2 Peter Cross References - Moffatt

¹ Symeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been allotted a faith of equal privilege with ours, by the equity of our God and saviour Jesus Christ: ² grace and peace be multiplied to you by the knowledge of our Lord. ³ Inasmuch as his power divine has bestowed on us every requisite for life and piety by the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence — ⁴ bestowing on us thereby promises precious and supreme, that by means of them you may escape the corruption produced within the world by lust, and participate in the divine nature — ⁵ for this very reason, do you contrive to make it your whole concern to furnish your faith with resolution, resolution with intelligence, ⁶ intelligence with self-control, self-control with stedfastness, stedfastness with piety, ⁷ piety with brotherliness, brotherliness with Christian love. ⁸ For as these qualities exist and increase with you, they render you active and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; ⁹ whereas he who has not these by him is blind, shortsighted, oblivious that he has been cleansed from his erstwhile sins. ¹⁰ So be the more eager, brothers, to ratify your calling and election, for as you practise these qualities you will never make a slip; ¹¹ you will thus be richly furnished with the right of entry into the eternal realm of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. ¹² Hence I mean to keep on reminding you of this, although you are aware of it and are fixed in the Truth as it is; ¹³ so long as I am in this tent, I deem it proper to stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ since I know my tent must be folded up very soon — as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. ¹⁵ Yes, and I will see to it that even when I am gone, you will keep this constantly in mind. ¹⁶ For it was no fabricated fables that we followed when we reported to you the power and advent of our Lord Jesus Christ; we were admitted to the spectacle of his sovereignty, ¹⁷ when he was invested with honour and glory by God the Father, and when the following voice was borne to him from the sublime Glory, "This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I delight." ¹⁸ That voice borne from heaven we heard, we who were beside him on the sacred hill, ¹⁹ and thus we have gained fresh confirmation of the prophetic word. Pray attend to that word; it shines like a lamp within a darksome spot, till the Day dawns and the daystar rises within your hearts — ²⁰ understanding this, at the outset, that no prophetic scripture allows a man to interpret it by himself; ²¹ for prophecy never came by human impulse, it was when carried away by the holy Spirit that the holy men of God spoke.

¹⁸ As he was walking along the sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew, casting a net in the sea — for they were fishermen;

² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedaeus and John his brother,

⁴⁷ My spirit has joy in God my Saviour:

⁴⁹ This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some they will kill and some they will persecute';

³¹ Simon, Simon, Satan has claimed the right to sift you all like wheat, ³² but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And you in turn must be a strength to your brothers." ³³ "Lord," he said, "I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." ³⁴ Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow to-day before you have three times denied that you know me."

⁴² He took him to Jesus; Jesus gazed at him and said, "You are Simon, the son of John? Your name is to be Cephas" (meaning 'Peter' or 'rock').

²⁶ If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall my servant be also: if anyone serves me, my Father will honour him.

²¹ Jesus then repeated, "Peace be with you! As the Father sent me forth, I am sending you forth."

¹⁵ Then after breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others do?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," said Jesus. ¹⁶ Again he asked him, for the second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then be a shepherd to my sheep," said Jesus. ¹⁷ For the third time he asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Now Peter was vexed at being asked a third time, "Do you love me?" So he replied; "Lord, you know everything, you can see I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep.

⁸ The God who reads the hearts of all attested this by giving them the holy Spirit just as he gave it to us; ⁹ in cleansing their hearts by faith he made not the slightest distinction between us and them.

¹⁴ Symeon has explained how it was God's original concern to secure a People from among the Gentiles to bear his Name.

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

¹² or, in other words, that I may be encouraged by meeting you, I by your faith and you by mine.

¹⁷ God's righteousness is revealed in it by faith and for faith — as it is written, Now by faith shall the righteous live.

²¹ But now we have a righteousness of God disclosed apart from law altogether; it is attested by the Law and the prophets, ²² but it is a righteousness of God which comes by believing in Jesus Christ. And it is meant for all who have faith. No distinctions are drawn. ²³ All have sinned, all come short of the glory of God, ²⁴ but they are justified for nothing by his grace through the ransom provided in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as the means of propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to demonstrate the justice of God in view of the fact that sins previously committed during the time of God's forbearance had been passed over; ²⁶ it was to demonstrate his justice at the present epoch, showing that God is just himself and that he justifies man on the score of faith in Jesus.

³⁰ This is the God to whom you owe your being in Christ Jesus, whom God has made our 'Wisdom,' that is, our righteousness and consecration and redemption;

¹ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the work I have accomplished in the Lord?

⁹ For I am the very least of the apostles, unfit to bear the name of apostle, since I persecuted the church of God.

¹³ But since our spirit of faith is the same, therefore — as it is written I believed and so I spoke — I too believe and so I speak,

²¹ For our sakes He made him to be sin who himself knew nothing of sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

⁸ (for He who equipped Peter to be an apostle of the circumcised equipped me as well for the uncircumcised),

⁵ which was not disclosed to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his sacred apostles and prophets by the Spirit),

⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

¹¹ he granted some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to shepherd and teach,

²⁹ For on behalf of Christ you have the favour of suffering no less than of believing in him,

⁹ and be found at death in him, possessing no legal righteousness of my own but the righteousness of faith in Christ, the divine righteousness that rests on faith.

⁵ for I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, as it dwells (I feel sure) in yourself.

¹ Paul a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and for their knowledge of the Truth that goes with a religious life,

⁴ to Titus my lawful son in a faith we hold in common; grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

¹³ awaiting the blessed hope of the appearance of the Glory of the great God and of our Saviour Christ Jesus,

¹ Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

⁷ that is only to prove your faith is sterling (far more precious than gold which is perishable and yet is tested by fire), and it redounds to your praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

⁷ Now you believe, you hold him 'precious,' but as for the unbelieving — the very stone the builders rejected is now the cornerstone,

¹ Now I make this appeal to your presbyters (for I am a presbyter myself, I was a witness of what Christ suffered and I am to share the glory that will be revealed),

⁴ bestowing on us thereby promises precious and supreme, that by means of them you may escape the corruption produced within the world by lust, and participate in the divine nature —

²² "All has been handed over to me by my Father: and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

³ And this is eternal life, that they know thee, the only real God, and him whom thou hast sent, even Jesus Christ.

⁷ to all in Rome who are beloved by God, called to be saints, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁶ For God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," has shone within my heart to illuminate men with the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Christ.

⁸ indeed I count anything a loss, compared to the supreme value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything (I count it all the veriest refuse) in order to gain Christ

² whom God the Father has predestined and chosen, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: may grace and peace be multiplied to you. ³ Inasmuch as his power divine has bestowed on us every requisite for life and piety by the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence —

⁸ For as these qualities exist and increase with you, they render you active and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;

²⁰ After escaping the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, if they get entangled and overpowered again, the last state is worse for them than the first.

¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory now and to the day of eternity: Amen.

²⁰ We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us insight to know Him who is the Real God; and we are in Him who is real, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the real God, this is life eternal. ²¹ My dear children, keep clear of idols.

² mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.

⁴ John to the seven churches in Asia: grace be to you and peace from HE WHO IS AND WAS AND IS COMING, and from the seven Spirits before his throne,

¹⁸ Then Jesus came forward to them and said, "Full authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth;

² since thou hast granted him power over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given to him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know thee, the only real God, and him whom thou hast sent, even Jesus Christ.

²⁸ We know also that those who love God, those who have been called in terms of his purpose, have his aid and interest in everything. ²⁹ For he decreed of old that those whom he predestined should share the likeness of his Son — that he might be the firstborn of a great brotherhood. ³⁰ Then he calls those whom he has thus decreed; then he justifies those whom he has called; then he glorifies those whom he has justified.

³² The God who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, surely He will give us everything besides!

²⁴ that is, for us whom he has called from among the Gentiles as well as the Jews?

⁹ Faithful is the God who called you to this fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

²¹ So you must not boast about men. For all belongs to you; ²² Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present and the future — all belongs to you; ²³ and you belong to Christ, and Christ to God.

⁹ but he told me, "It is enough for you to have my grace: it is in weakness that [my] power is fully felt." So I am proud to boast of all my weakness, and thus to have the power of Christ resting on my life.

¹⁹ and the surpassing greatness of his power over us believers — a power which operates with the strength of the might ²⁰ which he exerted in raising Christ from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavenly sphere, ²¹ above all the angelic Rulers, Authorities, Powers, and Lords, above every Name that is to be named not only in this age but in the age to come —

¹ As the Lord's prisoner, then, I beg of you to live a life worthy of your calling,

⁴ For there is one Body and one Spirit — as you were called for the one hope that belongs to your call —

⁸ Finally, brothers, keep in mind whatever is true, whatever is worthy, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is attractive, whatever is high-toned, all excellence, all merit.

¹⁶ for it was by him that all things were created both in heaven and on earth, both the seen and the unseen, including Thrones, angelic Lords, celestial Powers and Rulers; all things have been created by him and for him;

¹² to lead a life worthy of the God who called you to his own realm and glory.

⁷ God did not call us to be impure but to be consecrated;

¹⁴ it was for this that he called you by our gospel, to gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ The training of the body is of small service, but religion is of service in all directions; it contains the promise of life both for the present and for the future.

⁹ who has saved us and called us to a life of consecration — not for anything we have done but because he chose to do it himself, by the grace which he gave us ages ago in Christ Jesus

³ He, reflecting God's bright glory and stamped with God's own character, sustains the universe with his word of power; when he had secured our purification from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;

⁵ and the power of God protects you by faith till you do inherit the salvation which is all ready to be revealed at the last hour.

¹⁵ as He who called you is holy, so you must be holy too in all your conduct —

⁹ But you are the elect race, the royal priesthood, the consecrated nation, the People who belong to Him, that you may proclaim the wondrous deeds of Him who has called you from darkness to his wonderful light —

²¹ It is your vocation; for when Christ suffered for you, he left you an example, and you must follow his footsteps.

⁹ never paying back evil for evil, never reviling when you are reviled, but on the contrary blessing. For this is your vocation, to bless and to inherit blessing;

¹⁰ Once you have suffered for a little, the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will repair and recruit and strengthen you.

² grace and peace be multiplied to you by the knowledge of our Lord.

⁵ for this very reason, do you contrive to make it your whole concern to furnish your faith with resolution, resolution with intelligence,

¹² On those who have accepted him, however, he has conferred the right of being children of God, that is, on those who believe in his Name, ¹³ who owe this birth of theirs to God, not to human blood, nor to any impulse of the flesh or of man.

⁴ for they are Israelites, theirs is the Sonship, the Glory, the covenants, the divine legislation, the Worship, and the promises;

²⁰ for in him is the 'yes' that affirms all the promises of God. Hence it is through him that we affirm our 'amen' in worship, to the glory of God.

¹⁸ But we all mirror the glory of the Lord with face unveiled, and so we are being transformed into the same likeness as himself, passing from one glory to another — for this comes of the Lord the Spirit.

¹⁷ Therefore come away from them, separate, saith the Lord, touch not what is unclean; then I will receive you,

¹⁶ Now the Promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it is not said, 'and to your offsprings' in the plural, but in the singular and to your offspring — which is Christ.

⁸ he who sows for his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, and he who sows for the Spirit will reap life eternal from the Spirit.

²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ putting on the new nature, that divine pattern which has been created in the upright and pious character of the Truth.

¹⁰ and put on the new nature which is renewed in the likeness of its Creator for the knowledge of him.

⁶ As it is, however, the divine service he has obtained is superior, owing to the fact that he mediates a superior covenant, enacted with superior promises. ⁷ For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second. ⁸ Whereas God does find fault with the people of that covenant, when he says: The day is coming, saith the Lord, when I will conclude a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be on the lines of the covenant I made with their fathers, ⁹ on the day I took them by the hand to lead out of Egypt's land; for they would not hold to my covenant, so I let them alone, saith the Lord. ¹⁰ This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel when that day comes, saith the Lord; I will set my laws within their mind, inscribing them upon their hearts; I will be a God to them, and they shall be a People to me; ¹¹ one citizen will no longer teach his fellow, one man will no longer teach his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, low and high together. ¹² I will be merciful to their iniquities, and remember their sins no more.

¹⁵ He mediates a new covenant for this reason, that those who have been called may obtain the eternal inheritance they have been promised, now that a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions involved in the first covenant.

¹⁰ For while their discipline was only for a time, and inflicted at their pleasure, he disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his own holiness.

¹ Where do conflicts, where do wrangles come from, in your midst? Is it not from these passions of yours that war among your members? ² You crave, and miss what you want: you envy and covet, but you cannot acquire: you wrangle and fight — you miss what you want because you do not ask God for it; ³ you do ask and you do not get it, because you ask with the wicked intention of spending it on your pleasures.

² nerve you to spend the rest of your time in the flesh for the will of God and no longer for human passions. ³ It is quite enough to have done as pagans choose to do, during the time gone by! You used to lead lives of sensuality, lust, carousing, revelry, dissipation and illicit idolatry,

¹ Symeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been allotted a faith of equal privilege with ours, by the equity of our God and saviour Jesus Christ:

¹⁸ By talking arrogant futilities they beguile with the sensual lure of fleshly passion those who are just escaping from the company of misconduct — ¹⁹ promising them freedom, when they are themselves enslaved to corruption (for a man is the slave of whatever overpowers him). ²⁰ After escaping the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, if they get entangled and overpowered again, the last state is worse for them than the first.

¹⁵ Love not the world, nor yet what is in the world; if anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the proud glory of life, belongs not to the Father but to the world;

²⁵ Now this is what he has promised you, eternal life.

² We are children of God now, beloved; what we are to be is not apparent yet, but we do know that when he appears, we are to be like him — for we are to see him as he is.

²⁶ Besides all that, a great gulf yawns between us and you, to keep back those who want to cross from us to you and also those who want to pass from you to us.'

²¹ Our own hope was that he would be the redeemer of Israel; but he is dead, and that is three days ago!

²⁷ Work for no perishing food, but for that lasting food which means eternal life; the Son of man will give you that, for the Father, God, has certified him."

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in the sphere of intelligence; in evil be mere infants, but be mature in your intelligence.

¹⁷ May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the knowledge of himself, ¹⁸ illuminating the eyes of your heart so that you can understand the hope to which He calls us, the wealth of his glorious heritage in the saints,

¹⁷ So do not be senseless, but understand what is the Lord's will;

⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may be more and more rich in knowledge and all manner of insight, enabling you to have a sense of what is vital,

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have been obedient always and not simply when I was present, so, now that I am absent, work all the more strenuously at your salvation with reverence and trembling,

⁹ Hence, from the day we heard of it, we have never ceased to pray for you, asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and insight,

³ in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge lie hidden!

¹¹ It is my heart's desire that each of you would prove equally keen upon realizing your full hope to the very end,

⁶ and apart from faith it is impossible to satisfy him, for the man who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he does reward those who seek him.

¹⁵ see to it that no one misses the grace of God, that no root of bitterness grows up to be a trouble by contaminating all the rest of you;

⁷ In the same way you husbands must be considerate in living with your wives, since they are the weaker sex; you must honour them as heirs equally with yourselves of the grace of Life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

² grace and peace be multiplied to you by the knowledge of our Lord. ³ Inasmuch as his power divine has bestowed on us every requisite for life and piety by the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence —

¹⁰ So be the more eager, brothers, to ratify your calling and election, for as you practise these qualities you will never make a slip;

¹⁴ Then, beloved, as you are expecting this, be eager to be found by him unspotted and unblemished in serene assurance.

¹⁵ As for the seed in the good soil, that means those who hear and hold fast the word in a good and sound heart and so bear fruit stedfastly.

¹⁹ Hold out stedfast and you win your souls.

²⁵ but when he argued about morality, self-mastery, and the future judgment, Felix grew uneasy. "You may go for the present," he said; "when I can find a moment, I will send for you"

⁷ eternal life to those who by patiently doing good aim at glory, honour, and immortality,

³ Not only so, but we triumph even in our troubles, knowing that trouble produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces character, and character produces hope —

²⁵ But if we hope for something that we do not see, we wait for it patiently.

⁴ All such words were written of old for our instruction, that by remaining stedfast and drawing encouragement from the scriptures we may cherish hope.

²⁵ Every athlete practises self-restraint all round; but while they do it to win a fading wreath, we do it for an unfading.

⁴ I prove myself at all points a true minister of God, by great endurance, by suffering, by troubles, by calamities,

²³ gentleness, self-control: — there is no law against those who practise such things.

¹¹ May his glorious might nerve you with full power to endure and to be patient cheerfully, whatever comes,

³ as we recall your active faith and labour of love and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. ⁴ So much so, that throughout the churches of God we are proud of you, proud of the stedfastness and faith you display through all the persecutions and the troubles in which you are involved.

⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts towards God's love and towards Christ's patience!

² for kings and all in authority, that we may lead a tranquil life in all piety and gravity;

¹⁰ but with good deeds (as befits women who make a religious profession).

¹⁶ And who does not admit how profound is the divine truth of our religion? — it is He who was "manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by the angels, preached among the nations, believed on throughout the world, taken up to glory."

⁷ Shut your mind against these profane, drivelling myths; train for the religious life. ⁸ The training of the body is of small service, but religion is of service in all directions; it contains the promise of life both for the present and for the future.

³ Anyone who teaches novelties and refuses to fall in with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine that tallies with piety,

⁶ And so it is — provided it goes with a contented spirit;

¹¹ Shun that, O man of God, aim at integrity, piety, faith, love, stedfastness, and suavity;

⁵ for though they keep up a form of religion, they will have nothing to do with it as a force. Avoid all such.

⁸ he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;

² Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, masters of themselves, sound in faith, in love, and in stedfastness.

¹² so that instead of being slack you may imitate those who inherit the promises by their stedfast faith.

¹⁵ Thus it was that Abraham by his stedfastness obtained what he had been promised.

³⁶ Steady patience is what you need, so that after doing the will of God you may get what you have been promised.

¹ Therefore, with all this host of witnesses encircling us, we must strip off every handicap, strip off sin with its clinging folds, to run our appointed course steadily,

³ sure that the sterling temper of your faith produces endurance; ⁴ only, let your endurance be a finished product, so that you may be finished and complete, with never a defect.

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers, till the arrival of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious crop of the land, biding his time patiently till he gets the autumn and the spring rains; ⁸ have patience yourselves, strengthen your hearts, for the arrival of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not murmur against one another, brothers, lest you are judged; look, the Judge is standing at the very door! ¹⁰ As an example of fortitude and endurance, brothers, take the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord.

¹¹ Now as all things are thus to be dissolved, what holy and pious men ought you to be in your behaviour,

⁹ I John, your brother and your companion in the distress and realm and patient endurance which Jesus brings, found myself in the island called Patmos, for adhering to God's word and the testimony of Jesus.

² I know your doings, your hard work and your patient endurance; I know that you cannot bear wicked men, and that you have tested those who style themselves apostles (no apostles they!) and detected them to be liars;

¹⁰ Whoever is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes: whoever kills with the sword, by the sword must he be killed. This is what shows the patience and the faith of the saints.

¹² This is what shows the patience of the saints — they who keep God's commands and the faith of Jesus.

³⁴ I give you a new command, to love one another — as I have loved you, you are to love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will recognize that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another."

¹⁰ Put affection into your love for the brotherhood; be forward to honour one another;

¹ Thus, I may speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but if I have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal; ² I may prophesy, fathom all mysteries and secret lore, I may have such absolute faith that I can move hills from their place, but if I have no love, I count for nothing; ³ I may distribute all I possess in charity, I may give up my body to be burnt, but if I have no love, I make nothing of it. ⁴ Love is very patient, very kind. Love knows no jealousy; love makes no parade, gives itself no airs, ⁵ is never rude, never selfish, never irritated, never resentful; ⁶ love is never glad when others go wrong, love is gladdened by goodness, ⁷ always slow to expose, always eager to believe the best, always hopeful, always patient. ⁸ Love never disappears. As for prophesying, it will be superseded; as for 'tongues,' they will cease; as for knowledge, it will be superseded.

¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men and in particular to the household of the faith.

¹⁴ And above all you must be loving, for love is the link of the perfect life.

¹² And may the Lord make you increase and excel in love to one another and to all men (as is my love for you),

⁹ You need no one to write you upon brotherly love, for you are yourselves taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ as indeed is your practice towards all the brothers throughout all Macedonia. We beseech you, brothers, to excel in this more and more;

¹⁵ see that none of you pays back evil for evil, but always aim at what is kind to one another and to all the world;

¹ Let your brotherly love continue.

²² Now that your obedience to the Truth has purified your souls for a brotherly love that is sincere, love one another heartily and steadily.

¹⁷ Do honour to all, love the brotherhood, reverence God, honour the emperor.

⁸ Lastly, you must all be united, you must have sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility,

¹⁴ We know we have crossed from death to life, because we love the brotherhood; he who has no love [for his brother] remains in death.

¹⁶ We know what love is by this, that He laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for the brotherhood.

²¹ And we get this command from him, that he who loves God is to love his brother as well.

²² As for him who is sown 'among thorns,' that is the man who listens to the word, but the worry of the world and the delight of being rich choke the word; so it proves unfruitful.

³ Then, on going out at nine o'clock he noticed some other labourers standing in the marketplace doing nothing;

⁶ And when he went out at five o'clock he came upon some others who were standing; he said to them, 'Why have you stood doing nothing all the day?'

²⁶ His master said to him in reply, 'You rascal, you idle servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I have never sowed and gather where I have never winnowed!

⁴² but I know there is no love to God in you;

² he cuts away any branch on me which is not bearing fruit, and cleans every branch which does bear fruit, to make it bear richer fruit.

⁶ If anyone does not remain in me he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers up; then the branches are gathered and thrown into the fire to be burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then ask whatever you like and you shall have it. ⁸ As you bear rich fruit and prove yourselves my disciples, my Father is glorified.

¹¹ never let your zeal flag; maintain the spiritual glow; serve the Lord;

⁵⁸ Well then, my beloved brothers, hold your ground, immovable; abound in work for the Lord at all times, for you may be sure that in the Lord your labour is never thrown away.

¹³ 'I am beside myself,' am I? Well, that is between myself and God. I am 'sane,' am I? Well, that is in your interests; ¹⁴ for I am controlled by the love of Christ, convinced that as One has died for all, then all have died, ¹⁵ and that he died for all in order to have the living live no longer for themselves but for him who died and rose for them. ¹⁶ Once convinced of this, then, I estimate no one by what is external; even though I once estimated Christ by what is external, I no longer estimate him thus. ¹⁷ There is a new creation whenever a man comes to be in Christ; what is old is gone, the new has come.

² Amid a severe ordeal of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty together have poured out a flood of rich generosity;

⁷ Now then, you are to the front in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all zeal, and in love for us — do come to the front in this gracious enterprise as well.

¹⁴ they are drawn to you and pray for you, on account of the surpassing grace which God has shown to you.

⁵ Put yourselves to the proof, not me; test yourselves, to see if you are in the faith. Do you not understand that Christ Jesus is within you? Otherwise you must be failures.

⁵ Treat one another with the same spirit as you experience in Christ Jesus.

⁷ fixed and founded in him, confirmed in the faith as you have been taught it, and overflowing with thankfulness to God.

¹⁶ Let the inspiration of Christ dwell in your midst with all its wealth of wisdom; teach and train one another with the music of psalms, with hymns, and songs of the spiritual life; praise God with thankful hearts.

¹ Finally, brothers, we beg and beseech you in the Lord Jesus to follow our instructions about the way you are to live so as to satisfy God; you are leading that life, but you are to excel in it still further.

³ We are bound always to thank God for you, brothers — it is proper that we should, because your faith grows apace and your mutual love, one and all, is increasing.

¹³ Besides, they become idle unconsciously by gadding about from one house to another — and not merely idle but gossips and busybodies, repeating things they have no right to mention.

¹⁴ Our people must really learn to profess honest occupations, so as to be able to meet such special occasions; they must not be idle.

⁶ I pray that by their participation in your loyal faith they may have a vivid sense of how much good we Christians can attain.

²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. "There is one thing you want," he said; "go and sell all you have; give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, take up the cross, and follow me."

²² When Jesus heard this he said to him, "You lack one thing more; sell all you have, distribute the money among the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me."

⁴⁰ On hearing this the Pharisees who were beside him asked, "And are we blind?" ⁴¹ Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty; but, as it is, you claim to have sight — and so your sin remains."

¹ Now what are we to infer from this? That we are to 'remain on in sin, so that there may be all the more grace'? ² Never! How can we live in sin any longer, when we died to sin? ³ Surely you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death! ⁴ Our baptism in his death made us share his burial, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live and move in the new sphere of Life.

¹¹ So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ Even if my gospel is veiled, it is only veiled in the case of the perishing; ⁴ there the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to prevent them seeing the light thrown by the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.

⁶ in Christ Jesus circumcision is not valid, neither is uncircumcision, but only faith active in love.

¹³ Brothers, you were called to be free; only, do not make your freedom an opening for the flesh, but serve one another in love.

²⁶ to consecrate her by cleansing her in the bath of baptism as she utters her confession,

¹⁴ who gave himself up for us to redeem us from all iniquity and secure himself a clean people with a zest for good works.

¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who in the spirit of the eternal offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve a living God?

¹⁴ My brothers, what is the use of anyone declaring he has faith, if he has no deeds to show? Can his faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose some brother or sister is ill-clad and short of daily food; ¹⁶ if any of you says to them, "Depart in peace! Get warm, get food," without supplying their bodily needs, what use is that? ¹⁷ So faith, unless it has deeds, is dead in itself. ¹⁸ Someone will object, 'And you claim to have faith!' Yes, and I claim to have deeds as well; you show me your faith without any deeds, and I will show you by my deeds what faith is! ¹⁹ You believe in one God? Well and good. So do the devils, and they shudder. ²⁰ But will you understand, you senseless fellow, that faith without deeds is dead? ²¹ When our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar, was he not justified by what he did? ²² In his case, you see, faith co-operated with deeds, faith was completed by deeds, ²³ and the scripture was fulfilled: Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him as righteousness — he was called God's friend. ²⁴ You observe it is by what he does that a man is justified, not simply by what he believes. ²⁵ So too with Rahab the harlot. Was she not justified by what she did, when she entertained the scouts and got them away by a different road? ²⁶ For as the body without the breath of life is dead, so faith is dead without deeds.

²¹ Baptism, the counterpart of that, saves you to-day (not the mere washing of dirt from the flesh but the prayer for a clean conscience before God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

⁴ bestowing on us thereby promises precious and supreme, that by means of them you may escape the corruption produced within the world by lust, and participate in the divine nature — ⁵ for this very reason, do you contrive to make it your whole concern to furnish your faith with resolution, resolution with intelligence, ⁶ intelligence with self-control, self-control with stedfastness, stedfastness with piety, ⁷ piety with brotherliness, brotherliness with Christian love.

⁷ but if we live and move within the light, as he is within the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.

⁹ He who says he is 'in the light' and hates his brother, is in darkness still. ¹⁰ He who loves his brother remains in the light — and in the light there is no pitfall; ¹¹ but he who hates his brother is in darkness, he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, for the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹⁷ You declare, 'I am rich, I am well off, I lack nothing!' — not knowing you are a miserable creature, pitiful, poor, blind, naked.

²⁴ Now, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts upon them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the floods rose, the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, for it was founded on rock.

⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man engaged in building a house, who dug deep down and laid his foundation on the rock; when a flood came, the river dashed against that house but could not shake it, for it had been well built. ⁴⁹ He who has listened and has not obeyed is like a man who built a house on the earth with no foundation; the river dashed against it and it collapsed at once, and the ruin of that house was great."

²⁴ But then, I set no value on my own life as compared with the joy of finishing my course and fulfilling the commission I received from the Lord Jesus to attest the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵ I know to-day that not one of you will ever see my face again — not one of you among whom I moved as I preached the Reign.

²⁸ We know also that those who love God, those who have been called in terms of his purpose, have his aid and interest in everything. ²⁹ For he decreed of old that those whom he predestined should share the likeness of his Son — that he might be the firstborn of a great brotherhood. ³⁰ Then he calls those whom he has thus decreed; then he justifies those whom he has called; then he glorifies those whom he has justified. ³¹ Now what follows from all this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³ as we recall your active faith and labour of love and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. ⁴ O brothers beloved by God, we know he has chosen you;

¹³ Now we are bound always to thank God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as the first to be reaped for salvation, by the consecration of your spirit and by faith in the Truth; ¹⁴ it was for this that he called you by our gospel, to gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁹ But the solid foundation laid by God remains, and this is its inscription: the Lord knows who are his, and 'let everyone who names the name of the Lord give up evil.'

¹⁹ anchoring the soul to it safe and sure, as it enters the inner Presence behind the veil.

¹⁷ Now, beloved, you are forewarned: mind you are not carried away by the error of the lawless and so lose your proper footing;

¹⁹ Thus it is that we may be sure we belong to the truth and reassure ourselves ²⁰ whenever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and he knows all. ²¹ If our heart does not condemn us, beloved, then we have confidence in approaching God,

¹⁰ Because you have kept the word of my patient endurance, I will keep you safe through the hour of trial which is coming upon the whole world to test the dwellers on earth. ¹¹ I am coming very soon: hold to what you have, in case your crown is taken from you.

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, that theirs may be the right to the tree of Life, the right to enter the gates of the City!

³⁴ Then shall the King say to those on his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, come into your inheritance in the realm prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

¹⁰ The thief only comes to steal, to slay, and to destroy: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

¹ I know that if this earthly tent of mine is taken down, I get a home from God, made by no human hands, eternal in the heavens.

²⁰ Now to him who by the action of his power within us can do all things, aye far more than we ever ask or imagine,

⁸ Now the crown of a good life awaits me, with which the Lord, that just Judge, will reward me on the great Day — and not only me but all who have loved and longed for his appearance.

¹⁷ God, in his desire to afford the heirs of the Promise a special proof of the solid character of his purpose, interposed with an oath;

²¹ 'The conqueror I will allow to sit beside me on my throne, as I myself have conquered and sat down beside my Father on his throne.'

¹⁰ thou hast made them kings and priests for our God, and they shall reign on earth."

⁵ and the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers day by day.

¹⁴ Personally I am quite certain, my brothers, that even as it is you have ample goodness of heart, you are filled with knowledge of every kind, and you are well able to give advice to one another. ¹⁵ Still, by way of refreshing your memory, I have written you with a certain freedom, in virtue of my divine commission

¹ Well then, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. I am repeating this word 'rejoice' in my letter, but that does not tire me and it is the safe course for you. —

⁶ Lay this before the brotherhood, and you will be an excellent minister of Christ Jesus, brought up on the truths of the faith and on the lessons of the good doctrine you have already followed.

⁶ Hence I would remind you to rekindle the divine gift which you received when my hands were laid upon you;

³² Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle of suffering,

⁹ Never let yourselves be carried away with a variety of novel doctrines; for the right thing is to have one's heart strengthened by grace, not by the eating of food — that has never been any use to those who have had recourse to it.

¹² By the hand of Silvanus, a faithful brother (in my opinion), I have written you these few lines of encouragement, to testify that this is what the true grace of God means. Stand in that grace.

¹³ so long as I am in this tent, I deem it proper to stir you up by way of reminder,

¹⁵ Yes, and I will see to it that even when I am gone, you will keep this constantly in mind.

¹ This is the second letter I have already written to you, beloved, stirring up your pure mind by way of reminder,

²¹ I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and know that no lie has any connexion with the truth.

² for the sake of the Truth which remains within us and will be with us for ever: ³ Beloved, my whole concern was to write to you on the subject of our common salvation, but I am forced to write you an appeal to defend the faith which has once for all been committed to the saints;

⁵ Now I want to remind you of what you are perfectly aware, that though the Lord once brought the People safe out of Egypt, he subsequently destroyed the unbelieving,

¹⁷ Now, beloved, you must remember the words of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

¹ I know that if this earthly tent of mine is taken down, I get a home from God, made by no human hands, eternal in the heavens. ² It makes me sigh indeed, this yearning to be under the cover of my heavenly habitation, ³ since I am sure that once so covered I shall not be 'naked' at the hour of death. ⁴ I do sigh within this tent of mine with heavy anxiety — not that I want to be stripped, no, but to be under the cover of the other, to have my mortal element absorbed by life.

⁸ and in this confidence I would fain get away from the body and reside with the Lord.

³ Remember prisoners, as if you were in prison yourselves; remember those who are being ill-treated, since you too are in the body.

¹² Hence I mean to keep on reminding you of this, although you are aware of it and are fixed in the Truth as it is;

¹⁴ since I know my tent must be folded up very soon — as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.

¹⁸ Truly, truly I tell you, you put on your own girdle and went wherever you wanted, when you were young; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands for someone to gird you, and you will be taken where you have no wish to go" ¹⁹ (he said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God); then he added, "Follow me."

²⁵ I know to-day that not one of you will ever see my face again — not one of you among whom I moved as I preached the Reign.

⁶ The last drops of my own sacrifice are falling; my time to go has come.

³¹ who appeared in a vision of glory and said he must go through with his death and departure at Jerusalem.

² and transmit the instructions I gave you in presence of many witnesses to trustworthy men, that they may be competent to teach others.

⁴ It was by faith that Abel offered God a richer sacrifice than Cain did, and thus won from God the record of being 'just,' on the score of what he gave; he died, but by his faith he is speaking to us still.

²⁸ I tell you truly, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the Son of man coming himself to reign."

³ So as he sat on the Hill of Olives the disciples came up to him in private and said, "Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign of your arrival and of the end of the world?"

²⁷ For like lightning that shoots from east to west, so will be the arrival of the Son of man.

¹ I tell you truly," he said, to them, "there are some of those standing here who will not taste death till they see the coming of God's Reign with power." ² Six days afterwards Jesus took Peter, James and John, and led them up a high hill by themselves alone; in their presence he was transfigured,

²⁸ It was about eight days after he said this, when he took Peter, John, and James, and went up the hillside to pray. ²⁹ While he was praying the appearance of his face altered and his dress turned dazzling white. ³⁰ There were two men conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in a vision of glory and said he must go through with his death and departure at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions had been overpowered with sleep, but on waking up they saw his glory and the two men who were standing beside him.

¹⁴ So the Logos became flesh and tarried among us; we have seen his glory — glory such as an only son enjoys from his father — seen it to be full of grace and reality.

² since thou hast granted him power over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given to him.

⁴ and installed as Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness when he was raised from the dead — concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,

⁷ Thus you lack no spiritual endowment during these days of waiting till our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed;

¹⁷ Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. And to preach it with no fine rhetoric, lest the cross of Christ should lose its power!

²³ but our message is Christ the crucified — a stumbling-block to the Jews, 'sheer folly' to the Gentiles,

¹ Thus when I came to you, my brothers, I did not come to proclaim to you God's secret purpose with any elaborate words or wisdom.

⁴ what I said, what I preached, did not rest on the plausible arguments of 'wisdom' but on the proof supplied by the Spirit and its power,

⁴ by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ; I have met with you in spirit, and by the power of our Lord Jesus

¹⁷ I am, for I am not like most, adulterating the word of God; like a man of sincerity, like a man of God, I speak the word in Christ before the very presence of God.

² I disown those practices which very shame conceals from view; I do not go about it craftily; I do not falsify the word of God; I state the truth openly and so commend myself to every man's conscience before God.

¹⁶ But let that pass, you say; I was not a burden to you, no, but I was clever enough to dupe you with my tricks? Was I? ¹⁷ Did I make something out of you by any of my messengers?

¹⁴ instead of remaining immature, blown from our course and swayed by every passing wind of doctrine, by the adroitness of men who are dexterous in devising error;

²¹ who will transform the body that belongs to our low estate till it resembles the body of his Glory, by the same power that enables him to make everything subject to himself.

¹⁹ For who is our hope, our joy, our crown of pride (who but you?) in the presence of our Lord Jesus on his arrival?

⁹ that One whose arrival is due to Satan's activity, with the full power, the miracles and portents, of falsehood,

⁴ and studying myths and interminable genealogies; such studies bear upon speculations rather than on the divine order which belongs to faith.

⁷ Shut your mind against these profane, drivelling myths; train for the religious life.

¹⁴ instead of studying Jewish myths and rules laid down by men who have discarded the Truth.

³ To begin with, you know that mockers will come with their mockeries in the last days, men who go by their own passions, ⁴ asking, "Where is His promised advent? Since the day our fathers fell asleep, things remain exactly as they were from the beginning of creation."

¹ It is of what existed from the very beginning, of what we heard, of what we saw, of what we witnessed and touched with our own hands, it is of the Logos of Life ² (the Life has appeared; we saw it, we testify to it, we bring you word of that eternal Life which existed with the Father and was disclosed to us) — ³ it is of what we heard and saw that we bring you word, so that you may share our fellowship; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ and we have seen, we can testify, that the Father has sent the Son as the Saviour of the world.

¹⁴ It was of these, too, that Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied, when he said, Behold the Lord comes with myriads of his holy ones,

⁷ Lo, he is coming on the clouds, to be seen by every eye, even by those who impaled him, and all the tribes of earth will wail because of him: even so, Amen.

¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in him is my delight."

²⁵ At that time Jesus spoke and said, "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the wise and learned and revealing it to the simpleminded; ²⁶ yes, Father, I praise thee that such was thy chosen purpose. ²⁷ All has been handed over to me by my Father: and no one knows the Son except the Father — nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

¹⁸ Here is my servant whom I have selected, my Beloved in whom my soul delights; I will invest him with my Spirit, and he will proclaim religion to the Gentiles.

³ There appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who conversed with Jesus.

⁵ He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in him is my delight: listen to him."

¹⁹ go and make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the holy Spirit,

¹¹ then said a voice from heaven, 'Thou art my Son, the Beloved, in thee is my delight.'

⁷ Then a cloud came overshadowing them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him."

²² and the holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my son, the Beloved, to-day have I become thy father."

³⁴ As he spoke, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were awestruck as they passed into the cloud, ³⁵ but a voice came from the cloud, "This is my Son, my Chosen one; listen to him."

³⁵ the Father loves the Son and has given him control over everything.

²¹ for as the Father raises the dead and makes them live, so the Son makes anyone live whom he chooses. ²² Indeed the Father passes judgment on no one; he has committed the judgment which determines life or death entirely to the Son, ²³ that all men may honour the Son as they honour the Father. (He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.)

²⁶ for as the Father has life in himself, so too he has granted the Son to have life in himself,

³⁶ But I possess a testimony greater than that of John, for the deeds which the Father has granted me to accomplish, the very deeds on which I am engaged, are my testimony that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ The Father who sent me has also borne testimony to me himself; but his voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,

³⁷ All those will come to me who are the Father's gift to me, and never will I reject one of them;

³⁹ and the will of him who sent me is that I lose none of those who are his gift to me, but that I raise them all up on the last day.

¹⁵ (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father,) and I lay down my life for the sheep.

³⁶ do you mean to tell me, whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

²⁸ I will say, 'Father, glorify thy name.'" Then came a voice from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ²⁹ When they heard the sound, the people standing by said it had thundered; others said, "An angel spoke to him."

¹ Now before the passover festival Jesus knew the time had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had loved his own in this world and he loved them to the end; ² so at supper, knowing that though the devil had suggested to Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, ³ the Father had put everything into his hands — knowing that he had come from God and was going to God,

⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am the real and living way: no one comes to the Father except by means of me.

⁸ "Lord," said Philip, "let us see the Father; that is all we want." ⁹ Jesus said to him, "Philip, have I been with you all this time, and yet you do not understand me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. What do you mean by saying, 'Let us see the Father'?

¹¹ Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me: — or else, believe because of the deeds themselves.

²¹ may they all be one! As thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, so may they be in us — that the world may believe thou hast sent me.

¹⁷ Jesus said, "Cease clinging to me. I have not ascended yet to the Father, but go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and yours, to my God and yours.'"

⁶ that you may unite in a chorus of praise and glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort,

³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed for ever, He knows I am telling the truth!

³ grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

¹ Judas, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are beloved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

⁶ When the disciples heard the voice they fell on their faces in terror;

¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, yea light dawned on those who sat in the land and the shadow of death.

⁷⁸ by the tender mercy of our God, who will make the Dawn visit us from on high, ⁷⁹ to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our steps into the way of peace."

²⁹ 'They have got Moses and the prophets,' said Abraham, 'they can listen to them.' ³⁰ 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone only goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' ³¹ He said to him, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, not even if one rose from the dead."

⁷ he came for the purpose of witnessing, to bear testimony to the Light, so that all men might believe by means of him. ⁸ He was not the Light; it was to bear testimony to the Light that he appeared. ⁹ The real Light, which enlightens every man, was coming then into the world:

³⁵ he was a burning and a shining lamp, and you chose to rejoice for a while in his light.

³⁹ You search the scriptures, imagining you possess eternal life in their pages — and they do testify to me —

¹² Then Jesus again addressed them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he who follows me will not walk in darkness, he will enjoy the light of life."

²⁹ abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye."

¹¹ where the people were more amenable than at Thessalonica; they were perfectly ready to receive the Word and made a daily study of the scriptures to see if it was really as Paul said.

⁴ there the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to prevent them seeing the light thrown by the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. ⁵ (It is Christ Jesus as Lord, not myself, that I proclaim; I am simply a servant of yours for Jesus' sake.) ⁶ For God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," has shone within my heart to illuminate men with the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Christ.

⁷ So avoid the company of such men. ⁸ For while once upon a time you were darkness, now in the Lord you are light; lead the life of those who are children of the light

⁸ If you really fulfil the royal law laid down by scripture, You must love your neighbour as yourself, well and good;

¹⁰ Even prophets have searched and inquired about that salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was meant for you;

¹⁰ He who believes in the Son of God possesses that testimony within himself; he who will not believe God, has made God a liar by refusing to believe the testimony which God has borne to his Son.

⁶ they have testified to your love before the church. Pray speed them on their journey worthily of God;

²⁸ also I will grant him to see the Morning-star.'

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

⁶ knowing as we do that our old self has been crucified with him in order to crush the sinful body and free us from any further slavery to sin

⁶ Our talents differ with the grace that is given us; if the talent is that of prophecy, let us employ it in proportion to our faith;

¹¹ And then you know what this Crisis means, you know it is high time to waken up; for Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

⁹ he must keep in mind that no law is ever made for honest people but for the lawless and the insubordinate, for the impious and the sinful, for the irreverent and the profane, for parricides and matricides, murderers,

³ sure that the sterling temper of your faith produces endurance;

³ To begin with, you know that mockers will come with their mockeries in the last days, men who go by their own passions,

³⁶ David himself said in the holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'

⁷⁰ as he promised of old by the lips of his prophets

¹⁶ "My brothers," said he, "it had to be fulfilled, that scripture which the holy Spirit uttered beforehand by the lips of David with regard to Judas who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁸ though this was how God fulfilled what he had announced beforehand by the lips of all the prophets, namely the sufferings of his Christ.

²⁵ As they could not agree among themselves, they were turning to go away, when Paul added this one word: "It was an apt word that the holy Spirit spoke by the prophet Isaiah to your fathers,

¹⁵ remember you have known from childhood the sacred writings that can impart saving wisdom by faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for amendment, and for moral discipline, ¹⁷ to make the man of God proficient and equip him for good work of every kind.

⁷ Therefore, as the holy Spirit says, To-day, when you hear his voice,

⁸ By this the holy Spirit means that the way into the Holiest Presence was not disclosed so long as the first tent

¹⁵ Besides, we have the testimony of the holy Spirit; for after saying,

¹¹ the Spirit of messiah within them foretold all the suffering of messiah and his after-glory, and they pondered when or how this was to come;

¹⁰ Then I fell before his feet to worship him; but he said to me, "No, not that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers, who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God" (for the testimony borne by Jesus is the breath of all prophecy).