2 Peter Cross References - WNT

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of Jesus Christ: To those to whom there has been allotted the same precious faith as that which is ours through the righteousness of our God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ. ² May more and more grace and peace be granted to you in a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ seeing that His divine power has given us all things that are needful for life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him who has appealed to us by His own glorious perfections. ⁴ It is by means of these that He has granted us His precious and wondrous promises, in order that through them you may, one and all, become sharers in the very nature of God, having completely escaped the corruption which exists in the world through earthly cravings. ⁵ But for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character: along with a noble character, knowledge; ⁶ along with knowledge, self-control; along with self-control, power of endurance; ⁷ along with power of endurance, godliness; along with godliness, brotherly affection; and along with brotherly affection, love. ⁸ If these things exist in you, and continually increase, they prevent your being either idle or unfruitful in advancing towards a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the man in whom they are lacking is blind and cannot see distant objects, in that he has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰ For this reason, brethren, be all the more in earnest to make sure that God has called you and chosen you; for it is certain that so long as you practise these things, you will never stumble. ¹¹ And so a triumphant admission into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be freely granted to you. ¹² For this reason I shall always persist in reminding you of these things, although you know them and are stedfast believers in truth which you already possess. ¹³ But I think it right, so long as I remain in the body, my present dwelling-place, to arouse you by such reminders. ¹⁴ For I know that the time for me to lay aside my body is now rapidly drawing near, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to me. ¹⁵ So on every possible occasion I will also do my best to enable you to recall these things after my departure. ¹⁶ For when we made known to you the power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not eagerly following cleverly devised legends, but we had been eye-witnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ He received honour and glory from God the Father, and out of the wondrous glory words such as these were spoken to Him, "This is My dearly-loved Son, in whom I take delight." ¹⁸ And we ourselves heard these words come from Heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And in the written word of prophecy we have something more permanent; to which you do well to pay attention--as to a lamp shining in a dimly-lighted place--until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ But, above all, remember that no prophecy in Scripture will be found to have come from the prophet's own prompting; ²¹ for never did any prophecy come by human will, but men sent by God spoke as they were impelled by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ And walking along the shore of the Lake of Galilee He saw two brothers--Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew--throwing a drag-net into the Lake; for they were fishers.

² Now the names of the twelve Apostles were these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James the son of Zabdi, and his brother John;

⁴⁷ And my spirit triumphs in God my Saviour;

⁴⁹ "For this reason also the Wisdom of God has said, 'I will send Prophets and Apostles to them, of whom they will kill some and persecute others,'

³¹ "Simon, Simon, I tell you that Satan has obtained permission to have all of you to sift as wheat is sifted. ³² But *I* have prayed for *you* that your faith may not fail, and you, when at last you have come back to your true self, must strengthen your brethren." ³³ "Master," replied Peter, "with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death." ³⁴ "I tell you, Peter," said Jesus, "that the cock will not crow to-day till you have three times denied that you know me."

⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John: you shall be called Cephas" --that is to say, Peter (or 'Rock').

²⁶ If a man wishes to be my servant, let him follow me; and where I am, there too shall my servant be. If a man wishes to be my servant, the Father will honour him.

²¹ A second time, therefore, He said to them, "Peace be to you! As the Father sent me, I also now send you."

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others do?" "Yes, Master," was his answer; "you know that you are dear to me." "Then feed my lambs," replied Jesus. ¹⁶ Again a second time He asked him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master," he said, "you know that you are dear to me." "Then be a shepherd to my sheep," He said. ¹⁷ A third time Jesus put the question: "Simon, son of John, am I dear to you?" It grieved Peter that Jesus asked him the third time, "Am I dear to you?" "Master," he replied, "you know everything, you can see that you are dear to me." "Then feed my much-loved sheep," said Jesus.

⁸ And God, who knows all hearts, gave His testimony in their favour by bestowing the Holy Spirit on them just as He did on us; ⁹ and He made no difference between us and them, in that He cleansed their hearts by their faith.

¹⁴ Symeon has related how God first looked graciously on the Gentiles to take from among them a People to be called by His name.

¹ Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart to proclaim God's Good News,

¹² in other words that while I am among you we may be mutually encouraged by one another's faith, yours and mine.

¹⁷ For in the Good News a righteousness which comes from God is being revealed, depending on faith and tending to produce faith; as the Scripture has it, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

²¹ But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it-- ²² a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe. No distinction is made; ²³ for all alike have sinned, and all consciously come short of the glory of God, ²⁴ gaining acquittal from guilt by His free unpurchased grace through the deliverance which is found in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ He it is whom God put forward as a Mercy-seat, rendered efficacious through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness-- because of the passing over, in God's forbearance, of the sins previously committed-- ²⁶ with a view to demonstrating, at the present time, His righteousness, that He may be shown to be righteous Himself, and the giver of righteousness to those who believe in Jesus.

³⁰ But you--and it is all God's doing--are in Christ Jesus: He has become for us a wisdom which is from God, consisting of righteousness and sanctification and deliverance;

¹ Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Can it be denied that I have seen Jesus, our Lord? Are not you yourselves my work in the Lord?

⁹ For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not fit to be called an Apostle--because I persecuted the Church of God.

¹³ But possessing the same Spirit of faith as he who wrote, "I BELIEVED, AND THEREFORE I HAVE SPOKEN," we also believe, and therefore we speak.

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.

⁸ for He who had been at work within Peter with a view to his Apostleship to the Jews had also been at work within me with a view to my Apostleship to the Gentiles--

⁵ which in earlier ages was not made known to the human race, as it has now been revealed to His holy Apostles and Prophets through the Spirit--

⁵ There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

¹¹ And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,

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;

⁹ not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.

⁵ For I recall the sincere faith which is in your heart--a faith which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice, and, I am fully convinced, now dwells in you also.

¹ Paul, a bondservant of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ for building up the faith of God's own people and spreading a full knowledge of the truths of religion,

⁴ To Titus my own true child in our common faith. May grace and peace be granted to you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

¹³ in expectation of the fulfilment of our blessed hope--the Appearing in glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ;

¹ Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ: To God's own people scattered over the earth, who are living as foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Roman Asia, and Bithynia,

⁷ The sorrow comes in order that the testing of your faith--being more precious than that of gold, which perishes and yet is proved by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the re-appearing of Jesus Christ.

⁷ To you believers, therefore, that honour belongs; but for unbelievers-- "A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BEEN MADE THE CORNERSTONE,"

¹ So I exhort the Elders among you--I who am their fellow Elder and have been an eye-witness of the sufferings of the Christ, and am also a sharer in the glory which is soon to be revealed.

⁴ It is by means of these that He has granted us His precious and wondrous promises, in order that through them you may, one and all, become sharers in the very nature of God, having completely escaped the corruption which exists in the world through earthly cravings.

²² All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, nor who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son may choose to reveal Him."

³ And in this consists the Life of the Ages--in knowing Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

⁷ To all God's loved ones who are in Rome, called to be saints. May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁶ For God who said, "Out of darkness let light shine," is He who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory, which is radiant on the face of Christ.

⁸ Nay, I even reckon all things as pure loss because of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. And for His sake I have suffered the loss of everything, and reckon it all as mere refuse, in order that I may win Christ and be found in union with Him,

² chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, with a view to their obedience and to their being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May more and more grace and peace be granted to you. ³ seeing that His divine power has given us all things that are needful for life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him who has appealed to us by His own glorious perfections.

⁸ If these things exist in you, and continually increase, they prevent your being either idle or unfruitful in advancing towards a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁰ For if, after escaping from the pollutions of the world through a full knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, people are once more entangled in these pollutions and are overcome, their last state has become worse than their first.

¹⁸ But be always growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory, both now and to the day of Eternity!

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we know the true One, and are in union with the true One--that is, we are in union with His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and the Life of the Ages. ²¹ Dear children, guard yourselves from idols.

² May mercy, peace and love be abundantly granted to you.

⁴ John sends greetings to the seven Churches in the province of Asia. May grace be granted to you, and peace, from Him who is and was and evermore will be; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;

¹⁸ Jesus however came near and said to them, "All power in Heaven and over the earth has been given to me.

² even as Thou hast given Him authority over all mankind, so that on all whom Thou hast given Him He may bestow the Life of the Ages. ³ And in this consists the Life of the Ages--in knowing Thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

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. ²⁹ For those whom He has known beforehand He has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the Eldest in a vast family of brothers; 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.

³² He who did not withhold even His own Son, but gave Him up for all of us, will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

²⁴ even towards us whom He has called not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles?

⁹ God is ever true to His promises, and it was by Him that you were, one and all, called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.

²¹ Therefore let no one boast about his human teachers. ²² For everything belongs to you--be it Paul or Apollos or Peter, the world or life or death, things present or future--everything belongs to you; ²³ and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

⁹ but His reply has been, "My grace suffices for you, for power matures in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I boast of my infirmities rather than complain of them--in order that Christ's power may overshadow me.

¹⁹ and what the transcendent greatness of His power in us believers as seen in the working of His infinite might 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 I, then, the prisoner for the Master's sake, entreat you to live and act as becomes those who have received the call that you have received--

⁴ There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.

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.

¹⁶ For in Him was created the universe of things in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, thrones, dominions, princedoms, powers--all were created, and exist through and for Him.

¹² and imploring you to live lives worthy of fellowship with God who is inviting you to share His own Kingship and glory.

⁷ God has not called us to an unclean life, but to one of purity.

¹⁴ To this blessing God has called you by our Good News, so that you may have a share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ Train yourself in godliness. Exercise for the body is not useless, but godliness is useful in every respect, possessing, as it does, the promise of Life now and of the Life which is soon coming.

⁹ For He saved us and called us with a holy call, not in accordance with our desserts, but in accordance with His own purpose and the free grace which He bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before the commencement of the Ages,

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,

⁵ whom God in His power is guarding through faith for a salvation that even now stands ready for unveiling at the End of the Age.

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

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a priesthood of kingly lineage, a holy nation, a people belonging specially to God, that you may make known the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

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.

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 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.

² May more and more grace and peace be granted to you in a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

⁵ But for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character: along with a noble character, knowledge;

¹² But all who have received Him, to them--that is, to those who trust in His name--He has given the privilege of becoming children of God; ¹³ who were begotten as such not by human descent, nor through an impulse of their own nature, nor through the will of a human father, but from God.

⁴ To them belongs recognition as God's sons, and they have His glorious Presence and the Covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the Temple service, and the ancient Promises.

²⁰ For all the promises of God, whatever their number, have their confirmation in Him; and for this reason through Him also our "Amen" acknowledges their truth and promotes the glory of God through our faith.

¹⁸ And all of us, with unveiled faces, reflecting like bright mirrors the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same likeness, from one degree of radiant holiness to another, even as derived from the Lord the Spirit.

¹⁷ Therefore, "'COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND SEPARATE YOURSELVES,' SAYS THE LORD, 'AND TOUCH NOTHING IMPURE; AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU, AND WILL BE A FATHER TO YOU,

¹⁶ (Now the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. God did not say "and to seeds," as if speaking of many, but "and to your seed," since He spoke of only one--and this is Christ.)

⁸ He who sows in the field of his lower nature, will from that nature reap destruction; but he who sows to serve the Spirit will from the Spirit reap the Life of the Ages.

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.

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.

⁶ But, as a matter of fact, the ministry which Christ has obtained is all the nobler a ministry, in that He is at the same time the negotiator of a sublimer covenant, based upon sublimer promises. ⁷ For if that first Covenant had been free from imperfection, there would have been no attempt to introduce another. ⁸ For, being dissatisfied with His people, God says, "'THERE ARE DAYS COMING,' SAYS THE LORD, 'WHEN I WILL ESTABLISH WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH A NEW COVENANT-- ⁹ A COVENANT UNLIKE THE ONE WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FOREFATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY WOULD NOT REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THAT.' 'SO I TURNED FROM THEM,' SAYS THE LORD. ¹⁰ 'BUT THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS,' SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS AND WILL WRITE THEM UPON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL INDEED BE THEIR GOD AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. ¹¹ AND THERE SHALL BE NO NEED FOR THEM TO TEACH EACH ONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN AND EACH ONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, KNOW THE LORD. FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME FROM THE LEAST OF THEM TO THE GREATEST; ¹² BECAUSE I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR WRONGDOINGS, AND THEIR SINS I WILL REMEMBER NO LONGER.'"

¹⁵ And because of this He is the negotiator of a new Covenant, in order that, since a life has been given in atonement for the offences committed under the first Covenant, those who have been called may receive the eternal inheritance which has been promised to them.

¹⁰ It is true that they disciplined us for a few years according as they thought fit; but He does it for our certain good, in order that we may become sharers in His own holy character.

¹ What causes wars and contentions among you? Is it not the cravings which are ever at war within you for various pleasures? ² You covet things and yet cannot get them; you commit murder; you have passionate desires and yet cannot gain your end; you begin to fight and make war. You have not, because you do not pray; ³ or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.

² that in future you may spend the rest of your earthly lives, governed not by human passions, but by the will of God. ³ For you have given time enough in the past to the doing of the things which the Gentiles delight in-- pursuing, as you did, a course of habitual licence, debauchery, hard drinking, noisy revelry, drunkenness and unholy image-worship.

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of Jesus Christ: To those to whom there has been allotted the same precious faith as that which is ours through the righteousness of our God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ For, while they pour out their frivolous and arrogant talk, they use earthly cravings--every kind of immorality--as a bait to entrap men who are just escaping from the influence of those who live in error. ¹⁹ And they promise them freedom, although they are themselves the slaves of what is corrupt. For a man is the slave of any one by whom he has been worsted in fight. ²⁰ For if, after escaping from the pollutions of the world through a full knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, people are once more entangled in these pollutions and are overcome, their last state has become worse than their first.

¹⁵ Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, there is no love in his heart for the Father. ¹⁶ For the things in the world--the cravings of the earthly nature, the cravings of the eyes, the show and pride of life--they all come, not from the Father, but from the world.

²⁵ And this is the promise which He Himself has given us--the Life of the Ages.

² Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been fully revealed. We know that if Christ reappears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

²⁶ And, besides all this, a vast chasm is immovably fixed between us and you, put there in order that those who desire to cross from this side to you may not be able, nor any be able to cross over from your side to us.'

²¹ But we were hoping that it was He who was about to ransom Israel. Yes, and moreover it was the day before yesterday that these things happened.

²⁷ Bestow your pains not on the food which perishes, but on the food that remains unto the Life of the Ages--that food which will be the Son of Man's gift to you; for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."

²⁰ Brethren, do not prove yourselves to be children in your minds. As regards evil, indeed, be utter babes, but as regards your minds prove yourselves to be men of ripe years.

¹⁷ For I always beseech the God of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father most glorious--to give you a spirit of wisdom and penetration through an intimate knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened so that you may know what is the hope which His call to you inspires, what the wealth of the glory of His inheritance in God's people,

¹⁷ On this account do not prove yourselves wanting in sense, but try to understand what the Lord's will is.

⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may be more and more accompanied by clear knowledge and keen perception, for testing things that differ,

¹² Therefore, my dearly-loved friends, as I have always found you obedient, labour earnestly with fear and trembling--not merely as though I were present with you, but much more now since I am absent from you--labour earnestly, I say, to make sure of your own salvation.

⁹ For this reason we also, from the day we first received these tidings, have never ceased to pray for you and to entreat that you may be filled with a clear knowledge of His will accompanied by thorough wisdom and discernment in spiritual things;

³ In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are stored up, hidden from view.

¹¹ But we long for each of you to continue to manifest the same earnestness, with a view to your enjoying fulness of hope to the very End;

⁶ But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him.

¹⁵ Be carefully on your guard lest there be any one who falls back from the grace of God; lest any root bearing bitter fruit spring up and cause trouble among you, and through it the whole brotherhood be defiled;

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.

² May more and more grace and peace be granted to you in a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ seeing that His divine power has given us all things that are needful for life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him who has appealed to us by His own glorious perfections.

¹⁰ For this reason, brethren, be all the more in earnest to make sure that God has called you and chosen you; for it is certain that so long as you practise these things, you will never stumble.

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, since you have these expectations, earnestly seek to be found in His presence, free from blemish or reproach, in peace.

¹⁵ But as for that in the good ground, it means those who, having listened to the Message with open minds and in a right spirit, hold it fast, and patiently yield a return.

¹⁹ By your patient endurance you will purchase your lives.

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."

⁷ to those on the one hand who, by lives of persistent right-doing, are striving for glory, honour and immortality, the Life of the Ages;

³ And not only so: we also exult in our sufferings, knowing as we do, that suffering produces fortitude; ⁴ fortitude, ripeness of character; and ripeness of character, hope;

²⁵ But if we hope for something which we do not see, then we eagerly and patiently wait for it.

⁴ For all that was written of old has been written for our instruction, so that we may always have hope through the power of endurance and the encouragement which the Scriptures afford.

²⁵ But every competitor in an athletic contest practices abstemiousness in all directions. They indeed do this for the sake of securing a perishable wreath, but we for the sake of securing one that will not perish.

⁴ On the contrary, as God's servants, we seek their full approval--by unwearied endurance, by afflictions, by distress, by helplessness;

²³ good faith, meekness, self-restraint.

¹¹ Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully enduring all things with patience and long-suffering;

³ For we never fail to remember your works of faith and labours of love and your persistent and unwavering hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father; ⁴ It so increases that we ourselves make honourable mention of you among the Churches of God because of your patience and faith amid all your persecutions and amid the afflictions which you are enduring.

⁵ And may the Lord guide your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

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.

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

¹⁶ And, beyond controversy, great is the mystery of our religion-- that Christ appeared in human form, and His claims justified by the Spirit, was seen by angels and proclaimed among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up again into glory.

⁷ But worldly stories, fit only for credulous old women, have nothing to do with. ⁸ Train yourself in godliness. Exercise for the body is not useless, but godliness is useful in every respect, possessing, as it does, the promise of Life now and of the Life which is soon coming.

³ So teach and exhort. If any one is a teacher of any other kind of doctrine, and refuses assent to wholesome instructions--those of our Lord Jesus Christ--and the teaching that harmonizes with true godliness,

⁶ And godliness *is* gain, when associated with contentment;

¹¹ But you, O man of God, must flee from these things; and strive for uprightness, godliness, good faith, love, fortitude, and a forgiving temper.

⁵ and will keep up a make-believe of piety and yet live in defiance of its power. Turn away from people of this sort.

⁸ but hospitable to strangers, a lover of goodness, sober-minded, upright, saintly, self-controlled;

² Exhort aged men to be temperate, grave, sober-minded, robust in their faith, their love and their patience.

¹² so that you may not become half-hearted, but be imitators of those who through faith and patient endurance are now heirs to the promises.

¹⁵ And so, as the result of patient waiting, our forefather obtained what God had promised.

³⁶ For you stand in need of patient endurance, so that, as the result of having done the will of God, you may receive the promised blessing.

¹ Therefore, surrounded as we are by such a vast cloud of witnesses, let us fling aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles our feet. And let us run with patient endurance the race that lies before us,

³ Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance. ⁴ Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.

⁷ Be patient therefore, brethren, until the Coming of the Lord. Notice how eagerly a farmer waits for a valuable crop! He is patient over it till it has received the early and the later rain. ⁸ So you also must be patient: keeping up your courage; for the Coming of the Lord is now close at hand. ⁹ Do not cry out in condemnation of one another, brethren, lest you come under judgement. I tell you that the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ In illustration, brethren, of persecution patiently endured take the Prophets who have spoken as messengers from the Lord.

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,

⁹ I John, your brother, and a sharer with you in the sorrows and Kingship and patient endurance of Jesus, found myself in the island of Patmos, on account of the Word of God and the truth told us by Jesus.

² I know your doings and your toil and patient suffering. And I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, but have put to the test those who say that they themselves are Apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars.

¹⁰ If any one is eager to lead others into captivity, he must himself go into captivity. If any one is bent on killing with the sword, he must himself be killed by the sword. Here is an opportunity for endurance, and for the exercise of faith, on the part of God's people.

¹² Here is an opportunity for endurance on the part of God's people, who carefully keep His commandments and the faith of Jesus!"

³⁴ A new commandment I give you, to love one another; that as I have loved you, you also may love one another. ³⁵ It is by this that every one will know that you are my disciples--if you love one another."

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

¹ If I can speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but am destitute of Love, I have but become a loud-sounding trumpet or a clanging cymbal. ² If I possess the gift of prophecy and am versed in all mysteries and all knowledge, and have such absolute faith that I can remove mountains, but am destitute of Love, I am nothing. ³ And if I distribute all my possessions to the poor, and give up my body to be burned, but am destitute of Love, it profits me nothing. ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love knows neither envy nor jealousy. Love is not forward and self-assertive, nor boastful and conceited. ⁵ She does not behave unbecomingly, nor seek to aggrandize herself, nor blaze out in passionate anger, nor brood over wrongs. ⁶ She finds no pleasure in injustice done to others, but joyfully sides with the truth. ⁷ She knows how to be silent. She is full of trust, full of hope, full of patient endurance. ⁸ Love never fails. But if there are prophecies, they will be done away with; if there are languages, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be brought to an end.

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.

¹⁴ And over all these put on love, which is the perfect bond of union;

¹² and as for you, may the Lord teach you to love one another and all men, with a growing and a glowing love, resembling our love for you.

⁹ But on the subject of love for the brotherhood it is unnecessary for me to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰ and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. And we exhort you to do so more and more,

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.

¹ Let brotherly love always continue.

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.

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

⁸ In conclusion, all of you should be of one mind, quick to sympathize, kind to the brethren, tenderhearted, lowly-minded,

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.

¹⁶ We know what love is--through Christ's having laid down His life on our behalf; and in the same way we ought to lay down our lives for our brother men.

²¹ And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.

²² He who has received the seed among the thorns is the man who hears the Message, but the cares of the present age and the delusions of riches quite stifle the Message, and it becomes unfruitful.

³ About nine o'clock he went out and saw others loitering in the market-place.

⁶ And going out about five o'clock he found others loitering, and he asked them, "'Why have you been standing here all day long, doing nothing?'

²⁶ "'You wicked and slothful servant,' replied his master, 'did you know that I reap where I have not sown, and garner what I have not winnowed?

⁴² but I know you well, and I know that in your hearts you do not really love God.

² Every branch in me--if it bears no fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

⁶ If any one does not continue in me, he is like the unfruitful branch which is at once thrown away and then withers up. Such branches they gather up and throw into the fire and they are burned. ⁷ "If you continue in me and my sayings continue in you, ask what you will and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this is God glorified--by your bearing abundant fruit and thus being true disciples of mine.

¹¹ Do not be indolent when zeal is required. Be thoroughly warm-hearted, the Lord's own servants,

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brethren, be firm, unmovable, busily occupied at all times in the Lord's work, knowing that your toil is not fruitless in the Lord.

¹³ For if we have been beside ourselves, it has been for God's glory; or if we are now in our right senses, it is in order to be of service to you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ overmasters us, the conclusion at which we have arrived being this--that One having died for all, His death was their death, ¹⁵ and that He died for all in order that the living may no longer live to themselves, but to Him who died for them and rose again. ¹⁶ Therefore for the future we know no one simply as a man. Even if we have known Christ as a man, yet now we do so no longer. ¹⁷ So that if any one is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old state of things has passed away; a new state of things has come into existence.

² how, while passing through great trouble, their boundless joy even amid their deep poverty has overflowed to increase their generous liberality.

⁷ Yes, just as you are already very rich in faith, readiness of speech, knowledge, unwearied zeal, and in the love that is in you, implanted by us, see to it that this grace of liberal giving also flourishes in you.

¹⁴ while they themselves also in supplications on your behalf pour out their longing love towards you because of God's surpassing grace which is resting upon you.

⁵ Test yourselves to discover whether you are true believers: put your own selves under examination. Or do you not know that Jesus Christ is within you, unless you are insincere?

⁵ Let the same disposition be in you which was in Christ Jesus.

⁷ having the roots of your being firmly planted in Him, and continually building yourselves up in Him, and always being increasingly confirmed in the faith as you were taught it, and abounding in it with thanksgiving.

¹⁶ Let the teaching concerning Christ remain as a rich treasure in your hearts. In all wisdom teach and admonish one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and sing with grace in your hearts to God.

¹ Moreover, brethren, as you learnt from our lips the lives which you ought to live, and do live, so as to please God, we beg and exhort you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live them more and more truly.

³ Unceasing thanks are due from us to God on your behalf, brethren. They are appropriate because your faith is growing greatly, and the love of every one of you for all the others goes on increasing.

¹³ And at the same time they also learn to be idle as they go round from house to house; and they are not only idle, but are gossips also and busybodies, speaking of things that ought not to be spoken of.

¹⁴ And let our people too learn to set a good example in following honest occupations for the supply of their necessities, so that they may not live useless lives.

⁶ praying as I do, that their participation in your faith may result in others fully recognizing all the right affection that is in us toward Christ.

²¹ Then Jesus looked at him and loved him, and said, "One thing is lacking in you: go, sell all you possess and give the proceeds to the poor, and you shall have riches in Heaven; and come and be a follower of mine."

²² On receiving this answer Jesus said to him, "There is still one thing wanting in you. Sell everything you possess and give the money to the poor, and you shall have wealth in Heaven; and then come, follow me."

⁴⁰ These words were heard by those of the Pharisees who were present, and they asked Him, "Are *we* also blind?" ⁴¹ "If you were blind," answered Jesus, "you would have no sin; but as a matter of fact you boast that you see. So your sin remains!"

¹ To what conclusion, then, shall we come? Are we to persist in sinning in order that the grace extended to us may be the greater? ² No, indeed; how shall we who have died to sin, live in it any longer? 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.

¹¹ In the same way you also must regard yourselves as dead in relation to sin, but as alive in relation to God, because you are in Christ Jesus.

³ If, however, the meaning of our Good News has been veiled, the veil has been on the hearts of those who are on the way to perdition, ⁴ in whom the god of this present age has blinded their unbelieving minds so as to shut out the sunshine of the Good News of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God.

⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any importance; but only faith working through love.

¹³ You however, brethren, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an excuse for giving way to your lower natures; but become bondservants to one another in a spirit of love.

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

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.

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?

¹⁴ What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose a Christian brother or sister is poorly clad or lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that? ¹⁷ So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it--so long as it stands alone. ¹⁸ Nay, some one will say, "You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder." ²⁰ But, idle boaster, are you willing to be taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless? Take the case of Abraham our forefather. ²¹ Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? ²² You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND HIS FAITH WAS PLACED TO HIS CREDIT AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he received the name of 'God's friend.' ²⁴ You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith. ²⁵ In the same way also was not the notorious sinner Rahab declared to be righteous because of her actions when she welcomed the spies and hurriedly helped them to escape another way? ²⁶ For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.

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,

⁴ It is by means of these that He has granted us His precious and wondrous promises, in order that through them you may, one and all, become sharers in the very nature of God, having completely escaped the corruption which exists in the world through earthly cravings. ⁵ But for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character: along with a noble character, knowledge; ⁶ along with knowledge, self-control; along with self-control, power of endurance; ⁷ along with power of endurance, godliness; along with godliness, brotherly affection; and along with brotherly affection, love.

⁷ But if we live in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

⁹ Any one who professes to be in the light and yet hates his brother man is still in darkness. ¹⁰ He who loves his brother man continues in the light, and his life puts no stumbling-block in the way of others. ¹¹ But he who hates his brother man is in darkness and is walking in darkness; and he does not know where he is going--because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹⁷ You say, I am rich, and have wealth stored up, and I stand in need of nothing; and you do not know that if there is a wretched creature it is *you* --pitiable, poor, blind, naked.

²⁴ "Every one who hears these my teachings and acts upon them will be found to resemble a wise man who builds his house upon rock; ²⁵ and the heavy rain falls, the swollen torrents come, and the winds blow and beat against the house; yet it does not fall, for its foundation is on rock.

⁴⁷ Every one who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them in practice, I will show you whom he is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who digs and goes deep, and lays the foundation on the rock; and when a flood comes, the torrent bursts upon that house, but is unable to shake it, because it is securely built. ⁴⁹ But he who has heard and not practised is like a man who has built a house upon the soft soil without a foundation, against which the torrent bursts, and immediately it collapses, and terrible is the wreck and ruin of that house."

²⁴ But even the sacrifice of my life I count as nothing, if only I may perfect my earthly course, and be faithful to the duty which the Lord Jesus has entrusted to me of proclaiming, as of supreme importance, the Good News of God's grace. ²⁵ "And now, I know that none of you among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom will any longer see my face.

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. ²⁹ For those whom He has known beforehand He has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the Eldest in a vast family of brothers; 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. ³¹ What then shall we say to this? If God is on our side, who is there to appear against us?

³ For we never fail to remember your works of faith and labours of love and your persistent and unwavering hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father; ⁴ knowing as we do, brethren, that you are beloved by God and that He has chosen you.

¹³ And from us thanks are always due to God on your behalf--brethren whom the Lord loves--because God from the beginning has chosen you for salvation through the Spirit's sanctifying influence and your belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this blessing God has called you by our Good News, so that you may have a share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁹ Yet God's solid foundation stands unmoved, bearing this inscription, "THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO REALLY BELONG TO HIM." And this also, "LET EVERY ONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF THE LORD RENOUNCE ALL WICKEDNESS."

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,

¹⁷ You, therefore, dear friends, having been warned beforehand, must continually be on your guard so as not to be led astray by the false teaching of immoral men nor fall from your own stedfastness.

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 ²⁰ in whatever matters our hearts condemn us--because God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have perfect confidence towards God;

¹⁰ Because in spite of suffering you have guarded My word, I in turn will guard you from that hour of trial which is soon coming upon the whole world, to put to the test the inhabitants of the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly: cling to that which you already possess, so that your wreath of victory be not taken away from you.

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes clean, that they may have a right to the Tree of Life, and may go through the gates into the city.

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.

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have Life, and may have it in abundance.

¹ For we know that if this poor tent, our earthly house, is taken down, we have in Heaven a building which God has provided, a house not built by human hands, but eternal.

²⁰ Now to Him who, in exercise of His power that is at work within us, is able to do infinitely beyond all our highest prayers or thoughts--

⁸ From this time onward there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who love the thought of His Appearing.

¹⁷ In the same way, since it was God's desire to display more convincingly to the heirs of the promise how unchangeable His purpose was,

²¹ "'To him who overcomes I will give the privilege of sitting down with Me on My throne, as I also have overcome and have sat down with My Father on His throne.

¹⁰ And hast formed them into a Kingdom to be priests to our God, And they reign over the earth."

⁵ So the Churches went on gaining a stronger faith and growing in numbers from day to day.

¹⁴ But as to you, brethren, I am convinced-- yes, I Paul am convinced--that, even apart from my teaching, you are already full of goodness of heart, and enriched with complete Christian knowledge, and are also competent to instruct one another. ¹⁵ But I write to you the more boldly--partly as reminding you of what you already know--because of the authority graciously entrusted to me by God,

¹ In conclusion, my brethren, be joyful in the Lord. For me to give you the same warnings as before is not irksome to me, while so far as you are concerned it is a safe precaution.

⁶ If you warn the brethren of these dangers you will be a good and faithful servant of Christ Jesus, inwardly feeding on the lessons of the faith and of the sound teaching of which you have been, and are, so close a follower.

⁶ For this reason let me remind you to rekindle God's gift which is yours through the laying on of my hands.

³² But continually recall to mind the days now past, when on being first enlightened you went through a great conflict and many sufferings.

⁹ Do not be drawn aside by all sorts of strange teaching; for it is well to have the heart made stedfast through God's grace, and not by special kinds of food, from which those who scrupulously attend to them have derived no benefit.

¹² I send this short letter by Silas, our faithful brother--for such I regard him--in order to encourage you, and to bear witness that what I have told you is the true grace of God. In it stand fast.

¹³ But I think it right, so long as I remain in the body, my present dwelling-place, to arouse you by such reminders.

¹⁵ So on every possible occasion I will also do my best to enable you to recall these things after my departure.

¹ This letter which I am now writing to you, dear friends, is my second letter. In both my letters I seek to revive in your honest minds the memory of certain things,

²¹ I have written to you, not because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you know it, and you know that nothing false comes from the truth.

² for the sake of the truth which is continually in our hearts and will be with us for ever. ³ Dear friends, since I am eager to begin a letter to you on the subject of our common salvation, I find myself constrained to write and cheer you on to the vigorous defense of the faith delivered once for all to God's people.

⁵ I desire to remind you--although the whole matter is already familiar to you--that the Lord saved a people out of the land of Egypt, but afterwards destroyed those who had no faith.

¹⁷ But as for you, my dearly-loved friends, remember the words that before now were spoken by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ--

¹ For we know that if this poor tent, our earthly house, is taken down, we have in Heaven a building which God has provided, a house not built by human hands, but eternal. ² For in this one we sigh, because we long to put on over it our dwelling which comes from Heaven-- ³ if indeed having really put on a robe we shall not be found to be unclothed. ⁴ Yes, we who are in this tent certainly do sigh under our burdens, for we do not wish to lay aside that with which we are now clothed, but to put on more, so that our mortality may be absorbed in Life.

⁸ So we have a cheerful confidence, and we anticipate with greater delight being banished from the body and going home to the Lord.

³ Remember prisoners, as if you were in prison with them; and remember those suffering ill-treatment, for you yourselves also are still in the body.

¹² For this reason I shall always persist in reminding you of these things, although you know them and are stedfast believers in truth which you already possess.

¹⁴ For I know that the time for me to lay aside my body is now rapidly drawing near, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to me.

¹⁸ "In most solemn truth I tell you that whereas, when you were young, you used to put on your girdle and walk whichever way you chose, when you have grown old you will stretch out your arms and some one else will put a girdle round you and carry you where you have no wish to go." ¹⁹ This He said to indicate the kind of death by which that disciple would bring glory to God; and after speaking thus He said to him, "Follow me."

²⁵ "And now, I know that none of you among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom will any longer see my face.

⁶ I for my part am like a drink-offering which is already being poured out; and the time for my departure is now close at hand.

³¹ They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem.

² All that you have been taught by me in the hearing of many witnesses, you must hand on to trusty men who shall themselves, in turn, be competent to instruct others also.

⁴ Through faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain did, and through this faith he obtained testimony that he was righteous, God giving the testimony by accepting his gifts; and through it, though he is dead, he still speaks.

²⁸ I solemnly tell you that some of those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom."

³ Afterwards He was on the Mount of Olives and was seated there when the disciples came to Him, apart from the others, and said, "Tell us when this will be; and what will be the sign of your Coming and of the Close of the Age?"

²⁷ For just as the lightning flashes in the east and is seen to the very west, so will be the Coming of the Son of Man.

¹ He went on to say, "In solemn truth I tell you that some of those who are standing here will certainly not taste death till they have seen the Kingdom of God already come in power." ² Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and brought them alone, apart from the rest, up a high mountain; and in their presence His appearance underwent a change.

²⁸ It was about eight days after this that Jesus, taking with Him Peter, John, and James, went up the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while He was praying the appearance of His face underwent a change, and His clothing became white and radiant. ³⁰ And suddenly there were two men conversing with Him, who were Moses and Elijah. ³¹ They came in glory, and kept speaking about His death, which He was so soon to undergo in Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and the others were weighed down with sleep; but, keeping themselves awake all through, they saw His glory, and the two men standing with Him.

¹⁴ And the Word came in the flesh, and lived for a time in our midst, so that we saw His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son, sent from His presence. He was full of grace and truth.

² even as Thou hast given Him authority over all mankind, so that on all whom Thou hast given Him He may bestow the Life of the Ages.

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,

⁷ so that there is no gift of God in which you consciously come short while patiently waiting for the reappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁷ Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the Good News; and not in merely wise words--lest the Cross of Christ should be deprived of its power.

²³ while we proclaim a Christ who has been crucified--to the Jews a stumbling-block, to Gentiles foolishness,

¹ And as for myself, brethren, when I came to you, it was not with surpassing power of eloquence or earthly wisdom that I came, announcing to you that which God had commanded me to bear witness to.

⁴ And my language and the Message that I proclaimed were not adorned with persuasive words of earthly wisdom, but depended upon truths which the Spirit taught and mightily carried home;

⁴ In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are all assembled and my spirit is with you, together with the power of our Lord Jesus,

¹⁷ We are; for, unlike most teachers, we are not fraudulent hucksters of God's Message; but with transparent motives, as commissioned by God, in God's presence and in communion with Christ, so we speak.

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.

¹⁶ If I love you so intensely, am I the less to be loved? Be that as it may: I was not a burden to you. But being by no means scrupulous, I entrapped you, they say! ¹⁷ Have I gained any selfish advantage over you through any one of the messengers I have sent to you?

¹⁴ So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

²¹ who, in the exercise of the power which He has even to subject all things to Himself, will transform this body of our humiliation until it resembles His own glorious body.

¹⁹ For what is our hope or joy, or the crown of which we boast? Is it not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His Coming?

⁹ The appearing of the Lawless one will be attended by various miracles and tokens and delusive marvels--for so Satan works--

⁴ and the attention they bestow on mere fables and endless pedigrees, such as lead to controversy rather than to a true stewardship for God, which only exists where there is faith. And I make the same request now.

⁷ But worldly stories, fit only for credulous old women, have nothing to do with.

¹⁴ and not give attention to Jewish legends and the maxims of men who turn their backs on the truth.

³ But, above all, remember that, in the last days, men will come who make a mock at everything--men governed only by their own passions, ⁴ and, asking, "What has become of His promised Return? For from the time our forefathers fell asleep all things continue as they have been ever since the creation of the world."

¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have listened to, which we have seen with our own eyes, and our own hands have handled concerning the Word of Life-- ² the Life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and we declare unto you the Life of the Ages which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- ³ that which we have seen and listened to we now announce to you also, in order that you also may have fellowship in it with us, and this fellowship with us is fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ And we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

¹⁴ It was also about these that Enoch, who belonged to the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "The Lord has come, attended by myriads of His people, to execute judgement upon all,

⁷ He is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and so will those who pierced Him; and all the nations of the earth will gaze on Him and mourn. Even so. Amen.

¹⁷ while a voice came from Heaven, saying, "This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight."

²⁵ About that time Jesus exclaimed, "I heartily praise Thee, Father, Lord of Heaven and of earth, that Thou hast hidden these things from sages and men of discernment, and hast unveiled them to babes. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for such has been Thy gracious will. ²⁷ "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one fully knows the Son except the Father, nor does any one fully know the Father except the Son and all to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

¹⁸ "THIS IS MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, MY DEARLY LOVED ONE IN WHOM MY SOUL TAKES PLEASURE. I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE WILL ANNOUNCE JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS.

³ And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them conversing with Him.

⁵ He was still speaking when a luminous cloud spread over them; and a voice was heard from within the cloud, which said, "This is My Son dearly beloved, in whom is My delight. Listen 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;

¹¹ and a voice came from the sky, saying, "Thou art My Son dearly loved: in Thee is My delight."

⁷ Then there came a cloud spreading over them, and a voice issued from the cloud, "This is my Son, dearly loved: listen to Him."

²² and the Holy Spirit came down in bodily shape, like a dove, upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, "Thou art My Son, dearly loved: in Thee is My delight."

³⁴ But while he was thus speaking, there came a cloud which spread over them; and they were awe-struck when they had entered into the cloud. ³⁵ Then there came a voice from within the cloud: "This is My Son, My Chosen One: listen to Him."

³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to His hands.

²¹ For just as the Father awakens the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom He wills. ²² The Father indeed does not judge any one, but He has entrusted all judgement to the Son, ²³ that all may honour the Son even as they honour the Father. The man who withholds honour from the Son withholds honour from the Father who sent Him.

²⁶ For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has also given to the Son to have life in Himself.

³⁶ "But the testimony which I have is weightier than that of John; for the work the Father has assigned to me for me to bring it to completion--the very work which I am doing--affords testimony concerning me that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me, *He* has given testimony concerning me. None of you have ever either heard His voice or seen what He is like.

³⁷ Every one whom the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will never on any account drive away.

³⁹ And this is the will of Him who sent me, that of all that He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it to life on the last day.

¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I am laying down my life for the sheep.

³⁶ how is it that you say to one whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

²⁸ Father, glorify Thy name." Thereupon there came a voice from the sky, "I have glorified it and will also glorify it again." ²⁹ The crowd that stood by and heard it, said that there had been thunder. Others said, "An angel spoke to him."

¹ Now just before the Feast of the Passover this incident took place. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father; and having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. ² While supper was proceeding, the Devil having by this time suggested to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, the thought of betraying Him, Jesus, ³ although He knew that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was now going to God,

⁶ "I am the Way," replied Jesus, "and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

⁸ "Master," said Philip, "cause us to see the Father: that is all we need." ⁹ "Have I been so long among you," Jesus answered, "and yet you, Philip, do not know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can *you* ask me, 'Cause us to see the Father'?

¹¹ Believe me, all of you, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me; or at any rate, believe me because of what I do.

²¹ that they may all be one, even as Thou art in me, O Father, and I am in Thee; that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send me.

¹⁷ "Do not cling to me," said Jesus, "for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But take this message to my brethren: 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

⁶ so that with oneness both of heart and voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Heartfelt thanks be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father who is full of compassion and the God who gives all comfort.

³¹ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--He who is blessed throughout the Ages--knows that I am speaking the truth.

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

¹ Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are in God the Father, enfolded in His love, and kept for Jesus Christ, and called.

⁶ On hearing this voice, the disciples fell on their faces and were filled with terror.

¹⁶ THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DWELLING IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A BRILLIANT LIGHT; AND ON THOSE WHO WERE DWELLING IN THE REGION OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, ON THEM LIGHT HAS DAWNED."

⁷⁸ Through the tender compassion of our God, Through which the daybreak from on high will come to us, ⁷⁹ Dawning on those who now dwell in the darkness and shadow of death--To direct our feet into the path of peace."

²⁹ "'They have Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham; 'let them hear them.' ³⁰ "'No, father Abraham,' he pleaded; 'but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' ³¹ "'If they are deaf to Moses and the Prophets,' replied Abraham, 'they would not be led to believe even if some one should rise from the dead.'"

⁷ He came as a witness, in order that he might give testimony concerning the Light--so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the Light, but he existed that he might give testimony concerning the Light. ⁹ The true Light was that which illumines every man by its coming into the world.

³⁵ He was the lamp that burned and shone, and for a time you were willing to be gladdened by his light.

³⁹ "You search the Scriptures, because you suppose that in them you will find the Life of the Ages; and it is those Scriptures that yield testimony concerning me;

¹² Once more Jesus addressed them. "I am the Light of the world," He said; "the man who follows me shall certainly not walk in the dark, but shall have the light of Life."

²⁹ You must abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. Keep yourselves clear of these things, and it will be well with you. Farewell."

¹¹ The Jews at Beroea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica, for they very readily received the Message, and day after day searched the Scriptures to see whether it was as Paul stated.

⁴ in whom the god of this present age has blinded their unbelieving minds so as to shut out the sunshine of the Good News of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ (For we do not proclaim ourselves, but we proclaim Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for the sake of Jesus.) ⁶ For God who said, "Out of darkness let light shine," is He who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory, which is radiant on the face of Christ.

⁷ Therefore do not become sharers with them. ⁸ There was a time when you were nothing but darkness. Now, as Christians, you are Light itself.

⁸ If, however, you are keeping the Law as supreme, in obedience to the Commandment which says "YOU ARE TO LOVE YOUR FELLOW MAN JUST AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF," you are acting rightly.

¹⁰ There were Prophets who earnestly inquired about that salvation, and closely searched into it--even those who spoke beforehand of the grace which was to come to you.

¹⁰ He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in his own heart: he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, in that he has refused to accept the testimony which God has given about His Son.

⁶ They have testified, in the presence of the Church, to your love; and you will do well to help them on their journey in a manner worthy of your fellowship with God.

²⁸ and I will give him the Morning Star.

¹⁶ "I Jesus have sent My angel for him solemnly to declare these things to you among the Churches. I am the Root and the offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.

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;

⁶ But since we have special gifts which differ in accordance with the diversified work graciously entrusted to us, if it is prophecy, let the prophet speak in exact proportion to his faith;

¹¹ Carry out these injunctions because you know the critical period at which we are living, and that it is now high time, to rouse yourselves from sleep; for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first became believers.

⁹ and remembers that a law is not enacted to control a righteous man, but for the lawless and rebellious, the irreligious and sinful, the godless and profane--for those who strike their fathers or their mothers, for murderers,

³ Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.

³ But, above all, remember that, in the last days, men will come who make a mock at everything--men governed only by their own passions,

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.'

⁷⁰ As He has spoken from all time by the lips of His holy Prophets--

¹⁶ "Brethren, it was necessary that the Scripture should be fulfilled--the prediction, I mean, which the Holy Spirit uttered by the lips of David, about Judas, who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁸ But in this way God has fulfilled the declarations He made through all the Prophets, that His Christ would suffer.

²⁵ Unable to agree among themselves, they at last left him, but not before Paul had spoken a parting word to them, saying, "Right well did the Holy Spirit say to your forefathers through the Prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ and that from infancy you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise to obtain salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for convincing, for correction of error, and for instruction in right doing; ¹⁷ so that the man of God may himself be complete and may be perfectly equipped for every good work.

⁷ For this reason--as the Holy Spirit warns us, "TO-DAY, IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,

⁸ And the lesson which the Holy Spirit teaches is this--that the way into the true Holy place is not yet open so long as the outer tent still remains in existence.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also gives us His testimony; for when He had said,

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.

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.