Jews, all of them zealous upholders of the Law.

¹ Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are at liberty to speak in your own defense." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. ² "I think myself fortunate, King Agrippa," said he, "that it is before you that I am to defend myself today against all the things the Jews charge me with, ³ especially because you are so familiar with all the Jewish customs and questions. I beg you, therefore, to listen to me with patience. ⁴ The way I lived from my youth up, spending my early life among my own nation and at Jerusalem, is well known to all Jews, ⁵ for they have known from the first, if they are willing to give evidence, that I was a Pharisee and my life was that of the strictest sect of our religion. ⁶ Even now it is for my hope in the promise that God made to our forefathers that I stand here on trial, ⁷ the promise in the hope of seeing which fulfilled our twelve tribes serve God zealously night and day. It is about this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused by some Jews. ⁸ Why do you all think it incredible that God should raise the dead? ⁹ I once thought it my duty vigorously to oppose the cause of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ That was what I did at Jerusalem when on the authority of the high priests I put many of God's people in prison. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them, ¹¹ and many a time in all the synagogues I had them punished, and tried to force them to say impious things. In my extreme rage against them I even pursued them to distant towns. ¹² I was once going to Damascus on this business, authorized and commissioned by the high priests, ¹³ when on the road at noon, your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun flash around me and my fellow-travelers. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me? You cannot kick against the goad!' ¹⁵ 'Who are you, sir?' said I. The Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for the express purpose of appointing you to serve me and to testify to what you have seen and to the visions you will have of me. ¹⁷ I will save you from your people and from the heathen, to whom I will send you ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that they may have their sins forgiven and have a place among those who are consecrated through faith in me.' ¹⁹ Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey that heavenly vision, ²⁰ but first to the people of Damascus and Jerusalem and then all over Judea, and even to the heathen I preached that they must repent and turn to God and live as men who have repented should. ²¹ That is why the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me. ²² To this day I have had God's help and I stand here to testify to high and low alike, without adding a thing to what Moses and the prophets declared would happen, ²³ if the Christ was to suffer and by being the first to rise from the dead was to proclaim the light to our people and to the heathen." ²⁴ As he said this in his defense, Festus called out, "You are raving, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!" ²⁵ "I am not raving, your Excellency Festus," said Paul, "I am telling the sober truth. ²⁶ The king knows about this, and I can speak to him with freedom. I do not believe that he missed any of this, for it did not happen in a corner! ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!" ²⁸ "You are in a hurry to persuade me and make a Christian of me!" Agrippa said to Paul. ²⁹ "In a hurry or not," said Paul, "I would to God that not only you, but all who hear me today, might be what I am—except for these chains!" ³⁰ Then the king rose, with the governor and Bernice and those who had sat with them, ³¹ and after leaving the room, in talking the matter over together, they said, "This man has not done anything to deserve death or imprisonment." ³² "He might have been set at liberty," said Agrippa to Festus, "if he had not appealed to the emperor."

¹⁸ The next day, as the storm continued to be violent, they began to throw the cargo overboard, ¹⁹ and on the next, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

³⁴ I beg you to eat something; it is necessary for your safety. For not one of you will lose even a hair of his head."

³⁸ When they had had enough to eat, they threw the wheat into the sea, in order to lighten the ship.

²⁴ Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.

¹ Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, if you pose as a judge, for when you pass judgment on someone else, you are condemning yourself, for you, who sit in judgment, do the very same things yourself.

³ And do you suppose, when you sit in judgment upon those who do such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

⁵ But in your obstinacy and impenitence you are storing up wrath for yourself on the Day of Wrath, when the justice of God will burst forth.

¹² All who sin without having the Law will perish without regard to the Law, and all who sin under the Law will be judged by the Law. ¹³ For merely hearing the Law read does not make a man upright in the sight of God; men must obey the Law to be made upright. ¹⁴ When heathen who have no Law instinctively obey what the Law demands, even though they have no law they are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ for they show that what the Law demands is written on their hearts, and their consciences will testify for them, and with their thoughts they will either accuse or perhaps defend themselves, ¹⁶ on that Day when, as the good news I preach teaches, God through Christ Jesus judges what men have kept secret,

¹⁶ on that Day when, as the good news I preach teaches, God through Christ Jesus judges what men have kept secret,

²³ For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is eternal life through union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

²⁸ We know that in everything God works with those who love him, whom he has called in accordance with his purpose, to bring about what is good. ²⁹ For those whom he had marked out from the first he predestined to be made like his Son, so that he should be the eldest of many brothers; ³⁰ and those whom he has predestined he calls, and those whom he calls he makes upright, and those whom he makes upright he glorifies. ³¹ Then what shall we conclude from this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³¹ Then what shall we conclude from this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² Will not he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, with that gift give us everything?

²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, my friend, to answer back to God? Can something a man shapes say to the man who shaped it, "Why did you make me like this?"

⁹ For if with your lips you acknowledge the message that Jesus is Lord, and with your mind you believe that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with their minds men believe and are made upright, and with their lips they make the acknowledgment and are saved.

¹³ Supply the needs of God's people, be unfailing in hospitality.

¹¹ All this especially, because you know this critical time and that it is time for you to wake from your sleep, for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

¹⁴ But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about gratifying your physical cravings.

¹⁸ Such men are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own base passions, and with their plausible and flattering talk they deceive simple-minded people.

⁹ But, as the Scripture says, there are things "Which no eye ever saw and no ear ever heard, And never occurred to the human mind, Which God has provided for those who love him."

¹ The right way for a man to think of us is as Christ's servants, and managers authorized to distribute the secret truths of God. ² Now further, what is always demanded of managers is that they can be depended on.

⁵ Do not form any premature judgments, therefore, but wait until the Lord comes back. For he will light up the darkness that now hides things and show what the motives in people's minds are, and then everyone will get from God the praise he deserves.

⁷ You must clean out the old yeast and become fresh dough, free from the old as you really are. For our Passover lamb is already sacrificed; it is Christ himself. ⁸ So let us keep the festival, not with old yeast nor with the yeast of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and truth.

¹⁰ not that you are to have nothing whatever to do with the immoral people of the world, any more than with its greedy and grasping people or idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world altogether. ¹¹ What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who is supposed to be a Christian brother, and yet is immoral or greedy or idolatrous or abusive or drunken or grasping—with such a person you must not even eat.

¹⁰ or thieves or greedy—drunkards, abusive people, robbers—will not have any share in God's kingdom.

³² I want you to be free from all anxiety. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's work, and how he can please the Lord.

¹⁷ For if I do it of my own accord, I have my pay, but if I do it because I must, it is still a responsibility that I am charged with. ¹⁸ What pay then do I get? Why, that in my preaching I can offer the good news without cost, and so not take full advantage of my rights as a preacher.

¹⁴ Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to wear his hair long is degrading,

³ For I passed on to you, as of first importance, the account I had received, that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures foretold,

³² From the human point of view, what good is it to me that I have fought wild animals here in Ephesus? If the dead do not rise at all, "Let us eat and drink, for we will be dead tomorrow!"

¹⁵ Yes, I am the fragrance of Christ to God, diffused among those who are being saved, and those who are perishing alike; ¹⁶ to the one, a deathly, deadly odor, to the other a vital, life-giving one. Who is qualified for this task? I am!

¹⁰ For we must all appear in our true characters before the tribunal of the Christ, each to be repaid with good or evil for the life he has lived in the body.

² For he says, "I have listened to you at a welcome time, And helped you on a day of deliverance!" Now the welcome time has come! This is the day of deliverance!

¹⁰ pained, when I am always glad, poor, when I make many others rich, penniless, when really I own everything.

² for in spite of a severe ordeal of trouble, their extraordinary gladness, combined with their extreme poverty, has overflowed in a wealth of generosity.

⁶ Remember this: The man who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and the man who sows generously will reap generously. ⁷ Everyone must give what he has made up his mind to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion; God loves a man who is glad to give. ⁸ God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that you will always have enough for every situation, and ample means for every good enterprise: ⁹ as the Scripture says, "He scatters his gifts to the poor; His uprightness will never be forgotten." ¹⁰ He who supplies the sower with seed and so with bread to eat will supply you with seed, and multiply it and enlarge the harvest of your uprightness. ¹¹ You will grow rich in every way, so that through me you can show perfect liberality that will make men thank God for it. ¹² For the rendering of this service does more than supply the wants of God's people; it results in a wealth of thanksgiving to God. ¹³ The way you stand the test of this service must do honor to God, through your fidelity to what you profess as to the good news of Christ, and through the liberality of your contributions for them and for all others; ¹⁴ then they will long for you and pray for you, because of the extraordinary favor God has shown you. ¹⁵ Thank God for his indescribable gift!

²⁰ For you put up with it if a man makes you his slaves, or lives on you, or takes you in, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face.

⁴ but when the proper time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, and made subject to law,

⁵ He foreordained us to become his sons through Jesus Christ, in fulfilment of his generous purpose, ⁶ so that we might praise the splendid blessing which he has given us through his beloved Son. ⁷ It is through union with him and through his blood that we have been delivered and our offenses forgiven, ⁸ in the abundance of his mercy which he has lavished upon us. ⁹ He has given us perfect insight into his secret purpose and understanding of it, in following out the design he planned to carry out in Christ,

¹⁷ So what I mean and insist upon in the Lord's name is this: You must no longer live like the heathen, with their frivolity of mind and darkened understanding.

³ But immorality or any form of vice or greed must not be so much as mentioned among you; that would not be becoming in God's people. ⁴ There must be no indecency or foolish or scurrilous talk—all that is unbecoming. There should be thanksgiving instead. ⁵ For you may be sure that no one who is immoral, or greedy for gain (for that is idolatry) can have any share in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

¹⁴ Stand your ground, then, with the belt of truth around your waist, and put on uprightness as your coat of mail,

²¹ For, as I see it, living means Christ and dying something even better.

²³ I am undecided between the two, for I long to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better,

²⁸ Never for a moment falter before your opponents, for your fearlessness will be a sure sign for them of their coming destruction, but to you it will be an omen, from God himself, of your deliverance.

¹³ For it is God who in his good will is at work in your hearts, inspiring your will and your action.

¹⁵ so that you will be blameless and honest, faultless children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverted age, in which you appear like stars in a dark world,

¹⁸ For there are many who live, as I have often told you, and tell you now with tears, like enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ They are doomed to destruction: their appetites are their god; they glory in their shame; they are absorbed in earthly matters.

¹⁹ They are doomed to destruction: their appetites are their god; they glory in their shame; they are absorbed in earthly matters. ²⁰ But the commonwealth to which we belong is in heaven, and from it we are eagerly awaiting the coming of a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁶ Have no anxiety about anything, but make all your wants known to God in prayer and entreaty, and with thanksgiving.

¹ If, then, you have been raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand. ² Fix your thoughts on the things that are above, not on those that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life now lies hidden with Christ in God.

⁵ So treat as dead your physical nature, as far as immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed are concerned; for it is really idolatry.

⁵ not to gratify his passion, like the heathen who know nothing of God. ⁶ No one is to wrong or defraud his brother in this matter, for the Lord avenges all such things, as we told you before, in the most solemn terms.

² for you yourselves know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord is to come like a thief in the night. ³ When people say, "What peace and security!" then suddenly destruction will be upon them, like birth-pains upon a woman about to give birth to a child, and there will be no escape.

³ When people say, "What peace and security!" then suddenly destruction will be upon them, like birth-pains upon a woman about to give birth to a child, and there will be no escape. ⁴ But you are not in darkness, brothers, so that that Day should surprise you like thieves. ⁵ You all belong to the light and the day. We have nothing to do with night or with darkness. ⁶ So we must not sleep like other men, but we must be vigilant and composed. ⁷ For those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk do so at night,

³ We always have to thank God for you, brothers, as it is right that we should, because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

⁵ This is a proof of God's justice in judging, and it is to prove you worthy of the Kingdom of God, for the sake of which you are suffering,

¹¹ To this end we always pray for you too, asking our God to find you worthy of the call he has given you, and by his power to fulfil every desire you may have for goodness, and every effort of your faith,

¹¹ as set forth in the glorious good news of the blessed God with which I have been intrusted.

¹³ though I once used to abuse, persecute, and insult him. But he had mercy on me, because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief,

¹⁵ so that if I am delayed, you may know how we are to conduct ourselves in the household of God, for it is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

⁸ Physical training is of some service, but religion is of service in every way, for it carries with it the promise of life here and hereafter.

⁶ A widow who gives herself up to pleasure is dead while she is still alive.

¹⁷ Elders who do their duties well should be considered as deserving twice as much as they get, particularly those who work at preaching and teaching.

⁵ and mutual irritation between people of depraved minds, who are lost to the truth and think of religion only as a means of gain. ⁶ And religion with contentment is a great means of gain. ⁷ For we bring nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

⁷ For we bring nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ If we have food and clothing we will be satisfied. ⁹ But men who want to get rich fall into temptations and snares and many foolish, harmful cravings, that plunge people into destruction and ruin. ¹⁰ For love of money is the root of all the evils, and in their eagerness to get rich, some men wander away from the faith and pierce themselves to the heart with many a pang.

¹⁷ Charge the rich of this world not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on such an uncertain thing as riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

¹⁷ Charge the rich of this world not to be arrogant, nor to set their hopes on such an uncertain thing as riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, open-handed and generous, ¹⁹ storing up a valuable treasure for themselves for the future, so as to grasp the life that is life indeed. ²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been intrusted to you. Keep away from the worldly, empty phrases and contradictions of what they falsely call knowledge,

¹² If we endure, we will reign with him! If we disown him, he will also disown us!

² People will be selfish, avaricious, boastful, arrogant, abusive, undutiful, ungrateful, irreverent,

⁴ treacherous, reckless, conceited, caring more for pleasure than for God,

² preach the message; be at it in season and out of season; convince, reprove, exhort people, with perfect patience and willingness to teach.

⁷ I have had a part in the great contest, I have run my race, I have preserved my faith. ⁸ Now the crown of uprightness awaits me, which the Lord, the upright judge, will award me on that Day, and not only me but also all who have loved and hoped for his appearing.

³ and revealed at the proper time in his message, through the preaching with which I have been intrusted at the command of God our Savior,

⁷ For as God's overseer a superintendent must be irreproachable, not arrogant or quick-tempered or given to drink or pugnacious or addicted to dishonest gain,

⁵ Now the faithfulness of Moses in all the house of God was that of a servant, in faithfully repeating what he was told to say;

⁷ Therefore, as the holy Spirit says, "If you hear his voice today, ⁸ Do not harden your hearts as your forefathers provoked me by doing, As in that time of trial in the desert, ⁹ Where your forefathers put my doings to the proof for forty years, Though they saw them all the time. ¹⁰ That was why I was angry with that generation, And I said, 'Their minds are always wandering, And they have never found my paths.' ¹¹ But as I made oath in my anger, They shall never be admitted to my Rest!" ¹² See to it, my brothers, that no one of you has a wicked, unbelieving heart, that turns away from the ever-living God, ¹³ but encourage one another every day, as long as we can still speak of Today, so that no one of you may have his heart hardened by the pleasantness of sin.

⁴ For it is impossible to arouse people to a fresh repentance when they have once for all come into the light and had a taste of the gift from heaven, and shared in the holy Spirit ⁵ and felt the goodness of the word of God and the strong influences of the coming age, ⁶ and yet have fallen back, for they crucify the Son of God on their own account, and hold him up to contempt. ⁷ Ground that drinks in frequent showers and produces vegetation that is of use to those for whom it is cultivated receives God's blessing. ⁸ But if it yields thorns and thistles, it is thought worthless and almost cursed, and it will finally be burned.

²⁶ For if we choose to go on sinning after we have so fully learned the truth, there is no sacrifice left to be offered for our sins, ²⁷ but only the dreadful prospect of judgment and that blazing indignation which is to devour God's enemies. ²⁸ Anyone who breaks the Law of Moses is put to death without any show of pity, on the evidence of only two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse a punishment do you think will anyone deserve who tramples the Son of God underfoot, and treats as worthless the blood of the agreement by which he has been purified, and outrages God's spirit of mercy? ³⁰ For we know who it is that has said, "Vengeance belongs to me! I will pay back!" and in another place, "The Lord will be the judge of his people!" ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

²⁸ Let us, therefore, be thankful that the kingdom given to us cannot be shaken, and so please God by worshiping him with reverence and awe;

⁵ You must not be avaricious; you must be content with what you have, for God himself has said, "I will never let go of you or desert you!"

⁷ Do not forget your former leaders, the men who brought you God's message. Remember how they ended their lives and imitate their faith.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and give way to them, for they are keeping watch in defense of your souls, as men accountable for the trust. Make their work a joy and not a grief, for that would be the worse for you.

¹⁰ but one who is rich ought to rejoice at being reduced in circumstances, for the rich will disappear like the wild flowers. ¹¹ For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, and the flowers wither, and all their beauty is gone. That is the way rich men will fade and die in the midst of their pursuits.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers. Has not God chosen the world's poor to be rich in faith, and to possess the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

²³ and so the Scripture came true that says, "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness, and he was called God's friend."

¹ Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

¹⁵ Such wisdom does not come from above. It is earthly, animal, demon-like.

¹⁷ The wisdom that is from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, considerate, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, whole-hearted, straightforward.

¹³ Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to such and such a town, to stay a year and go into business and make money," ¹⁴ when you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow! You are just a mist, which appears for a little while and then disappears.

¹⁴ when you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow! You are just a mist, which appears for a little while and then disappears. ¹⁵ This, instead of saying, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live to do this or that."

¹⁵ This, instead of saying, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live to do this or that."

¹⁷ So when a man knows what is right and fails to do it, he is guilty of sin.

¹ Come now, you rich people! weep aloud and howl over the miseries that are going to overtake you! ² Your wealth has rotted, your clothes are moth-eaten, ³ your gold and silver are rusted, and their rust will testify against you and eat into your very flesh, for you have stored up fire for the last days.

⁵ You have lived luxuriously and voluptuously here on earth; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.

⁷ So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer has to wait for the precious crop from the ground, and be patient with it, until it gets the early and the late rains. ⁸ You must have patience too; you must keep up your courage, for the coming of the Lord is close at hand.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has caused us to be born anew to a life of hope through Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, ⁴ and to an imperishable, unsullied, and unfading inheritance, which is kept safe for you in heaven, ⁵ and you by God's power are being protected through faith to receive a salvation that is now ready to be disclosed at the last time.

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, and with perfect calmness fix your hopes on the mercy that you are to experience when Jesus Christ is revealed.

²⁴ For "All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And the flower fades,

¹ Free yourselves, therefore, from all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of any kind,

¹⁴ Even if you should suffer for uprightness, you are blessed. But do not be afraid of them, nor be troubled,

¹⁹ In it Enoch went and preached even to those spirits that were in prison,

² and no longer lives by what men desire, but for the rest of his earthly life by what God wills. ³ You have spent time enough in the past in doing as the heathen like to do, indulging in sensuality, passion, drunkenness, carousing, dissipation, and detestable idolatry.

³ You have spent time enough in the past in doing as the heathen like to do, indulging in sensuality, passion, drunkenness, carousing, dissipation, and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They are amazed that you no longer join them in plunging into the flood of dissipation, and they abuse you for it;

⁷ But the end of all things is near. Be serious and collected, therefore, and pray.

¹⁰ Whatever the endowment God has given you, use it in service to one another, like good dispensers of God's varied mercy.

¹ I appeal therefore to those who are elders among you; I am their brother-elder and a witness to what the Christ suffered, and I am to share in the glory that is to be revealed— ² be shepherds of the flock of God that is among you, not as though it were forced upon you but of your own free will, and not from base love of gain but freely, ³ and not as tyrannizing over those in your charge but proving models for the flock; ⁴ and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious wreath that will never fade.

⁷ Throw all your anxiety upon him, for he cares for you. ⁸ Be calm and watchful. Your opponent the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion, wanting to devour you.

¹¹ for then you will be triumphantly admitted to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹³ Yet I think it right, as long as I live in my present tent, to arouse you by a reminder, ¹⁴ for I know that I must soon put it away, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. ¹⁵ I will also take care that after I am gone you will be able at any time to call these things to mind.

³ In their greed they will exploit you with pretended arguments. From of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not slumbered.

³ In their greed they will exploit you with pretended arguments. From of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not slumbered. ⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but plunged them into Tartarus, and committed them to dark dungeons to await their doom,

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but plunged them into Tartarus, and committed them to dark dungeons to await their doom,

¹³ suffering wrong as the reward for their wrongdoing. They find pleasure in the indulgence of the moment; they are a stain and a disgrace, and they revel in their deceit while they join in your religious meals. ¹⁴ They have eyes for nobody but adulterous women—eyes insatiable in sin. They lure unsteadfast souls. Their hearts are trained in greed. They are accursed!

¹⁹ promising them freedom when they are themselves slaves of destruction; for a man is the slave of whatever overcomes him.

¹⁰ The Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on it the heavens will pass away with a roar, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth and all its works will melt away.

¹² while you await and hasten the coming of the Day of God, which will cause the heavens to burn up and dissolve and the heavenly bodies to blaze and melt. ¹³ In fulfilment of his promise we expect new heavens and a new earth, where uprightness will prevail. ¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, while waiting for this, make every effort to be found by him unstained, irreproachable, and at peace.

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, while waiting for this, make every effort to be found by him unstained, irreproachable, and at peace.

²³ No one who disowns the Son can have the Father. Whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father too.

²⁸ Now, dear children, keep in union with him, so that if he appears, we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame when he comes.

¹⁶ We know what love means from the fact that he laid down his life for us; so we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother committing any sin except a deadly one, he will ask and obtain life for him—provided the sin is not a deadly one. There is such a thing as deadly sin; I do not say that a man should pray about that.

⁹ I have written briefly to the church, but Diotrephes who likes to be their leader will not accept what I say. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will bring up the things that he is doing, and how he is maliciously accusing me. Not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers himself, and he is interfering with those who want to do so, and has them put out of the church.

¹² They are stains on your religious meals, where they carouse together, boldly attending to no one but themselves; rainless clouds driven before the wind; leafless trees without fruit, doubly dead, and uprooted; ¹³ wild sea waves foaming up their own shame; wandering stars doomed forever to utter darkness. ¹⁴ Of them also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, when he said, "See! The Lord comes with his holy myriads ¹⁵ to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the godless of all the godless deeds they have done, and of all the harsh things that godless sinners have said against him."

²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith and pray in the holy Spirit, ²¹ and keep in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to eternal life.

²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in his presence irreproachable and triumphant— ²⁵ to the one God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever and ever. Amen.

⁶ he has made us a kingdom of priests for his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever. Amen.

⁹ I know of your distress and poverty—though you are rich!—I know how you are slandered by those who claim to be Jews when they are not so, but only a synagogue of Satan! ¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are going to suffer. See! The devil is going to put some of you into prison to be tested there, and for ten days to endure persecution. Prove faithful even unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

¹³ I know where you live; where Satan has his throne! Yet you cling to my name and did not renounce your faith in me even in the days when my faithful Antipas, my witness, was put to death among you—where Satan lives.

³ So remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I am coming upon you. ⁴ Yet you have a few at Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me clad in white, for they deserve to. ⁵ He who is victorious will be clothed thus, in white clothing, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, but I will acknowledge him as mine in the presence of my Father and his angels.

⁸ I know what you are doing. See! I have put before you an open door that no one can close. I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my message and you have not disowned my name.

¹⁸ I advise you to buy of me gold that has been tested with fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to put on, to keep your shameful nakedness from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.

²⁰ Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will be his guest and dine with him, and he with me. ²¹ I will permit him who is victorious to take his seat beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and taken my seat beside my Father on his throne.

¹⁷ for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

⁷ It was allowed to make war on God's people and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. ⁸ All the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not from the foundation of the world been written in the slain Lamb's book of life, will worship it. ⁹ Let everyone who can hear listen. ¹⁰ Whoever is destined for captivity will go into captivity; whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. On this fact rests the endurance and fidelity of God's people.

¹⁵ It is also allowed to impart life to the animal's statue so that the animal's statue can speak, and to have all who do not worship the animal's statue killed. ¹⁶ And it makes everyone, high and low, rich and poor, freemen and slaves, have a mark stamped on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and permits no one to buy or sell anything unless he bears the mark, that is, the animal's name or the number corresponding to its name.

³ They were singing a new song before the throne and the four animals and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been ransomed from the earth. ⁴ They are the men who have not been defiled by relations with women; they are celibates. It is they who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been ransomed from among men as the first-fruits for God and the Lamb,

⁷ He cried in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour for his judgment has come. Worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and the springs of water."

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who from this time forth die as Christians!" "Yes!" answers the Spirit, "Let them rest from their toil, for what they have done will go with them!"

⁴ Who will not fear and give glory to your name, Lord? For you alone are holy. All the heathen will come and worship before you, for the justice of your sentences has now been shown."

⁶ for they shed the blood of your people and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink, as they deserve."

¹⁵ (See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who keeps awake, and keeps hold of his clothes, so that he will not have to go naked and be put to shame!)

⁵ On her forehead there was written a name that was symbolic: "Mighty Babylon, mother of idolatresses and of earth's abominations." ⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's people, and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her I was perfectly amazed,

⁷ The more she has given herself to pride and luxury the more you must give her torture and grief. Because she says to herself, 'I sit on a throne; I am not a widow, I shall never have any sorrow,'

⁷ The more she has given herself to pride and luxury the more you must give her torture and grief. Because she says to herself, 'I sit on a throne; I am not a widow, I shall never have any sorrow,' ⁸ her plagues will overtake her in one day, death, grief, and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is mighty.

²⁴ and in you was found the blood of prophets, God's people, and all who have been slaughtered on the earth."

⁷ Let us be glad and triumphant and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

⁷ When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison,

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne with a being seated on it from whose presence earth and sky fled so far that they could not be found. ¹² I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened; it was the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books about what they had done.

¹⁴ Then death and Hades were flung into the fiery lake. This is the second death—the fiery lake.

⁵ There will no longer be any night and they will have no need of lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.