Romans 12 Cross References - Moffatt

¹ Well then, my brothers, I appeal to you by all the mercy of God to dedicate your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated and acceptable to God; that is your cult, a spiritual rite. ² Instead of being moulded to this world, have your mind renewed, and so be transformed in nature, able to make out what the will of God is, namely, what is good and acceptable to him and perfect. ³ In virtue of my office, I tell everyone of your number who is self-important, that he is not to think more of himself than he ought to think; he must take a sane view of himself, corresponding to the degree of faith which God has assigned to each. ⁴ In our one body we have a number of members, and the members have not all the same function; ⁵ so too, for all our numbers, we form one Body in Christ and we are severally members one of another. 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; ⁷ if it is practical service, let us mind our service; the teacher must mind his teaching, ⁸ the speaker his words of counsel; the contributor must be liberal, the superintendent must be in earnest, the sick visitor must be cheerful. ⁹ Let your love be a real thing, with a loathing for evil and a bent for what is good. ¹⁰ Put affection into your love for the brotherhood; be forward to honour one another; ¹¹ never let your zeal flag; maintain the spiritual glow; serve the Lord; ¹² let your hope be a joy to you; be stedfast in trouble, attend to prayer, ¹³ contribute to needy saints, make a practice of hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who make a practice of persecuting you; bless them instead of cursing them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Keep in harmony with one another; instead of being ambitious, associate with humble folk; never be self-conceited. ¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone; aim to be above reproach in the eyes of all; ¹⁸ be at peace with all men, if possible, so far as that depends on you. ¹⁹ Never revenge yourselves, beloved, but let the Wrath of God have its way; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital — the Lord has said it. No, ²⁰ if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in this way you will make him feel a burning sense of shame. ²¹ Do not let evil get the better of you; get the better of evil by doing good.

⁵ Blessed are the humble! they will inherit the earth.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers! they will be ranked sons of God.

¹² rejoice and exult in it, for your reward is rich in heaven; that is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

³⁹ But I tell you, you are not to resist an injury: whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well;

⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

² When you give alms, make no flourish of trumpets like the hypocrites in the synagogues and the streets, so as to win applause from men; I tell you truly, they do get their reward. ³ When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so as to keep your alms secret; then your Father who sees what is secret will reward you openly.

²⁵ Therefore I tell you, do not trouble about what you are to eat or drink in life, nor about what you are to put on your body; surely life means more than food, surely the body means more than clothes! ²⁶ Look at the wild birds; they sow not, they reap not, they gather nothing in granaries, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than birds?

⁵ the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised.

¹ At that hour the disciples came and asked Jesus, "Who is greatest in the Realm of heaven?" ² So he called a child, set it among them, ³ and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like children, you will never get into the Realm of heaven at all. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Realm of heaven;

²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said, "Give orders that my two sons are to sit at your right hand and at your left in your Realm." ²² Jesus replied, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." ²³ "You shall drink my cup," said Jesus, "but it is not for me to grant seats at my right hand and at my left; these belong to the men for whom they have been destined by my Father." ²⁴ When the ten heard of this, they were angry at the two brothers, ²⁵ but Jesus called them and said, "You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men overbear them: ²⁶ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

²⁶ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of man has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

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

¹² And in most of you love will grow cold by the increase of iniquity;

⁴⁵ Now where is the trusty and thoughtful servant, whom his lord and master has set over his household to assign them their supplies at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant if his lord and master finds him so doing when he arrives! ⁴⁷ I tell you truly, he will set him over all his property.

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!

³⁵ For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you entertained me,

⁴⁰ The King will answer them, 'I tell you truly, in so far as you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even to the least of them, you did it to me.'

¹¹ The poor you always have beside you, but you will not always have me.

⁴⁹ So he went up at once to Jesus; "Hail, rabbi!" he said, and kissed him.

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

⁵⁰ Salt is excellent: but if salt is tasteless, how are you to restore its flavour? Let there be 'salt between you'; be at peace with one another."

⁵⁸ When her neighbours and kinsfolk heard of the Lord's great mercy to her they rejoiced with her,

⁶ and the devil said to him, "I will give you all their power and grandeur, for it has been made over to me and I can give it to anyone I choose. ⁷ If you will worship before me, then it shall all be yours." ⁸ Jesus answered him, "It is written, You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone." ⁹ Then he brought him to Jerusalem and placing him on the pinnacle of the temple said to him, "If you are God's son, throw yourself down from this; ¹⁰ for it is written, He will give his angels charge of you, ¹¹ and They will bear you on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

²⁰ Then, raising his eyes he looked at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you poor! the Realm of God is yours.

²⁷ I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you:

²⁷ I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you:

²⁷ I tell you, my hearers, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you: ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ If a man strikes you on the one cheek, offer him the other as well: if anyone takes your coat, do not deny him your shirt as well;

²⁹ If a man strikes you on the one cheek, offer him the other as well: if anyone takes your coat, do not deny him your shirt as well; ³⁰ give to anyone who asks you, and do not ask your goods back from anyone who has taken them.

⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, many as her sins are, they are forgiven, for her love is great; whereas he to whom little is forgiven has but little love."

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.

⁵⁵ But he turned and checked them. ⁵⁶ Then they journeyed to another village.

²⁰ Only, do not rejoice because the spirits obey you: rejoice because your names are enrolled in heaven."

⁵ And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, let me have three loaves; ⁶ for a friend of mine travelling has come to my house and I have nothing to set before him.' ⁷ And suppose he answers from the inside, 'Don't bother me; the door is locked by this time, and my children are in bed with me. I can't get up and give you anything.' ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give you anything because you are a friend of his, he will at least rise and give you whatever you want, because you persist. ⁹ So I tell you, ask and the gift will be yours, seek and you will find, knock and the door will open to you; ¹⁰ for everyone who asks receives, the seeker finds, the door is opened to anyone who knocks. ¹¹ What father among you, if asked by his son for a loaf, will hand him a stone? Or, if asked for a fish, will hand him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or, if asked for an egg, will he hand him a scorpion? ¹³ Well, if for all your evil you know to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father give the holy Spirit from heaven to those who ask him?"

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';

⁴² The Lord said, "Well, where is the trusty, thoughtful steward whom the lord and master will set over his establishment to give out supplies at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant if his lord and master finds him so doing when he arrives! ⁴⁴ I tell you plainly, he will set him over all his property.

¹⁰ No, when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes in he will tell you, 'Move higher up, my friend.' Then you will be honoured before your fellow guests.

¹³ No, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.

⁵ When he finds it he puts it on his shoulders with joy, ⁶ and when he gets home he gathers his friends and neighbours: 'Rejoice with me,' he says to them, 'for I have found the sheep I lost.' ⁷ So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent. ⁸ Or again, suppose a woman has ten shillings. If she loses one of them, does she not light a lamp and scour the house and search carefully till she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it she gathers her women-friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the shilling I lost.' ¹⁰ So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."

¹ He also told them a parable about the need of always praying and never losing heart. ² "In a certain town," he said, "there was a judge who had no reverence for God and no respect even for man. ³ And in that town there was a widow who used to go and appeal to him for 'Justice against my opponent!' ⁴ For a while he would not, but afterwards he said to himself, 'Though I have no reverence for God and no respect even for man, ⁵ still, as this widow is bothering me, I will see justice done to her — not to have her for ever coming and pestering me.' ⁶ Listen," said the Lord, "to what this unjust judge says! ⁷ And will not God see justice done to his elect who cry to him by day and night? Will he be tolerant to their opponents? ⁸ I tell you, he will quickly see justice done to his elect! And yet, when the Son of man does come, will he find faith on earth?" ⁹ He also told the following parable to certain persons who were sure of their own goodness and looked down upon everybody else. ¹⁰ "Two men went up to pray in the temple; one was a Pharisee and the other was a taxgatherer. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed by himself as follows; 'I thank thee, O God, I am not like the rest of men, thieves, rogues, and immoral, or even like yon taxgatherer.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed by himself as follows; 'I thank thee, O God, I am not like the rest of men, thieves, rogues, and immoral, or even like yon taxgatherer. ¹² Twice a week I fast; on all my income I pay tithes.' ¹³ But the taxgatherer stood far away and would not lift even his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'O God, have mercy on me for my sins!' ¹⁴ I tell you, he went home accepted by God rather than the other man; for everyone who uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted." ¹⁵ Now people even brought their infants for him to touch them; when the disciples noticed it they checked them, ¹⁶ but Jesus called for the infants. "Let the children come to me," he said, "do not stop them: the Realm of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ I tell you truly, whoever will not submit to the Reign of God like a child will never get into it at all." ¹⁸ Then a ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what am I to do to inherit life eternal?" ¹⁹ Jesus said to him, "Why call me 'good'? No one is good, no one but God. ²⁰ You know the commands: do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour your father and mother." ²¹ He said, "I have observed all these commands from my youth." 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." ²³ But when he heard that, he was vexed, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴ So Jesus looked at him and said, "How difficult it is for those who have money to enter the Realm of God! ²⁵ Why, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the Realm of God." ²⁶ His hearers said, "Then whoever can be saved?" ²⁷ He said, "What is impossible for men is possible for God." ²⁸ Peter said, "Well, we have left our homes and followed you!" ²⁹ He said to them, "I tell you truly, no one has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the Realm of God, ³⁰ who does not receive ever so much more in this present world, and in the world to come life eternal." ³¹ Then he took the twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and all the predictions of the prophets regarding the Son of man will be fulfilled; ³² he will be betrayed to the Gentiles, mocked, illtreated, and spat on; ³³ they will scourge him and kill him, but he will rise again on the third day." ³⁴ However, they did not understand a word of this; indeed the saying was hidden from them, and they did not know what he meant. ³⁵ As he approached Jericho, it chanced that a blind man was seated beside the road begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd passing he inquired what was the matter, ³⁷ and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by. ³⁸ So he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" ³⁹ The people in front checked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" ⁴⁰ So Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring him, and asked him when he approached, ⁴¹ "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord," he said, "I want to regain my sight." ⁴² And Jesus said to him, "Regain your sight, your faith has made you well." ⁴³ Instantly he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people gave praise to God when they saw this.

¹ Looking up he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, ² and noticed a poor widow putting two little coins in. ³ He said, "I tell you plainly, this poor widow has put in more than them all; ⁴ for these people all contributed out of their surplus, but she has given out of her neediness all her living."

¹⁹ Hold out stedfast and you win your souls.

²⁴ A quarrel also rose among them as to which of them could be considered the greatest. ²⁵ But Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles rule over them, and their authorities take the name of 'Benefactor': ²⁶ not so with you. He who is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and he who is chief like a servant. ²⁷ Which is the greatest, guest or servant? Is it not the guest? But I am among you as a servant.

³⁴ Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." Then they distributed his clothes among themselves by drawing lots.

² he came one night to Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we know you have come from God to teach us, for no one could perform these Signs of yours unless God were with him."

³⁴ For he whom God has sent utters the words of God — God gives him the Spirit in no sparing measure;

⁷ the world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its deeds are evil.

¹⁹ a number of Jews had gone to condole with Martha and Mary about their brother;

³³ Now when Jesus saw her wailing and saw the Jews who accompanied her wailing, he chafed in spirit and was disquieted. ³⁴ "Where have you laid him?" he asked. They answered, "Come and see, sir." ³⁵ Jesus burst into tears. ³⁶ Whereupon the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" —

⁶ (Not that he cared for the poor; he said this because he was a thief, and because he carried the money-box and pilfered what was put in.)

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."

³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the Prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me;

¹⁷ This is what I command you, to love one another.

¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, the world would love what it owned; it is because you do not belong to the world, because I have chosen you from the world, that the world hates you.

¹⁴ I have given them thy word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.

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.

¹⁴ All these men resorted with one mind to prayer, together with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

¹⁷ In the last days, saith God, then will I pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams:

⁴² They devoted themselves to the instruction given by the apostles and to fellowship, breaking bread and praying together.

⁴⁴ The believers all kept together; they shared all they had with one another, ⁴⁵ they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds among all, as anyone might be in need. ⁴⁶ Day after day they resorted with one accord to the temple and broke bread together in their own homes; they ate with a glad and simple heart,

³² [Relocated to before vs 34] Now there was but one heart and soul among the multitude of the believers; not one of them considered anything his personal property, they shared all they had with one another. ³³ the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sale, ³⁵ laying the money before the feet of the apostles; it was then distributed according to each individual's need.

³⁵ laying the money before the feet of the apostles; it was then distributed according to each individual's need.

¹ During these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists began to complain against the Hebrews, on the ground that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

⁴ but we will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word."

⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried aloud, "Lord, let not this sin stand against them!" With these words he slept the sleep of death.

³⁶ At Joppa there was a disciple called Tabitha (which may be translated Dorcas, or 'Gazelle'), a woman whose life was full of good actions and of charitable practices. ³⁷ She happened to take ill and die at this time, and after washing her body they laid it in an upper room. ³⁸ When the disciples heard that Peter was at Lydda (for Joppa is not far from Lydda), they sent two men to beg him to "Come on to us without delay." ³⁹ So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him up to the room, where all the widows stood beside him crying as they showed him the garments and dresses that Dorcas used to make when she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter put them all outside; then he knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body said, "Tabitha, rise." She opened her eyes, and on seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ Then he gave her his hand, raised her, and, after calling the saints and the widows he presented her to them alive.

⁴ He stared at the angel in terror, saying, "What is it?" He replied, "Your prayers and your alms have risen before God as a sacrifice to be remembered.

²³ When he came and saw the grace of God he rejoiced, and encouraged them all to hold by the Lord with heartfelt purpose

²⁷ During these days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, ²⁸ one of whom, named Agabus, showed by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to visit the whole world (the famine which occurred in the reign of Claudius).

²⁸ one of whom, named Agabus, showed by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to visit the whole world (the famine which occurred in the reign of Claudius). ²⁹ So the disciples put aside money, as each of them was able to afford it, for a contribution to be sent to the brothers in Judaea. ³⁰ This they carried out, sending their contribution to the presbyters by Barnabas and Saul.

⁵ So Peter was closely guarded in prison, while earnest prayer for him was offered to God by the church.

¹ Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.

¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had happened; he was astounded at the doctrine of the Lord.

¹⁵ and, after the reading of the Law and the prophets, the presidents of the synagogue sent to tell them, "Brothers, if you have any word of counsel for the people, say it."

³² and as Judas and Silas were themselves prophets, they encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many a counsel.

²⁴ There came to Ephesus a Jew called Apollos, who was a native of Alexandria, a man of culture, strong in his knowledge of the scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and he preached and taught about Jesus with ardour and accuracy, though all the baptism he knew was that of John.

²⁵ He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and he preached and taught about Jesus with ardour and accuracy, though all the baptism he knew was that of John. ²⁶ In the synagogue he was very outspoken at first; but when Aquila and Priscilla listened to him, they took him home and explained more accurately to him what the Way of God really meant. ²⁷ As he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers wrote and urged the disciples there to give him a welcome. And on his arrival he proved of great service to those who by God's grace had believed, ²⁸ for he publicly refuted the Jews with might and main, showing from the scriptures that the messiah was Jesus.

² After passing through the districts of Macedonia and encouraging the people at length, he came to Greece,

¹⁹ how I served the Lord in all humility, with many a tear and many a trial which I encountered owing to the plots of the Jews, ²⁰ how I never shrank from letting you know anything for your good, or from teaching you alike in public and from house to house,

²⁸ Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you guardians; shepherd the church of the Lord which he has purchased with his own blood.

³⁴ you know yourselves how these hands of mine provided everything for my own needs and for my companions. ³⁵ I showed you how this was the way to work hard and succour the needy, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who said, 'To give is happier than to get.'"

⁹ and had four unmarried daughters who prophesied). We stayed with him.

⁵ through whom I have received the favour of my commission to promote obedience to the faith for his sake among all the Gentiles,

¹¹ For I do yearn to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift for your strengthening —

⁴ Or are you slighting all his wealth of kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not know his kindness is meant to make you repent?

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

² Through him we have got access to this grace where we have our standing, and triumph in the hope of God's glory. ³ Not only so, but we triumph even in our troubles, knowing that trouble produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces character, and character produces hope —

² Never! How can we live in sin any longer, when we died to sin?

¹³ you must not let sin have your members for the service of vice, you must dedicate yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, dedicating your members to God for the service of righteousness.

¹⁶ Do you not know you are the servants of the master you obey, of the master to whom you yield yourselves obedient, whether it is Sin, whose service ends in death, or Obedience, whose service ends in righteousness?

¹⁹ (I use this human analogy to bring the truth home to your weak nature.) As you once dedicated your members to the service of vice and lawlessness, so now dedicate them to the service of righteousness that means consecration.

¹² So the Law at any rate is holy, the command is holy, just, and for our good.

¹⁴ The Law is spiritual; we know that. But then I am a creature of the flesh, in the thraldom of sin.

²² I cordially agree with God's law, so far as my inner self is concerned,

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

²³ What if he means to show the wealth that lies in his glory for the objects of his mercy, whom he has made ready beforehand to receive glory —

²⁰ Granted. They were broken off — for their lack of faith. And you owe your position to your faith. You should feel awed instead of being uplifted.

²⁵ To prevent you from being self-conceited, brothers, I would like you to understand this secret: it is only a partial insensibility that has come over Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in.

³⁰ Once you disobeyed God, and now you enjoy his mercy thanks to their disobedience; in the same way they at present are disobedient, ³¹ so that they in turn may enjoy the same mercy as yourselves.

¹ Well then, my brothers, I appeal to you by all the mercy of God to dedicate your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated and acceptable to God; that is your cult, a spiritual rite. ² Instead of being moulded to this world, have your mind renewed, and so be transformed in nature, able to make out what the will of God is, namely, what is good and acceptable to him and perfect. ³ In virtue of my office, I tell everyone of your number who is self-important, that he is not to think more of himself than he ought to think; he must take a sane view of himself, corresponding to the degree of faith which God has assigned to each. ⁴ In our one body we have a number of members, and the members have not all the same function;

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; ⁷ if it is practical service, let us mind our service; the teacher must mind his teaching, ⁸ the speaker his words of counsel; the contributor must be liberal, the superintendent must be in earnest, the sick visitor must be cheerful.

⁸ the speaker his words of counsel; the contributor must be liberal, the superintendent must be in earnest, the sick visitor must be cheerful.

¹³ contribute to needy saints, make a practice of hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who make a practice of persecuting you; bless them instead of cursing them.

¹⁶ Keep in harmony with one another; instead of being ambitious, associate with humble folk; never be self-conceited. ¹⁷ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone; aim to be above reproach in the eyes of all;

¹⁹ Never revenge yourselves, beloved, but let the Wrath of God have its way; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital — the Lord has said it. No,

²¹ Do not let evil get the better of you; get the better of evil by doing good.

⁴ the magistrate is God's servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, you may well be alarmed; a magistrate does not wield the power of the sword for nothing, he is God's servant for the infliction of divine vengeance upon evil-doers.

⁶ for the same reason as you pay taxes — since magistrates are God's officers, bent upon the maintenance of order and authority. ⁷ Pay them all their respective dues, tribute to one, taxes to another, respect to this man, honour to that.

¹⁴ No, put on the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, and never think how to gratify the cravings of the flesh.

¹⁶ Your rights must not get a bad name. ¹⁷ The Reign of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, it means righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit;

¹⁹ Peace, then, and the building up of each other, these are what we must aim at.

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. ⁵ May the God who inspires stedfastness and encouragement grant you such harmony with one another, after Christ Jesus,

¹³ May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in your faith, that you may be overflowing with hope by the power of the holy Spirit!

¹⁵ Still, by way of refreshing your memory, I have written you with a certain freedom, in virtue of my divine commission ¹⁶ as a priest of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the service of God's gospel. My aim is to make the Gentiles an acceptable offering, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

¹⁶ as a priest of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the service of God's gospel. My aim is to make the Gentiles an acceptable offering, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

²⁵ At the moment I am off to Jerusalem on an errand to the saints. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia have decided to make a contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷ Such was their decision; and yet this is a debt they owe to these people, for if the Gentiles have shared their spiritual blessings, they owe them a debt of aid in material blessings. ²⁸ Well, once I finish this business by putting the proceeds of the collection safely in their hands, I will start for Spain and take you on the way.

³⁰ Brothers, I beg of you, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit inspires, rally round me by praying to God for me;

⁵ in him you have received a wealth of all blessing, full power to speak of your faith and full insight into its meaning, ⁶ all of which verifies the testimony we bore to Christ when we were with you. ⁷ Thus you lack no spiritual endowment during these days of waiting till our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed;

¹⁰ Brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ I beg of you all to drop these party-cries. There must be no cliques among you; you must regain your common temper and attitude.

¹⁰ In virtue of my commission from God, I laid the foundation of the house like an expert master-builder. It remains for another to build on this foundation. Whoever he is, let him be careful how he builds.

¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself about this; whoever of you imagines he is wise with this world's wisdom must become a 'fool,' if he is really to be wise. ¹⁹ For God ranks this world's wisdom as 'sheer folly.' It is written, He seizes the wise in their craftiness,

⁶ Now I have applied what has been said above to myself and Apollos, to teach you ... that you are not to be puffed up with rivalry over one teacher as against another. ⁷ Who singles you out, my brother? What do you possess that has not been given you? And if it was given you, why do you boast as if it had been gained, not given?

⁷ Who singles you out, my brother? What do you possess that has not been given you? And if it was given you, why do you boast as if it had been gained, not given? ⁸ You Corinthians have your heart's desire already, have you? You have heaven's rich bliss already! You have come into your kingdom without us! I wish indeed you had come into your kingdom, so that we could share it with you!

¹⁰ We, for Christ's sake, are 'fools'; you in Christ are sensible. We are weak, you are strong; you are honoured, we are in disrepute.

¹² we work hard for our living; when reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we put up with it; ¹³ when defamed, we try to conciliate. To this hour we are treated as the scum of the earth, the very refuse of the world!

⁷ Clean out the old dough that you may be a fresh lump. For you are free from the old leaven; Christ our paschal lamb has been sacrificed. ⁸ So let us celebrate our festival, not with any old leaven, not with vice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of innocence and integrity.

⁵ I say this to put you to shame. Has it come to this, that there is not a single wise man among you who could decide a dispute between members of the brotherhood, ⁶ instead of one brother going to law with another — and before unbelievers too! ⁷ Even to have law-suits with one another is in itself evidence of defeat. Why not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why not rather let yourselves be defrauded?

¹³ 'Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food'? Yes, and God will do away with the one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; ¹⁴ and the God who raised the Lord will also raise us by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know your bodies are members of Christ? Am I to take Christ's members and devote them to a harlot? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that he who joins himself to a harlot is one with her in body (for the pair, it is said, shall become one flesh), ¹⁷ while he who joins himself to the Lord is one with him in spirit. ¹⁸ Shun immorality! Any other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his body. ¹⁹ Do you not know your body is the temple of the holy Spirit within you — the Spirit you have received from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ you were bought for a price; then glorify God with your body.

⁷ I would like all men to be as I am. However, everyone is endowed by God in his own way; he has a gift for the one life or the other.

¹⁵ (Should the unbelieving partner be determined to separate, however, separation let it be; in such cases the Christian brother or sister is not tied to marriage.) It is to a life of peace that God has called us.

¹⁷ Only, everyone must lead the lot assigned him by the Lord; he must go on living the life in which God's call came to him. (Such is the rule I lay down for all the churches).

²² But a slave who is called to be in the Lord is a freedman of the Lord. Just as a free man who is called is a slave of Christ

² Whoever imagines he has attained to some degree of knowledge, does not possess the true knowledge yet;

¹⁷ (for many as we are, we are one Bread, one Body, since we all partake of the one Bread).

³³ Such is my own rule, to satisfy all men in all points, aiming not at my own advantage but at the advantage of the greater number — at their salvation.

⁴ There are varieties of talents, but the same Spirit;

⁴ There are varieties of talents, but the same Spirit; ⁵ varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ varieties of effects, but the same God who effects everything in everyone. ⁷ Each receives his manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ One man is granted words of wisdom by the Spirit, another words of knowledge by the same Spirit; ⁹ one man in the same Spirit has the gift of faith, another in the one Spirit has gifts of healing; ¹⁰ one has prophecy, another the gift of distinguishing spirits, another the gift of 'tongues' in their variety, another the gift of interpreting 'tongues.' ¹¹ But all these effects are produced by one and the same Spirit, apportioning them severally to each individual as he pleases. ¹² As the human body is one and has many members, all the members of the body forming one body for all their number, so is it with Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we have all been baptized into one Body, Jews or Greeks, slaves or freemen; we have all been imbued with one Spirit. ¹⁴ Why, even the body consists not of one member but of many.

²⁰ As it is, there are many members and one body.

²⁶ Thus if one member suffers, all the members share its suffering; if one member is honoured, all the members share its honour. ²⁷ Now you are Christ's Body, and severally members of it.

²⁷ Now you are Christ's Body, and severally members of it. ²⁸ That is to say, God has set people within the church to be first of all apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, and speakers in 'tongues' of various kinds.

²⁸ That is to say, God has set people within the church to be first of all apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, and speakers in 'tongues' of various kinds.

²⁸ That is to say, God has set people within the church to be first of all apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, and speakers in 'tongues' of various kinds. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Are all endowed with the gifts of healing? Are all able to speak in 'tongues'? Are all able to interpret? ³¹ Set your hearts on the higher talents. And yet I will go on to show you a still higher path.

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;

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;

¹³ Thus 'faith and hope and love last on, these three,' but the greatest of all is love.

¹ Make love your aim, and then set your heart on the spiritual gifts — especially upon prophecy.

³ On the other hand, he who prophesies addresses men in words that edify, encourage, and console them.

³ On the other hand, he who prophesies addresses men in words that edify, encourage, and console them. ⁴ He who speaks in a 'tongue' edifies himself, whereas he who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ Now I would like you all to speak with 'tongues,' but I would prefer you to prophesy. The man who prophesies is higher than the man who speaks with 'tongues' — unless indeed the latter interprets, so that the church may get edification.

²⁴ Whereas, if everybody prophesies, and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is exposed by all, brought to book by all;

²⁹ Let only two or three prophets speak, while the rest exercise their judgment upon what is said.

³¹ You can all prophesy quite well, one after another, so as to let all learn and all be encouraged. ³² Prophets can control their own prophetic spirits,

¹⁰ But by God's grace I am what I am. The grace he showed me did not go for nothing; no, I have done far more work than all of them — though it was not I but God's grace at my side.

¹ With regard to the collection for the saints, you must carry out the same arrangements as I made for the churches of Galatia. ² On the first day of the week let each of you put aside a sum from his weekly gains, so that the money may not have to be collected when I come.

¹⁵ I ask this favour of you, my brothers. The household of Stephanas, you know, was the first to be reaped in Achaia, and they have laid themselves out to serve the saints.

¹² My proud boast is the testimony of my conscience that holiness and godly sincerity, not worldly cunning but the grace of God, have marked my conduct in the outside world and in particular my relations with you.

³ So the very reason I wrote was that I might not come only to be pained by those who ought to give me joy; I relied on you all, I felt sure that my joy would be a joy for everyone of you.

¹ Hence, as I hold this ministry by God's mercy to me, I never lose heart in it;

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.

¹⁶ Hence I never lose heart; though my outward man decays, my inner man is renewed day after day.

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.

¹⁷ There is a new creation whenever a man comes to be in Christ; what is old is gone, the new has come.

²⁰ So I am an envoy for Christ, God appealing by me, as it were — be reconciled to God, I entreat you on behalf of Christ.

¹ I appeal to you too, as a worker with God, do not receive the grace of God in vain.

⁶ with innocence, insight, patience, kindness, the holy Spirit, unaffected love,

¹⁴ [Keep out of all incongruous ties with unbelievers. What have righteousness and iniquity in common, or how can light associate with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and Beliar, or what business has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What compact can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God — as God has said, I will dwell and move among them, I will be their God and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Therefore come away from them, separate, saith the Lord, touch not what is unclean; then I will receive you,

¹ Now, brothers, I have to tell you about the grace God has given to the churches of Macedonia.

¹ Now, brothers, I have to tell you about the grace God has given to the churches of Macedonia. ² Amid a severe ordeal of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty together have poured out a flood of rich generosity;

² Amid a severe ordeal of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty together have poured out a flood of rich generosity; ³ I can testify that up to their means, aye and beyond their means, they have given —

³ I can testify that up to their means, aye and beyond their means, they have given — ⁴ begging me of their own accord, most urgently, for the favour of contributing to the support of the saints.

⁴ begging me of their own accord, most urgently, for the favour of contributing to the support of the saints. ⁵ They have done more than I expected; they gave themselves to the Lord, to begin with, and then (for so God willed it) they put themselves at my disposal. ⁶ This has led me to ask Titus to complete the arrangements for the same gracious contribution among yourselves, as it was he who started it. 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. ⁸ I am not issuing any orders, only using the zeal of others to prove how sterling your own love is.

⁸ I am not issuing any orders, only using the zeal of others to prove how sterling your own love is. ⁹ (You know how gracious our Lord Jesus Christ was; rich though he was, he became poor for the sake of you, that by his poverty you might be rich.)

¹² If only one is ready to give, according to his means, it is acceptable; he is not asked to give what he has not got.

²⁰ for I want to take precautions against any risk of suspicion in connection with the administration of this charity; ²¹ I aim at being above reproach not only from God but also from men.

¹ Indeed it is quite superfluous for me to be writing to you about this charitable service to the saints;

⁷ Everyone is to give what he has made up his mind to give; there is to be no grudging or compulsion about it, for God loves the giver who gives cheerfully.

¹¹ you will be enriched on all hands, so that you can be generous on all occasions, and your generosity, of which I am the agent, will make men give thanks to God; ¹² for the service rendered by this fund does more than supply the wants of the saints, it overflows with many a cry of thanks to God. ¹³ This service shows what you are, it makes men praise God for the way you have come under the gospel of Christ which you confess, and for the generosity of your contributions to themselves and to all;

¹ I appeal to you myself by the gentleness and consideration of Christ — the Paul who is 'humble enough to your face when he is with you, but outspoken enough when he gets away from you.'

³ but I am afraid of your thoughts getting seduced from a single devotion to Christ, just as the serpent beguiled Eve with his cunning.

²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel his weakness? Whose faith is hurt, and I am not aglow with indignation?

⁷ My wealth of visions might have puffed me up, so I was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to rack me and keep me from being puffed up; ⁸ three times over I prayed the Lord to make it leave me,

¹³ Where were you inferior to the rest of the churches? — unless in this, that your apostle did not choose to make himself a burden to you. Pray pardon me this terrible wrong!

¹¹ Now brothers, goodbye; mend your ways, listen to what I have told you, live in harmony, keep the peace; then the God of love and peace will be with you.

⁴ who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil world — by the will of our God and Father,

⁸ (for He who equipped Peter to be an apostle of the circumcised equipped me as well for the uncircumcised), ⁹ and when they recognized the grace I had been given, then the so-called 'pillars' of the church, James and Cephas and John, gave myself and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. Our sphere was to be the Gentiles, theirs the circumcised.

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.

²² But the harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, good temper, kindliness, generosity, fidelity,

²² But the harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, good temper, kindliness, generosity, fidelity, ²³ gentleness, self-control: — there is no law against those who practise such things.

³ If anyone imagines he is somebody, he is deceiving himself, for he is nobody;

⁶ Those who are taught must share all the blessings of life with those who teach them the Word.

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

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,

²³ the church which is his Body, filled by him who fills the universe entirely.

² in which you moved as you followed the course of this world, under the sway of the prince of the air — the spirit which is at present active within those sons of disobedience

⁴ But, dead in trespasses as we were, God was so rich in mercy that for his great love to us ⁵ he made us live together with Christ (it is by grace you have been saved); ⁶ together with Christ he raised and seated us within the heavenly sphere in Christ Jesus, ⁷ to display throughout ages to come his surpassing wealth of grace and goodness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, as you had faith; it is not your doing but God's gift, ⁹ not the outcome of what you have done — lest anyone should pride himself on that; ¹⁰ God has made us what we are, creating us in Christ Jesus for the good deeds which are prepared beforehand by God as our sphere of action.

² for surely you have heard how the grace of God which was vouchsafed me in your interests has ordered it,

⁴ you can understand my insight into that secret of Christ 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),

⁷ Such is the gospel which I was called to serve by the endowment of God's grace which was vouchsafed me, by the energy of his power; ⁸ less than the least of all saints as I am, this grace was vouchsafed me, that I should bring the Gentiles the gospel of the fathomless wealth of Christ

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

¹ As the Lord's prisoner, then, I beg of you to live a life worthy of your calling, ² with perfect modesty and gentleness, showing forbearance to one another patiently, zealous in love ³ to preserve the unity of the Spirit by binding peace upon yourselves.

³ to preserve the unity of the Spirit by binding peace upon yourselves. ⁴ For there is one Body and one Spirit — as you were called for the one hope that belongs to your call —

⁷ But each one of us is granted his own grace, as determined by the full measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Thus it is said, When he ascended on high he led a host captive and granted gifts to men. ⁹ What does he ascended mean, except that he first descended to the nether regions of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is he who ascended above all the heavens to fill the universe; ¹¹ he granted some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to shepherd and teach,

¹¹ he granted some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to shepherd and teach, ¹² for the equipment of the saints, for the business of the ministry, for the upbuilding of the Body of Christ, ¹³ till we should all attain the unity of the faith and knowledge of God's Son, reaching maturity, reaching the full measure of development which belongs to the fulness of Christ —

¹⁵ we are to hold by the truth, and by our love to grow up wholly into Him. For He, Christ, is the head, and under him, ¹⁶ as the entire Body is welded together and compacted by every joint with which it is supplied, the due activity of each part enables the Body to grow and build itself up in love.

¹⁶ as the entire Body is welded together and compacted by every joint with which it is supplied, the due activity of each part enables the Body to grow and build itself up in love. ¹⁷ Now in the Lord I insist and protest that you must give up living like pagans; for their purposes are futile, ¹⁸ their intelligence is darkened, they are estranged from the life of God by the ignorance which their dulness of heart has produced in them — ¹⁹ men who have recklessly abandoned themselves to sensuality, with a lust for the business of impurity in every shape and form. ²⁰ That is not how you have understood the meaning of Christ

²² you must lay aside the old nature which belonged to your former course of life, that nature which crumbles to ruin under the passions of moral deceit, 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. ²⁵ Lay aside falsehood, then, let each tell his neighbour the truth, for we are members one of another.

²⁸ Let the thief steal no more; rather let him work and put his hands to an honest task, so as to have something to contribute to the needy.

⁹ (for the fruit of light consists in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ verifying what pleases the Lord.

¹⁰ verifying what pleases the Lord.

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

²³ for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also (though he is the saviour of the Body) is the head of the church;

³⁰ for we are members of his Body).

⁵ Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters here below with reverence and trembling, with singleness of heart as to Christ himself;

⁵ Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters here below with reverence and trembling, with singleness of heart as to Christ himself; ⁶ instead of merely working when their eye is on you, like those who court human favour, do God's will from the heart like servants of Christ, ⁷ by rendering service with goodwill as to the Lord and Master, not to men. ⁸ Be sure that everyone, slave or free, will be paid back by the Lord and Master for the good he has done.

¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit with all manner of prayer and entreaty — be alive to that, attend to it unceasingly, interceding on behalf of all the saints ¹⁹ and on my behalf also, that I may be allowed to speak and open my lips in order to expound fully and freely that open secret of the gospel

²⁰ my eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed but that now as ever I may do honour to Christ in my own person by fearless courage. Whether that means life or death, no matter!

²⁷ Only, do lead a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ. Whether I come and see you or only hear of you in absence, let me know you are standing firm in a common spirit, fighting side by side like one man for the faith of the gospel.

¹ So by all the stimulus of Christ, by every incentive of love, by all your participation in the Spirit, by all your affectionate tenderness, ² I pray you to give me the utter joy of knowing you are living in harmony, with the same feelings of love, with one heart and soul,

² I pray you to give me the utter joy of knowing you are living in harmony, with the same feelings of love, with one heart and soul, ³ never acting for private ends or from vanity, but humbly considering each other the better man,

³ never acting for private ends or from vanity, but humbly considering each other the better man,

³ never acting for private ends or from vanity, but humbly considering each other the better man,

³ never acting for private ends or from vanity, but humbly considering each other the better man, ⁴ and each with an eye to the interests of others as well as to his own.

⁴ and each with an eye to the interests of others as well as to his own. ⁵ Treat one another with the same spirit as you experience in Christ Jesus.

⁵ Treat one another with the same spirit as you experience in Christ Jesus. ⁶ Though he was divine by nature, he did not set store upon equality with God ⁷ but emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant; born in human guise ⁸ and appearing in human form, he humbly stooped in his obedience even to die, and to die upon the cross.

¹⁷ Even if my life-blood has to be poured as a libation on the sacred sacrifice of faith you are offering to God, I rejoice, I congratulate you all —

¹⁷ Even if my life-blood has to be poured as a libation on the sacred sacrifice of faith you are offering to God, I rejoice, I congratulate you all — ¹⁸ and you in turn must rejoice and congratulate me.

²⁶ for he has been yearning for you all. He has been greatly concerned because you heard he was ill.

²⁸ So I am specially eager to send him, that you may be glad when you see him again, and thus my own anxiety may be lightened.

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. —

¹⁵ For all those of our number who are mature, this must be the point of view; God will reveal that to any of you who look at things differently. ¹⁶ Only, we must let our steps be guided by such truth as we have attained.

² I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, 'rejoice.'

⁶ Never be anxious, but always make your requests known to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving; ⁷ so shall God's peace, that surpasses all our dreams, keep guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 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. ⁹ Practise also what you have learned and received from me, what you heard me say and what you saw me do; then the God of peace will be with you.

¹¹ Not that I complain of want, for I have learned how to be content wherever I am. ¹² I know how to live humbly; I also know how to live in prosperity. I have been initiated into the secret for all sorts and conditions of life, for plenty and for hunger, for prosperity and for privations. ¹³ In him who strengthens me I am able for anything.

¹⁸ Your debt to me is fully paid and more than paid! I am amply supplied with what you have sent by Epaphroditus, a fragrant perfume, the sort of sacrifice that God approves and welcomes.

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

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

²¹ Once you were estranged yourselves, your hearts hostile to him in evildoing; but now he has reconciled you by dying in his mortal body, ²² so as to set you consecrated and unblemished and irreproachable in his presence —

²⁴ I am suffering now on your behalf, but I rejoice in that; I would make up the full sum of all that Christ has to suffer in my person on behalf of the church, his Body;

²⁷ It is His will that they should understand the glorious wealth which this secret holds for the Gentiles, in the fact of Christ's presence among you as your hope of glory. ²⁸ This is the Christ we proclaim; we train everyone and teach everyone the full scope of this knowledge, in order to set everyone before God mature in Christ; ²⁹ I labour for that end, striving for it with the divine energy which is a power within me.

²⁹ I labour for that end, striving for it with the divine energy which is a power within me.

¹³ For though you were dead in your trespasses, your flesh uncircumcised, He made you live with Christ, He forgave us all our trespasses,

¹⁹ instead of keeping in touch with that Head under whom the entire Body, supplied with joints and sinews and thus compacted, grows with growth divine.

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

¹⁴ And above all you must be loving, for love is the link of the perfect life. ¹⁵ Also, let the peace of Christ be supreme within your hearts — that is why you have been called as members of the one Body. And you must be thankful.

²² Servants, obey your masters here below at every point; do not work simply when their eye is on you, like those who court human favour, but serve them with a single heart out of reverence for your Lord and Master.

²² Servants, obey your masters here below at every point; do not work simply when their eye is on you, like those who court human favour, but serve them with a single heart out of reverence for your Lord and Master. ²³ Whatever be your task, work at it heartily, as servants of the Lord and not of men; ²⁴ remember, you will receive from the Lord the inheritance which is your due; serve Christ your Lord and Master,

¹ Masters, treat your servants justly and fairly; remember you have a Master of your own in heaven. ² Attend to your prayers, maintain your zest for prayer by thanksgiving;

⁵ Let Christian wisdom rule your behaviour to the outside world; make the very most of your time;

¹² Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, salutes you — a servant of Christ Jesus who is always earnest in prayer for you, that you may stand firm like mature and convinced Christians, whatever be the will of God for you.

¹² Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, salutes you — a servant of Christ Jesus who is always earnest in prayer for you, that you may stand firm like mature and convinced Christians, whatever be the will of God for you. ¹³ I can testify to his exertions on your behalf and on behalf of those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

¹⁷ And tell Archippus, 'Attend to the ministry you have received in the Lord; see that you fulfil it.'

³ as we recall your active faith and labour of love and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

³ For the appeal we make does not spring from any delusion or from impure motives — it does not work by cunning;

⁸ fain, in our yearning affection for you, to impart not only the gospel of God to you but our very souls as well — you had so won our love.

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 It is God's will that you should be consecrated, that you abstain from sexual vice,

⁶ no one is to defraud or overreach his brother in this matter, for the Lord avenges all these sins, as we told you already in our solemn protest against them.

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; ¹¹ also, endeavour to live quietly, attend to your own business, and — as we charged you — work with your hands, ¹² so that your life may be correct in the eyes of the outside world and self-supporting.

¹² so that your life may be correct in the eyes of the outside world and self-supporting.

⁸ but we must be sober, we who belong to the day, clad in faith and love as our coat of mail, with the hope of salvation as our helmet —

¹² Brothers, we beg you to respect those who are working among you, presiding over you in the Lord and maintaining discipline;

¹² Brothers, we beg you to respect those who are working among you, presiding over you in the Lord and maintaining discipline; ¹³ hold them in special esteem and affection, for the sake of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

¹³ hold them in special esteem and affection, for the sake of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ We beseech you, brothers, keep a check upon loafers, encourage the faint-hearted, sustain weak souls, never lose your temper with anyone; 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; ¹⁶ rejoice at all times, ¹⁷ never give up prayer,

²⁰ never disdain prophetic revelations ²¹ but test them all, retaining what is good ²² and abstaining from whatever kind is evil.

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. 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.

¹⁶ And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ graciously encourage your hearts and strengthen them for all good in deed and word.

⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts towards God's love and towards Christ's patience! ⁶ Brothers, we charge you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to shun any brother who is loafing, instead of following the rule you got from us. ⁷ For you know quite well how to copy us; we did not loaf in your midst, ⁸ we did not take free meals from anyone; no, toiling hard at our trade, we worked night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you. ⁹ Not that we have no right to such support; it was simply to give you a pattern to copy. ¹⁰ We used to charge you even when we were with you, 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.' ¹¹ But we are informed that some of your number are loafing, busybodies instead of busy. ¹² Now in the Lord Jesus Christ we charge and exhort such persons to keep quiet, to do their work and earn their own living.

⁵ Whereas the aim of the Christian discipline is the love that springs from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.

¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord flooded my life along with the faith and love that Christ Jesus inspires.

³ it is good to pray thus, it is acceptable to our Saviour,

⁷ and I was appointed to be its herald and apostle (I am not telling a lie, it is quite true), to teach the Gentiles faith and truth.

⁹ Women in turn are to dress modestly and quietly in seemly garb; they are not to adorn themselves with plaits of hair, with gold or pearls or expensive finery,

¹⁵ However, women will get safely through childbirth if they continue to be faithful and loving and holy as well as unassuming.

² Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

⁴ able to manage his own household properly and keep his children submissive and perfectly respectful ⁵ (if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how is he to look after the church of God?);

¹³ Attend to your Scripture-reading, your preaching, and your teaching, till I come.

¹⁶ Watch yourself and watch your teaching; stick to your work; if you do that, you will save your hearers as well as yourself.

⁴ (When a widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn that the first duty of religion is to their own household, and that they should make some return to those who have brought them up. In God's sight this is an acceptable thing.)

¹⁰ she must have a reputation for good service, as a woman who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, relieved distress, and interested herself in all good works.

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 So I prefer young widows to marry again, to bear children, to look after their households, and not to afford our opponents any chance of reviling us.

¹⁷ Presbyters who are efficient presidents are to be considered worthy of ample remuneration, particularly those who have the task of preaching and teaching:

⁶ And so it is — provided it goes with a contented spirit; ⁷ for we bring nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ If we have food and clothes, we must be content with that. ⁹ Those who are eager to be rich get tempted and trapped in many senseless and pernicious propensities that drag men down to ruin and destruction.

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

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

²² So shun the lusts of youth and aim at integrity, faith, love and peace, in the company of those who invoke the Lord out of a pure heart.

²⁴ And the Lord's servant must not be a man of strife; he must be kind to everybody, a skilled teacher, a man who will not resent injuries;

¹⁰ Now you have followed my teaching, my practice, my aims, my faith, my patience, my love, my stedfastness,

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.

² I adjure you to preach the word; keep at it in season and out of season, refuting, checking, and exhorting men; never lose patience with them, and never give up your teaching,

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.

⁴ they must give good counsel, so that the young women may be trained to love their husbands and children,

⁴ they must give good counsel, so that the young women may be trained to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be mistress of themselves, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands — otherwise it will be a scandal to the gospel. ⁶ Tell the young men also to be masters of themselves at all points;

⁹ Tell servants to be submissive to their masters and to give them satisfaction all round, not to be refractory, ¹⁰ not to embezzle, but to prove themselves truly faithful at all points, so as to be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Saviour in all respects.

¹² and it schools us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions and to live a life of self-mastery, of integrity, and of piety in this present world, ¹³ awaiting the blessed hope of the appearance of the Glory of the great God and of our Saviour Christ Jesus,

⁴ But "the goodness and affection of God our Saviour appeared; ⁵ and he saved us, not for anything we had done but from his own pity for us, by the water that means regeneration and renewal under the holy Spirit

⁵ and he saved us, not for anything we had done but from his own pity for us, by the water that means regeneration and renewal under the holy Spirit ⁶ which he poured upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷ that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs to the hope of life eternal."

⁷ that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs to the hope of life eternal." ⁸ It is a sure saying. I want you to insist on this, that those who have faith in God must profess honest occupations. Such counsels are right and good for men.

⁷ I have had great joy and encouragement over your love, my brother, over the way you have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

⁹ thou hast loved justice and hated lawlessness, therefore God, thy God, has consecrated thee with the oil of rejoicing beyond thy comrades' —

⁶ Christ is faithful as a Son over God's house. Now we are this house of God, if we will only keep confident and proud of our hope.

⁷ In the days of his flesh, with bitter cries and tears, he offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save him from death; and he was heard, because of his godly fear.

¹⁰ God is not unfair; he will not forget what you have done, or the love you have shown for his sake in ministering, as you still do, to the saints.

¹⁰ God is not unfair; he will not forget what you have done, or the love you have shown for his sake in ministering, as you still do, to the saints. ¹¹ It is my heart's desire that each of you would prove equally keen upon realizing your full hope to the very end, 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.

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; ¹⁸ so that by these two solid facts (the Promise and the Oath), where it is impossible for God to be false, we refugees might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us, ¹⁹ anchoring the soul to it safe and sure, as it enters the inner Presence behind the veil.

²⁰ by the fresh, living way which he has inaugurated for us through the veil (that is, through his flesh), ²¹ and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart, in absolute assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from a bad conscience, and our bodies washed in pure water;

²⁵ not ceasing to meet together, as is the habit of some, but admonishing one another, all the more so, as you see the Day coming near.

³⁰ We know who said, Vengeance is mine, I will exact a requital: and again, The Lord will pass sentence on his people.

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

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,

¹⁴ Aim at peace with all — and at that consecration without which no one will ever see the Lord;

²⁸ Therefore let us render thanks that we get an unshaken realm; and in this way let us worship God acceptably —

¹ Let your brotherly love continue. ² Never forget to be hospitable, for by hospitality some have entertained angels unawares. ³ Remember prisoners, as if you were in prison yourselves; remember those who are being ill-treated, since you too are in the body.

⁵ Keep your life free from the love of money; be content with what you have, for He has said, Never will I fail you, never will I forsake you.

⁷ Remember your leaders, the men who spoke the word of God to you; look back upon the close of their career, and copy their faith.

¹⁵ And by him let us constantly offer praise to God as our sacrifice, that is, the fruit of lips that celebrate his Name. ¹⁶ Do not forget beneficence and charity, either; these are the kind of sacrifices that are acceptable to God.

¹⁶ Do not forget beneficence and charity, either; these are the kind of sacrifices that are acceptable to God. ¹⁷ Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief — which would be a loss to yourselves.

²² I appeal to you, brothers, to bear with this appeal of mine. It is but a short letter.

²⁴ Salute all your leaders and all the saints. The Italians salute you.

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.

²⁷ Pure, unsoiled religion in the judgment of God the Father means this: to care for orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself from the stain of the world.

⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers; has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the realm which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ Now you insult the poor. Is it not the rich who lord it over you and drag you to court?

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?

¹⁰ blessing and cursing stream from the same lips! My brothers, this ought not to be.

¹³ Who among you is wise and learned? Let him show by his good conduct, with the modesty of wisdom, what his deeds are. ¹⁴ But if you are cherishing bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on that — and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ That is not the wisdom which comes down from above, it is an earthly wisdom, sensuous, devilish; ¹⁶ for wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there disorder reigns and every evil.

¹⁶ for wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there disorder reigns and every evil. ¹⁷ The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, forbearing, conciliatory, full of mercy and wholesome fruit, unambiguous, straightforward;

¹⁷ The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, forbearing, conciliatory, full of mercy and wholesome fruit, unambiguous, straightforward; ¹⁸ and the peacemakers who sow in peace reap righteousness.

⁴ (Wanton creatures! do you not know that the world's friendship means enmity to God? Whoever, then, chooses to be the world's friend, turns enemy to God.

⁶ Yet he gives grace more and more: thus it is said, The haughty God opposes, but to the humble he gives grace.

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;

¹⁰ As an example of fortitude and endurance, brothers, take the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ See, we call the stedfast happy; you have heard of the stedfastness of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord with him, seen that the Lord is very compassionate and pitiful.

¹⁵ the prayer of faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; even the sins he has committed will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed; the prayers of the righteous have a powerful effect.

¹⁶ So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed; the prayers of the righteous have a powerful effect.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a life of hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ born to an unscathed, inviolate, unfading inheritance; it is kept in heaven for you, 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. ⁶ You will rejoice then, though for the passing moment you may need to suffer various trials; 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. ⁸ You never knew him, but you love him; for the moment you do not see him, but you believe in him, and you will thrill with an unspeakable and glorious joy

¹³ Brace up your minds, then, keep cool, and put your hope for good and all in the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ Be obedient children, instead of moulding yourselves to the passions that once ruled the days of your ignorance;

¹⁸ you know it was not by perishable silver or gold that you were ransomed from the futile traditions of your past,

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.

³ You have had a taste of the kindness of the Lord:

⁵ come and, like living stones yourselves, be built into a spiritual house, to form a consecrated priesthood for the offering of those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ you who once were no people and now are God's people, you who once were unpitied and now are pitied. ¹¹ Beloved, as sojourners and exiles I appeal to you to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war upon the soul. ¹² Conduct yourselves properly before pagans; so that for all their slander of you as bad characters, they may come to glorify God when you are put upon your trial, by what they see of your good deeds.

¹² Conduct yourselves properly before pagans; so that for all their slander of you as bad characters, they may come to glorify God when you are put upon your trial, by what they see of your good deeds.

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

¹⁹ for it is a merit when from a sense of God one bears the pain of unjust suffering. ²⁰ Where is the credit in standing punishment for having done wrong? No, if you stand suffering for having done right, that is what God counts a merit.

²⁰ Where is the credit in standing punishment for having done wrong? No, if you stand suffering for having done right, that is what God counts a merit. ²¹ It is your vocation; for when Christ suffered for you, he left you an example, and you must follow his footsteps. ²² He committed no sin, no guile was ever found upon his lips; ²³ he was reviled and made no retort, he suffered and never threatened, but left everything to Him who judges justly;

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

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

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 he who would love Life and enjoy good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile: ¹¹ let him shun wrong and do right, let him seek peace and make peace his aim.

¹¹ let him shun wrong and do right, let him seek peace and make peace his aim.

¹⁶ see that you have a clean conscience, so that, for all their slander of you, these libellers of your good Christian behaviour may be ashamed.

² nerve you to spend the rest of your time in the flesh for the will of God and no longer for human passions.

⁷ Now the end of all is near. Steady then, keep cool and pray! ⁸ Above all, be keen to love one another, for love hides a host of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to each other, and do not grudge it.

⁹ Be hospitable to each other, and do not grudge it. ¹⁰ You must serve one another, each with the talent he has received, as efficient stewards of God's varied grace. ¹¹ If anyone preaches, he must preach as one who utters the words of God; if anyone renders some service, it must be as one who is supplied by God with power, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. The glory and the dominion are his for ever and ever: Amen.

¹¹ If anyone preaches, he must preach as one who utters the words of God; if anyone renders some service, it must be as one who is supplied by God with power, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. The glory and the dominion are his for ever and ever: Amen.

¹³ You are sharing what Christ suffered; so rejoice in it, that you may also rejoice and exult when his glory is revealed.

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), ² be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

² be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely, ³ not by way of lording it over your charges but proving a pattern to the flock.

³ not by way of lording it over your charges but proving a pattern to the flock.

³ not by way of lording it over your charges but proving a pattern to the flock. ⁴ Then you will receive the unfading crown of glory, when the chief Shepherd makes his appearance. ⁵ You younger men must also submit to the presbyters. Indeed you must all put on the apron of humility to serve one another, for the haughty God opposes, but to the humble he gives grace.

⁸ Keep cool, keep awake. Your enemy the devil prowls like a roaring lion, looking out for someone to devour.

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 —

⁶ intelligence with self-control, self-control with stedfastness, stedfastness with piety, ⁷ piety with brotherliness, brotherliness with Christian love.

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.

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.

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; ¹⁷ and the world is passing away with its desire, while he who does the will of God remains for ever.

¹ 'Born of him!' Think what a love the Father has for us, in letting us be called 'children of God!' That is what we are. The world does not recognize us? That is simply because it did not recognize him. 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. ³ And everyone who rests this hope on him, purifies himself as he is pure.

¹⁰ Here is how the children of God and the children of the devil are recognized; anyone who does not practise righteousness does not belong to God, and neither does he who has no love for his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message you have learned from the very beginning, that we are to love one another: ¹² we are not to be like Cain, who belonged to the evil One and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's just. ¹³ Do not wonder, brothers, that the world hates you.

¹³ Do not wonder, brothers, that the world hates you. 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. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining within him. 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. ¹⁷ But whoever possesses this world's goods, and notices his brother in need, and shuts his heart against him, how can love to God remain in him?

¹⁷ But whoever possesses this world's goods, and notices his brother in need, and shuts his heart against him, how can love to God remain in him? ¹⁸ My dear children, let us put our love not into words or into talk but into deeds, and make it real.

¹⁸ My dear children, let us put our love not into words or into talk but into deeds, and make it real. 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.

⁴ My dear children, you belong to God, and you have conquered all such, for He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They belong to the world, therefore they speak as inspired by the world, and the world listens to them:

¹¹ Beloved, if God had such love for us, we ought to love one another.

²⁰ If anyone declares, 'I love God,' and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who will not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot possibly love the God whom he has never seen.

¹⁴ Now the confidence we have in him is this, that he listens to us whenever we ask anything in accordance with his will; ¹⁵ and if we know he listens to whatever we ask, we know we obtain the requests we have made to him.

¹⁹ We know that we belong to God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil One.

⁹ I have written to the church; only, Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them, repudiates me.

⁴ But I have this against you: you have given up loving one another as you did at first.

¹⁵ I know your doings, you are neither cold nor hot — would you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth.

⁹ So the huge dragon was thrown down — that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, the seducer of the whole world — thrown down to the earth, and his angels thrown down along with him.

⁷ He was allowed to wage war on the saints and to conquer them, and given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation; ⁸ and all the dwellers on earth will be his worshippers, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of Life.

⁸ and all the dwellers on earth will be his worshippers, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of Life.

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.