1 Peter 3 Cross References - WNT

¹ Married women, in the same way, be submissive to your husbands, so that even if some of them disbelieve the Message, they may, apart from the Message, be won over by the daily life of their wives, after watching your daily life-- ² so full of reverence, and so blameless! ³ Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses. ⁴ Instead of that, it should be a new nature within--the imperishable ornament of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is indeed precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in ancient times also this was the way the holy women who set their hopes upon God used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their husbands. ⁶ Thus, for instance, Sarah obeyed Abraham, acknowledging his authority over her. And you have become Sarah's children if you do what is right and permit nothing whatever to terrify you. ⁷ Married men, in the same way, live with your wives with a clear recognition of the fact that they are weaker than you. Yet, since you are heirs with them of God's free gift of Life, treat them with honour; so that your prayers may not be hindered. ⁸ In conclusion, all of you should be of one mind, quick to sympathize, kind to the brethren, tenderhearted, lowly-minded, ⁹ not requiting evil with evil nor abuse with abuse, but, on the contrary, giving a blessing in return, because a blessing is what you have been called by God to inherit. ¹⁰ For "HE WHO WISHES TO BE WELL-SATISFIED WITH LIFE AND SEE HAPPY DAYS-- LET HIM RESTRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, AND HIS LIPS FROM DECEITFUL WORDS; ¹¹ LET HIM TURN FROM EVIL, AND DO GOOD; LET HIM INQUIRE FOR PEACE AND GO IN PURSUIT OF IT. ¹² FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE UPON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR SUPPLICATION; BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS SET AGAINST EVIL-DOERS." ¹³ And who will be able to harm you, if you show yourselves zealous for that which is good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for righteousness' sake, you are to be envied. So do not be alarmed by their threats, nor troubled; ¹⁵ but in your hearts consecrate Christ as Lord, being always ready to make your defence to any one who asks from you a reason for the hope which you cherish. ¹⁶ Yet argue modestly and cautiously, keeping your consciences free from guilt, so that, when you are spoken against, those who slander your good Christian lives may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better that you should suffer for doing right, if such be God's will, than for doing evil; ¹⁸ because Christ also once for all died for sins, the innocent One for the guilty many, in order to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which He also went and proclaimed His Message to the spirits that were in prison, ²⁰ who in ancient times had been disobedient, while God's longsuffering was patiently waiting in the days of Noah during the building of the Ark, in which a few persons--eight in number--were brought safely through the water. ²¹ And, corresponding to that figure, the water of baptism now saves you--not the washing off of material defilement, but the craving of a good conscience after God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at God's right hand, having gone into Heaven, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

¹⁵ "If your brother acts wrongly towards you, go and point out his fault to him when only you and he are there. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

¹⁷ But thanks be to God that though you were once in thraldom to Sin, you have now yielded a hearty obedience to that system of truth in which you have been instructed.

² A wife, for instance, whose husband is living is bound to him by the Law; but if her husband dies the law that bound her to him has now no hold over her.

¹⁶ But, some will say, they have not all hearkened to the Good News. No, for Isaiah asks, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED THE MESSAGE THEY HAVE HEARD FROM US?"

¹⁶ For what assurance have you, O woman, as to whether you will save your husband? Or what assurance have you, O man, as to whether you will save your wife?

¹⁹ Though free from all human control, I have made myself the slave of all in the hope of winning as many converts as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I have become like a Jew in order to win Jews; to men under the Law as if I were under the Law--although I am not--in order to win those who are under the Law; ²¹ to men without Law as if I were without Law--although I am not without Law in relation to God but am abiding in Christ's Law--in order to win those who are without Law. ²² To the weak I have become weak, so as to gain the weak. To all men I have become all things, in the hope that in every one of these ways I may save some.

³ I would have you know, however, that of every man, Christ is the Head, that of a woman her husband is the Head, and that God is Christ's Head.

³⁴ Let married women be silent in the Churches, for they are not permitted to speak. They must be content with a subordinate place, as the Law also says;

²² Married women, submit to your own husbands as if to the Lord; ²³ because a husband is the Head of his wife as Christ also is the Head of the Church, being indeed the Saviour of this His Body. ²⁴ And just as the Church submits to Christ, so also married women should be entirely submissive to their husbands.

³³ Yet I insist that among you also, each man is to love his own wife as much as he loves himself, and let a married woman see to it that she treats her husband with respect.

¹⁸ Married women, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

⁵ Behave wisely in relation to the outside world, buying up your opportunities.

⁸ He will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on those who have no knowledge of God, and do not obey the Good News as to Jesus, our Lord.

¹¹ A woman should quietly learn from others with entire submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach, nor have authority over a man, but she must remain silent.

³ In the same way exhort aged women to let their conduct be such as becomes consecrated persons. They must not be slanderers nor enslaved to wine-drinking. They must be teachers of what is right. ⁴ They should school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands and to their children, to be sober-minded, pure in their lives, ⁵ industrious in their homes, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the Christian teaching may not be exposed to reproach. ⁶ In the same way exhort the younger men to be discreet,

⁹ and so, having been made perfect, He became to all who obey Him the source and giver of eternal salvation.

⁸ Through faith Abraham, upon being called to leave home and go into a land which he was soon to receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he was going to.

¹⁹ My brethren, if one of you strays from the truth and some one brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who brings a sinner back from his evil ways will save the man's soul from death and throw a veil over a multitude of sins.

²² Now that, through your obedience to the truth, you have purified your souls for cherishing sincere brotherly love, you must love another heartily and fervently.

⁷ Married men, in the same way, live with your wives with a clear recognition of the fact that they are weaker than you. Yet, since you are heirs with them of God's free gift of Life, treat them with honour; so that your prayers may not be hindered.

¹⁷ For the time has come for judgement to begin, and to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who reject God's Good News?

⁵ Slaves, be obedient to your earthly masters, with respect and eager anxiety to please and with simplicity of motive as if you were obeying Christ.

²⁷ Only let the lives you live be worthy of the Good News of the Christ, in order that, whether I come and see you or, being absent, only hear of you, I may know that you are standing fast in one spirit and with one mind, fighting shoulder to shoulder for the faith of the Good News.

²⁰ We, however, are free citizens of Heaven, and we are waiting with longing expectation for the coming from Heaven of a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,

²² Slaves, be obedient in everything to your earthly masters; not in acts of eye service, as aiming only to please men, but with simplicity of purpose, because you fear the Lord.

¹² Let no one think slightingly of you because you are a young man; but in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, be an example for your fellow Christians to imitate.

¹⁵ but--in imitation of the holy One who has called you--you also must be holy in all your habits of life.

¹² Live honourable lives among the Gentiles, in order that, although they now speak against you as evil-doers, they may yet witness your good conduct, and may glorify God on the day of reward and retribution.

⁵ For in ancient times also this was the way the holy women who set their hopes upon God used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their husbands. ⁶ Thus, for instance, Sarah obeyed Abraham, acknowledging his authority over her. And you have become Sarah's children if you do what is right and permit nothing whatever to terrify you.

¹⁵ but in your hearts consecrate Christ as Lord, being always ready to make your defence to any one who asks from you a reason for the hope which you cherish. ¹⁶ Yet argue modestly and cautiously, keeping your consciences free from guilt, so that, when you are spoken against, those who slander your good Christian lives may be put to shame.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus pre-destined to dissolution, what sort of men ought you to be found to be in all holy living and godly conduct,

² And do not follow the customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your minds, so that you may learn by experience what God's will is--that will which is good and beautiful and perfect.

⁹ and I would have the women dress becomingly, with modesty and self-control, not with plaited hair or gold or pearls or costly clothes, ¹⁰ but--as befits women making a claim to godliness--with the ornament of good works.

³ In the same way exhort aged women to let their conduct be such as becomes consecrated persons. They must not be slanderers nor enslaved to wine-drinking. They must be teachers of what is right. ⁴ They should school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands and to their children, to be sober-minded, pure in their lives, ⁵ industrious in their homes, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the Christian teaching may not be exposed to reproach. ⁶ In the same way exhort the younger men to be discreet, ⁷ and above all make your own life a pattern of right conduct, having in your teaching no taint of insincerity, but a serious tone, ⁸ and healthy language which no one can censure, so that our opponents may feel ashamed at having nothing evil to say against us. ⁹ Exhort slaves to be always obedient to their owners, and to give them satisfaction in everything, not contradicting and not pilfering, ¹⁰ but manifesting perfect fidelity and kind feeling, in order to bring honour to the teaching of our Saviour, God, in all things. ¹¹ For the grace of God has displayed itself with healing power to all mankind, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and all the pleasures of this world, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives at the present time, ¹³ in expectation of the fulfilment of our blessed hope--the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to purchase our freedom from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people who should be specially His own, zealous for doing good works. ¹⁵ Thus speak, exhort, reprove, with all impressiveness. Let no one make light of your authority.

⁵ "Blessed are the meek, for they as heirs shall obtain possession of the earth.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

⁵ "TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, 'SEE, THY KING IS COMING TO THEE, GENTLE, AND YET MOUNTED ON AN ASS, EVEN ON A COLT THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN.'"

²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also.

⁴⁰ Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?

¹⁵ "You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

²⁹ But the true Jew is one inwardly, and true circumcision is heart-circumcision--not literal, but spiritual; and such people receive praise not from men, but from God.

⁶ This we know--that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin;

²² For in my inmost self all my sympathy is with the Law of God;

¹⁶ Therefore we are not cowards. Nay, even though our outward man is wasting away, yet our inward man is being renewed day by day.

¹ But as for me Paul, I entreat you by the gentleness and self-forgetfulness of Christ--I who when among you have not an imposing personal presence, but when absent am fearlessly outspoken in dealing with you.

²³ good faith, meekness, self-restraint.

² with all lowliness of mind and unselfishness, and with patience, bearing with one another lovingly, and earnestly striving to maintain,

²² to put away, in regard to your former mode of life, your original evil nature which is doomed to perish as befits its misleading impulses, ²³ and to get yourselves renewed in the temper of your minds and clothe yourselves ²⁴ with that new and better self which has been created to resemble God in the righteousness and holiness which come from the truth.

³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

⁹ Do not speak falsehoods to one another, for you have stripped off the old self with its doings, ¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new self which is being remoulded into full knowledge so as to become like Him who created it.

¹² Clothe yourselves therefore, as God's own people holy and dearly loved, with tender-heartedness, kindness, lowliness of mind, meekness, long-suffering;

¹¹ and to vie with one another in eagerness for peace, every one minding his own business and working with his hands, as we ordered you to do:

¹² To persons of that sort our injunction--and our command by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ--is that they are to work quietly and eat their own honestly-earned bread.

² including kings and all who are in high station, in order that we may live peaceful and tranquil lives with all godliness and gravity.

²⁵ He must speak in a gentle tone when correcting the errors of opponents, in the hope that God will at last give them repentance, for them to come to a full knowledge of the truth

² not speak evil of any one, nor be contentious, but yield unselfishly to others and constantly manifest a forgiving spirit towards all men.

²¹ Ridding yourselves, therefore, of all that is vile and of the evil influences which prevail around you, welcome in a humble spirit the Message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

¹³ Which of you is a wise and well-instructed man? Let him prove it by a right life with conduct guided by a wisely teachable spirit. ¹⁴ But if in your hearts you have bitter feelings of envy and rivalry, do not speak boastfully and falsely, in defiance of the truth. ¹⁵ That is not the wisdom which comes down from above: it belongs to earth, to the unspiritual nature, and to evil spirits. ¹⁶ For where envy and rivalry are, there also are unrest and every vile deed. ¹⁷ The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, courteous, not self-willed, full of compassion and kind actions, free from favouritism and from all insincerity.

²³ For you have been begotten again by God's ever-living and enduring word from a germ not of perishable, but of imperishable life.

¹⁵ but in your hearts consecrate Christ as Lord, being always ready to make your defence to any one who asks from you a reason for the hope which you cherish.

³⁷ and then being a widow of eighty-four years. She was never absent from the Temple, but worshipped, by day and by night, with fasting and prayer.

² and certain women whom He had delivered from evil spirits and various diseases--Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had come, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many other women, all of whom contributed to the support of Jesus and His Apostles.

¹⁴ All of these with one mind continued earnest in prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

³⁶ Among the disciples at Jaffa was a woman called Tabitha, or, as the name may be translated, 'Dorcas.' Her life was wholly devoted to the good and charitable actions which she was constantly doing.

¹⁰ but--as befits women making a claim to godliness--with the ornament of good works.

¹⁵ Yet a woman will be brought safely through childbirth if she and her husband continue to live in faith and love and growing holiness, with habitual self-restraint.

⁵ A widow who is really in need, friendless and desolate, has her hopes fixed on God, and continues at her supplications and prayers, night and day;

¹⁰ She must have been true to her one husband, and well reported of for good deeds, as having brought up children, received strangers hospitably, washed the feet of God's people, given relief to the distressed, and devoted herself to good works of every kind.

³ In the same way exhort aged women to let their conduct be such as becomes consecrated persons. They must not be slanderers nor enslaved to wine-drinking. They must be teachers of what is right. ⁴ They should school the young women to be affectionate to their husbands and to their children, to be sober-minded, pure in their lives,

¹¹ Through faith even Sarah herself received strength to become a mother--although she was past the time of life for this--because she judged Him faithful who had given the promise.

² so full of reverence, and so blameless! ³ Your adornment ought not to be a merely outward thing--one of plaiting the hair, putting on jewelry, or wearing beautiful dresses. ⁴ Instead of that, it should be a new nature within--the imperishable ornament of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is indeed precious in the sight of God.

⁶⁹ Peter meanwhile was sitting outside in the court of the palace, when one of the maidservants came over to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilaean." ⁷⁰ He denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." ⁷¹ Soon afterwards he went out and stood in the gateway, when another girl saw him, and said, addressing the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene." ⁷² Again he denied it with an oath. "I do not know the man," he said. ⁷³ A short time afterwards the people standing there came and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your brogue shows it." ⁷⁴ Then with curses and oaths he declared, "I do not know the man." Immediately a cock crowed, ⁷⁵ and Peter recollected the words of Jesus, how He had said, "Before the cock crows you will three times disown me." And he went out and wept aloud, bitterly.

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he replied, "Rulers and Elders of the people, ⁹ if we to-day are under examination concerning the benefit conferred on a man helplessly lame, as to how this man has been cured; ¹⁰ be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that through the name of Jesus the Anointed, the Nazarene, whom *you* crucified, but whom *God* has raised from among the dead-- through that name this man stands here before you in perfect health. ¹¹ This Jesus is THE STONE TREATED WITH CONTEMPT BY YOU THE BUILDERS, BUT IT HAS BEEN MADE THE CORNERSTONE. ¹² And in no other is the great salvation to be found; for, in fact, there is no second name under Heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved." ¹³ As they looked on Peter and John so fearlessly outspoken--and also discovered that they were illiterate persons, untrained in the schools--they were surprised; and now they recognized them as having been with Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, "Judge whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you instead of listening to God.

⁷ nor because they are Abraham's true children. But the promise was "THROUGH ISAAC SHALL YOUR POSTERITY BE RECKONED." ⁸ In other words, it is not the children by natural descent who count as God's children, but the children made such by the promise are regarded as Abraham's posterity. ⁹ For the words are the language of promise and run thus, "ABOUT THIS TIME NEXT YEAR I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON."

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave-girl and one by the free woman. ²³ But we see that the child of the slave-girl was born in the common course of nature; but the child of the free woman in fulfilment of the promise. ²⁴ All this is allegorical; for the women represent two Covenants. One has its origin on Mount Sinai, and bears children destined for slavery. ²⁵ This is Hagar; for the name Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, which is in bondage together with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem which is above is free, and *she* is *our* mother.

¹⁴ But even if you suffer for righteousness' sake, you are to be envied. So do not be alarmed by their threats, nor troubled; ¹⁵ but in your hearts consecrate Christ as Lord, being always ready to make your defence to any one who asks from you a reason for the hope which you cherish.

²³ If therefore when you are offering your gift upon the altar, you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there before the altar, and go and make friends with your brother first, and then return and proceed to offer your gift.

¹⁹ I also solemnly tell you that if two of you here on earth agree together concerning anything whatever that they shall ask, the boon will come to them from my Father who is in Heaven.

³ Then came some of the Pharisees to Him to put Him to the proof by the question, "Has a man a right to divorce his wife whenever he chooses?" ⁴ "Have you not read," He replied, "that He who made them 'MADE THEM' from the beginning 'MALE AND FEMALE, ⁵ AND SAID, FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE UNITED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BE ONE'? ⁶ Thus they are no longer two, but 'one'! What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." ⁷ "Why then," said they, "did Moses command the husband to give her 'a written notice of divorce,' and so put her away?" ⁸ "Moses," He replied, "in consideration of the hardness of your nature permitted you to put away your wives, but it has not been so from the beginning. ⁹ And I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery."

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what prayers to offer nor in what way to offer them. But the Spirit Himself pleads for us in yearnings that can find no words, ²⁷ and the Searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit's meaning is, because His intercessions for God's people are in harmony with God's will.

³ Let a man pay his wife her due, and let a woman also pay her husband his.

²² No, it is quite otherwise. Even those parts of the body which are apparently somewhat feeble are yet indispensable; ²³ and those which we deem less honorable we clothe with more abundant honor; and so our ungraceful parts come to have a more abundant grace, while our graceful parts have everything they need. ²⁴ But it was God who built up the body, and bestowed more abundant honor on the part that felt the need,

⁶ I mean the truth that the Gentiles are joint heirs with us Jews, and that they form one body with us, and have the same interest as we have in the promise which has been made good in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

³⁰ And beware of grieving the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed in preparation for the day of Redemption.

²⁵ Married men, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up to death for her; ²⁶ in order to make her holy, cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle or any other defect, but to be holy and unblemished. ²⁸ So too married men ought to love their wives as much as they love themselves. He who loves his wife loves himself.

¹⁸ Pray with unceasing prayer and entreaty on every fitting occasion in the Spirit, and be always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all God's people,

¹⁹ Married men, be affectionate to your wives, and do not treat them harshly.

⁴ that each man among you shall know how to procure a wife who shall be his own in purity and honour;

⁷ in order that having been declared righteous through His grace we might become heirs to the Life of the Ages in fulfilment of our hopes.

¹⁴ Are not all angels spirits that serve Him--whom He sends out to render service for the benefit of those who, before long, will inherit salvation?

³³ ought not you also to have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'

³³ But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity.

¹ At length, on the day of the Harvest Festival, they had all met in one place;

³² Among all those who had embraced the faith there was but one heart and soul, so that none of them claimed any of his possessions as his own, but everything they had was common property;

³ The next day we put in at Sidon. There Julius treated Paul with thoughtful kindness and allowed him to visit his friends and profit by their generous care.

⁷ Now in the same part of the island there were estates belonging to the Governor, whose name was Publius. He welcomed us to his house, and for three days generously made us his guests.

¹⁰ As for brotherly love, be affectionate to one another; in matters of worldly honour, yield to one another.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Have full sympathy with one another. Do not give your mind to high things, but let humble ways content you. DO NOT BE WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS.

⁵ And may God, the giver of power of endurance and of that encouragement, grant you to be in full sympathy with one another in accordance with the example of Christ Jesus,

¹⁰ Now I entreat you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to cultivate a spirit of harmony--all of you--and that there be no divisions among you, but rather a perfect union through your having one mind and one judgement.

²⁶ And if one part is suffering, every other part suffers with it; or if one part is receiving special honor, every other part shares in the joy.

³¹ Let all bitterness and all passionate feeling, all anger and loud insulting language, be unknown among you--and also every kind of malice.

¹⁶ But whatever be the point that we have already reached, let us persevere in the same course.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever wins respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovable, whatever is of good repute--if there is any virtue or anything deemed worthy of praise--cherish the thought of these things. ⁹ The doctrines and the line of conduct which I taught you--both what you heard and what you saw in me-- hold fast to them; and God who gives peace will be with you.

¹ Let brotherly love always continue.

¹³ For he who shows no mercy will have judgement given against him without mercy; but mercy triumphs over judgement.

¹⁷ The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, courteous, not self-willed, full of compassion and kind actions, free from favouritism and from all insincerity.

¹¹ Remember that we call those blessed who endured what they did. You have also heard of Job's patient endurance, and have seen the issue of the Lord's dealings with him--how full of tenderness and pity the Lord is.

¹⁷ Honour every one. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the Emperor.

⁵ In the same way you younger men must submit to your elders; and all of you must gird yourselves with humility towards one another, for God sets Himself against the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

⁷ along with power of endurance, godliness; along with godliness, brotherly affection; and along with brotherly affection, love.

¹⁴ As for us, we know that we have already passed out of death into Life--because we love our brother men. He who is destitute of love continues dead.

¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love in words only nor with the lips, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And in this way we shall come to know that we are loyal to the truth, and shall satisfy our consciences in His presence

³⁹ But I tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

⁴⁴ But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors;

²⁹ And whoever has forsaken houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children or lands, for my sake, shall receive many times as much and shall have as his inheritance the Life of the Ages.

³⁴ "Then the King will say to those at His right, "'Come, my Father's blessed ones, receive your inheritance of the Kingdom which has been divinely intended for you ever since the creation of the world.

¹⁷ As He went out to resume His journey, there came a man running up to Him, who knelt at His feet and asked, "Good Rabbi, what am I to do in order to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

²⁷ "But to you who are listening to me I say, Love your enemies; seek the welfare of those who hate you; ²⁸ bless those who curse you; pray for those who revile you. ²⁹ To him who gives you a blow on one side of the face offer the other side also; and to him who is robbing you of your outer garment refuse not the under one also.

²⁵ Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question. "Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

¹⁸ The question was put to Him by a Ruler: "Good Rabbi, what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?"

²⁸ Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good--for those, I mean, whom with deliberate purpose He has called.

³⁰ and those whom He has pre-destined He also has called; and those whom He has called He has also declared free from guilt; and those whom He has declared free from guilt He has also crowned with glory.

¹⁴ Invoke blessings on your persecutors--blessings, not curses.

¹⁷ Pay back to no man evil for evil. TAKE THOUGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND SEEMLY IN EVERY ONE'S ESTEEM.

¹⁹ Do not be revengeful, my dear friends, but give way before anger; for it is written, "'REVENGE BELONGS TO ME: I WILL PAY BACK,' says the Lord." ²⁰ On the contrary, therefore, IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, GIVE HIM FOOD; IF HE IS THIRSTY, QUENCH HIS THIRST. FOR BY DOING THIS YOU WILL BE HEAPING BURNING COALS UPON HIS HEAD. ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome the evil with goodness.

¹² Homes we have none. Wearily we toil, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we bear it patiently; ¹³ when slandered, we try to conciliate. We have come to be regarded as the mere dirt and filth of the world--the refuse of the universe, even to this hour.

³² On the contrary learn to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.

¹⁵ See to it that no one ever repays another with evil for evil; but always seek opportunities of doing good both to one another and to all the world.

¹⁴ saying, "ASSUREDLY I WILL BLESS YOU AND BLESS YOU, I WILL INCREASE YOU AND INCREASE YOU."

²⁰ If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God. ²¹ And it is to this you were called; because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example so that you should follow in His steps. ²² He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth. ²³ When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge.

¹⁰ And God, the giver of all grace, who has called you to share His eternal glory, through Christ, after you have suffered for a short time, will Himself make you perfect, firm, and strong.

¹⁶ "But as for you, blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For I solemnly tell you that many Prophets and holy men have longed to see the sights you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the words you hear, and have not heard them.

¹⁷ "Why do you ask me," He replied, "about what is good? There is only One who is truly good. But if you desire to enter into Life, keep the Commandments."

³⁵ For whoever is bent on securing his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, will secure it.

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, and said of him, "Look! here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceitfulness!"

²⁵ He who holds his life dear, is destroying it; and he who makes his life of no account in this world shall keep it to the Life of the Ages.

²⁶ If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.

¹ Do not be eager, my brethren, for many among you to become teachers; for you know that we teachers shall undergo severer judgement. ² For we often stumble and fall, all of us. If there is any one who never stumbles in speech, that man has reached maturity of character and is able to curb his whole nature. ³ Remember that we put the horses' bit into their mouths to make them obey us, and so we turn their whole bodies round. ⁴ So too with ships, great as they are, and often driven along by strong gales, yet they can be steered with a very small rudder in whichever direction the caprice of the man at the helm chooses. ⁵ In the same way the tongue is an insignificant part of the body, but it is immensely boastful. Remember how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames. ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. That world of iniquity, the tongue, is placed within us spotting and soiling our whole nature, and setting the whole round of our lives on fire, being itself set on fire by Gehenna. ⁷ For brute nature under all its forms--beasts and birds, reptiles and fishes--can be subjected and kept in subjection by human nature. ⁸ But the tongue no man or woman is able to tame. It is an ever-busy mischief, and is full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in God's likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth there proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be.

¹ Rid yourselves therefore of all ill-will and all deceitfulness, of insincerity and envy, and of all evil speaking.

²² He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth.

⁵ And no lie has ever been found upon their lips: they are faultless.

⁹ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for it is they who will be recognized as sons of God.

⁴⁵ that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong.

¹³ and bring us not into temptation, but rescue us from the Evil one.'

⁷ For you always have the poor among you, and whenever you choose you can do acts of kindness to them; but me you have not always.

⁷⁹ Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death--To direct our feet into the path of peace."

⁹ Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it."

³⁵ Nevertheless love your enemies, be beneficent; and lend without hoping for any repayment. Then your recompense shall be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

¹⁵ I do not ask that Thou wilt remove them out of the world, but that Thou wilt protect them from the Evil one.

¹ Standing then acquitted as the result of faith, let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁹ For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do.

²¹ I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me.

⁶ Because for the mind to be given up to earthly things means death; but for it to be given up to spiritual things means Life and peace.

¹⁸ If you can, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with all the world.

¹⁷ For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of right conduct, peace and joy, through the Holy Spirit;

¹⁹ Therefore let us aim at whatever makes for peace and mutual upbuilding of character.

²² The Spirit, on the other hand, brings a harvest of love, joy, peace; patience towards others, kindness, benevolence;

¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us labour for the good of all, and especially of those who belong to the household of the faith.

¹⁵ and let the peace which Christ gives settle all questionings in your hearts, to which peace indeed you were called as belonging to His one Body; and be thankful.

¹⁸ They must be beneficent, rich in noble deeds, open-handed and liberal;

¹⁴ but may rather be restored. Persistently strive for peace with all men, and for that growth in holiness apart from which no one will see the Lord.

¹⁶ And do not forget to be kind and liberal; for with sacrifices of that sort God is greatly pleased.

¹⁷ The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, courteous, not self-willed, full of compassion and kind actions, free from favouritism and from all insincerity. ¹⁸ And peace, for those who strive for peace, is the seed of which the harvest is righteousness.

¹⁷ If, however, a man knows what it is right to do and yet does not do it, he commits a sin.

¹¹ My dear friend, do not follow wrong examples, but right ones. He who habitually does what is right is a child of God: he who habitually does what is wrong has not seen God.

³¹ We know that God does not listen to bad people, but that if any one is a God-fearing man and obeys Him, to him He listens.

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be cured. The heartfelt supplication of a righteous man exerts a mighty influence.

³ For judges and magistrates are to be feared not by right-doers but by wrong-doers. You desire--do you not? --to have no reason to fear your ruler. Well, do the thing that is right, and then he will commend you.

¹ Be eager in your pursuit of this Love, and be earnestly ambitious for spiritual gifts, but let it be chiefly so in order that you may prophesy.

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as His dear children.

¹⁰ "Blessed are those who have borne persecution in the cause of Righteousness, for to them belongs the Kingdom of the Heavens. ¹¹ "Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake. ¹² Be joyful and triumphant, because your reward is great in the Heavens; for so were the Prophets before you persecuted.

¹⁸ and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say; ²⁰ for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ Brother will betray brother to death, and father, child; and children will rise against their own parents and will put them to death. ²² And you will be objects of universal hatred because you are called by my name; but he who holds out to the End--he will be saved.

²⁸ "And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

³¹ Away then with fear; you are more precious than a multitude of sparrows.

³⁹ To save your life is to lose it, and to lose your life for my sake is to save it.

²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.

²⁹ "In solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that there is no one who has forsaken house or brothers or sisters, or mother or father, or children or lands, for my sake and for the sake of the Good News,

²² "Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil things, for the Son of Man's sake. ²³ "Be glad at such a time, and dance for joy; for your reward is great in Heaven; for that is just the way their forefathers behaved to the Prophets!

⁴ "But to you who are my friends I say, "'Be not afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do nothing further. ⁵ I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who after killing has power to throw into Gehenna: yes, I say to you, fear him.

¹ "Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust in me also.

²⁷ Peace I leave with you: my own peace I give to you. It is not as the world gives its greetings that I give you peace. Let not your hearts be troubled or dismayed.

¹⁶ For I will let him know the great sufferings which he must pass through for My sake."

⁹ And, in a vision by night, the Lord said to Paul, "Dismiss your fears: go on speaking, and do not give up. ¹⁰ I am with you, and no one shall attack you to injure you; for I have very many people in this city."

¹⁰ In fact I take pleasure in infirmities, in the bearing of insults, in distress, in persecutions, in grievous difficulties--for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

²⁹ For you have had the privilege granted you on behalf of Christ--not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf;

¹² Blessed is he who patiently endures trials; for when he has stood the test, he will gain the victor's crown--even the crown of Life--which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

¹⁹ For it is an acceptable thing with God, if, from a sense of duty to Him, a man patiently submits to wrong, when treated unjustly. ²⁰ If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God.

⁶ Thus, for instance, Sarah obeyed Abraham, acknowledging his authority over her. And you have become Sarah's children if you do what is right and permit nothing whatever to terrify you.

¹³ On the contrary, in the degree that you share in the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice, so that at the unveiling of His glory you may also rejoice with triumphant gladness. ¹⁴ You are to be envied, if you are being reproached for bearing the name of Christ; for in that case the Spirit of glory-- even the Spirit of God--is resting upon you. ¹⁵ But let not one of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil-doer, or as a spy upon other people's business. ¹⁶ If, however, any one suffers because he is a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God for being permitted to bear that name.

¹⁸ and you will even be put on trial before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they have delivered you up, have no anxiety as to how you shall speak or what you shall say; for at that very time it shall be given you what to say; ²⁰ for it is not you who will speak: it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

¹⁴ "Make up your minds, however, not to prepare a defence beforehand, ¹⁵ for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to withstand or reply to.

⁸ Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he replied, "Rulers and Elders of the people, ⁹ if we to-day are under examination concerning the benefit conferred on a man helplessly lame, as to how this man has been cured; ¹⁰ be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that through the name of Jesus the Anointed, the Nazarene, whom *you* crucified, but whom *God* has raised from among the dead-- through that name this man stands here before you in perfect health. ¹¹ This Jesus is THE STONE TREATED WITH CONTEMPT BY YOU THE BUILDERS, BUT IT HAS BEEN MADE THE CORNERSTONE. ¹² And in no other is the great salvation to be found; for, in fact, there is no second name under Heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved."

²⁹ Peter and the other Apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than man. ³⁰ The God of our forefathers has raised Jesus to life, whom you crucified and put to death. ³¹ God has exalted Him to His right hand as Chief Leader and as Saviour, to give Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.

³⁹ "I am a Jew," replied Paul, "belonging to Tarsus in Cilicia, and am a citizen of no unimportant city. Give me leave, I pray you, to speak to the people."

²⁵ But when he dealt with the subjects of justice, self-control, and the judgement which was soon to come, Felix became alarmed and said, "For the present leave me, and when I can find a convenient opportunity I will send for you."

⁵ on account of the hope treasured up for you in Heaven. Of this hope you have already heard in the Message of the truth of the Good News.

²³ if, indeed, you are still firmly holding to faith as your foundation, without ever shifting from your hope that rests on the Good News that you have heard, which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under Heaven, and in which I Paul have been appointed to serve.

²⁷ to whom it was His will to make known how vast a wealth of glory for the Gentile world is implied in this truth--the truth that 'Christ is in you, the hope of glory.'

⁶ Let your language be always seasoned with the salt of grace, so that you may know how to give every man a fitting answer.

²⁵ He must speak in a gentle tone when correcting the errors of opponents, in the hope that God will at last give them repentance, for them to come to a full knowledge of the truth ²⁶ and recover sober-mindedness and freedom from the Devil's snare, though they are now entrapped by him to do his will.

² in hope of the Life of the Ages which God, who is never false to His word, promised before the commencement of the Ages.

⁶ but Christ was faithful as a Son having authority over God's house, and we are that house, if we hold firm to the End the boldness and the hope which we boast of as ours.

¹ Therefore leaving elementary instruction about the Christ, let us advance to mature manhood and not be continually re-laying a foundation of repentance from lifeless works and of faith in God,

¹⁸ He added an oath, in order that, through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for Him to prove false, we may possess mighty encouragement--we who, for safety, have hastened to lay hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹ That hope we have as an anchor of the soul--an anchor that can neither break nor drag. It passes in behind the veil,

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy has begotten us anew to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance imperishable, undefiled and unfading, which has been reserved in Heaven for you,

¹⁷ And if you address as your Father Him who judges impartially in accordance with each man's actions, then spend in fear the time of your stay here on earth,

² so full of reverence, and so blameless!

⁴ Instead of that, it should be a new nature within--the imperishable ornament of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which is indeed precious in the sight of God.

¹¹ "Blessed are you when they have insulted and persecuted you, and have said every cruel thing about you falsely for my sake.

¹⁶ This too is my own earnest endeavour--always to have a clear conscience in relation to God and man.

¹ I am telling you the truth as a Christian man--it is no falsehood, for my conscience enlightened, as it is, by the Holy Spirit adds its testimony to mine--

¹² For the reason for our boasting is this--the testimony of our own conscience that it was in holiness and with pure motives before God, and in reliance not on worldly wisdom but on the gracious help of God, that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and above all in our relations with you.

² Nay, we have renounced the secrecy which marks a feeling of shame. We practice no cunning tricks, nor do we adulterate God's Message. But by a full clear statement of the truth we strive to commend ourselves in the presence of God to every human conscience.

⁵ But the end sought to be secured by exhortation is the love which springs from a pure heart, a clear conscience and a sincere faith.

¹⁹ holding fast to faith and a clear conscience, which some have cast aside and have made shipwreck of their faith.

³ I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience--as my forefathers did--that night and day I unceasingly remember you in my prayers,

⁸ and healthy language which no one can censure, so that our opponents may feel ashamed at having nothing evil to say against us.

¹⁴ how much more certainly shall the blood of Christ, who strengthened by the eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, free from blemish, purify your consciences from lifeless works for you to serve the ever-living God?

¹⁸ Keep on praying for us; for we are sure that we have clear consciences, and we desire to live nobly in every respect.

¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons.

¹⁹ For it is an acceptable thing with God, if, from a sense of duty to Him, a man patiently submits to wrong, when treated unjustly.

¹ Married women, in the same way, be submissive to your husbands, so that even if some of them disbelieve the Message, they may, apart from the Message, be won over by the daily life of their wives, after watching your daily life-- ² so full of reverence, and so blameless!

²¹ And, corresponding to that figure, the water of baptism now saves you--not the washing off of material defilement, but the craving of a good conscience after God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

³⁹ Going forward a short distance He fell on His face and prayed. "My Father," He said, "if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou willest."

⁴² Again a second time He went away and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is impossible for this cup to pass without my drinking it, Thy will be done."

¹⁴ So when he was not to be dissuaded, we ceased remonstrating with him and said, "The Lord's will be done!"

²⁰ If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God.

¹⁴ But even if you suffer for righteousness' sake, you are to be envied. So do not be alarmed by their threats, nor troubled;

¹⁵ But let not one of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evil-doer, or as a spy upon other people's business.

¹⁹ Therefore also, let those who are suffering in accordance with the will of God entrust their souls in well-doing to a faithful Creator.

¹⁹ While he was sitting on the tribunal a message came to him from his wife. "Have nothing to do with that innocent man," she said, "for during the night I have suffered terribly in a dream through him."

²⁴ So when he saw that he could gain nothing, but that on the contrary there was a riot threatening, he called for water and washed his hands in sight of them all, saying, "I am not responsible for this murder: you must answer for it."

¹⁴ Yes, you disowned the holy and righteous One, and asked as a favour the release of a murderer.

¹⁴ Then he said, 'The God of our forefathers has appointed you to know His will, and to see the righteous One and hear Him speak.

⁴ but as regards the holiness of His Spirit was decisively proved by His Resurrection to be the Son of God--I mean concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,

²⁵ who was surrendered to death because of the offences we had committed, and was raised to life because of the acquittal secured for us.

² through whom also, as the result of faith, we have obtained an introduction into that state of favour with God in which we stand, and we exult in hope of some day sharing in God's glory.

⁶ For already, while we were still helpless, Christ at the right moment died for the ungodly. ⁷ Why, it is scarcely conceivable that any one would die for a simply just man, although for a good and lovable man perhaps some one, here and there, will have the courage even to lay down his life. ⁸ But God gives proof of His love to us in Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners.

³ For what was impossible to the Law--powerless as it was because it acted through frail humanity--God effected. Sending His own Son in a body like that of sinful human nature and as a sacrifice for sin, He pronounced sentence upon sin in human nature;

¹¹ And if the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus from the dead is dwelling in you, He who raised up Christ from the dead will give Life also to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who dwells in you.

²⁴ Not that we want to lord it over you in respect of your faith--we do, however, desire to help your joy--for in the matter of your faith you are standing firm.

²¹ He has made Him who knew nothing of sin to be sin for us, in order that in Him we may become the righteousness of God.

⁴ For though it is true that He was crucified through weakness, yet He now lives through the power of God. We also are weak, sharing His weakness, but with Him we shall be full of life to deal with you through the power of God.

⁴ who gave Himself to suffer for our sins in order to rescue us from the present wicked age in accordance with the will of our God and Father.

¹³ Christ has purchased our freedom from the curse of the Law by becoming accursed for us--because "CURSED IS EVERY ONE WHO IS HANGED UPON A TREE."

¹⁶ thus effecting peace, and to reconcile Jews and Gentiles in one body to God, by means of His cross--slaying by it their mutual enmity. ¹⁷ So He came and proclaimed good news of peace to you who were so far away, and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸ because it is through Him that Jews and Gentiles alike have access through one Spirit to the Father.

²¹ And you, estranged as you once were and even hostile in your minds, amidst your evil deeds, ²² He has now, in His human body, reconciled to God by His death, to bring you, holy and faultless and irreproachable, into His presence;

¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to purchase our freedom from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people who should be specially His own, zealous for doing good works.

²⁶ In that case Christ would have needed to suffer many times, from the creation of the world onwards; but as a matter of fact He has appeared once for all, at the Close of the Ages, in order to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

²⁸ so the Christ also, having been once offered in sacrifice in order that He might bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, separated from sin, to those who are eagerly expecting Him, to make their salvation complete.

⁶ You have condemned--you have murdered-- the righteous man: he offers no resistance.

²¹ And it is to this you were called; because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example so that you should follow in His steps. ²² He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth. ²³ When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge. ²⁴ The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.

¹ Since, then, Christ has suffered in the flesh, you also must arm yourselves with a determination to do the same--because he who has suffered in the flesh has done with sin--

⁶ For it is with this end in view that the Good News was proclaimed even to some who were dead, that they may be judged, as all mankind will be judged, in the body, but may be living a godly life in the spirit.

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is so faithful and just that He forgives us our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

¹¹ They were eager to know the time which the Spirit of Christ within them kept indicating, or the characteristics of that time, when they solemnly made known beforehand the sufferings that were to come upon Christ and the glories which would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that they were serving not themselves but you, when they foretold the very things which have now been openly declared to you by those who, having been taught by the Holy Spirit which had been sent from Heaven, brought you the Good News. Angels long to stoop and look into these things.

¹⁰ Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he exclaimed, "Oh, do not do that. I am a fellow bondservant of yours and a fellow bondservant of your brethren who have borne testimony to Jesus. Worship God." Testimony to Jesus is the spirit which underlies Prophecy.

⁷ But when the thousand years are at an end, the Adversary will be released from his imprisonment,

¹⁴ because narrow is the gate and contracted the road which leads to Life, and few are those who find it.

³⁷ 'For as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the Coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ At that time, before the Deluge, men were busy eating and drinking, taking wives or giving them, up to the very day when Noah entered the Ark, ³⁹ nor did they realise any danger till the Deluge came and swept them all away; so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.

³² "Dismiss your fears, little flock: your Father finds a pleasure in giving you the Kingdom.

²⁴ "Strain every nerve to force your way in through the narrow gate," He answered; "for multitudes, I tell you, will endeavour to find a way in and will not succeed. ²⁵ As soon as the Master of the house shall have risen and shut the door, and you have begun to stand outside and knock at the door and say, "'Sir, open the door for us' --"'I do not know you,' He answers; 'you are no friends of mine.'

²⁶ "And as it was in the time of Noah, so will it also be in the time of the Son of Man. ²⁷ Men were eating and drinking, taking wives and giving wives, up to the very day on which Noah entered the Ark, and the Deluge came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ The same was true in the time of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building; ²⁹ but on the day that Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from the sky and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Exactly so will it be on the day that the veil is lifted from the Son of Man.

⁴ Or is it that you think slightingly of His infinite goodness, forbearance and patience, unaware that the goodness of God is gently drawing you to repentance? ⁵ The fact is that in the stubbornness of your impenitent heart you are treasuring up against yourself anger on the day of Anger--the day when the righteousness of God's judgements will stand revealed.

²² And what if God, while choosing to make manifest the terrors of His anger and to show what is possible with Him, has yet borne with long-forbearing patience with the subjects of His anger who stand ready for destruction,

¹⁵ For we are a fragrance of Christ grateful to God in those whom He is saving and in those who are perishing; ¹⁶ to the last-named an odor of death predictive of death, and to the others an odor of life predictive of life. And for such service as this who is competent?

²⁶ in order to make her holy, cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word,

⁷ Through faith Noah, being divinely taught about things as yet unseen, reverently gave heed and built an ark for the safety of his family, and by this act he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which depends on faith.

⁵ And He did not spare the ancient world, although He preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a deluge on the world of the ungodly.

¹⁵ And always regard the patient forbearance of our Lord as salvation, as our dear brother Paul also has written to you in virtue of the wisdom granted to him.

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations; baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;

¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

³⁸ "Repent," replied Peter, "and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, with a view to the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁶ So they proceeded on their way till they came to some water; and the eunuch exclaimed, "See, here is water; what is there to prevent my being baptized?"

³³ Then he took them, even at that time of night, washed their wounds, and he and all his household were immediately baptized;

¹⁶ And now why delay? Rise, get yourself baptized, and wash off your sins, calling upon His name.'

¹⁴ Yet Death reigned as king from Adam to Moses even over those who had not sinned, as Adam did, against Law. And in Adam we have a type of Him whose coming was still future.

³ And do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Well, then, we by our baptism were buried with Him in death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from among the dead by the Father's glorious power, we also should live an entirely new life. ⁵ For since we have become one with Him by sharing in His death, we shall also be one with Him by sharing in His resurrection. ⁶ This we know--that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin;

⁹ that if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart believe that God brought Him back to life, you shall be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart men believe and obtain righteousness, and with the mouth they make confession and obtain salvation.

⁶ In writing this much, brethren, with special reference to Apollos and myself, I have done so for your sakes, in order to teach you by our example what those words mean, which say, "Nothing beyond what is written!" --so that you may cease to take sides in boastful rivalry, for one teacher against another.

¹³ For, in fact, in one Spirit all of us--whether we are Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free men--were baptized to form but one body; and we were all nourished by that one Spirit.

¹ Having therefore these promises, beloved friends, let us purify ourselves from all defilement of body and of spirit, and secure perfect holiness through the fear of God.

²⁷ for all of you who have been baptized into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ.

¹² having been buried with Him in your baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith produced within you by God who raised Him from among the dead.

¹² Exert all your strength in the honourable struggle for the faith; lay hold of the Life of the Ages, to which you were called, when you made your noble profession of faith before many witnesses.

⁵ as righteous men, had done, but as the result of His own mercy He saved us by means of the bath of regeneration and the renewal of our natures by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ which He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; ⁷ in order that having been declared righteous through His grace we might become heirs to the Life of the Ages in fulfilment of our hopes.

²⁴ For not into a Holy place built by men's hands--a mere copy of the reality--did Christ enter, but He entered Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

¹⁹ For he reckoned that God is even able to raise a man up from among the dead, and, figuratively speaking, it was from among the dead that he received Isaac again.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy has begotten us anew to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴⁴ "'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND UNTIL I HAVE PUT THY FOES BENEATH THY FEET'?

³⁶ David himself said, taught by the Holy Spirit, "'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I HAVE MADE THY FOES A FOOTSTOOL UNDER THY FEET.'

¹⁹ So the Lord Jesus after having thus spoken to them was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

⁴² Why, David himself says in the Book of Psalms, "'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND

¹¹ who said, "Galilaeans, why stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come in just the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven."

³⁴ For David did not ascend into Heaven, but he says himself, "'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND ³⁵ UNTIL I MAKE THY FOES A FOOTSTOOL UNDER THY FEET.' ³⁶ "Therefore let the whole House of Israel know beyond all doubt that God has made Him both LORD and CHRIST--this Jesus whom you crucified."

²¹ Heaven must receive Him until those times of which God has spoken from the earliest ages through the lips of His holy Prophets--the times of the reconstitution of all things.

³⁴ Who is there to condemn them? Christ Jesus died, or rather has risen to life again. He is also at the right hand of God, and is interceding for us.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither the lower ranks of evil angels nor the higher, neither things present nor things future, nor the forces of nature,

²⁴ Later on, comes the End, when He is to surrender the Kingship to God, the Father, when He shall have overthrown all other government and all other authority and power.

²⁰ when He displayed it in Christ by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His own right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ high above all other government and authority and power and dominion, and every title of sovereignty used either in this Age or in the Age to come.

¹ If however you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, enthroned at God's right hand.

³ He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His all-powerful word. After securing man's purification from sin He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

¹³ To which of the angels has He ever said, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND TILL I MAKE THY FOES A FOOTSTOOL FOR THY FEET"?

²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner on our behalf, having become, like Melchizedek, a High Priest for ever.

¹ Now in connexion with what we have been saying the chief point is that we have a High Priest who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God's Majesty in the heavens,

¹² this Priest, on the contrary, after offering for sins a single sacrifice of perpetual efficacy, took His seat at God's right hand,

² simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader in the faith, who will also award us the prize. He, for the sake of the joy which lay before Him, patiently endured the cross, looking with contempt upon its shame, and afterwards seated Himself-- where He still sits--at the right hand of the throne of God.