Hebrews 13 Cross References - Twentieth_Century

¹ Let your love for the Brethren continue. :24 Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality; for, through being hospitable, men have all unawares entertained angels. ³ Remember the prisoners, as if you were their fellow-prisoners, and the oppressed, not forgetting that you also are still in the body. ⁴ Let marriage be honoured by all and the married life be pure; for God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery. ⁵ Do not let your conduct be ruled by the love of money. Be content with what you have, for God himself has said-- 'I will never forsake you, nor will I ever abandon you.' ⁶ Therefore we may say with confidence-- 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' ⁷ Do not forget your Leaders, the men who told you God's Message. Recall the close of their lives, and imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day--yes, and for ever! ⁹ Do not let yourselves be carried away by the various novel forms of teaching. It is better to rely for spiritual strength upon the divine help, than upon regulations regarding food; for those whose lives are guided by such regulations have not found them of service. ¹⁰ We are not without an altar; but it is one at which those who still worship in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ The bodies of those animals whose blood is brought by the High Priest into the Sanctuary, as an offering for sin, are burnt outside the camp. ¹² And so Jesus, also, to purify the People by his own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ Therefore let us go out to him 'outside the camp,' bearing the same reproaches as he; ¹⁴ for here we have no permanent city, but are looking for the City that is to be. ¹⁵ Through him let us offer, as our sacrifice, continual praise to God--an offering from lips that glorify his Name. ¹⁶ Never forget to do kindly acts and to share what you have with others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God. ¹⁷ Obey your Leaders, and submit to their control, for they are watching over your souls, as men who will have to render an account, so that they may do it with joy, and not in sorrow. That would not be to your advantage. ¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that our consciences are clear, since our wish is to be occupied with what is good. ¹⁹ And I the more earnestly ask for your prayers, that I may be restored to you the sooner. ²⁰ May God, the source of all peace, who brought back from the dead him who, 'by virtue of the blood that rendered valid the unchangeable Covenant, is the Great Shepherd of God's Sheep,' Jesus, our Lord-- ²¹ may God make you perfect in everything that is good, so that you may be able to do his will. May he bring out in us all that is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory for ever and ever. Amen. ²² I beg you, Brothers, to bear with these words of advice. For I have written only very briefly to you. ²³ You will be glad to hear that our Brother, Timothy, has been set free. If he comes here soon, we will visit you together. ²⁴ Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you. ²⁵ May God bless you all.

¹¹ Blessed are you when people taunt you, and persecute you, and say everything evil about you--untruly, and on my account.

¹³ And take us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.'

²⁵ That is why I say to you, Do not be anxious about your life here--what you can get to eat or drink; nor yet about your body-- what you can get to wear. Is not life more than food, and the body than its clothing?

³⁴ Therefore do not be anxious about to-morrow, for to-morrow will bring its own anxieties. Every day has trouble enough of its own.

²¹ Not every one who says to me 'Master! Master!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.

²⁴ A scholar is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household!

²⁸ And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in the Pit.

²⁵ At that same time Jesus uttered the words: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou has hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the child-like!

⁵⁰ For any one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples: "If any man wishes to walk in my steps, let him renounce self, and take up his cross, and follow me.

³¹ Which of the two sons did as his father wished?" " The second," they said. "I tell you," added Jesus, "that tax-gatherers and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God before you.

⁴ Jesus replied to them as follows: "See that no one leads you astray;

²⁴ For false Christs and false Prophets will arise, and will display great signs and marvels, so that, were it possible, even God's People would be led astray.

⁴⁵ Who, then is that trustworthy, careful servant, who has been placed by his master over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?

³⁵ For, when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me to your homes;

³⁵ For, when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger, you took me to your homes; ³⁶ When I was naked, you clothed me; when I fell ill, you visited me; and when I was in prison, you came to me.'

³⁶ When I was naked, you clothed me; when I fell ill, you visited me; and when I was in prison, you came to me.' ³⁷ Then the Righteous will answer 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and give you a drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger, and take you to our homes? Or naked, and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you ill, or in prison, and come to you?' ⁴⁰ And the King will reply 'I tell you, as often as you did it to one of these my Brothers, however lowly, you did it to me.'

⁴⁰ And the King will reply 'I tell you, as often as you did it to one of these my Brothers, however lowly, you did it to me.'

⁴³ When I was a stranger, you did not take me to your homes; when I was naked, you did not clothe me; and, when I was ill and in prison, you did not visit me.'

²⁸ For this is my Covenant blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

³² As they were on their way out, they came upon a man from Cyrene of the name of Simon; and they compelled him to go with them to carry the cross.

³⁹ The passers-by railed at him, shaking their heads as they said: ⁴⁰ "You who 'destroy the Temple and build one in three days,' save yourself! If you are God's Son, come down from the cross!" ⁴¹ In the same way the Chief Priests, with the Teaches of the Law and Councillors, said in mockery: ⁴² "He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the 'King of Israel'! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He has trusted in God; if God wants him, let him deliver him now; for he said 'I am God's Son.'" ⁴⁴ Even the robbers, who were crucified with him, reviled him in the same way.

²⁰ And teaching them to lay to heart all the commands that I have given you; and, remember, I myself am with you every day until the close of the age."

²² Greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly;

²⁴ "This is my Covenant-blood," he said, "which is poured out on behalf of many.

²⁰ And, when they had left off mocking him, they took off the purple robe, and put his own clothes on him. ²¹ And they led Jesus out to crucify him; and they compelled a passer-by, Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them to carry his cross. ²² They brought Jesus to the place which was known as Golgotha- -a name which means 'Place of a Skull.' ²³ There they offered him drugged wine; but Jesus refused it. ²⁴ Then they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots for them, to settle what each should take.

¹⁴ And when some soldiers on active service asked "And we--what are we to do?" he said: "Never use violence, or exact anything by false accusation; and be content with your pay."

²² Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they expel you from among them, and taunt you, and reject your Name as an evil thing--on account of the Son of Man.

³⁵ But love your enemies, and show them kindness, and lend to them, never despairing. Then your reward shall be great, and you shall be Sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the thankless and the bad. ³⁶ Learn to be merciful--even as your Father is merciful.

¹¹ This is the parable--The seed is God's Message.

¹⁴ By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection.

²¹ At that same time, moved to exultation by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that, though thou hast hidden these things from the wise and learned, thou hast revealed them to the childlike! Yes, Father, I thank thee that this has seemed good to thee.

⁴ To you who are my friends I say, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but after that can do no more. ⁵ I will show you of whom you should be afraid. Be afraid of him who, after killing you, has the power to fling you into the Pit. Yes, I say, be afraid of him.

¹⁵ And then he added: "Take care to keep yourselves free from every form of covetousness; for even in the height of his prosperity a man's true Life does not depend on what he has." ¹⁶ Then Jesus told them this parable-- "There was once a rich man whose land was very fertile; ¹⁷ And he began to ask himself 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? ¹⁸ This is what I will do,' he said; 'I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them; ¹⁹ And I will say to myself, Now you have plenty of good things put by for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.' ²⁰ But God said to the man 'Fool! This very night your life is being demanded; and as for all you have prepared--who will have it?' ²¹ So it is with those who lay by wealth for themselves and are not rich to the glory of God."

⁴² "Who, then," replied the Master, "is that trustworthy steward, the careful man, who will be placed by his master over his establishment, to give them their rations at the proper time?

² So the master called him and said 'What is this that I hear about you? Give in your accounts, for you cannot act as steward any longer.'

¹³ No servant can serve two masters, for, either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will attach himself to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." ¹⁴ All this was said within hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, and they began to sneer at Jesus.

²² Hearing this, Jesus said to him: "There is one thing still lacking in you; sell everything that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; then come and follow me."

²⁰ And in the same way with the cup, after supper, saying: "This cup is the New Covenant made by my blood which is being poured out on your behalf.]

¹⁷ If any one has the will to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching is from God, or whether I speak on my own authority.

⁵⁶ Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad." ⁵⁷ "You are not fifty years old yet," the Jews exclaimed, "and have you seen Abraham?" ⁵⁸ "In truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "before Abraham existed I was."

⁹ I am the Door; he who goes in through me will be safe, and he will go in and out and find pasture.

¹¹ I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

¹⁴ I am the Good Shepherd; and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me--

³⁴ I give you a new commandment--Love one another; love one another as I have loved you. ³⁵ It is by this that every one will recognize you as my disciples--by your loving one another."

⁶ Jesus answered: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one ever comes to the Father except through me.

¹⁷ I am giving you these commands that you may love one another.

²³ And at that time you will not ask me anything; in truth I tell you, if you ask the Father for anything, he will grant it to you in my Name. ²⁴ So far you have not asked for anything, in my Name; ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

¹⁹ And it is for their sakes that I am consecrating myself, so that they also may be truly consecrated.

²³ I in union with them and thou with me--that so they may be perfected in their union, and thus the world may know that thou hast sent me as thy Messenger, and that thou has loved them as thou hast loved me.

¹⁷ And he went out, carrying his cross himself, to the place which is named from a scull, or, in Hebrew, Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and two others with him--one on each side, and Jesus between them.

³⁴ One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water immediately flowed from it.

¹ In the course of the Festival at the close of the Harvest the disciples had all met together,

²⁴ But God released him from the pangs of death and raised him to life, it being impossible for death to retain its hold upon him.

³² It was this Jesus, whom God raised to life; and of that we are ourselves all witnesses.

⁴⁴ All who became believers in Christ held everything for the common use; ⁴⁵ They sold their property and their goods, and shared the proceeds among them all, according to their individual needs. ⁴⁶ Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the Temple Courts, and to the Breaking of Bread at their homes, while they partook of their food in simple-hearted gladness, praising God, and winning the good-will of all the people.

¹⁵ The very Guide to Life you put to death! But God raised him from the dead--and of that we are ourselves witnesses.

¹⁰ Let me tell you all and all the people of Israel, that it is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead--it is, I say, by his Name that this man stands here before you lame no longer.

³¹ When their prayer was ended, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to tell God's Message fearlessly. ³² The whole body of those who had become believers in Christ were of one heart and mind. Not one of them claimed any of his goods as his own, but everything was held for the common use.

³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on a cross.

⁴¹ But the Apostles left the Council, rejoicing that they had been thought worthy to suffer disgrace for that Name;

⁵⁵ He, filled as he was with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes intently on the heavens, and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand. ⁵⁶ "Look," he exclaimed, "I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand!" ⁵⁷ At this, with a loud shout, they stopped their ears and all rushed upon him, forced him outside the city, ⁵⁸ And began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁸ And began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, while he cried to the Lord: "Lord Jesus! receive my spirit!" ⁶⁰ Falling on his knees, he called out loudly: "Lord! do not charge them with this sin;" and with these words he fell asleep.

³⁶ At Jaffa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is in Greek 'Dorcas'--a Gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and charitable actions.

¹⁴ "No, Lord, I cannot," answered Peter, "for I have never eaten anything 'defiled' and 'unclean'." ¹⁵ Again he was aware of a voice which said-- "What God has pronounced 'clean', do not regard as 'defiled'." ¹⁶ This happened three times, and then suddenly it was all taken up into the heavens.

³⁸ The story, I mean, of Jesus of Nazareth, and how God consecrated him his Christ by enduing him with the Holy Spirit and with power; and how he went about doing good and curing all who were under the power of the Devil, because God was with him.

⁴⁰ This Jesus God raised on the third day, and enabled him to appear, ⁴¹ Not indeed to every one, but to witnesses chosen beforehand by God--to us, who ate and drank with him after his resurrection from the dead.

³⁰ But God raised him from the dead;

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly, and said: "It was necessary that the Message of God should be told to you first; but, since you reject it and reckon yourselves not worthy of the Immortal Life--we turn to the Gentiles!

²³ They also appointed Officers for them in every Church, and, after prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had learned to believe.

¹ Among other places Paul went to Derbe and Lystra. At the latter place they found a disciple, named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer in Christ, while his father was a Greek, ² And who was well spoken of by the Brethren in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Wishing to take this man with him on his journey, Paul caused him to be circumcised on account of the Jews in that neighborhood, for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.

¹⁵ And, when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us to become her guests. "Since you have shown your conviction," she said, "that I really am a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she insisted on our doing so.

²⁹ Calling for a light, the Governor rushed in, and flung himself trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he led them out, and said: "What must I do to be saved?" ³¹ "Believe in Jesus, our Lord," they replied, "and you shall be saved, you and your household too." ³² Then they spoke to him of God's Message, and to all his household as well. ³³ And that very hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds, and he himself and every one belonging to him were baptized without delay. ³⁴ Afterwards he took them up to his house and set before them something to eat, rejoicing that he, with all his household, had come to believe in God.

³¹ Because he has fixed a day on which he intends to 'judge the world with justice,' by a man whom he has appointed--and of this he has given all men a pledge by raising this man from the dead."

² There he met a Jew of the name of Aquila, a native of Pontus, who, with his wife Priscilla, had lately come from Italy, in consequence of the order which had been issued by the Emperor Claudius for all Jews to leave Rome. Paul paid them a visit,

²⁴ But I count my life of no value to myself, if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted me by the Lord Jesus--which was to declare the Good News of the Love of God. ²⁵ And now, I tell you, I know that none of you will ever see my face again--you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom. ²⁶ Therefore I declare to you this day, that my conscience is clear in regard to the fate of any of you,

²⁸ Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge, to shepherd the Church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life.

³⁰ And from among yourselves, too, men will arise, who will teach perversions of truth, so as to draw away the disciples after them.

³² And now I commend you to the Lord and to the Message of his Love--a Message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christ's People.

¹ Paul fixed his eyes upon the Council, and began: "Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day."

¹⁶ This being so, I strive at all times to keep my conscience clear before both God and man.

²³ So he gave orders to the Captain in charge of Paul to keep him in custody, but to relax the regulations, and not to prevent any of his personal friends from attending to his wants.

¹ As it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were put in charge of a Captain of the Augustan Guard, named Julius.

³ The next day we put in to Sidon, where Julius treated Paul in a friendly manner, and allowed him to go to see his friends and receive their hospitality.

⁴ But, as to the spirit of holiness within him, was miraculously designated Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.

⁷ May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

¹⁰ Asking that, if he be willing, I may some day at last find the way open to visit you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, in order to impart to you some spiritual gift and so give you fresh strength-- ¹² Or rather that both you and I may find encouragement in each other's faith.

²⁹ They reveled in every form of wickedness, evil, greed, vice. Their lives were full of envy, murder, quarreling, treachery, malice.

²⁴ But also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead; ²⁵ For Jesus 'was given up to death to atone for our offences,' and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.

¹⁹ I can but speak as men do because of the weakness of your earthly nature. Once you offered every part of your bodies to the service of impurity, and of wickedness, which leads to further wickedness. Now, in the same way, offer them to the service of Righteousness, which leads to holiness.

¹¹ And, if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give Life even to your mortal bodies, through his Spirit living within you.

³¹ What are we to say, then, in the light of all this? If God is on our side, who can there be against us?

¹⁷ And so we gather, faith is a result of teaching, and the teaching comes in the Message of Christ.

³⁶ For all things are from him, through him, and for him. And to him be all glory for ever and ever! Amen.

¹ I entreat you, then, Brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, for this is your rational worship.

⁹ Let your love be sincere. Hate the wrong; cling to the right. ¹⁰ In brotherly love, be affectionate to one another; in showing respect, set an example of deference to one another;

¹³ Relieving the wants of Christ's People; devoted to hospitality.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and weep with those who are weeping.

¹⁷ Never return injury for injury. Aim at doing what all men will recognize as honorable.

¹³ Being in the light of Day, let us live becomingly, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lust and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.

² One man's faith permits of his eating food of all kinds, while another whose faith is weak eats only vegetable food.

⁶ He who observes a day, observes it to the Master's honor. He, again, who eats meat eats it to the Master's honor, for he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains from it abstains from it to the Master's honor, and also gives thanks to God.

¹² So, then, each one of us will have to render account of himself to God.

¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ He who serves the Christ in this way pleases God, and wins the approval of his fellow men.

²⁵ Just now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem, to take help to Christ's People there.

²⁸ When I have settled this matter, and have secured to the poor at Jerusalem the enjoyment of these benefits, I shall go, by way of you, to Spain.

³⁰ I beg you, then, Brothers, by Jesus Christ, our Lord, and by the love inspired by the Spirit, to join me in earnest prayer to God on my behalf. ³¹ Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who reject the Faith, and that the help which I am taking to Jerusalem may prove acceptable to Christ's People; ³² So that, God willing, I may be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and enjoy some rest among you. ³³ May God, the giver of peace, be with you all. Amen.

¹ I commend to your care our Sister, Phoebe, who helps in the work of the Church at Cenchreae; ² And I ask you to give her a Christian welcome--one worthy of Christ's People--and to aid her in any matter in which she may need your assistance. She has proved herself a staunch friend to me and to many others. ³ Give my greeting to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers in the Cause of Christ Jesus, ⁴ Who risked their own lives to save mine. It is not I alone who thank them, but all the Churches among the Gentiles thank them also. ⁵ Give my greeting, also, to the Church that meets at their house, as well as to my dear friend Epaenetus, one of the first in Roman Asia to believe in Christ; ⁶ To Mary, who worked hard for you; ⁷ To Andronicus and Junias, my countrymen and once my fellow- prisoners, who are men of note among the Apostles, and who became Christians before I did; ⁸ To my dear Christian friend Ampliatus; ⁹ To Urban, our fellow-worker in the Cause of Christ, and to my dear friend Stachys; ¹⁰ To that proved Christian Apelles; to the household of Aristobulus; ¹¹ To my countryman Herodion; to the Christians in the household of Narcissus; ¹² To Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard for the Master; to my dear friend Persis, for she has done much hard work for the Master; ¹³ To that eminent Christian, Rufus, and to his mother, who has been a mother to me also; ¹⁴ To Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the Brothers with them; ¹⁵ Also to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and to all Christ's People who are with them. ¹⁶ Greet one another with a sacred kiss. All the Churches of the Christ send you greetings. ¹⁷ I urge you, Brothers, to be on your guard against people who, by disregarding the teaching which you received, cause divisions and create difficulties; dissociate yourselves from them. ¹⁸ For such persons are not serving Christ, our Master, but are slaves to their own appetites; and, by their smooth words and flattery, they deceive simple-minded people.

²⁰ And God, the giver of peace, will before long crush Satan under your feet. May the blessing of Jesus, our Lord, be with you. ²¹ Timothy, my fellow-worker, sends you his greetings, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my countrymen, send theirs. ²² I Tertius, who am writing this letter, send you my Christian greeting. ²³ My host Gaius, who extends his hospitality to the whole Church, sends you his greeting; and Erastus, the City Treasurer, and Quartus, our Brother, add theirs.

²³ My host Gaius, who extends his hospitality to the whole Church, sends you his greeting; and Erastus, the City Treasurer, and Quartus, our Brother, add theirs.

²⁷ To him, I say, the wise and only God, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, all glory for ever and ever. Amen.

¹ Let men look upon us as Christ's servants, and as stewards of the hidden truths of God. ² Now what we look for in stewards is that they should be trustworthy.

¹⁰ We, for Christ's sake, are 'fools,' but you, by your union with Christ, are men of discernment. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are despised. ¹¹ To this very hour we go hungry, thirsty, and naked; we are beaten; we are homeless; ¹² We work hard, toiling with our own hands. We meet abuse with blessings, we meet persecution with endurance, ¹³ We meet slander with gentle appeals. We have been treated as the scum of the earth, the vilest of the vile, to this very hour.

¹⁶ Therefore I entreat you-Follow my example.

⁷ Get rid entirely of the old leaven, so that you may be like new dough-free from leaven, as in truth you are. For our Passover Lamb is already sacrificed-Christ himself; ⁸ Therefore let us keep our festival, not with the leaven of former days, nor with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

¹¹ But, as things are, I say that you are not to associate with any one who, although a Brother in name, is immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or abusive, or a drunkard, or grasping-no, not even to sit at table with such people.

¹³ While God judges those who are outside? 'Put away the wicked man from among you.'

⁹ Do not you know that wrong-doers will have no share in God's Kingdom? Do not be deceived. No one who is immoral, or an idolater, or an adulterer, or licentious, or a sodomite, ¹⁰ Or a thief, or covetous, or a drunkard, or abusive, or grasping, will have any share in God's Kingdom. ¹¹ Such some of you used to be; but you washed yourselves clean. You became Christ's People! you were pronounced righteous through the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the Spirit of our God!

¹³ Food exists for the stomach, and the stomach for food; but God will put an end to both the one and the other. The body, however, exists, not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body; ¹⁴ And, as God has raised the Lord, so he will raise up us also by the exercise of his power.

² But, owing to the prevalence of immorality, I advise every man to have his own wife, and every woman her husband. ³ A husband should give his wife her due, and a wife her husband. ⁴ It is not the wife, but the husband, who exercises power over her body; and so, too, it is not the husband, but the wife, who exercises power over his body. ⁵ Do not deprive each other of what is due-unless it is only for a time and by mutual consent, so that your minds may be free for prayer till you again live as man and wife-lest Satan should take advantage of your want of self-control and tempt you. ⁶ I say this, however, as a concession, not as a command. ⁷ I should wish every one to be just what I am myself. But every one has his own gift from God-one in one way, and one in another. ⁸ My advice, then, to those who are not married, and to widows, is this: It would be well for them to remain as I am myself. ⁹ But, if they cannot control themselves, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be consumed with passion. ¹⁰ To those who are married my direction is-yet it is not mine, but the Master's-that a woman is not to leave her husband ¹¹ (If she has done so, let her remain as she is, or else be reconciled to her husband) and also that a man is not to divorce his wife. ¹² To all others I say-I, not the Master-If a Brother is married to a woman, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with him, he should not divorce her; ¹³ And a woman who is married to a man, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with her, should not divorce her husband. ¹⁴ For, through his wife, the husband who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People; and the wife who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People through our Brother whom she has married. Otherwise your children would be 'defiled,' but, as it is, they belong to Christ's People. ¹⁵ However, if the unbeliever wishes to be separated, let him be so. Under such circumstances neither the Brother nor the Sister is bound; God has called you to live in peace. ¹⁶ How can you tell, wife, whether you may not save your husband? and how can you tell, husband, whether you may not save your wife?

²⁹ What I mean, Brothers, is this-The time is short. Meanwhile, let those who have wives live as if they had none,

³⁸ In short, the one who consents to his daughter's marriage is doing right, and yet the other will be doing better.

⁸ What we eat, however, will not bring us nearer to God. We lose nothing by not eating this food, and we gain nothing by eating it.

⁵ Have not we a right to take a wife with us, if she is a Christian, as the other Apostles and the Master's brothers and Kephas all do?

¹³ Do not you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?

¹³ No temptation has come upon you that is not common to all mankind. God will not fail you, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength; but, when he sends the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may have strength to endure.

¹⁷ The Bread is one, and we, though many, are one body; for we all partake of that one Bread. ¹⁸ Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices share with the altar?

²⁰ No; what I say is that the sacrifices offered by the Gentiles 'are offered to demons and to a Being who is no God,' and I do not want you to share with demons.

¹ Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

²⁶ If one part suffers, all the others suffer with it, and if one part has honor done it, all the others share its joy.

³³ For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.) This custom prevails in all the Churches of Christ's People.

¹⁵ Yes, and we are being proved to have borne false testimony about God; for we testified of God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise, if, indeed, the dead do not rise!

¹⁶ I want you, on your part, to show deference to such men as these, as well as to every fellow laborer and earnest worker.

¹ To the Church of God in Corinth, and to all Christ's People throughout Greece, from Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and from Timothy, a Brother.

¹² Indeed, our main ground for satisfaction is this--Our conscience tells us that our conduct in the world, and still more in our relations with you, was marked by a purity of motive and a sincerity that were inspired by God, and was based, not on worldly policy, but on the help of God.

¹⁹ The Son of God, Christ Jesus, whom we--Silas, Timothy, and I- -proclaimed among you, never wavered between 'Yes' and 'No.' With him it has always been 'Yes.'

²¹ God who brings us, with you, into close union with Christ, and who consecrated us,

¹⁴ For we know that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with him, and will bring us, with you, into his presence.

¹⁷ The light burden of our momentary trouble is preparing for us, in measure transcending thought, a weight of imperishable glory;

¹⁰ For at the Bar of the Christ we must all appear in our true characters, that each may reap the results of the life which he has lived in the body, in accordance with his actions--whether good or worthless.

¹⁰ For at the Bar of the Christ we must all appear in our true characters, that each may reap the results of the life which he has lived in the body, in accordance with his actions--whether good or worthless. ¹¹ Therefore, because we know the fear inspired by the Lord, it is true that we are trying to win men, but our motives are plain to God; and I hope that in your inmost hearts they are plain to you also.

²⁰ It is, then, on Christ's behalf that we are acting as ambassadors, God, as it were, appealing to you through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf--Be reconciled to God.

¹ Therefore, as God's fellow-workers, we also appeal to you not to receive his loving-kindness in vain.

⁸ God has power to shower all kinds of blessings upon you, so that, having, under all circumstances and on all occasions, all that you can need, you may be able to shower all kinds of benefits upon others.

¹² For the rendering of a public service such as this, not only relieves the needs of your fellow-Christians, but also results in the offering to God of many a thanksgiving. ¹³ Through the evidence afforded by the service thus rendered, you cause men to praise God for your fidelity to your profession of faith in the Good News of the Christ, as well as for the liberality of your contributions for them and for all others.

¹ Now, I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ--I who, "in your presence, am humble in my bearing towards you, but, when absent, am bold in my language to you"--

¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do! ¹² What I am doing now I shall continue to do, that I may cut away the ground from under those who are wishing for some ground for attacking me, so that as regards the thing of which they boast they may appear in their true characters, just as we do. ¹³ Men of this stamp are false apostles, treacherous workers, disguising themselves as Apostles of Christ! ¹⁴ And no wonder; for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of Light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, therefore, if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of Righteousness. But their end will be in accordance with their actions.

¹⁰ That is why I delight in weakness, ill-treatment, hardship, persecution, and difficulties, when borne for Christ. For, when I am weak, then it is that I am strong!

¹¹ And now, brothers, good-bye. Aim at perfection; take courage; agree together; live in peace. And then God, the source of all love and peace, will be with you.

¹³ All Christ's people here send you their greetings.

¹ To the churches in Galatia, from Paul, an Apostle whose commission is not from men and is given, not by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead;

⁵ To whom be ascribed all glory for ever and ever. Amen. ⁶ I am astonished at your so soon deserting him, who called you through the love of Christ, for a different 'Good News,' ⁷ Which is really no Good News at all. But then, I know that there are people who are harassing you, and who want to pervert the Good News of the Christ. ⁸ Yet even if we--or if an angel from Heaven were to tell you any other 'Good News' than that which we told you, may he be accursed! ⁹ We have said it before, and I repeat it now--If any one tells you a 'Good News' other than that which you received, may he be accursed!

⁶ If a man is in union with Christ Jesus, neither is circumcision nor the omission of it anything, but faith, working through love, is everything.

¹³ Remember, Brothers, to you the Call came to give you freedom. Only do not make your freedom an opportunity for self-indulgence, but serve one another in a loving spirit.

¹⁹ The sins of our earthly nature are unmistakable. They are sins like these--unchastity, impurity, indecency,

²¹ Feelings of envy, drunkenness, revelry, and the like. And I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who indulge in such things will have no place in the Kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit produced by the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindliness, generosity, trustfulness, gentleness, self-control.

¹ Brothers, even if a man should be caught committing a sin, you who are spiritually minded should, in a gentle spirit, help him to recover himself, taking care lest any one of you also should be tempted.

¹ Brothers, even if a man should be caught committing a sin, you who are spiritually minded should, in a gentle spirit, help him to recover himself, taking care lest any one of you also should be tempted. ² Bear one another's burdens, and so carry out the Law of the Christ.

⁶ He, however, who is being instructed in the Message ought always to share his blessings with the man who instructs him.

¹⁰ Therefore, I say, as the opportunity occurs, let us treat every one with kindness, and especially members of the Household of the Faith. ¹¹ See in what large letters I am writing with my own hand.

²⁰ The same mighty power was exerted upon the Christ, when he raised the Christ from the dead and 'caused him to sit at his right hand' on high, exalting him above all Angels and Archangels of every rank,

¹⁰ For we are God's handiwork, created, by our union with Christ Jesus, for the good actions in doing which God had pre-arranged that we should spend our lives.

¹⁸ For it is through him that we, the Jews and the Gentiles, united in the one Spirit, are now able to approach the Father. ¹⁹ It follows, then, that you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow-citizens with Christ's People and members of God's Household.

¹² And in union with him, and through our trust in him, we find courage to approach God with confidence.

¹⁶ And pray that, in proportion to the wealth of his glory, he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his Spirit into your inmost soul, ¹⁷ So that the Christ, through your faith, may make his home within your hearts in love; And I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may, with all Christ's People, ¹⁸ Have the power to comprehend in all its width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ And to understand--though it surpasses all understanding--the love of the Christ; and so be filled to the full with God himself.

¹ I urge you, then--I who am a prisoner in the Master's cause-- to live lives worthy of the Call that you have received;

³ And striving to maintain in the bond of peace the unity given by the Spirit.

¹⁴ Then we shall no longer be like infants, tossed backward and forward, blown about by every breath of human teaching, through the trickery and the craftiness of men, towards the snares of error;

²⁸ Let the man who steals steal no longer, but rather let him toil with his hands at honest work, so that he may have something to share with any one in want.

² And live a life of love, following the example of the Christ, who loved you and gave himself for you as 'an offering and a sacrifice to God, that should be fragrant and acceptable.' ³ As for unchastity and every kind of impurity, or greed, do not let them even be mentioned among you, as befits Christ's People,

⁵ For of this you may be sure--that no one who is unchaste or impure or greedy of gain (for to be greedy of gain is idolatry) has any place awaiting him in the kingdom of the Christ and God. ⁶ Do not let any one deceive you with specious arguments. Those are the sins that bring down the Wrath of God upon the disobedient.

¹⁹ Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. ²⁰ Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ And submit to one another from reverence for him.

²⁶ To make her holy, after purifying her by the Washing with the Water, according to his promise;

¹⁹ And on my behalf also, that, when I begin to speak, words may be given me, so that I may fearlessly make known the inmost truth of the Good News, ²⁰ On behalf of which I am an Ambassador--in chains! Pray that, in telling it, I may speak fearlessly as I ought.

²⁴ May God's blessing be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

¹ To all Christ's People at Philippi, with the Presiding Officers and Assistants, from Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.

⁴ Always, in every prayer that I offer for you all--my prayers are full of joy--

¹¹ Bearing a rich harvest of that righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹ If, then, any encouragement comes through union with Christ, if there is any persuasive power in love, if there is any communion with the Spirit, if there is any tenderness or pity, ² I entreat you to make my happiness complete--Live together animated by the same spirit and in mutual love, one in heart, animated by one Spirit. ³ Nothing should be done in a factious spirit or from vanity, but each of you should with all humility regard others as of more account than himself,

¹¹ And that every tongue should acknowledge JESUS CHRIST as LORD- -to the glory of God the Father. ¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always been obedient in the past, so now work out your own Salvation with anxious care, not only when I am with you, but all the more now that I am absent. ¹³ Remember it is God who, in his kindness, is at work within you, enabling you both to will and to work.

¹⁶ Offering to men the Message of Life; and then I shall be able at the Day of Christ to boast that I did not run my course for nothing, or toil for nothing.

²⁹ Give him, then, the heartiest of Christian welcomes, and hold such men in great honour.

¹⁷ Brothers, unite in following my example, and fix your eyes on those who are living by the pattern which we have set you. ¹⁸ For there are many--of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears--who are living in enmity to the cross of the Christ.

²⁰ But the State of which we are citizens is in Heaven; and it is from Heaven that we are eagerly looking for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

¹ So then, my dear Brothers, whom I am longing to see--you who are my joy and my crown, stand fast in union with the Lord, dear friends.

⁸ In conclusion, Brothers, wherever you find anything true or honorable, righteous or pure, lovable or praiseworthy, or if 'virtue' and 'honour' have any meaning, there let your thoughts dwell. ⁹ All that you learned and received and heard and saw in me put into practice continually; and then God, the giver of peace, will be with you.

¹¹ Do not think that I am saying this under the pressure of want. For I, however I am placed, have learned to be independent of circumstances. ¹² I know how to face humble circumstances, and I know how to face prosperity. Into all and every human experience I have been initiated--into plenty and hunger, into prosperity and want. ¹³ I can do everything in the strength of him who makes me strong! ¹⁴ Yet you have acted nobly in sharing my troubles.

¹⁴ Yet you have acted nobly in sharing my troubles. ¹⁵ And you at Philippi know, as well as I, that in the early days of the Good News--at the time when I had just left Macedonia--no Church, with the one exception of yourselves, had anything to do with me as far as giving and receiving are concerned. ¹⁶ Indeed, even while I was still in Thessalonica, you sent more than once to relieve my wants. ¹⁷ It is not that I am anxious for your gifts, but I am anxious to see the abundant return that will be placed to your account. I have enough of everything, and to spare. ¹⁸ My wants are fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts which you sent me--the sweet fragrance of a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

¹⁸ My wants are fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts which you sent me--the sweet fragrance of a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God, out of the greatness of his wealth, will, in glory, fully satisfy your every need, through your union with Christ Jesus.

²² All Christ's People here, and especially those who belong to the Emperor's household, send theirs.

² To Christ's People at Colossae--the Brothers who are faithful to him: May God, our Father, bless you and give you peace.

⁹ And therefore we, from the very day that we heard this, have never ceased praying for you, or asking that you may possess that deeper knowledge of the will of God, which comes through all true spiritual wisdom and insight. ¹⁰ Then you will live lives worthy of the Master, and so please God in every way. Your lives will be fruitful in every kind of good action, and your characters will grow through a fuller knowledge of God; ¹¹ You will be made strong at all points with a strength worthy of the power manifested in his Glory--strong to endure with patience, and even with gladness, whatever may befall you; ¹² And you will give thanks to the Father who made you fit to share the lot which awaits Christ's People in the realms of Light.

¹² And you will give thanks to the Father who made you fit to share the lot which awaits Christ's People in the realms of Light.

⁴ I say this to prevent any one from deceiving you by plausible arguments.

⁷ Rooted in him, building up your characters through union with him, growing stronger through your faith, as you were taught, overflowing with faith and thanksgiving. ⁸ Take care there is not some one who will carry you away by his 'philosophy'--a hollow sham!--following, as it does, mere human traditions, and dealing with puerile questions of this world, and not with Christ.

¹² For in baptism you were buried with Christ; and in baptism you were also raised to Life with him, through your faith in the omnipotence of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹⁶ Do not, then, allow any one to take you to task on questions of eating or drinking, or in the matter of annual or monthly or weekly festivals. ¹⁷ These things are only the shadow of what is to come; the substance is in the Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let any one defraud you of the reality by affecting delight in so-called 'humility' and angel-worship. Such a man busies himself with his visions, and without reason is rendered conceited by his merely human intellect. ¹⁹ He fails to maintain union with the Head, to whom it is due that the whole body, nourished and knit together by the contact and Keynesian of every part, grows with a divine growth. ²⁰ Since, with Christ, you became dead to the puerile teaching of this world, why do you submit, as though your life were still that of the world,

¹ Since, therefore, you were raised to Life with the Christ, seek for the things that are above; for it is there that the Christ is 'seated at the right hand of God.' ² Fix your thoughts upon the things that are above, not upon those that are on earth. ³ For you died, and your Life now lies hidden, with the Christ, in God.

⁵ Therefore destroy all that is earthly in you--immorality, uncleanness, passions, evil desires, and that greed which is idolatry.

⁵ Therefore destroy all that is earthly in you--immorality, uncleanness, passions, evil desires, and that greed which is idolatry. ⁶ These are the things on account of which the Wrath of God comes,

¹⁶ Let the Message of the Christ dwell in your minds in all its wealth, bringing all wisdom with it. Teach and admonish one another with psalms, and hymns, and sacred songs, full of the loving- kindness of God, lifting your hearts in song to him. ¹⁷ And, whatever you say or do, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus; and through him offer thanksgiving to God the father.

¹⁷ And, whatever you say or do, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus; and through him offer thanksgiving to God the father.

²⁰ Children, always obey your parents; for that is pleasant to see in those who belong to the Lord.

³ And at the same time pray for us, that God may give us an opening for our Message, so that we may speak of the truths hidden in the Christ--the truths for which I am in chains!

¹² Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, sends you his greeting. He is a servant of Christ Jesus, and is always most earnest in your behalf in his prayers, praying that you may stand firm, with a matured faith and with a sure conviction of all that is in accordance with God's will.

¹⁸ I, Paul, add this greeting in my own handwriting. Remember these chains of mine. God's blessing be with you.

⁶ And you yourselves began to follow, not only our example, but the Master's also; and, in spite of much suffering, you welcomed the Message with a joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,

¹⁰ And are now awaiting the return from Heaven of his Son whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, our deliverer from the Coming Wrath.

¹³ This, too, is a reason why we, on our part, are continually thanking God--because, in receiving the teaching that you had from us, you accepted it, not as the teaching of man, but as what it really is--the teaching of God, which is even now doing its work within you who believe in Christ.

¹⁹ For what hope or joy will be ours, or what crown shall we have to boast of, in the presence of our Lord Jesus, at his Coming, if it be not you? ²⁰ You are our pride and our delight!

² And sent Timothy, our Brother and God's minister of the Good News of the Christ, to strengthen you, and to encourage you in your faith,

⁹ How can we thank God enough for all the happiness that you are giving us in the sight of our God? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face, and make good any deficiency in your faith.

¹³ And so make your hearts strong, and your lives pure beyond reproach, in the sight of our God and Father, at the Coming of our Lord Jesus, with all his Holy Ones.

³ For this is God's purpose--that you should be pure; abstaining from all immorality;

⁹ As to love for the Brethren there is no need to write to you; for you have yourselves been taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ And indeed you do act in this spirit towards all the Brethren throughout Macedonia. Yet, Brothers, we urge you to still further efforts.

¹² So that your conduct may win respect from those outside the Church, and that you may not want for anything.

¹² We beg you, Brothers, to value those who toil among you, and are your leaders in the Lord's service, and give you counsel. ¹³ Hold them in the very greatest esteem and affection for the sake of their work. Live at peace with one another.

¹⁵ Take care that none of you ever pays back wrong for wrong, but always follow the kindest course with one another and with every one.

²³ May God himself, the giver of peace, make you altogether holy; and may your spirits, souls, and bodies be kept altogether faultless until the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁵ Brothers, pray for us.

³ Brothers, it is our duty always to thank God about you, as is but right, considering the wonderful growth of your faith, and because, without exception, your love for one another is continually increasing.

² Not lightly to let your minds become unsettled, nor yet to be disturbed by any revelation, or by any message, or by any letter, purporting to come from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord is come.

¹⁷ Console your hearts, and strengthen you to do and to say all that is right.

¹ In conclusion, Brothers, pray for us--pray that the Lord's Message may spread rapidly, and be received everywhere with honour, as it was among you;

⁷ For you know well that you ought to follow our example. When we were with you, our life was not ill-ordered,

⁹ This was not because we had not a right to receive support, but our object was to give you a pattern for you to copy.

¹³ You, Brothers, must not grow weary of doing what is right. ¹⁴ If any one disregards what we have said in this letter, mark that man and avoid his company, that he may feel ashamed.

¹⁶ May the Lord, from whom all peace comes, himself give you his peace at all times and in all ways. May he be with you all.

⁵ The object of all instruction is to call forth that love which comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.

¹⁷ To the Immortal King, ever-living, invisible, the one God, be ascribed honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

² The Presiding-Officer should be a man of blameless character; a faithful husband; living a temperate, discreet, and well-ordered life; hospitable, and a skillful teacher, ³ not addicted to drink or brawling, but of a forbearing and peaceable disposition, and not a lover of money; ⁴ he should be a man who rules his own household well, and whose children are kept under control and are well-behaved. ⁵ If a man does not know how to rule his own household, how can he take charge of the Church of God?

¹² Assistant-Officers should be faithful husbands, and men who rule their children and their households well.

¹ But the Spirit distinctly says that in later times there will be some who will fall away from the Faith, and devote their attention to misleading spirits, and to the teaching of demons, ² who will make use of the hypocrisy of lying teachers. These men's consciences are seared, ³ and they discourage marriage and enjoin abstinence from certain kinds of food; though God created these foods to be enjoyed thankfully by those who hold the Faith and have attained a full knowledge of the Truth.

³ and they discourage marriage and enjoin abstinence from certain kinds of food; though God created these foods to be enjoyed thankfully by those who hold the Faith and have attained a full knowledge of the Truth. ⁴ Everything created by God is good, and there in nothing that need be rejected--provided only that it is received thankfully; ⁵ for it is consecrated by God's blessing and by prayer.

¹⁰ and be well spoken of for her kind actions. She should have brought up children, have shown hospitality to strangers, have washed the feet of her fellow Christians, have relieved those who were in distress, and devoted herself to every kind of good action.

¹⁴ Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal.

¹⁷ Those Officers of the Church who fill their office well should be held deserving of especial consideration, particularly those whose work lies in preaching and teaching.

³ Any one who teaches otherwise, and refuses his assent to sound instruction--the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ--and to the teaching of religion, ⁴ is puffed up with conceit, not really knowing anything, but having a morbid craving for discussions and arguments. Such things only give rise to envy, quarreling, recriminations, base suspicions, ⁵ and incessant wrangling on the part of these corrupt-minded people who have lost all hold on the Truth, and who think of religion only as a source of gain. ⁶ And a great source of gain religion is, when it brings contentment with it! ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, because we cannot even carry anything out of it. ⁸ So, with food and shelter, we will be content. ⁹ Those who want to be rich fall into the snares of temptation, and become the prey of many foolish and harmful ambitions, which plunge people into Destruction and Ruin. ¹⁰ Love of money is a source of all kinds of evil; and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the Faith, and have been pierced to the heart by many a regret.

¹² Run the great race of the Faith, and win the Immortal Life. It was for this that you received the Call, and, in the presence of many witnesses, made the great profession of Faith.

¹⁶ who alone is possessed of immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or ever can see--to whom be ascribed honour and power for ever. Amen.

¹⁸ Urge upon them to show kindness, to exhibit a wealth of good actions, to be open-handed and generous,

²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the profane prattle and contradictions of what some miscall 'theology,'

⁸ Do not, therefore, be ashamed of the testimony which we have to bear to our Lord, nor yet of me who am a prisoner for him; but join with me in suffering for the Good News, as far as God enables you.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my chains. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he arrived in Rome, he sought eagerly for me till he found me. ¹⁸ The Lord grant that he may find mercy at the hands of the Lord on 'That Day.' The many services that he rendered at Ephesus you have the best means of knowing.

¹ Do you, then, my Child, find strength in the help which comes from the union with Christ Jesus; ² and what you learnt from me, in the presence of many listeners, entrust to reliable men, who will be able in their turn to teach others.

¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from all evil, and bring me safe into his Heavenly Kingdom. All glory to him for ever and ever! Amen.

²² May the Lord be with your soul. God bless you all.

⁶ They are to be men of irreproachable character, who are faithful husbands, whose children are Christians and have never been charged with dissolute conduct or have been unruly.

⁸ On the contrary, he should be hospitable, eager for the right discreet, upright, a man of holy life and capable of self-restraint,

¹⁴ and may pay no attention to Jewish legends, or to the directions of those who turn their backs upon the Truth. ¹⁵ Everything is pure to the pure-minded, but to those whose minds are polluted and who are unbelievers nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are alike polluted.

¹⁵ All who are with me here send you their greeting. Give my greeting to our friends in the Faith. God bless you all.

¹ From Paul, now a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, a Brother.

⁵ Because I hear of the love and the faith which you show, not only to the Lord Jesus, but also to all his People; ⁶ And I pray that your participation in the Faith may result in action, as you come to a fuller realization of everything that is good and Christlike in us.

⁸ And so, though my union with Christ enables me, with all confidence, to dictate the course that you should adopt, ⁹ Yet the claims of love make me prefer to plead with you--yes, even me, Paul, though I am an ambassador for Christ Jesus and, now a prisoner for him as well.

²² Please also get a lodging ready for me, for I hope that I shall be given back to you all in answer to your prayers.

¹² As a mantle thou wilt fold them up, And as a garment they shall be changed, But thou art the same, and thy years shall know no end.'

¹ Therefore we must give still more heed to what we were taught, for fear we should drift away.

¹¹ For he who purifies, and those whom he purifies, all spring from One; and therefore he is not ashamed to call them 'Brothers.'

¹ Therefore, Christian Brothers, you who, all alike, have received the Call from Heaven, fix your attention on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our Religion.

¹² Be careful, Brothers, that there is never found in any one of you a wicked and faithless heart, shown by his separating himself from the Living God. ¹³ Rather encourage one another daily--while there is a 'To-day'--to prevent any one among you from being hardened by the deceitfulness of Sin.

¹ We must, therefore, be very careful, though there is a promise still standing that we shall enter upon God's Rest, that none of you even appear to have missed it.

⁹ There is, then, a Sabbath-Rest still awaiting God's People.

¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter upon that Rest, so that none of us fall through such disbelief as that of which we have had an example.

¹⁶ Therefore, let us draw near boldly to the Throne of Love, to find pity and love for the hour of need.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust; he will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed for his Name, in sending help to your fellow Christians--as you are still doing.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust; he will not forget the work that you did, and the love that you showed for his Name, in sending help to your fellow Christians--as you are still doing. ¹¹ But our great desire is that every one of you should be equally earnest to attain to a full conviction that our hope will be fulfilled, and that you should keep that hope to the end.

¹¹ But our great desire is that every one of you should be equally earnest to attain to a full conviction that our hope will be fulfilled, and that you should keep that hope to the end. ¹² Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God's promises.

¹² Then you will not show yourselves slow to learn, but you will copy those who, through faith and patience, are now entering upon the enjoyment of God's promises.

²⁵ And that is why he is able to save perfectly those who come to God through him, living for ever, as he does, to intercede of their behalf.

⁹ For that was only a type, to continue down to the present time; and, in keeping with it, both gifts and sacrifices are offered, though incapable of satisfying the conscience of the worshiper; ¹⁰ the whole system being concerned only with food and drink and various ablutions--external ceremonials imposed until the coming of the New Order.

¹² Nor was it with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, that he entered, once and for all, into the Sanctuary, and obtained our eternal deliverance. ¹³ For, if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, purify those who have been defiled (as far as ceremonial purification goes), ¹⁴ how much more will the blood of the Christ, who, through his eternal Spirit, offered himself up to God, as a victim without blemish, purify our consciences from a lifeless formality, and fit us for the service of the Living God!

¹⁶ Whenever such a Covenant as a will is in question, the death of the testator must of necessity be alleged. ¹⁷ For such a Covenant takes effect only upon death, it does not come into force as long as the testator is alive. ¹⁸ This explains why even the first Covenant was not ratified without the shedding of blood. ¹⁹ For, when every command had been announced to all the people by Moses in accordance with the Law, he took the blood of the calves and of the goats, with water, scarlet wool, and a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled even the Book of the Law, as well as all the people, ²⁰ saying, as he did so-- "This is the blood that renders valid the Covenant which God has commanded to be made with you."

¹⁹ Therefore, Brothers, since we may enter the Sanctuary with confidence, in virtue of the blood of Jesus,

¹⁹ Therefore, Brothers, since we may enter the Sanctuary with confidence, in virtue of the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the way which he inaugurated for us--a new and living way, a way through the Sanctuary Curtain (that is, his human nature); ²¹ and, since we have in him 'a great priest set over the House of God,' ²² let us draw near to God in all sincerity of heart and in perfect faith, with our hearts purified by the sprinkled blood from all consciousness of wrong, and with our bodies washed with pure water.

²² let us draw near to God in all sincerity of heart and in perfect faith, with our hearts purified by the sprinkled blood from all consciousness of wrong, and with our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us maintain the confession of our hope unshaken, for he who has given us his promise will not fail us. ²⁴ Let us vie with one another in a rivalry of love and noble actions.

²⁴ Let us vie with one another in a rivalry of love and noble actions. ²⁵ And let us not, as some do, cease to meet together; but, on the contrary, let us encourage one another, and all the more, now that you see the Day drawing near. ²⁶ Remember, if we sin willfully after we have gained a full knowledge of the Truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin; ²⁷ there is only a fearful anticipation of judgment, and a burning indignation which will destroy all opponents. ²⁸ When a man disregarded the Law of Moses, he was, on the evidence of two or three witnesses, put to death without pity. ²⁹ How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the Covenant valid--the very blood by which they were purified--as of no account, and who have outraged the Spirit of Love?

²⁹ How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the Covenant valid--the very blood by which they were purified--as of no account, and who have outraged the Spirit of Love? ³⁰ We know who it was that said-- 'It is for me to avenge, I will requite'; and again-- 'The Lord will judge his people.' ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. ³² Call to mind those early days in which, after you had received the Light, you patiently underwent a long and painful conflict. ³³ Sometimes, in consequence of the taunts and injuries heaped upon you, you became a public spectacle; and sometimes you suffered through having shown yourselves to be the friends of men who were in the very position in which you had been. ³⁴ For you not only sympathized with those who were in prison, but you even took the confiscation of your possessions joyfully, knowing, as you did, that you had in yourselves a greater possession and a lasting one.

³⁴ For you not only sympathized with those who were in prison, but you even took the confiscation of your possessions joyfully, knowing, as you did, that you had in yourselves a greater possession and a lasting one. ³⁵ Do not, therefore, abandon the confidence that you have gained, for it has a great reward awaiting it. ³⁶ You still have need of patient endurance, in order that, when you have done God's will, you may obtain the fulfillment of his promise.

³⁶ You still have need of patient endurance, in order that, when you have done God's will, you may obtain the fulfillment of his promise. ³⁷ 'For there is indeed but a very little while ere He who is coming will have come, without delay; ³⁸ And through faith the Righteous man shall find his Life, But, if a man draws back, my heart can find no pleasure in him.' ³⁹ But we do not belong to those who draw back, to their Ruin, but to those who have faith, to the saving of their souls.

⁹ It was faith that made him go to live as an emigrant in the Promised Land--as in a strange country--living there in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him. ¹⁰ For he was looking for the City with the sure foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹² And so from one man--and that when his powers were dead--there sprang a people as numerous 'as the stars in the heavens or the countless grains of sand upon the shore.' ¹³ All these died sustained by faith. They did not obtain the promised blessings, but they saw them from a distance and welcomed the sight, and they acknowledged themselves to be only aliens and strangers on the earth. ¹⁴ Those who speak thus show plainly that they are seeking their fatherland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they could have found opportunities to return. ¹⁶ But no, they were longing for a better, a heavenly, land! And therefore God was not ashamed to be called their God; indeed he had already prepared them a city.

²⁶ For he counted 'the reproaches that are heaped upon the Christ' of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, looking forward, as he did, to the reward awaiting him.

¹ Seeing, therefore, that there is on every side of us such a throng of witnesses, let us also lay aside everything that hinders us, and the sin that clings about us, and run with patient endurance the race that lies before us, ² our eyes fixed upon Jesus, the Leader and perfect Example of our faith, who, for the joy that lay before him, endured the cross, heedless of its shame, and now 'has taken his seat at the right hand' of the throne of God. ³ Weigh well the example of him who had to endure such opposition from 'men who were sinning against themselves,' so that you should not grow weary or faint-hearted.

¹² Therefore 'lift again the down-dropped hands and straighten the weakened knees; ¹³ make straight paths for your feet,' so that the lame limb may not be put out of joint, but rather be cured. ¹⁴ Try earnestly to live at peace with every one, and to attain to that purity without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ Take care that no one fails to use the loving help of God, 'that no bitterness is allowed to take root and spring up, and cause trouble,' and so poison the whole community. ¹⁶ Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

¹⁶ Take care that no one becomes immoral, or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

²² No, but it is to Mount Zion that you have drawn near, the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to countless hosts of angels, ²³ to the festal gathering and assemblage of God's Eldest Sons whose names are enrolled in Heaven, to God the Judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous who have attained perfection,

²⁵ Beware how you refuse to hear him who is speaking. For, if the Israelites did not escape punishment, when they refused to listen to him who taught them on earth the divine will, far worse will it be for us, if we turn away from him who is teaching us from Heaven. ²⁶ Then his voice shook the earth, but now his declaration is-- 'Still once more I will cause not only the earth to tremble, but also the heavens.' ²⁷ And those words 'still once more' indicate the passing away of all that is shaken--that is, of all created things--in order that only what is unshaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, let us, who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, be thankful, and so offer acceptable worship to God, with awe and reverence.

¹ Let your love for the Brethren continue. :24 Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you.

¹ Let your love for the Brethren continue. :24 Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you. ² Do not neglect to show hospitality; for, through being hospitable, men have all unawares entertained angels.

² Do not neglect to show hospitality; for, through being hospitable, men have all unawares entertained angels. ³ Remember the prisoners, as if you were their fellow-prisoners, and the oppressed, not forgetting that you also are still in the body.

⁷ Do not forget your Leaders, the men who told you God's Message. Recall the close of their lives, and imitate their faith.

¹² And so Jesus, also, to purify the People by his own blood, suffered outside the gate. ¹³ Therefore let us go out to him 'outside the camp,' bearing the same reproaches as he; ¹⁴ for here we have no permanent city, but are looking for the City that is to be. ¹⁵ Through him let us offer, as our sacrifice, continual praise to God--an offering from lips that glorify his Name. ¹⁶ Never forget to do kindly acts and to share what you have with others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God.

¹⁶ Never forget to do kindly acts and to share what you have with others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God. ¹⁷ Obey your Leaders, and submit to their control, for they are watching over your souls, as men who will have to render an account, so that they may do it with joy, and not in sorrow. That would not be to your advantage.

²⁴ Give our greeting to all your Leaders, and to all Christ's People. Our friends from Italy send their greetings to you.

¹⁷ Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.

⁷ Therefore submit to God; but resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

²¹ who, through him, are faithful to God who raised him from the dead and gave him honour, so that your faith and hope are now in God. ²² Now that, by your obedience to the Truth, you have purified your lives, so that there is growing up among you a genuine brotherly affection, love one another earnestly with all your hearts;

⁵ and, as living stones, form yourselves into a spiritual House, to be a consecrated Priesthood, for the offering of spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

¹² Let your daily life among the Gentiles be so upright, that, whenever they malign you as evil-doers, they may learn, as they watch, from the uprightness of your conduct, to praise God 'at the time when he shall visit them.'

¹⁷ Show honour to every one, Love the Brotherhood, 'revere God, honour the emperor.'

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

⁸ Lastly, you should all be united, sympathetic, full of brotherly love, kind-hearted, humble-minded;

¹⁶ and keeping your consciences clear, so that, whenever you are maligned, those who vilify your good and Christian conduct may be put to shame.

²¹ And baptism, which this foreshadowed, now saves you--not the mere cleansing of the body, but the search of a clear conscience after God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

² and so will live the rest of his earthly life guided, not by human passions, but by the will of God.

⁴ And, because you do not run to the same extremes of profligacy as others, they are astonished, and malign you.

⁷ But the end of all things is near. Therefore exercise self-restraint and be calm, that you may be able to pray. ⁸ Above all things, let your love for one another be earnest, for 'Love throws a veil over countless sins.' ⁹ Never grudge hospitality to one another.

¹¹ When any one speaks, let him speak as one who is delivering the oracles of God. When any one is endeavoring to serve others, let him do so in reliance on the strength which God supplies; so that in everything God may be honour ed through Jesus Christ--to whom be ascribed all honour and might for ever and ever. Amen.

¹⁴ If you are reviled for bearing the name of Christ, count yourselves blessed; because the divine Glory and the Spirit of God are resting upon you. ¹⁵ I need hardly say that no one among you must suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a criminal, or for interfering in matters which do not concern Christians. ¹⁶ But, if a man suffers as a Christian, do not let him be ashamed of it; let him bring honour to God even though he bears that name.

² I urge you to be true shepherds of the flock of God among you, not because you are compelled, but of your own free will; not from a base love of gain, but with a ready spirit; ³ not as lords of your charges, but as examples to your flock. ⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades. ⁵ Again, you younger men should show deference to the older. And all of you should put on the badge of humility in mutual service, for 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives his help to the humble.'

¹⁰ God, from whom all help comes, and who called you, by your union with Christ, into his eternal glory, will, when you have suffered for a little while, himself perfect, establish, strengthen you. ¹¹ To him be ascribed dominion for ever. Amen. ¹² I have been writing to you briefly by the hand of Silas, our true-hearted Brother (for so I regard him), to urge upon you, and to bear my testimony, that in what I have written is to be found the true love of God. On that take your stand.

⁷ piety by brotherly affection, and brotherly affection by love.

³ In their covetousness they will try to make you a source of profit by their fabrications; but for a long time past their Sentence has not been standing idle, nor their Ruin slumbering.

¹⁴ They have eyes only for adulteresses, eyes never tired of sin; they entice weak souls; their minds are trained to covet; they live under a curse.

¹³ but we look for 'new heavens and a new earth,' where righteousness shall have its home, in fulfillment of the promise of God. ¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, in expectation of these things, make every effort to be found by him spotless, blameless, and at peace.

¹⁸ and advance in the love and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All glory be to him now and for ever.

⁹ He who says that he is in the Light, and yet hates his Brother, is in the Darkness even now. ¹⁰ He who loves his Brother is always in the Light, and there is nothing within him to cause him to stumble;

¹⁷ And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but he who does God's will remains for ever.

¹⁰ By this the Children of God are distinguished from the Children of the Devil--No one who lives unrighteously comes from God, and especially the man who does not love his Brother. ¹¹ For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first--that we are to love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother's was good. ¹³ Do not wonder, Brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of Death into Life, because we love our Brothers. The man who does not love remains in a state of Death. ¹⁵ Every one who hates his Brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has Immortal Life within him. ¹⁶ We have learned to know what love is from this--that Christ laid down his life on our behalf. Therefore we also ought to lay down our lives on behalf of our Brothers. ¹⁷ But, if any one has worldly possessions, and yet looks on while his Brother is in want, and steels his heart against him, how can it be said that the love of God is within him? ¹⁸ My children, do not let our love be mere words, or end in talk; let it be true and show itself in acts.

²² and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are laying his commands to heart, and are doing what is pleasing in his sight. ²³ His Command is this--that we should put our trust in the Name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, in accordance with the Command that he gave us.

¹ Dear friends, do not trust every inspiration, but test each inspiration, to see whether it proceeds from God; because many false Prophets have gone out into the world.

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because Love comes from God; and every one who loves has received the new Life from God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love has not learned to know God; for God is Love. ⁹ The love of God was revealed to us by his sending his only Son into the world, that we might find Life through him. ¹⁰ His love is seen in this--not in our having loved God, but in his loving us and sending his Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, since God loved us thus, we, surely, ought to love one another.

²⁰ If a man says 'I love God,' and yet hates his Brother, he is a liar; for the man who does not love his Brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

⁶ He it is whose Coming was attested by means of Water and Blood--Jesus Christ himself; not by Water only, but by Water and by Blood. And there is the Spirit also to bear testimony, and the Spirit is Truth itself. ⁷ It is a three-fold testimony-- ⁸ that of the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood--and these three are at one.

⁵ And now, I pray you, Lady--not as though I were writing a new command for you; no, it is the command which we had from the first--Let us love one another. ⁶ And this is love--to live in obedience to the Father's commands. This is the Command as you learned from the first, to live in a spirit of love.

¹¹ Dear friend, take what is good for your example, not what is bad. The man who does what is good is from God; the man who does what is bad has never seen God.

³ Dear friends, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common Salvation, I felt that I must write to you at once to urge you to fight in defense of the Faith that has once for all been entrusted to the keeping of Christ's People.

¹¹ Alas for them! They walk in the steps of Cain; led astray by Balaam's love of gain, they plunge into sin, and meet their ruin through rebellion like that of Korah. ¹² These are the men who are blots upon your 'Love-feasts,' when they feast together and provide without scruple for themselves alone. They are clouds without rain, driven before the winds; they are leafless trees without a vestige of fruit, dead through and through, torn up by the roots;

²⁵ to the one God, our Saviour, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, glory, majesty, power, and dominion, as it was before time began, is now, and shall be for all time to come. Amen.

⁴ From John, to the seven Churches which are in Roman Asia. Blessing and peace be yours from him who is, and who was, and who shall be, and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne,

⁸ 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord, the God who is, and who was, and who shall be, the Almighty. ⁹ I, John, who am your Brother, and who share with you in the suffering and kingship and endurance of Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos, for the sake of the Message of God and the testimony to Jesus.

¹¹ It said-- 'Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven Churches, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicaea.'

¹⁷ And, when I saw him, I fell at his feet like one dead. He laid his hand on me and said-- 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ the Everliving. I died, and I am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys of the Grave and of the Place of the Dead.

⁴ But this I have against you--You have abandoned your first love.

⁶ and in front of the throne is what seemed to be a sea of glass, 'resembling crystal, while within the space before the throne and round the throne are four Creatures full of eyes' in front and behind.

⁸ These four Creatures have each of them six wings, and all round, and within, they are full of eyes; and day and night they never cease to say-- 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, our God, the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who shall be.' ⁹ And, whenever these Creatures give praise and honour and thanks to him who is 'seated on the throne, to him who lives for ever and ever,' ¹⁰ the twenty-four Councillors prostrate themselves before him who is seated on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever, and throw down their crowns before the throne, saying-- ¹¹ 'Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive all praise, and honour, and power, for thou didst create all things, and at thy bidding they came into being and were created.'

⁹ And they are singing a new song--'Thou art worthy to take the book and break its seals, for thou wast sacrificed, and with thy blood thou didst buy for God men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation,

⁹ And they are singing a new song--'Thou art worthy to take the book and break its seals, for thou wast sacrificed, and with thy blood thou didst buy for God men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation, ¹⁰ and didst make them a Kingdom of Priests in the service of our God, and they are reigning upon the earth.' ¹¹ Then, in my vision, I heard the voices of many angels round the throne, and of the Creatures, and of the Councillors. In number they were 'ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands,' ¹² and they cried in a loud voice--'Worthy is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive all power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honour, and praise, and blessing.' ¹³ And I heard every created thing in the air, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that is in them crying--'To him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be ascribed all blessing, and honour, and praise, and dominion for ever and ever.'

¹³ And I heard every created thing in the air, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that is in them crying--'To him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be ascribed all blessing, and honour, and praise, and dominion for ever and ever.' ¹⁴ And the four Creatures said 'Amen,' and the Councillors prostrated themselves and worshiped.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the sake of God's Message and for the testimony which they had borne.

⁹ After this, in my vision, I saw a vast throng which no man could number, of men from every nation and of all tribes, and peoples, and languages. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, robed in white, holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they are crying in a loud voice-- ' Salvation be ascribed to our God who is seated on his throne and to the Lamb.' ¹¹ And all the angels were standing round the throne and the Councillors and the four Creatures, and they prostrated themselves on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying-- 'Amen. Blessing and praise, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be ascribed to our God for ever and ever. Amen.'

¹⁴ 'My Lord,' I answered, 'it is you who know.' 'These,' he said, 'are they who come through the Great Persecution; they washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹ After this, I heard what seemed to be a great shout from a vast throng in Heaven, crying-- 'Hallelujah! To our God belong Salvation, and Glory, and Power, ² for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has passed judgment upon the Great Harlot who was corrupting the earth by her licentiousness, and he has taken vengeance upon her for the blood of his servants.' ³ Again they cried-- 'Hallelujah!' And the smoke from her ruins rises for ever and ever. ⁴ Then the twenty-four Councillors and the Four Creatures prostrated themselves and worshiped God who was seated upon the throne, crying-- 'Amen, Hallelujah!'; ⁵ and from the throne there came a voice which said-- 'Praise our God all you who serve him, You who reverence him, both high and low.' ⁶ Then I heard 'what seemed to be the shout of a vast throng, like the sound of many waters,' and like the sound of loud peals of thunder, crying-- 'Hallelujah! For the Lord is King, our God, the Almighty.

⁴ Then I saw thrones, and to those who took their seats upon them authority was given to act as judges. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony to Jesus and because of the Message of God, for they had refused to worship the Beast or its image, and had not received the brand on their foreheads and on their hands. They were restored to life, and they reigned with the Christ for a thousand years.

¹⁵ Outside will be the filthy, the sorcerers, the impure, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love the false and live it.'

²¹ May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, be with his People.