Romans 15 Cross References - Goodspeed

¹ It is the duty of us who are strong to put up with the weaknesses of those who are immature, and not just suit ourselves. ² Everyone of us must try to please his neighbor, to do him good, and help in his development. ³ Christ did not please himself, but as the Scripture says, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me." ⁴ For everything that was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that by being steadfast and through the encouragement the Scriptures give, we might hold our hope fast. ⁵ May God, from whom steadfastness and encouragement come, give you such harmony with one another, in following the example of Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one accord and one voice. ⁷ Therefore, treat one another like brothers, in God's honor, just as Christ has treated you. ⁸ I hold that Christ has become an agent of circumcision to show God's truthfulness in carrying out the promises made to our forefathers, ⁹ and causing the heathen to praise God for his mercy; as the Scripture says, "I will give thanks to you for this among the heathen, And sing in honor of your name." ¹⁰ And again, "Rejoice, you heathen, with his people!" ¹¹ And again, "Praise the Lord, all you heathen, And let all nations sing his praises." ¹² Again Isaiah says, "The descendant of Jesse will come, The one who is to rise to rule the heathen; The heathen will set their hopes on him." ¹³ May God, the source of hope, fill you with perfect happiness and peace in your faith, so that you may have overflowing hope through the power of the holy Spirit. ¹⁴ For my part, as far as you are concerned, my brothers, I am convinced that you are already full of goodness of heart, endowed with perfect knowledge, and well qualified to instruct one another. ¹⁵ But, just to refresh your memories, I have written you pretty boldly on some points, because of the favor God has shown me ¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus among the heathen, to act as a priest of God's good news, to see that the heathen are an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the holy Spirit. ¹⁷ So as a follower of Christ Jesus I have reason to be proud of my work for God. ¹⁸ For I will venture to speak only of what Christ has accomplished through me in winning the heathen to obedience, by word and action, ¹⁹ by the force of signs and marvels, and by the power of the holy Spirit, with the result that I have completed the preaching of the good news of Christ all the way from Jerusalem around to Illyricum. ²⁰ In all this it has been my ambition to preach the good news only where Christ's name was unknown, so as not to build on foundations other men had laid. ²¹ As the Scripture says, "They who have never been told of him will see, And they who have never heard will understand!" ²² This is why I have so often been prevented from coming to see you. ²³ But now there is no more work for me in this part of the world, and as I have had a great desire for many years to come to see you, ²⁴ when I go to Spain I hope to see you on my way there, and to have you see me off on my journey, after I have enjoyed being with you for a while. ²⁵ Just now I am starting for Jerusalem, to take help to God's people. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Greece have determined to make a contribution for the poor among God's people in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They determined to do it, and they really are indebted to them, for if the heathen have shared their spiritual blessings, they ought to do them a service in material ways. ²⁸ So when I have finished this matter, and seen this contribution safely into their possession, I will start for Spain, and come to you on the way, ²⁹ and I know that when I do come to see you, I will come with Christ's fullest blessing. ³⁰ I beg you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the love that the Spirit inspires, join me in most earnest prayer to God for me. ³¹ Pray that I may escape from those in Judea who are disobedient, and that the help I am taking to Jerusalem may be well received by God's people, ³² so that, if it is God's will, I may come with a glad heart to see you and enjoy a visit with you. ³³ God who gives peace be with you all! Amen.

²³ "The maiden will be pregnant and will have a son, And they will name him Immanuel."—a word which means "God with us."

⁸ And when the crowd saw it, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to men.

²⁵ A pupil should be satisfied to come to be like his teacher, or a slave, to come to be like his master. If men have called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much worse names will they give to the members of his household!

⁴⁰ "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who has sent me.

²⁸ Come to me, all of you who toil and are burdened, and I will let you rest. ²⁹ Let my yoke be put upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-minded, and your hearts will find rest, ³⁰ for the yoke I offer you is a kindly one, and the load I ask you to bear is light."

²¹ The heathen will rest their hopes on his name!"

²⁸ But if I am driving the demons out by the aid of God's Spirit, then the Kingdom of God has overtaken you.

²⁴ But he answered, "I am sent only to the lost sheep of Israel's house."

²⁸ just as the Son of Man has come not to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to ransom many others."

⁴⁰ The king will answer, 'I tell you, in so far as you did it to one of the humblest of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.'

¹¹ For you always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.

³⁹ And he went on a little way, and threw himself on his face, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by me. Yet not as I please but as you do!"

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it cannot pass by me without my drinking it, your will be done!"

¹⁸ And Jesus came up to them and said, "Full authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all the heathen, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teach them to observe all the commands that I have given you. I will always be with you, to the very close of the age."

²⁰ and teach them to observe all the commands that I have given you. I will always be with you, to the very close of the age."

³⁷ "Whoever welcomes one child like this on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not me but him who has sent me."

²⁰ And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed their message by the signs that attended it.

⁵⁴ "He has helped his servant Israel, Remembering his mercy, ⁵⁵ As he promised our forefathers To have mercy on Abraham and his descendants forever!" ⁵⁶ So Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned home.

⁷⁰ "By the lips of his holy prophets he promised of old to do this— ⁷¹ To save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us, ⁷² Thus showing mercy to our forefathers, And keeping his sacred agreement, ⁷³ "And the oath that he swore to our forefather Abraham,

²⁰ Then he fixed his eyes on his disciples, and said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours!

⁴⁸ and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child on my account is welcoming me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who has sent me. For it is the lowliest among you all who is really great."

¹³ But when you give an entertainment, invite people who are poor, maimed, lame, or blind.

² And the Pharisees and scribes grumbled, and said, "This man welcomes irreligious people, and even eats with them!"

¹¹ He came to his home, and his own family did not welcome him.

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

⁴⁸ Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and marvels you will never believe!"

³⁰ I cannot do anything of my own accord. I pass judgment just as I am told to do, and my judgment is just, for I am not seeking to do what I please, but what pleases him who has sent me.

³⁷ All that my Father gives to me will come to me, and I will never refuse anyone who comes to me, ³⁸ for I have come down from heaven not to do what I please but what pleases him who has sent me.

²⁹ And he who has sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."

¹⁶ I have other sheep too that do not belong to this fold. I must lead them too, and they will obey my voice, and they will all become one flock, with one shepherd.

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."

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!"

³⁴ I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must love one another.

¹ "Your minds must not be troubled; you must believe in God, and believe in me.

²⁷ I leave you a blessing; I give you my own blessing. I do not give it to you as the world gives. Your minds must not be troubled or afraid.

³⁰ I shall not talk much more with you, for the evil genius of the world is coming. He has nothing in common with me, ³¹ but he is coming that the world may know that I love the Father and am doing what he has commanded me to do. Come, let us go away.

¹⁰ If you keep my commands you will retain my love, just as I have observed the Father's commands and retain his love.

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.

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."

⁸ but you will be given power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria and to the very ends of the earth."

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."

²⁴ When they heard it, with one impulse they all raised their voices to God and said, "Master, it was you who made heaven, earth, and sea, and everything that is in them,

³² There was but one heart and soul in the multitude who had become believers, and not one of them claimed anything that belonged to him as his own, but they shared everything they had with one another.

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, "Go! This man is the means I have chosen for carrying my name among the heathen and their kings, and among the descendants of Israel.

²⁸ After that, he associated with them freely in Jerusalem, ²⁹ and spoke boldly for the Lord's cause, talking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews. But they tried to kill him.

²⁷ About that time some prophets from Jerusalem came down to Antioch, ²⁸ and one of them named Agabus got up and under the influence of the Spirit revealed the fact that there was going to be a great famine all over the world. This was the famine that occurred in the reign of Claudius. ²⁹ The disciples determined to make up a contribution, each according to his ability, and send it to the brothers who lived in Judea, ³⁰ and this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

² As they were engaged in worshiping the Lord and in fasting, the holy Spirit said, "Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me, for the work to which I have called them."

⁴ Being sent out in this way by the holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. ⁵ When they reached Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues. They had John with them as their assistant.

¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue there and took seats.

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.

⁵¹ They shook off the dust from their feet in protest, and went to Iconium.

⁶ and they became aware of it, they made their escape to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and the country around,

¹⁰ said to him loudly, "Stand on your feet!" And he sprang up and began to walk.

²⁰ But the brothers gathered about him, and he got up and re-entered the town. The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

²⁵ They told their message in Perga, then went on to Attalia,

²⁷ When they arrived there, they called the church together, and reported how God had worked with them, and how he had opened the way to faith for the heathen.

³ The church saw them off upon their journey, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the heathen, and caused great rejoicing among all the brothers. ⁴ When they reached Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported how God had worked with them.

¹² This quieted the whole meeting, and they listened while Barnabas and Paul told of the signs and wonders which God had done among the heathen through them.

⁶ Thus they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. The holy Spirit prevented them from delivering the message in Asia, ⁷ and when they reached Mysia they tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit it, ⁸ and they passed Mysia and came down to Troas. ⁹ There Paul had a vision one night; a Macedonian was standing appealing to him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

⁹ There Paul had a vision one night; a Macedonian was standing appealing to him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." ¹⁰ As soon as he had this vision, we made efforts to get on to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to tell them the good news. ¹¹ So we sailed from Troas, and ran a straight course to Samothrace, and next day to Neapolis. ¹² From there we went to Philippi, a Roman garrison town, and the principal place in that part of Macedonia. In this town we stayed for some days.

¹⁸ She did this for a number of days, until Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit in her, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!" And it came out instantly.

¹⁰ The brothers sent Paul and Silas away immediately, in the course of the following night, to Berea. On arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue.

¹⁵ The men who went with Paul took him all the way to Athens, and came back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him as soon as possible.

¹ After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

¹² While Gallio was governor of Greece the Jews made a concerted attack upon Paul, and brought him before the governor.

¹⁹ When they reached Ephesus he left them there. He went to the synagogue there and had a discussion with the Jews.

²¹ He bade them goodbye, saying, "I will come back to you again if it is God's will." Then he sailed from Ephesus.

¹ It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul, after passing through the interior, reached Ephesus. Finding some disciples there,

¹¹ God did such extraordinary wonders by means of Paul, ¹² that people took to the sick handkerchiefs or aprons he had used, and they were cured of their diseases, and the evil spirits went out of them.

²¹ After these events, Paul, under the Spirit's guidance, resolved to go to Jerusalem, and to revisit Macedonia and Greece on the way. "After I have gone there," he said, "I must see Rome also."

¹ When the confusion was over, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged them. Then he bade them goodbye and started for Macedonia. ² After traveling through those districts and giving the people a great deal of encouragement, he went on to Greece

⁶ while we sailed from Philippi after the festival of Unleavened Bread, and joined them at Troas five days later. There we stayed a week.

¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to lose any time in Asia, for he was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of the Harvest Festival.

²⁰ I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public or at your houses,

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.

³² Now I commit you to the Lord, and to the message of his favor, which will build you up and give you a place among those whom God has consecrated.

⁵ But when our time was up, we left there and went on, and all of them with their wives and children escorted us out of the town. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed;

¹⁷ When we reached Jerusalem, the brothers there gave us a hearty welcome. ¹⁸ On the next day we went with Paul to see James, and all the elders came in. ¹⁹ Paul greeted them warmly and gave a detailed account of what God had done among the heathen through his efforts.

¹⁹ Paul greeted them warmly and gave a detailed account of what God had done among the heathen through his efforts. 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. ²¹ They have been told that you teach all Jews who live among the heathen to turn away from Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children nor to observe the old customs. ²² What then? They will be sure to hear that you have come. ²³ So do what we tell you. We have four men here who are under a vow. ²⁴ Join them, undergo the rites of purification with them, and pay their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will understand that there is no truth in the stories about you, but that you yourself observe the Law. ²⁵ As for the heathen who have become believers, we have written them our decision that they must avoid anything that has been contaminated by idols, the tasting of blood, the meat of strangled animals, and immorality." ²⁶ Then Paul joined the men and went through the rites of purification with them and the next day went to the Temple to give notice of the time when, upon the offering of the sacrifice for each one of them, their days of purification would be over. ²⁷ The seven days were almost over when the Jews from Asia caught sight of him in the Temple, and stirred up all the crowd and seized him, ²⁸ shouting, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everybody everywhere against our people and the Law and this place, and besides he has actually brought Greeks into the Temple and desecrated this sacred place." ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus of Ephesus with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the Temple. ³⁰ The whole city was thrown into confusion, and the people hurried together, and seized Paul and dragged him outside of the Temple, the gates of which were immediately shut. ³¹ They were trying to kill him when the news reached the colonel of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in a tumult.

¹⁷ After I had returned to Jerusalem, one day when I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance, ¹⁸ and saw him saying to me, 'Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, for they will not accept your evidence about me.' ¹⁹ And I said, 'Lord, they know that I used to go through one synagogue after another, and to imprison and flog those who believed in you, ²⁰ and when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood by and approved it, and took charge of the clothes of the men who killed him.' ²¹ But he said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the heathen.' "

²¹ But he said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the heathen.' "

²⁴ the colonel ordered Paul brought into the barracks, and gave directions that he should be examined under the lash, so that he might find out why they made such an outcry against him.

¹² In the morning, the Jews made a conspiracy and took an oath not to eat or drink till they had killed Paul. ¹³ There were more than forty of them involved in this plot, ¹⁴ and they went to the high priests and elders and said to them, "We have taken a solemn oath not to touch anything to eat till we have killed Paul. ¹⁵ Now you and the council must suggest to the colonel that he should have Paul brought down to you, as you mean to look into his case more carefully, and we will be ready to kill him before he gets down." ¹⁶ But Paul's nephew heard of the plot, and he came and got into the barracks, and told Paul. ¹⁷ Paul called one of the officers and said to him, "Take this young man to the colonel, for he has something to tell him." ¹⁸ So he took him to the colonel, and said, "The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you." ¹⁹ So the colonel took him by the arm and stepping aside where they could be alone, asked, "What is it that you have to tell me?" ²⁰ "The Jews," he answered, "have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, on the ground that you mean to have a fuller inquiry made into his case. ²¹ But do not let them persuade you, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, and they have taken an oath not to eat or drink till they have killed him. They are all ready now, and are only waiting to get your promise." ²² So the colonel sent the youth away, directing him not to tell anyone that he had given him this information. ²³ Then he called in two of his officers and said to them, "Get two hundred men ready to march to Caesarea, with seventy mounted men and two hundred spear-men, by nine o'clock tonight." ²⁴ They were also to provide horses for Paul to ride, so that they might take him in safety to Felix, the governor,

¹ Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down with some of the elders and an attorney named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Paul before the governor. ² When Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began the prosecution. "Your Excellency Felix," he said, "since through your efforts we enjoy perfect peace, and through your foresight this nation is securing needed reforms, ³ we always and everywhere acknowledge this with profound gratitude. ⁴ But—not to detain you too long—I beg you to be kind enough to give us a brief hearing. ⁵ For we have found this man a pest and a disturber of the peace among Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect, ⁶ and actually tried to desecrate the Temple, but we caught him. ⁷ OMITTED TEXT ⁸ If you will examine him yourself you will be able to find out from him all about the things we charge him with." ⁹ The Jews also joined in these charges, and said that the statement was true.

¹⁷ After an absence of several years, I had come to bring charitable donations for my nation, and to offer sacrifice.

² and the high priests and Jewish leaders presented their charges against Paul,

²⁴ Then Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are present, you see here the man about whom the whole Jewish people have applied to me both at Jerusalem and here, clamoring that he ought not to live any longer.

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.'

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.

¹ When it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were turned over to an officer of the Imperial regiment, named Julius.

⁴¹ But they struck a shoal and ran the ship aground. The bow struck and could not be moved, while the stern began to break up under the strain. ⁴² The soldiers proposed to kill the prisoners, for fear some of them might swim ashore and escape, ⁴³ but the officer wanted to save Paul, and so he prevented them from doing this, and ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,

¹⁵ The brothers there had had news of our coming, and came as far as Appius' Forum and Three Taverns to meet us, and when Paul saw them he thanked God and was greatly encouraged. ¹⁶ When we reached Rome, Paul was given permission to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

³⁰ So he stayed for two full years in rented lodgings of his own, and welcomed everybody who came to see him, ³¹ preaching the Kingdom of God to them and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ openly and unhindered.

¹ Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to declare God's good news,

⁵ through whom we have received God's favor and been commissioned in his name to urge obedience and faith upon all the heathen,

¹⁰ and to ask that somehow by God's will I may some day at last succeed in reaching you.

¹⁰ and to ask that somehow by God's will I may some day at last succeed in reaching you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, to convey to you some spiritual gift that will strengthen you;

¹¹ For I long to see you, to convey to you some spiritual gift that will strengthen you; ¹² in other words, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by one another's faith.

¹² in other words, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by one another's faith.

¹² in other words, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by one another's faith. ¹³ I want you to understand, brothers, that I have often intended to come to see you (though thus far I have been prevented) in order to produce some results among you, as well as among the rest of the heathen.

¹³ I want you to understand, brothers, that I have often intended to come to see you (though thus far I have been prevented) in order to produce some results among you, as well as among the rest of the heathen. ¹⁴ I owe a debt both to Greeks and to foreigners, to the cultivated and the uncultivated. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to preach the good news to you at Rome also. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who has faith, of the Jew first and then of the Greek.

³ What if some of them have shown a lack of faith? Can their lack of it nullify the faithfulness of God?

²⁶ to vindicate his justice at the present time, and show that he is upright himself, and that he makes those who have faith in Jesus upright also.

²⁹ Does God belong to the Jews alone? Does he not belong to the heathen too? Of course he belongs to the heathen too;

² For if he was made upright by what he did, it is something to be proud of. But not to be proud of before God,

¹⁶ That is why it all turns upon faith; it is to make it a matter of God's favor, so that the promise may hold good for all Abraham's descendants, not only those who are adherents of the Law, but also those who share the faith of Abraham. For he is the father of all of us;

²⁰ He did not incredulously question God's promise, but his faith gave him power and he praised God

²³ It was not on his account alone that these words, "it was credited to him," were written, ²⁴ but also on ours, for it is to be credited also to us who have faith in him who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus,

² by whom we have been introduced through faith to the favor of God that we now enjoy, and let us glory in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ More than that, we ought to glory in our troubles, for we know that trouble produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance, character, and character, hope, ⁵ and hope will not disappoint us. For, through the holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.

⁵ and hope will not disappoint us. For, through the holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.

¹⁷ But, thank God! though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from your hearts to the standard of teaching that you received,

²⁴ It was in this hope that we were saved. But a hope that can be seen is not a hope, for who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵ But when we hope for something that we do not see, we wait persistently for it. ²⁶ In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit itself pleads for us with inexpressible yearnings, ²⁷ and he who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit means, for it pleads for God's people in accordance with his will.

⁴ For they are Israelites, and to them belong the rights of sonship, God's glorious presence, the divine agreements and legislation, the Temple service, the promises, ⁵ and the patriarchs, and from them physically Christ came—God who is over all be blessed forever! Amen.

²³ so as to show all the wealth of his glory in dealing with the objects of his mercy, whom he has prepared from the beginning to share his glory, ²⁴ including us whom he has called not only from among the Jews but from among the heathen?

¹³ But it is to you who are of the heathen that I am speaking. So far then as I am an apostle to the heathen, I make the most of my ministry,

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you who were only a wild olive shoot have been grafted in, in place of them, and made to share the richness of the olive's root,

²² Observe then the goodness and the severity of God—severity to those who have fallen, but goodness to you, provided you abide by his goodness, for otherwise, you in your turn will be pruned away.

³⁰ For just as you once disobeyed God, but now have had mercy shown you because they disobeyed,

¹ I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by this mercy of God, to offer your bodies in a living sacrifice that will be holy and acceptable to God; that is your rational worship. ² You must not adopt the customs of this world but by your new attitude of mind be transformed so that you can find out what God's will is—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. ³ By the favor that God has shown me, I would tell every one of you not to think too highly of himself, but to think reasonably, judging himself by the degree of faith God has allowed him.

⁶ We have gifts that differ with the favor that God has shown us, whether it is that of preaching, differing with the measure of our faith,

¹² Be happy in your hope, steadfast in time of trouble, persistent in prayer.

¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be too ambitious, but accept humble tasks. Do not be conceited.

¹ Treat people who are overscrupulous in their faith like brothers; do not criticize their views.

¹ Treat people who are overscrupulous in their faith like brothers; do not criticize their views. ² One man's faith allows him to eat anything, while the overscrupulous man eats nothing but vegetables. ³ The man who will eat anything must not look down on the man who abstains from some things, and the man who abstains from them must not criticize the one who does not, for God has accepted him.

¹⁷ The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of uprightness, peace, and happiness through the possession of the holy Spirit.

¹⁹ Let us, therefore, keep before us whatever will contribute to peace and the development of one another.

³ Christ did not please himself, but as the Scripture says, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me."

⁵ May God, from whom steadfastness and encouragement come, give you such harmony with one another, in following the example of Christ Jesus,

⁹ and causing the heathen to praise God for his mercy; as the Scripture says, "I will give thanks to you for this among the heathen, And sing in honor of your name."

⁹ and causing the heathen to praise God for his mercy; as the Scripture says, "I will give thanks to you for this among the heathen, And sing in honor of your name." ¹⁰ And again, "Rejoice, you heathen, with his people!" ¹¹ And again, "Praise the Lord, all you heathen, And let all nations sing his praises."

¹³ May God, the source of hope, fill you with perfect happiness and peace in your faith, so that you may have overflowing hope through the power of the holy Spirit.

¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus among the heathen, to act as a priest of God's good news, to see that the heathen are an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

¹⁸ For I will venture to speak only of what Christ has accomplished through me in winning the heathen to obedience, by word and action,

²³ But now there is no more work for me in this part of the world, and as I have had a great desire for many years to come to see you, ²⁴ when I go to Spain I hope to see you on my way there, and to have you see me off on my journey, after I have enjoyed being with you for a while.

²⁴ when I go to Spain I hope to see you on my way there, and to have you see me off on my journey, after I have enjoyed being with you for a while. ²⁵ Just now I am starting for Jerusalem, to take help to God's people. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Greece have determined to make a contribution for the poor among God's people in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They determined to do it, and they really are indebted to them, for if the heathen have shared their spiritual blessings, they ought to do them a service in material ways. ²⁸ So when I have finished this matter, and seen this contribution safely into their possession, I will start for Spain, and come to you on the way,

²⁸ So when I have finished this matter, and seen this contribution safely into their possession, I will start for Spain, and come to you on the way, ²⁹ and I know that when I do come to see you, I will come with Christ's fullest blessing.

²⁹ and I know that when I do come to see you, I will come with Christ's fullest blessing. ³⁰ I beg you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the love that the Spirit inspires, join me in most earnest prayer to God for me. ³¹ Pray that I may escape from those in Judea who are disobedient, and that the help I am taking to Jerusalem may be well received by God's people, ³² so that, if it is God's will, I may come with a glad heart to see you and enjoy a visit with you.

²⁰ And God, who is the source of peace, will soon crush Satan under your feet. The blessing of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²³ My host, Gaius, the host of the whole church, wishes to be remembered to you. Erastus, the city-treasurer, and our brother Quartus wish to be remembered to you.

²⁶ and at the command of the eternal God made known through the writings of the prophets to all the heathen, to lead them to obedience and faith—

⁵ For you have grown rich in everything through union with him—in power of expression and in capacity for knowledge.

¹⁰ But I urge you all, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you say, and not to allow factions among you, but to be perfectly united in mind and judgment.

¹² What I mean is this, that one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," another, "And I, of Apollos," another, "And I, of Cephas," and another, "And I, of Christ!"

⁴ and my teaching and message were not put in plausible, philosophical language, but they were attended with convincing spiritual power,

⁵ What is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Just servants through whom you came to have faith, as the Lord gave each of us opportunity. ⁶ I did the planting, Apollos the watering, but it was God who made the plants grow. ⁷ So neither the planter nor the waterer counts for anything, but only God who makes the plants grow. ⁸ The planter and the waterer are all one, though each of us will be paid for his own work. ⁹ For we are fellow-laborers for God, and you are God's farm, God's building.

⁹ For we are fellow-laborers for God, and you are God's farm, God's building. ¹⁰ Like an expert builder, I laid a foundation, as God commissioned me to do, and now someone else is building upon it. But let everyone be careful how he does so.

¹⁰ Like an expert builder, I laid a foundation, as God commissioned me to do, and now someone else is building upon it. But let everyone be careful how he does so. ¹¹ For no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is laid, that is, Jesus Christ himself. ¹² And whether one uses gold or silver or costly stone in building on the foundation, or wood or hay or straw, ¹³ the quality of everyone's work will appear, for the Day will show it. For the Day will break in fire, and the fire will test the quality of everyone's work. ¹⁴ If what a man has built on the foundation stands the test, he will have his pay. ¹⁵ If a man's work is burned up, he must stand the loss, though he himself will be saved, but as one who has passed through the fire.

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.

¹⁰ We are made fools of, for the sake of Christ, while you are men of sense, through being united with him. We are weak, you are strong. You are distinguished, we are despised.

¹⁹ But I am coming very soon to see you, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out, not what these conceited people have to say, but what they can actually do.

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit that is within you, which you have received from God? Besides, you are not your own;

¹ About food that has been offered to idols, it is true, as you say, that we all have some knowledge on that matter. Knowledge gives people airs; love is what builds up character.

⁷ But it is not everyone that has this knowledge; for some, through being long accustomed to idols, still eat meat that has been sacrificed to them as really offered to an idol, and their consciences, being oversensitive, are troubled.

¹⁰ For if somebody sees you, who are intelligent about this matter, attending a dinner in an idol's temple, will not he, with his sensitive conscience, be led to eat meat that is offered to idols?

⁹ For in the Law of Moses it reads, "You shall not muzzle an ox that is treading out the grain." Is it about the oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰ Is he not clearly speaking in our interests? Of course this law was written in our interests, because the plowman ought to plow, and the thresher to thresh, in the expectation of sharing in the crop. ¹¹ If it was we who sowed the spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

¹⁹ Though I am free from anyone's control, I have made myself everyone's slave, so as to win over all the more. ²⁰ To the Jews I have become like a Jew, to win Jews over; to men under the Law I have become like a man under the Law, though I am not myself under the Law, so as to win over those who are under the Law. ²¹ To those who have no law I have become like a man without any law—though I am not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ—so as to win over those who are without any law. ²² To the overscrupulous I have become overscrupulous, so as to win the overscrupulous; I have become everything to everybody, so as by all means to save some of them.

²² To the overscrupulous I have become overscrupulous, so as to win the overscrupulous; I have become everything to everybody, so as by all means to save some of them.

¹¹ These things happened to them as a warning to others, but they were written down to instruct us, in whose days the ages have reached their climax.

¹⁹ What am I saying then? That there is any such thing as being offered to an idol, or any such thing as an idol?

²⁴ No one should look after his own advantage but after that of his neighbor.

²⁹ his scruples, I say, not yours. For why should my liberty of action be limited by another's scruples?

³³ just as I for my part try to please everyone in all I do, not aiming at my own advantage, but at that of people generally, in order that they may be saved.

⁴ Endowments vary, but the Spirit is the same, ⁵ and forms of service vary, but it is the same Lord who is served, ⁶ and activities vary, but God who produces them all in us all is the same. ⁷ Each one is given his spiritual illumination for the common good. ⁸ One man receives through the Spirit the power to speak wisely, another, by the same Spirit, receives the power to express knowledge,

⁸ One man receives through the Spirit the power to speak wisely, another, by the same Spirit, receives the power to express knowledge, ⁹ another, from his union with the same Spirit receives faith, another, by one and the same Spirit, the ability to cure the sick, ¹⁰ another, the working of wonders, another, inspiration in preaching, another, the power of distinguishing the true Spirit from false ones, another, various ecstatic utterances, and another, the ability to explain them. ¹¹ These are all produced by one and the same Spirit, and apportioned to each of us just as the Spirit chooses.

²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that are considered most delicate are indispensable, ²³ and the parts of it that we think common, we dress with especial care, and our unpresentable parts receive especial attention ²⁴ which our presentable parts do not need. God has so adjusted the body and given such especial distinction to its inferior parts

² If I am inspired to preach and know all the secret truths and possess all knowledge, and if I have such perfect faith that I can move mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.

⁵ It is not rude. It does not insist on its rights. It does not become angry. It is not resentful.

³³ for God is not a God of disorder but of peace. This is the rule in all Christian churches.

¹⁰ But by God's favor I have become what I am, and the favor he showed me has not gone for nothing, but I have worked harder than any of them, although it was not really I but the favor God showed me.

¹⁹ If we have centered our hopes on Christ in this life, and that is all, we are the most pitiable people in the world.

⁵⁰ But I can tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot share in the Kingdom of God, and decay will not share in what is imperishable.

¹ About the collection for God's people, I want you to do as I told the churches of Galatia to do. ² On the first of every week each of you is to put aside and store up whatever he gains, so that money will not have to be collected after I come. ³ When I come I will send whatever persons you authorize with credentials, to carry your gift to Jerusalem.

⁵ I will come to you after passing through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia, ⁶ and I will probably stay some time with you, or even pass the winter, so that you may start me off for wherever I may be going. ⁷ For I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord permits it.

¹⁵ Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the family of Stephanas was the first to be converted in Greece, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of God's people—

¹⁸ They have cheered my heart, and yours too. You should appreciate such men.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, and the God always ready to comfort!

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, and the God always ready to comfort! ⁴ He comforts me in all my trouble, so that I can comfort people who are in any trouble with the comfort with which I myself am comforted by God.

¹¹ You must help me by your prayers, so that many will give thanks to God on my behalf for the blessing granted me in answer to many prayers.

¹⁶ I was going to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then to come back to you from Macedonia and have you see me off for Judea.

²⁰ for to all the promises of God he supplies the "Yes" that confirms them. That is why we utter the "Amen" through him, when we give glory to God.

¹⁴ But thank God! he always leads me in his triumphal train, through Christ, and spreads the perfume of knowledge of him everywhere through me as his censer-bearer. 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!

¹ Am I falling into self-recommendation again? Do I, like some people, need letters of recommendation to you or from you? ² You are my recommendations, written on my heart, for everybody to read and understand. ³ You show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by me, written not in ink, but in the Spirit of the living God, and not on tablets of stone, but on the human heart. ⁴ Such is the confidence that I have through Christ in my relations to God. ⁵ Not that I am of myself qualified to claim anything as originating with me. My qualification is from God, ⁶ and he has qualified me to serve him in the interests of a new agreement, not in writing but of spirit. For what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁵ For it is not myself but Christ Jesus that I am proclaiming as Lord; I am only a slave of yours for Jesus' sake.

¹¹ For every day I live I am being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be visible in my mortal nature.

¹⁹ how God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, refusing to count men's offenses against them, and intrusted me with the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ It is for Christ, therefore, that I am an envoy, seeing that God makes his appeal through me. On Christ's behalf I beg you to be reconciled to God.

²⁰ It is for Christ, therefore, that I am an envoy, seeing that God makes his appeal through me. On Christ's behalf I beg you to be reconciled to God.

¹ As God's fellow-worker, I appeal to you, too, not to accept the favor of God and then waste it.

⁴ I have the greatest confidence in you. I take the greatest pride in you. I am fully comforted. After all my trouble, I am overjoyed.

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

¹³ That is why I am so comforted. With all my own comfort, I was still more overjoyed at the gladness of Titus, for his mind has been set at rest by you all.

¹ I must tell you, brothers, how the favor of God has been shown in the churches of Macedonia, 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. ³ For they have given to the utmost of their ability, as I can bear them witness, and beyond it, ⁴ and begged me most earnestly, of their own accord, to let them share in the support of their fellow-Christians.

⁴ and begged me most earnestly, of their own accord, to let them share in the support of their fellow-Christians. ⁵ They did far more than I hoped, for first in obedience to God's will, they gave themselves to the Lord, and to me.

⁵ They did far more than I hoped, for first in obedience to God's will, they gave themselves to the Lord, and to me. ⁶ This has led me to urge Titus to complete the arrangements he had formerly begun among you for this gracious undertaking. ⁷ Just as you excel in everything else—faith, expression, knowledge, perfect devotion, and the love we have awakened in you—you must excel in this generous undertaking too. ⁸ I do not mean this as a command. I only want to test the genuineness of your love by the devotion of others. ⁹ You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.

⁹ You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.

¹ It is really unnecessary for me to write to you about this fund for your fellow-Christians, ² for I know how willing you are to help in it; I boast of you for it to the people in Macedonia, telling them that Greece has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has been a stimulus to most of them.

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:

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.

⁴ for the weapons I use are not earthly ones, but divinely strong for destroying fortresses. ⁵ I destroy arguments and every obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought and make it obey Christ,

¹³ But my boasting will not be extravagant, nor exceed the limits God has allowed me, which reach all the way to you.

¹³ But my boasting will not be extravagant, nor exceed the limits God has allowed me, which reach all the way to you. ¹⁴ It is no strain for me to do this, as it might be for people who had never got so far, for I was the first to come all the way to you with the good news of the Christ.

¹⁴ It is no strain for me to do this, as it might be for people who had never got so far, for I was the first to come all the way to you with the good news of the Christ. ¹⁵ I do not indulge in extravagant boasts over work done by others, but I do hope that as your faith increases, my influence may be immensely enlarged through you,

¹⁵ I do not indulge in extravagant boasts over work done by others, but I do hope that as your faith increases, my influence may be immensely enlarged through you, ¹⁶ and I may preach the gospel in the lands beyond you without having to boast over work already done in another's field.

¹⁶ and I may preach the gospel in the lands beyond you without having to boast over work already done in another's field. ¹⁷ But let the man who boasts, boast about the Lord. ¹⁸ For it is not the man who approves of himself who is really approved; it is the man of whom the Lord approves.

¹⁶ I repeat, no one should think me a fool, but if you do, show me at least the patience you would show a fool, and let me have my little boast like the others. ¹⁷ When I boast in this reckless way, I do not say what I am saying for the Lord, but as a fool would talk. ¹⁸ Since many are so human as to boast, I will do it also. ¹⁹ For you like to put up with fools, you are so wise yourselves! 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. ²¹ To my shame I must admit that I was too weak for that sort of thing. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am playing the part of a fool—I will dare to boast of too. ²² If they are Hebrews, so am I! If they are Israelites, so am I! If they are descended from Abraham, so am I! ²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I have been given one less than forty lashes, by the Jews. ²⁵ I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; ²⁶ with my frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, ²⁷ through toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, often without food, and exposed to cold. ²⁸ And besides everything else, the thing that burdens me every day is my anxiety about all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak without my being weak? Whose conscience is hurt without my being fired with indignation? ³⁰ If there must be boasting, I will boast of the things that show my weakness! ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is forever blessed, knows that I am telling the truth.

¹ I have to boast. There is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations given me by the Lord.

⁶ Though if I do choose to boast, I will not be such a fool, for I will only be telling the truth. But I will refrain from it, for I do not want anyone to be influenced by the wonderful character of these revelations to think more of me than is justified by my words or conduct.

¹⁰ That is why I am pleased with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, when they are endured for Christ's sake, for it is when I am weak that I am strong. ¹¹ I have been making a fool of myself, but you forced me to do it, when you ought to have been expressing your approval of me. For I am not a bit inferior to your superfine apostles, even if I am nobody! ¹² The signs that mark a true apostle were most patiently shown when I was among you, in signs, wonders, and marvels.

¹² The signs that mark a true apostle were most patiently shown when I was among you, in signs, wonders, and marvels. ¹³ For what is there in which the other churches had the better of you, except in the fact that I would not permit myself to be a burden to you? You must forgive me that wrong! ¹⁴ Here it is the third time that I have been ready to come to see you, and I do not intend to be a burden to you now; for it is not your money but yourselves that I want; for children are not expected to lay up money for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵ And I will be glad to spend all I have and all I am for your sake. Are you going to love me the less for loving you so intensely? ¹⁶ But granting that I did not burden you myself, I was clever about it, you say, and took you in by a trick. ¹⁷ Yet did I make anything out of you by anybody that I sent to you? ¹⁸ I asked Titus to go and I sent his brother with him. Did Titus make anything out of you? Did not he and I act in the same spirit, and take the very same steps? ¹⁹ Have you been supposing all along that it is before you I have been defending myself? It is in the sight of God and as a follower of Christ that I have been speaking. But it is all to do you good, dear friends, ²⁰ for I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. I am afraid that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, bad feeling, rivalry, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder, ²¹ and that when I come back my God may humiliate me before you, and I may have to mourn over many who have kept on in their old sins and have never repented of the impurity, immorality, and sensuality in which they have indulged.

¹¹ Now brothers, goodbye! Be what you ought to be, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and God the source of love and peace will be with you.

¹⁴ The blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the participation in the holy Spirit be with you all.

¹⁵ And when God, who had set me apart from my birth and had called me in his mercy, saw fit ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the good news about him to the heathen, immediately, instead of consulting with any human being,

⁷ On the contrary, when they saw that I had been intrusted with the good news for the heathen, just as Peter had been intrusted with it for the Jews— ⁸ for he who actuated Peter to be an apostle to the Jews also actuated me to be one to the heathen—

⁸ for he who actuated Peter to be an apostle to the Jews also actuated me to be one to the heathen— ⁹ and when they recognized the favor God had shown me, James, Cephas, and John, who were regarded as pillars of the church, pledged Barnabas and me their co-operation, with the understanding that we should work among the heathen and they among the Jews. ¹⁰ Only, we were to remember the poor, and that I have taken pains to do.

⁵ When he supplies you with the Spirit and works wonders among you, is it because you do what the Law commands, or because you believe the message you heard?

⁴ but when the proper time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, and made subject to law, ⁵ to ransom those who were subject to law, so that we might receive adoption.

²² But what the Spirit produces is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

¹ But if a man is caught doing something wrong, brothers, you are spiritual, and you must set him right, in a spirit of gentleness. Think of yourself, for you may be tempted too. ² Bear one another's burdens, and in that way carry out the law of the Christ.

⁶ Those who are taught the message must share all their goods with their teacher.

⁶ Those who are taught the message must share all their goods with their teacher. ⁷ Do not be deceived. God is not to be sneered at. A man will reap just what he sows. ⁸ The man who sows to gratify his physical cravings will reap destruction from them, and the man who sows to benefit the spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹ Let us not get tired of doing right, for at the proper time we shall reap, if we do not give out. ¹⁰ So then whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.

² God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace. ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm.

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.

¹² to win praise for his glory, by having been the first to believe in Christ.

¹² to win praise for his glory, by having been the first to believe in Christ. ¹³ You also have heard the message of the truth, the good news of your salvation, and believed in him, and through union with him you have been marked with the seal of the holy Spirit that was promised,

¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

¹² At that time you had no connection with Christ, you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the agreements about God's promise; with no hope and no God in all the world.

¹⁸ for it is through him that we both with one Spirit are now able to approach the Father.

²⁰ You are built upon the apostles and prophets as your foundation, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. ²¹ Through him every part of the building is closely united and grows into a temple sacred through its relation to the Lord, ²² and you are yourselves built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

²² and you are yourselves built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

⁷ for which I became a worker by virtue of the gift of God's mercy which by the exercise of his power he has given me. ⁸ To me, the very least of all his people, this favor has been given, of preaching to the heathen the inexhaustible wealth of the Christ,

⁸ To me, the very least of all his people, this favor has been given, of preaching to the heathen the inexhaustible wealth of the Christ,

¹⁹ and to understand Christ's love, so far beyond our understanding, so that you may be filled with the very fulness of God.

¹³ until we all attain unity in faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and reach mature manhood, and that full measure of development found in Christ.

² and lead loving lives, just as Christ loved you and gave himself for you, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

⁹ for light leads to perfect goodness, uprightness, and truth;

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, for that is profligacy, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ and speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and sacred songs. Sing praise to God with all your hearts;

¹⁰ Henceforth you must grow strong through union with the Lord and through his mighty strength.

¹⁹ and for me, that when I open my lips I may be given a message, so that I may boldly make known the secret of the good news,

⁷ And I have a right to feel in this way about you all, because both when I am in prison and when I am defending and vindicating our right to preach the good news, I have you in my heart as all sharing that privilege with me.

¹¹ with your lives filled with the fruits which uprightness produces through Jesus Christ, to the honor and praise of God. ¹² Now I want to assure you, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in furthering the preaching of the good news. ¹³ Thus it is generally known throughout the Imperial Guard and elsewhere that it is for the sake of Christ that I am in prison, ¹⁴ and so most of the Christian brothers have been exceedingly encouraged by my example to declare God's message without any fear of the consequences.

²⁷ Whatever happens, show yourselves citizens worthy of the good news of the Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am kept away and only hear news of you, I may know that you are standing firm with one spirit, one purpose, fighting side by side for faith in the good news.

¹ So by whatever appeal there is in our relation to Christ, by whatever incentive there is in love, by whatever participation there is in the Spirit, whatever affection and sympathy, ² make me perfectly happy by living in harmony, with the same attitude of love, with the same feeling and purpose.

⁴ Do not take account of your own interests, but of the interests of others as well. ⁵ Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁸ When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

¹⁷ Even if my life is to be poured out as a libation as you offer your faith in a service of sacrifice to God, I am glad to have it so, and I congratulate you upon it,

³ We are the true circumcision, who worship God by his Spirit, priding ourselves only on Christ Jesus, and not relying on physical advantages,

¹⁶ Only we must live up to what we have already attained.

² I appeal to Euodia and I appeal to Syntyche to agree together, as Christians.

⁹ Do the things that you learned, received, and heard from me, and that you saw me do. Then God who gives peace will be with you.

¹⁷ Not that I want your gifts, but I want you to have the profits that will accumulate to your credit. ¹⁸ You have paid me in full, and more too. I am fully supplied with what I have received from you through Epaphroditus. It is like fragrant incense, just such a sacrifice as God welcomes and approves.

⁶ came among you, to thrive and bear its fruit among you, as it does all over the world, from the time when you first heard about the mercy of God,

⁸ and it is he who has told me of the love the Spirit has awakened in you.

⁸ and it is he who has told me of the love the Spirit has awakened in you. ⁹ That is why, from the day I first heard of it, I have never given up praying for you and asking God to fill you, through full spiritual wisdom and insight, with a clear knowledge of what his will is, ¹⁰ so that the lives you live may be worthy of your Master and wholly pleasing to him, and you may be fruitful in all kinds of good deeds, and may grow into fuller knowledge of God.

²⁵ In it, by divine appointment, I became a worker, that I might preach among you the message of God in its fulness—

¹ For I want you to know what a fight I am putting up for you and for our brothers in Laodicea, and for all who do not know me personally,

¹⁶ Let the message of Christ live in your hearts in all its wealth of wisdom. Teach it to one another and train one another in it with thankfulness, with psalms, hymns, and sacred songs, and sing to God with all your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you have to say or do, do it all as followers of the Lord Jesus, and offer your thanksgiving to God the Father through him.

¹² Epaphras, one of your own number, a slave of Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you. He is always standing up for you in his prayers that you may stand fast, like men of mature convictions, whatever God's will for you may be.

⁵ for our preaching of the good news did not come to you as mere words but with power and the holy Spirit and full conviction—you know the kind of life we lived among you for your good.

² We had just been through ill-treatment and insults at Philippi, as you remember, but, in the face of great opposition, we took courage by the help of our God, and told you God's good news.

⁹ You remember, brothers, how we toiled and labored. We worked night and day, when we preached the good news to you, in order not to be a burden to any of you.

¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus and persecuted the prophets and us; who displease God, and in their hostility to all mankind

¹⁷ For our part, brothers, when we were separated from you for a little while—in person, though not in spirit—we were extremely eager and longed intensely to see you. ¹⁸ For we resolved to come to see you—I, Paul, did so again and again—but Satan held us back.

⁶ But now that Timothy has just come back to me from you, and brought me good news of your faith and love, and told me how kindly you think of me and that you long to see me just as much as I long to see you, ⁷ I feel encouraged, brothers, about you, in spite of all my distress and trouble, at your faith, ⁸ for now I can really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. ⁹ For how can I thank God enough for you, for all the happiness you make me feel in the presence of our God, ¹⁰ as I pray night and day with intense earnestness that I may see your faces and supply what is lacking in your faith?

¹⁰ as I pray night and day with intense earnestness that I may see your faces and supply what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and strengthen one another, just as you are doing.

¹⁴ We beg you, brothers, warn the idlers, cheer up the despondent, keep hold of the weak, be patient with everybody.

²³ May God himself, the giver of peace, consecrate you through and through. Spirit, soul, and body, may you be kept sound, and be found irreproachable when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.

²⁵ Brothers, pray for us.

¹⁰ when on that Day he comes to be honored in his people, and wondered at in all who believe in him—because our testimony has been confirmed in you. 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, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, by the blessing of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and kindly given us unfailing encouragement and a well-founded hope, ¹⁷ encourage you and strengthen you to do and say everything that is right.

¹⁷ encourage you and strengthen you to do and say everything that is right.

¹ Now, brothers, pray for us, that the Lord's message may spread rapidly and gloriously as it did among you, ² and that we may be saved from unjust and wicked men; for not everybody has faith.

¹⁶ And may the Lord of peace himself always give you peace in every way. The Lord be with you all.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by order of God our Savior and of Jesus Christ our hope,

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

¹¹ as set forth in the glorious good news of the blessed God with which I have been intrusted. ¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me the strength for it, for thinking me trustworthy and putting me into his service, 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, ¹⁴ and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings.

⁷ and I was appointed a herald and apostle of it—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—to teach the heathen faith and truth.

⁶ If you point this out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, living on the principles of the faith and the excellent teaching you have had.

¹³ Before God who maintains all life, and before Christ Jesus who in testifying before Pontius Pilate made his great profession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep his command stainless and irreproachable until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁴ When I remember the tears you shed I long night and day to see you again, and have the perfect happiness ⁵ of being reminded of your genuine faith, a faith that was seen first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice; I am sure it is in you also. ⁶ For this reason I would remind you to rekindle the divine gift that you received when I laid my hands upon you.

¹¹ of which I have been appointed a herald, apostle and teacher. ¹² This is why I am suffering as I am, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have trusted and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have intrusted to him for that Day.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my being in prison.

¹ So you, my son, must find strength in the blessing that comes through Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ Remind men of these things. Charge them before God to avoid idle arguments which do no one any good and only bring destruction on those who listen to them.

¹¹ my persecutions, my sufferings—the things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the persecutions I endured; yet the Lord brought me safely out of them all.

¹⁶ All Scripture is divinely inspired, and useful in teaching, in reproof, in correcting faults, and in training in uprightness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God will be adequate, and equipped for any good work.

¹ I charge you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom,

¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me, and gave me strength, so that I might make a full presentation of the message and let all the heathen hear it. So I was saved from the jaws of the lion.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. God bless you all.

³ Teach the older women, too, to be reverent in their behavior, and not to gossip or be slaves of drink, but to be teachers of what is right, ⁴ so as to train the younger women to be loving wives and mothers,

⁹ Tell slaves always to obey their masters and try to please them, not to oppose them ¹⁰ or steal from them, but to show such perfect good faith as to do credit to the teaching about God our Savior, by everything they do.

¹ Remind men to accept and obey the constituted authorities, to be ready for any useful service,

⁵ for what I hear of the love and faith you have in the Lord Jesus and all his people,

⁷ I have been greatly pleased and encouraged over your love, for the hearts of God's people have been cheered, my brother, by you.

¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention the fact that you owe me your very self besides. ²⁰ Come, brother, let me make something out of you, in a Christian sense! Cheer my heart as a Christian. ²¹ I write you in full reliance upon your obedience; I know that you will do even more than I ask.

⁴ while God himself corroborated their testimony with signs, portents, and various wonders, and by impartations of the holy Spirit when he saw fit.

¹⁷ And so he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might prove a compassionate high priest as well as one faithful in his service to God, in order to forgive the people's sins.

¹ For every high priest who is chosen from among men is appointed to represent his fellow-men in their relations with God, and to offer gifts and sin-offerings.

⁹ and when he was fully qualified, he became a source of unending salvation for all who obey him,

¹² For although from the length of your Christian experience you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very elements of Christian truth, and you have come to need milk instead of solid food.

⁹ But about you, dear friends, even though we say this, we are sure of better things that promise salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have showed for his cause, in giving help to your fellow-Christians as you still do. ¹¹ But we want each of you to exhibit this same earnestness to the very end with regard to your confidence in your hope,

¹¹ But we want each of you to exhibit this same earnestness to the very end with regard to your confidence in your hope, ¹² so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God's promises. ¹³ For when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to make oath by, he did so by himself, ¹⁴ and said, "I will certainly bless you richly, and greatly increase your numbers." ¹⁵ And so after waiting patiently, he received what God had promised him. ¹⁶ For men make oath by something greater than themselves, and they accept an oath as settling finally any disagreement they may have. ¹⁷ Therefore, God in his desire to make it perfectly clear to those to whom he made his promise, that his purpose was unalterable, bound himself with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by these two unalterable things, which make it impossible for God to break his promise, we who have taken refuge with him may be greatly encouraged to seize upon the hope that is offered to us. ¹⁹ This hope is like an anchor for our souls. It reaches up secure and strong into the sanctuary behind the heavenly curtain,

²⁴ By observing one another, let us arouse ourselves to rival one another's love and good deeds. ²⁵ Let us not neglect meeting together as some do, but let us encourage one another, all the more as you can see that the great Day is coming nearer.

³⁵ You must not lose your courage, for it will be richly rewarded, ³⁶ but you will need endurance if you are to carry out God's will and receive the blessing he has promised.

⁸ Faith enabled Abraham to obey when God summoned him to leave his home for a region which he was to have for his own, and to leave home without knowing where he was going.

¹⁶ But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God.

²⁰ May God, the giver of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus who through the blood by which he ratified the everlasting agreement has become the great shepherd of the sheep,

²² I beg you brothers, to listen patiently to this appeal, for I have written you but briefly.

²² Obey the message; do not merely listen to it, and deceive yourselves.

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? ⁶ But you humiliate the poor. Are not the rich your oppressors? Is it not they who drag you into court?

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. 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."

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. ⁹ Do not complain of one another, brothers, or you will be judged. The judge is standing right at the door! ¹⁰ As an example, brothers, of ill-treatment patiently endured, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Why, we call those who showed such endurance happy! You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen what the Lord brought out of it, for the Lord is very kind and merciful.

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,

⁸ You must love him, though you have not seen him, but since you believe in him though you do not now see him, rejoice with triumphant, unutterable joy

¹² It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look! 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.

²¹ for the sake of you who through him trust in God, who raised him from the dead and showed him honor; and so your faith and hope rest on God.

⁵ and build yourselves up as living stones into a spiritual house for a consecrated priesthood, so as to offer spiritual sacrifices that through Jesus Christ will be acceptable to God.

⁹ But you are the chosen race, the royal priesthood, the consecrated nation, his own people, so that you may declare the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light; ¹⁰ you who were once "no people" but are now "God's people"; once "unpitied" but now "pitied indeed."

⁸ Finally, you must all be harmonious, sympathizing, loving, tender-hearted, modest,

²⁰ who had once been disobedient, when in Noah's time God in his patience waited for the ark to be made ready, in which a few people, eight in all, were brought safely through the water.

¹⁰ Whatever the endowment God has given you, use it in service to one another, like good dispensers of God's varied mercy. ¹¹ If one preaches, let him do it like one who utters the words of God; if one does some service, let him do it as with strength which God supplies, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹² By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I think him, I have written you this short letter to encourage you and bear my testimony that this is what the true mercy of God means. Stand fast in it.

⁵ For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with piety, ⁷ piety with a spirit of brotherhood, and the spirit of brotherhood with love. ⁸ For if you have these qualities in their fulness, they will make you neither idle nor unproductive when it comes to the understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹² Therefore I will always remind you of this, although you know it and are firmly grounded in the truth that you have.

¹² Therefore I will always remind you of this, although you know it and are firmly grounded in the truth that you have. 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.

²⁰ You must understand this in the first place, that no prophecy in Scripture can be understood through one's own powers, ²¹ for no prophecy ever originated in the human will, but under the influence of the holy Spirit men spoke for God.

¹ This is the second letter, dear friends, that I have now written to you, in the effort to arouse your unsullied minds ² to remember the things foretold by the holy prophets, and the command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

⁹ The Lord is not slow about his promise, in the sense that some men think; he is really showing his patience with you, because he does not want any to perish, but wishes all men to be brought to repentance.

¹⁵ Look upon our Lord's patience as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul, with the wisdom that God gave him, wrote you to do,

¹² I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven for his sake. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have been victorious over the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. ¹⁴ I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and God's message is always in your hearts, and you have been victorious over the evil one.

¹⁴ I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and God's message is always in your hearts, and you have been victorious over the evil one.

²¹ I do not write to you because you do not know it, but because you do know it, and because no lie can come from the truth.

¹⁸ Dear children, let us love not with words or lips only but in reality and truth.

¹³ I have written this so that you who believe in the Son of God may know that you have eternal life.

⁶ they have testified before the church to your love. Please see them off on their journey in a way appropriate to God's service.

³ Dear friends, I was just on the point of writing to you about our common salvation, when it became necessary for me to write and appeal to you to come to the defense of the faith that has once for all been intrusted to God's people. ⁴ For some people have sneaked in among us—their doom was foretold long ago—godless persons, who turn the mercy of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. ⁵ Now I want to remind you, though you know it all already, that he who brought the people safely out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed the ones who did not believe,

⁹ The archangel Michael himself, when he had the dispute with the devil about Moses' body, did not venture to condemn him for blasphemy; he only said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"

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. ²² Those whom you pity in their uncertainty, ²³ save, snatching them out of the fire, and look on others with pity mixed with fear, loathing even the clothes their animal nature has stained.

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

⁵ But one of the elders said to me, "Do not cry! See! The lion who is of the tribe of Judah, of the line of David, has been victorious so that he can open the roll and break its seals."

¹⁶ "I, Jesus, sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am of the line and family of David, I am the bright morning star."