Ephesians 3 Cross References - Goodspeed

¹ This is why I, Paul, whom Jesus the Christ has made a prisoner for the sake of you heathen— ² if at least you have heard how I dealt with the mercy of God that was given me for you, ³ and how the secret was made known to me by revelation, as I have just briefly written. ⁴ As you read that, you will be able to understand the insight I have into the secret of the Christ ⁵ (which in past ages was not disclosed to mankind as fully as it has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets) ⁶ that through union with Christ Jesus the heathen are fellow-heirs with the Jews, belong to the same body and share the promise with them, through the good news ⁷ for which I became a worker by virtue of the gift of God's mercy which by the exercise of his power he has given me. ⁸ To me, the very least of all his people, this favor has been given, of preaching to the heathen the inexhaustible wealth of the Christ, ⁹ and making clear how the secret purpose is to be worked out which has been hidden away for ages in God the creator of all things, ¹⁰ so that the many-sided wisdom of God may now through the church be made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven, ¹¹ fulfilling the eternal purpose which God carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² Through union with him and through faith in him, we have courage to approach God with confidence. ¹³ So I ask that what I am having to suffer for your sake may not make me lose heart, for it does you honor. ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven or on earth takes its name, ¹⁶ and beg him out of his wealth of glory to strengthen you mightily through his Spirit in your inner nature ¹⁷ and through your faith to let Christ in his love make his home in your hearts. Your roots must be deep and your foundations strong, ¹⁸ so that you and all God's people may be strong enough to grasp what breadth, length, height, and depth mean, ¹⁹ and to understand Christ's love, so far beyond our understanding, so that you may be filled with the very fulness of God. ²⁰ To him who by the exertion of his power within us can do unutterably more than all we ask or imagine, ²¹ be glory through the church and through Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever. Amen.

⁹ Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our forefather,' for I tell you God can produce descendants for Abraham right out of these stones!

⁶ "Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty for uprightness, for they will be satisfied!

¹³ And do not subject us to temptation, But save us from the evil one.'

²⁴ "Everyone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts upon it, will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew, and beat about that house, and it did not go down, for its foundations were on rock.

²⁷ What I tell you in the dark you must say in the light, and what you hear whispered in your ear, you must proclaim from the housetops.

²⁵ At that same time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent and revealing it to children. ²⁶ Yes, I thank you, Father, for choosing to have it so. ²⁷ Everything has been handed over to me by my Father, and no one understands the Son but the Father, nor does anyone understand the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

⁶ but when the sun came up it was scorched and withered up, because it had no root.

¹¹ He answered, "You are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but they are not.

¹⁷ For I tell you, many prophets and upright men have longed to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it.

³⁵ to fulfil what was said by the prophet, "I will open my mouth in figures, I will utter things that have been hidden since the creation."

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

³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world.

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

¹⁵ And he said to them, "Go to the whole world and proclaim the good news to all the creation. ¹⁶ He who believes it and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe it will be condemned.

¹⁰ The angel said to them, "Do not be frightened, for I bring you good news of a great joy that is to be felt by all the people, ¹¹ for today, in the town of David, a Savior for you has been born who is your Messiah and Lord.

¹⁴ "Glory to God in heaven and on earth! Peace to the men he favors!"

²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not die without seeing the Lord's Messiah. ²⁷ And under the Spirit's influence he went into the Temple, and when Jesus' parents brought him there to do for him what the Law required,

⁴⁸ He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep and laid his foundation upon the rock, and when there was a flood the torrent burst upon that house and could not shake it, because it was well built.

¹⁰ And he said, "You are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but they are given to others in the form of figures, so that they may look and yet not see, and hear and yet not understand.

²⁴ For I tell you, many prophets and kings have wished to see what you see, and could not see it, and to hear what you hear, and could not hear it!"

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

¹² But before all this, men will arrest you and persecute you, and hand you over to synagogues and prisons and have you brought before kings and governors on my account.

⁴¹ And he withdrew about a stone's throw from them, and kneeling down he prayed

⁴⁷ and that repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins should be preached to all the heathen in his name.

¹ In the beginning the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was divine. ² It was he that was with God in the beginning. ³ Everything came into existence through him, and apart from him nothing came to be.

¹⁶ For from his abundance we have all had a share, and received blessing after blessing.

¹⁷ But he answered them, "My Father is still at work, and I work too."

¹⁹ So Jesus answered them, "I tell you, the Son cannot do anything of his own accord, unless he sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

⁵⁶ Whoever lives on my flesh and drinks my blood remains united to me and I remain united to him.

¹⁰ A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come to let them have life, and to let them have it in abundance.

²⁹ What my Father has intrusted to me is of more importance than everything else, and no one can tear anything out of the Father's hands. ³⁰ The Father and I are one."

³⁰ The Father and I are one."

⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am Way and Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

¹⁷ It is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot obtain that Spirit, because it does not see it or recognize it; you recognize it because it stays with you and is within you.

²³ Jesus answered, "Anyone who loves me will observe my teaching, and my Father will love him and we will come to him and live with him.

²⁶ but the Helper, the holy Spirit which the Father will send in my place, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I have told you.

¹³ No one can show greater love than by giving up his life for his friends.

¹³ but when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into the full truth, for he will not speak for himself but will tell what he hears, and will announce to you the things that are to come.

³ And eternal life means knowing you as the only true God, and knowing Jesus your messenger as Christ.

²³ I in union with them and you with me, so that they may be perfectly unified, and the world may recognize that you sent me and that you love them just as you loved me.

⁴¹ So they went out from before the council, glad that they had been thought worthy to bear disgrace for the sake of Jesus,

⁶⁰ Then falling on his knees, he cried out, "Lord, do not lay this sin up against them!" With these words he fell asleep.

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, "Go! This man is the means I have chosen for carrying my name among the heathen and their kings, and among the descendants of Israel.

⁴⁰ But Peter put them all out of the room. Then he knelt down and prayed, and then turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, stand up!" She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

¹⁹ As Peter was pondering over his vision, the Spirit said to him, "There are two men looking for you. ²⁰ Get up and go down, and go with them without any hesitation, for I have sent them."

²⁸ and he said to them, "You know that it is against the Law for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit one; but God has taught me not to call anyone vulgar or unclean.

²⁶ and found him and brought him to Antioch. The result was that for a whole year they met with the church, and taught large numbers of people, and it was at Antioch that the disciples first came to be known as Christians.

² As they were engaged in worshiping the Lord and in fasting, the holy Spirit said, "Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me, for the work to which I have called them."

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly, and said, "God's message had to be told to you first, but since you thrust it off and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the heathen.

²² reassuring the disciples and encouraging them to stand by the faith and reminding them that we have to undergo many hardships to get into the Kingdom of God.

¹⁸ who has been making this known from of old.'

³⁶ With these words, he knelt down with them all and prayed.

⁵ But when our time was up, we left there and went on, and all of them with their wives and children escorted us out of the town. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed;

³³ Then the colonel came up and seized him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains, and then inquired who he was and what he had been doing.

¹⁷ After I had returned to Jerusalem, one day when I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance,

²¹ But he said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the heathen.' "

⁹ So there was a great uproar, and some scribes of the Pharisees' party got up and insisted, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose some spirit or angel really spoke to him!"

¹⁸ So he took him to the colonel, and said, "The prisoner Paul called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you."

¹⁵ 'Who are you, sir?' said I. The Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for the express purpose of appointing you to serve me and to testify to what you have seen and to the visions you will have of me. ¹⁷ I will save you from your people and from the heathen, to whom I will send you

¹⁷ I will save you from your people and from the heathen, to whom I will send you ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that they may have their sins forgiven and have a place among those who are consecrated through faith in me.'

¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that they may have their sins forgiven and have a place among those who are consecrated through faith in me.' ¹⁹ Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey that heavenly vision,

²⁹ "In a hurry or not," said Paul, "I would to God that not only you, but all who hear me today, might be what I am—except for these chains!"

¹⁷ Three days later, he invited the leading Jews to come to see him, and when they came he said to them, "Brothers, I have done nothing against our people, or the customs of our forefathers, yet I was turned over to the Romans as a prisoner at Jerusalem. ¹⁸ They examined me and were ready to let me go, as I was innocent of any crime that deserved death. ¹⁹ But the Jews objected, and I was obliged to appeal to the emperor—not that I had any charge to make against my own nation. ²⁰ That is why I asked to see you and speak with you, for it is on account of Israel's hope that I have to wear this chain."

⁵ through whom we have received God's favor and been commissioned in his name to urge obedience and faith upon all the heathen,

⁴ Do you think so lightly of his wealth of kindness, forbearance, and patience, and fail to see that God's kindness ought to induce you to repent?

²⁹ The real Jew is the man who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, a spiritual, not a literal, thing. Such a man receives his praise not from men, but from God.

²¹ in the full assurance that God was able to do what he had promised.

² by whom we have been introduced through faith to the favor of God that we now enjoy, and let us glory in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

⁵ and hope will not disappoint us. For, through the holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.

²² My inner nature agrees with the divine law,

⁹ But you are not physical but spiritual, if God's Spirit has really taken possession of you; for unless a man has Christ's spirit, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in your hearts, though your bodies are dead in consequence of sin, your spirits have life in consequence of uprightness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has taken possession of you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give your mortal bodies life through his Spirit that has taken possession of you.

¹⁵ It is not a consciousness of servitude that has been imparted to you, to fill you with fear again, but the consciousness of adoption as sons, which makes us cry, "Abba!" that is, Father. ¹⁶ The Spirit itself testifies with our spirits that we are God's children, ¹⁷ and if children, heirs also; heirs of God, and fellow-heirs with Christ, if we really share his sufferings in order to share his glory too.

²⁸ We know that in everything God works with those who love him, whom he has called in accordance with his purpose, to bring about what is good. ²⁹ For those whom he had marked out from the first he predestined to be made like his Son, so that he should be the eldest of many brothers; ³⁰ and those whom he has predestined he calls, and those whom he calls he makes upright, and those whom he makes upright he glorifies.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor their hierarchies nor the present nor the future

¹¹ For before the children were born or had done anything either good or bad, in order to carry out God's purpose of selection, which depends not on what men do but on his calling them,

²³ so as to show all the wealth of his glory in dealing with the objects of his mercy, whom he has prepared from the beginning to share his glory,

³ For in their ignorance of God's way of uprightness and in the attempt to set up one of their own, they refused to conform to God's way of uprightness.

¹¹ For the Scripture says, "No one who has faith in him will be disappointed." ¹² There is no distinction between Jew and Greek for they all have the same Lord, and he is generous to all who call upon him.

¹³ But it is to you who are of the heathen that I am speaking. So far then as I am an apostle to the heathen, I make the most of my ministry,

²⁵ For to keep you from thinking too well of yourselves, brothers, I do not want you to miss this secret, that only partial insensibility has come upon Israel, to last until all the heathen have come in,

³³ How inexhaustible God's resources, wisdom, and knowledge are! How unfathomable his decisions are, and how untraceable his ways!

³⁶ For from him everything comes; through him everything exists; and in him everything ends! Glory to him forever! Amen.

³ By the favor that God has shown me, I would tell every one of you not to think too highly of himself, but to think reasonably, judging himself by the degree of faith God has allowed him. ⁴ For just as there are many parts united in our human bodies, and the parts do not all have the same function, ⁵ so, many as we are, we form one body through union with Christ, and we are individually parts of one another.

¹⁰ Be affectionate in your love for the brotherhood, eager to show one another honor,

¹⁵ But, just to refresh your memories, I have written you pretty boldly on some points, because of the favor God has shown me

¹⁵ But, just to refresh your memories, I have written you pretty boldly on some points, because of the favor God has shown me ¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus among the heathen, to act as a priest of God's good news, to see that the heathen are an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus among the heathen, to act as a priest of God's good news, to see that the heathen are an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the holy Spirit.

¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus among the heathen, to act as a priest of God's good news, to see that the heathen are an acceptable sacrifice, consecrated by the holy Spirit. ¹⁷ So as a follower of Christ Jesus I have reason to be proud of my work for God. ¹⁸ For I will venture to speak only of what Christ has accomplished through me in winning the heathen to obedience, by word and action, ¹⁹ by the force of signs and marvels, and by the power of the holy Spirit, with the result that I have completed the preaching of the good news of Christ all the way from Jerusalem around to Illyricum.

²⁵ To him who can make you strong by the good news I bring and the preaching about Jesus Christ, through the disclosure of the secret kept back for long ages but now revealed,

²⁵ To him who can make you strong by the good news I bring and the preaching about Jesus Christ, through the disclosure of the secret kept back for long ages but now revealed, ²⁶ and at the command of the eternal God made known through the writings of the prophets to all the heathen, to lead them to obedience and faith— ²⁷ to the one wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

²⁴ but to those whom God has called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is God's power and God's wisdom.

³⁰ But you are his children, through your union with Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom—our uprightness and consecration and redemption,

⁶ Yet there is a wisdom that we impart when we are with people who have a mature faith, but it is not what this world calls wisdom, nor what the authorities of this world, doomed as they are to pass away, would call so. ⁷ But it is a mysterious divine wisdom that we impart, hitherto kept secret, and destined by God before the world began for our glory.

⁷ But it is a mysterious divine wisdom that we impart, hitherto kept secret, and destined by God before the world began for our glory.

⁹ But, as the Scripture says, there are things "Which no eye ever saw and no ear ever heard, And never occurred to the human mind, Which God has provided for those who love him."

⁹ But, as the Scripture says, there are things "Which no eye ever saw and no ear ever heard, And never occurred to the human mind, Which God has provided for those who love him." ¹⁰ For God revealed them to us through his Spirit, for the Spirit fathoms everything, even the depths of God himself.

⁵ What is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Just servants through whom you came to have faith, as the Lord gave each of us opportunity.

¹ The right way for a man to think of us is as Christ's servants, and managers authorized to distribute the secret truths of God.

¹ About food that has been offered to idols, it is true, as you say, that we all have some knowledge on that matter. Knowledge gives people airs; love is what builds up character.

¹⁷ For if I do it of my own accord, I have my pay, but if I do it because I must, it is still a responsibility that I am charged with. ¹⁸ What pay then do I get? Why, that in my preaching I can offer the good news without cost, and so not take full advantage of my rights as a preacher. ¹⁹ Though I am free from anyone's control, I have made myself everyone's slave, so as to win over all the more. ²⁰ To the Jews I have become like a Jew, to win Jews over; to men under the Law I have become like a man under the Law, though I am not myself under the Law, so as to win over those who are under the Law. ²¹ To those who have no law I have become like a man without any law—though I am not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ—so as to win over those who are without any law. ²² To the overscrupulous I have become overscrupulous, so as to win the overscrupulous; I have become everything to everybody, so as by all means to save some of them.

⁸ One man receives through the Spirit the power to speak wisely, another, by the same Spirit, receives the power to express knowledge, ⁹ another, from his union with the same Spirit receives faith, another, by one and the same Spirit, the ability to cure the sick, ¹⁰ another, the working of wonders, another, inspiration in preaching, another, the power of distinguishing the true Spirit from false ones, another, various ecstatic utterances, and another, the ability to explain them.

¹² For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, many as they are, form one body, so it is with Christ.

²⁷ Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it. ²⁸ And God has placed people in the church, first as apostles, second as inspired preachers, third as teachers, then wonder-workers; then come ability to cure the sick, helpfulness, administration, ecstatic speaking. ²⁹ Is everyone an apostle? Is everyone an inspired preacher? Is everyone a teacher? Is everyone a wonder-worker?

² If I am inspired to preach and know all the secret truths and possess all knowledge, and if I have such perfect faith that I can move mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.

⁹ For I am the least important of the apostles, and am not fit to be called an apostle, because I once persecuted God's church. ¹⁰ But by God's favor I have become what I am, and the favor he showed me has not gone for nothing, but I have worked harder than any of them, although it was not really I but the favor God showed me.

¹³ Be on the watch. Stand firm in your faith. Act like men. Show yourselves strong.

⁶ If I am in trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation, and if I am comforted, it is for the sake of the comfort which you experience when you steadfastly endure such sufferings as I also have to bear.

⁴ Such is the confidence that I have through Christ in my relations to God.

⁶ and he has qualified me to serve him in the interests of a new agreement, not in writing but of spirit. For what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

¹ So since by the mercy of God I am engaged in this service, I never lose heart.

¹⁶ So I never lose heart. Though my outer nature is wasting away, my inner is being renewed every day.

¹⁴ It is Christ's love that controls me, for I have become convinced that as one has died for all, all have died,

¹⁴ It is Christ's love that controls me, for I have become convinced that as one has died for all, all have died, ¹⁵ and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.

¹⁶ What bargain can a temple of God make with idols? For we are a temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, And I will be their God and they will be my people."

⁸ God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that you will always have enough for every situation, and ample means for every good enterprise:

¹ I appeal to you personally, by the gentleness and forbearance of Christ—the Paul who is so humble when face to face with you, but so bold in dealing with you when he is far away!

⁴ for the weapons I use are not earthly ones, but divinely strong for destroying fortresses. ⁵ I destroy arguments and every obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought and make it obey Christ,

⁶ Even if I have no particular gifts in speaking, I am not wanting in knowledge. Why, I have always made that perfectly clear in my dealings with you.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death.

⁹ and he said to me, "My favor is enough for you, for only where there is weakness is perfect strength developed." So I am perfectly willing to boast of all my weakness, so that the strength of Christ may shelter me.

¹³ All God's people wish to be remembered to you.

⁵ To him be glory forever and ever! Amen.

¹² I did not receive it from any man, and I was not taught it, but it came to me through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ You have heard of my former conduct when I was attached to the Jewish religion—how furiously I used to persecute the church of God and ravage it,

¹⁵ And when God, who had set me apart from my birth and had called me in his mercy, saw fit ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the good news about him to the heathen, immediately, instead of consulting with any human being,

¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the good news about him to the heathen, immediately, instead of consulting with any human being,

¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach the good news about him to the heathen, immediately, instead of consulting with any human being, ¹⁷ or going up to Jerusalem to see those who had been apostles before me, I went off to Arabia, and on my return came back to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem, to become acquainted with Cephas, and I spent two weeks with him; ¹⁹ but I did not see any other apostle, except James, the Lord's brother.

⁸ for he who actuated Peter to be an apostle to the Jews also actuated me to be one to the heathen—

⁸ for he who actuated Peter to be an apostle to the Jews also actuated me to be one to the heathen— ⁹ and when they recognized the favor God had shown me, James, Cephas, and John, who were regarded as pillars of the church, pledged Barnabas and me their co-operation, with the understanding that we should work among the heathen and they among the Jews.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me. The life I am now living in the body I am living by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

¹³ Christ ransomed us from the Law's curse by taking our curse upon himself (for the Scripture says, "Cursed be anyone who is hung on a tree") ¹⁴ in order that the blessing given to Abraham might through Jesus Christ reach the heathen, so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.

²⁶ For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through your faith. ²⁷ For all of you who have been baptized into union with Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is no room for "Jew" and "Greek"; there is no room for "slave" and "freeman"; there is no room for "male" and "female"; for in union with Christ Jesus you are all one. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are true descendants of Abraham and his heirs under the promise.

⁵ to ransom those who were subject to law, so that we might receive adoption. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the spirit of his Son, with the cry, "Abba!" that is, Father. ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir, made so by God.

² Why, I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ can do nothing for you.

⁶ For in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the want of it counts for anything, but only faith acting through love.

¹¹ And I, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? If that is the case, the cross has ceased to be an obstacle, I suppose!

⁹ Let us not get tired of doing right, for at the proper time we shall reap, if we do not give out.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. ⁴ Through him he chose us out before the creation of the world, to be consecrated and above reproach in his sight in love.

⁶ so that we might praise the splendid blessing which he has given us through his beloved Son. ⁷ It is through union with him and through his blood that we have been delivered and our offenses forgiven,

⁷ It is through union with him and through his blood that we have been delivered and our offenses forgiven, ⁸ in the abundance of his mercy which he has lavished upon us.

⁸ in the abundance of his mercy which he has lavished upon us. ⁹ He has given us perfect insight into his secret purpose and understanding of it, in following out the design he planned to carry out in Christ,

⁹ He has given us perfect insight into his secret purpose and understanding of it, in following out the design he planned to carry out in Christ,

⁹ He has given us perfect insight into his secret purpose and understanding of it, in following out the design he planned to carry out in Christ, ¹⁰ and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ—

¹⁰ and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ—

¹⁰ and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ— ¹¹ the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

¹¹ the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

¹⁵ This is why I, for my part, since I have heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that prevails among you and among all God's people, ¹⁶ never cease to thank God for you when I mention you in my prayers. ¹⁷ The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation through the knowledge of himself,

¹⁷ The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation through the knowledge of himself, ¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people, ¹⁹ and how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe; like the mighty strength

¹⁹ and how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe; like the mighty strength

¹⁹ and how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe; like the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted in raising Christ from the dead, and seating him at his right hand in heaven, ²¹ far above all hierarchies, authorities, powers, and dominions, and all titles that can be bestowed not only in this world but in the world to come.

²¹ far above all hierarchies, authorities, powers, and dominions, and all titles that can be bestowed not only in this world but in the world to come. ²² He has put everything under his feet and made him the indisputable head of the church, ²³ which is his body, filled by him who fills everything everywhere.

²³ which is his body, filled by him who fills everything everywhere.

⁷ to show the incomparable wealth of his mercy throughout the ages to come by his goodness to us through Christ Jesus.

¹¹ So remember that you were once physically heathen, and called uncircumcised by those who called themselves circumcised, though only physically, by human hands. ¹² At that time you had no connection with Christ, you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the agreements about God's promise; with no hope and no God in all the world. ¹³ But now through your union with Christ Jesus you who were once far away have through the blood of Christ been brought near. ¹⁴ For he is himself our peace. He has united the two divisions, and broken down the barrier that kept us apart, ¹⁵ and through his human nature put an end to the feud between us, and abolished the Law with its rules and regulations, in order to make peace and create out of the two parties one new man by uniting them with himself, ¹⁶ and to kill the feud between them with his cross and in one body reconcile them both to God with it. ¹⁷ He came with the good news of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near; ¹⁸ for it is through him that we both with one Spirit are now able to approach the Father.

¹⁸ for it is through him that we both with one Spirit are now able to approach the Father. ¹⁹ So you are no longer foreigners or strangers, but you are fellow-citizens of God's people and members of his family. ²⁰ You are built upon the apostles and prophets as your foundation, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.

²⁰ You are built upon the apostles and prophets as your foundation, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. ²¹ Through him every part of the building is closely united and grows into a temple sacred through its relation to the Lord, ²² and you are yourselves built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

¹ This is why I, Paul, whom Jesus the Christ has made a prisoner for the sake of you heathen— ² if at least you have heard how I dealt with the mercy of God that was given me for you, ³ and how the secret was made known to me by revelation, as I have just briefly written. ⁴ As you read that, you will be able to understand the insight I have into the secret of the Christ

⁴ As you read that, you will be able to understand the insight I have into the secret of the Christ ⁵ (which in past ages was not disclosed to mankind as fully as it has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets)

⁷ for which I became a worker by virtue of the gift of God's mercy which by the exercise of his power he has given me. ⁸ To me, the very least of all his people, this favor has been given, of preaching to the heathen the inexhaustible wealth of the Christ, ⁹ and making clear how the secret purpose is to be worked out which has been hidden away for ages in God the creator of all things,

¹³ So I ask that what I am having to suffer for your sake may not make me lose heart, for it does you honor.

¹⁶ and beg him out of his wealth of glory to strengthen you mightily through his Spirit in your inner nature

¹⁸ so that you and all God's people may be strong enough to grasp what breadth, length, height, and depth mean, ¹⁹ and to understand Christ's love, so far beyond our understanding, so that you may be filled with the very fulness of God. ²⁰ To him who by the exertion of his power within us can do unutterably more than all we ask or imagine,

¹ So I, the prisoner for the Lord's sake, appeal to you to live lives worthy of the summons you have received;

⁷ But each one of us has been given mercy in Christ's generous measure.

¹¹ And he has given us some men as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as pastors and teachers, ¹² in order to fit his people for the work of service, for building the body of Christ,

¹⁵ We must lovingly hold to the truth and grow up into perfect union with him who is the head—Christ himself. ¹⁶ For it is under his control that the whole system, adjusted and united by each ligament of its equipment, develops in proportion to the functioning of each particular part, and so builds itself up through love.

¹⁶ For it is under his control that the whole system, adjusted and united by each ligament of its equipment, develops in proportion to the functioning of each particular part, and so builds itself up through love.

²¹ at least if you have really become acquainted with him and been instructed in him, and in union with him have been taught the truth as it is found in Jesus.

² and lead loving lives, just as Christ loved you and gave himself for you, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

⁷ Therefore have nothing to do with them.

²⁵ You who are husbands must love your wives, just as Christ loves the church and gave himself for her,

³⁰ for we are parts of his body.

³² This is a great secret, but I understand it of Christ and the church.

¹⁰ Henceforth you must grow strong through union with the Lord and through his mighty strength.

¹² For we have to struggle, not with enemies of flesh and blood, but with the hierarchies, the authorities, the master-spirits of this dark world, the spirit-forces of evil on high.

¹⁹ and for me, that when I open my lips I may be given a message, so that I may boldly make known the secret of the good news, ²⁰ for the sake of which I am an envoy, and in prison. Pray that, when I tell it, I may have the courage to speak as I ought.

⁷ And I have a right to feel in this way about you all, because both when I am in prison and when I am defending and vindicating our right to preach the good news, I have you in my heart as all sharing that privilege with me.

¹¹ with your lives filled with the fruits which uprightness produces through Jesus Christ, to the honor and praise of God. ¹² Now I want to assure you, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in furthering the preaching of the good news. ¹³ Thus it is generally known throughout the Imperial Guard and elsewhere that it is for the sake of Christ that I am in prison,

¹³ Thus it is generally known throughout the Imperial Guard and elsewhere that it is for the sake of Christ that I am in prison, ¹⁴ and so most of the Christian brothers have been exceedingly encouraged by my example to declare God's message without any fear of the consequences.

¹⁴ and so most of the Christian brothers have been exceedingly encouraged by my example to declare God's message without any fear of the consequences. ¹⁵ Some of them, it is true, are actually preaching the Christ from jealousy and partisanship, but there are others who are doing it out of good-will. ¹⁶ These latter do it from love for me, for they know that God has put me where I am to defend our right to preach the good news.

³ Do not act for selfish ends or from vanity, but modestly treat one another as your superiors.

⁵ Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁵ Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Though he possessed the nature of God, he did not grasp at equality with God,

⁶ Though he possessed the nature of God, he did not grasp at equality with God, ⁷ but laid it aside to take on the nature of a slave and become like other men.

⁷ but laid it aside to take on the nature of a slave and become like other men. ⁸ When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

⁸ When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross. ⁹ That is why God has so greatly exalted him, and given him the name above all others,

⁹ That is why God has so greatly exalted him, and given him the name above all others, ¹⁰ so that in the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven and on earth and in the underworld,

¹⁰ so that in the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven and on earth and in the underworld,

¹⁰ so that in the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven and on earth and in the underworld, ¹¹ and everyone should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, and thus glorify God the Father.

¹¹ and everyone should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, and thus glorify God the Father.

¹¹ and everyone should acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, and thus glorify God the Father. ¹² So, my dear friends, as you have always been obedient, with reverence and awe make every effort to insure your salvation, not simply as though I were with you, but all the more because I am away.

⁸ Why, I count everything as loss compared with the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything, and think it rubbish, in order to gain Christ ⁹ and be known to be united to him, with any uprightness I may have not based on law but coming through faith in Christ—the uprightness that comes from God through faith. ¹⁰ I want to know him in the power of resurrection, and to share his sufferings and even his death,

⁷ Then, through your union with Christ Jesus, the peace of God, so far above any human thought, will guard your minds and thoughts.

¹³ I can do anything through him who gives me strength.

¹⁹ My God will gloriously supply all your needs with his wealth, through your union with Christ Jesus. ²⁰ Glory to our God and Father forever and ever. Amen.

⁴ for what we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love you have for all God's people,

⁶ came among you, to thrive and bear its fruit among you, as it does all over the world, from the time when you first heard about the mercy of God,

¹⁰ so that the lives you live may be worthy of your Master and wholly pleasing to him, and you may be fruitful in all kinds of good deeds, and may grow into fuller knowledge of God. ¹¹ Then, so mighty is his majesty, he will nerve you perfectly with strength for the cheerful exercise of endurance and forbearance in every situation,

¹⁶ for it was through him that everything was created in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, angelic thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

¹⁶ for it was through him that everything was created in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, angelic thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He existed before all things and he sustains and embraces them all.

²⁰ and through him to reconcile to God all things on earth or in heaven, making this peace through his blood shed on the cross.

²³ if at least you continue firm and steadfast in the exercise of faith, and never shift from the hope held out in the good news to which you listened, which has been preached all over the world, and for which I, Paul, became a worker.

²³ if at least you continue firm and steadfast in the exercise of faith, and never shift from the hope held out in the good news to which you listened, which has been preached all over the world, and for which I, Paul, became a worker. ²⁴ At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body.

²⁴ At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body. ²⁵ In it, by divine appointment, I became a worker, that I might preach among you the message of God in its fulness—

²⁵ In it, by divine appointment, I became a worker, that I might preach among you the message of God in its fulness— ²⁶ that secret, hidden from the ages and generations, but now disclosed to those who are consecrated to him,

²⁶ that secret, hidden from the ages and generations, but now disclosed to those who are consecrated to him, ²⁷ to whom God has chosen to make known among the heathen how glorious this mystery of Christ in you, the promise of glorification, really is.

²⁷ to whom God has chosen to make known among the heathen how glorious this mystery of Christ in you, the promise of glorification, really is.

²⁹ That is what I am working for, fighting with all the energy with which he so mightily endows me.

¹ For I want you to know what a fight I am putting up for you and for our brothers in Laodicea, and for all who do not know me personally, ² that your hearts may be cheered. I want you to be united by love, and to have all the benefit of assured knowledge in coming to know Christ—

² that your hearts may be cheered. I want you to be united by love, and to have all the benefit of assured knowledge in coming to know Christ— ³ that divine mystery in which all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found.

⁷ You must be rooted and built up in him and made strong in faith, just as you were taught to be, overflowing with it in your gratitude.

⁹ For it is in him that all the fulness of God's nature lives embodied, ¹⁰ and in union with him you too are filled with it. He is the head of all your principalities and dominions.

¹⁹ Such people lose their connection with the head, from which the whole body through its ligaments and sinews must be governed and united if it is to grow in the divine way.

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

³ Pray for me too, that God may give me an opening for the message, and let me tell the secret of Christ on account of which I am kept in prison

¹⁸ This farewell is in my own hand, from Paul. Remember that I am in prison. God bless you.

¹³ We for our part constantly thank God for another reason too—because when you received God's message from our lips, you welcomed it not as the message of men but as the message of God, as it really is, which does its work in the hearts of you believers.

¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus and persecuted the prophets and us; who displease God, and in their hostility to all mankind ¹⁶ try to keep us from speaking to the heathen so that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has overtaken them at last!

² and I sent my brother Timothy, a servant of God in preaching the good news of the Christ, to strengthen you in your faith ³ and encourage you not to be led astray, any of you, in all these troubles. You know yourselves that this is what we must expect, ⁴ for when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were going to have trouble, and it came true, as you know.

¹³ We always have to thank God for you, brothers whom the Lord so loves, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved through consecration by the Spirit and through faith in the truth,

¹³ But you, brothers, must not get tired of doing right.

⁴ nor to devote themselves to fictions and interminable pedigrees; such things lead to controversy instead of the divine system which operates through faith.

¹¹ as set forth in the glorious good news of the blessed God with which I have been intrusted.

¹³ though I once used to abuse, persecute, and insult him. But he had mercy on me, because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, ¹⁴ and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings.

¹⁴ and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings.

¹⁴ and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings. ¹⁵ It is a trustworthy saying, entitled to the fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of them,

¹⁵ It is a trustworthy saying, entitled to the fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of them,

¹⁵ It is a trustworthy saying, entitled to the fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of them, ¹⁶ but God had mercy on me in order that in my case as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display his perfect patience, as an example to those who would later believe in him and find eternal life.

⁷ and I was appointed a herald and apostle of it—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—to teach the heathen faith and truth.

⁹ but holding the divine truth of the faith with a clear conscience.

¹⁶ No one can deny the profundity of the divine truth of our religion! "He was revealed in flesh, He was vindicated by the Spirit, He was seen by the angels, He was proclaimed among the heathen, He was believed in throughout the world, He was taken up into glory."

⁸ So you must not be ashamed to testify to our Lord, nor be ashamed of me who am in prison for his sake, but join with me in suffering for the good news, through the power of God. ⁹ He saved us and called us to a consecrated life, not for anything we had done, but of his own accord and out of the mercy which he bestowed upon us ages ago through Christ Jesus, ¹⁰ which has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has taken away the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the good news, ¹¹ of which I have been appointed a herald, apostle and teacher.

¹¹ of which I have been appointed a herald, apostle and teacher.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my being in prison.

⁹ for the sake of which I even suffer imprisonment as a criminal. But God's message is not imprisoned! ¹⁰ For that reason I am ready to submit to anything for the sake of those whom God has chosen, so that they too may gain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and brings eternal glory.

¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me, and gave me strength, so that I might make a full presentation of the message and let all the heathen hear it. So I was saved from the jaws of the lion. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from any harm and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹ Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to arouse faith in those whom God has chosen, and the comprehension of religious truth, ² in the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies promised ages ago,

² in the hope of eternal life, which God who never lies promised ages ago, ³ and revealed at the proper time in his message, through the preaching with which I have been intrusted at the command of God our Savior,

¹³ while we wait for the fulfilment of our blessed hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us, to free us from all wickedness and purify for himself a people of his own, eager to do right.

¹ Paul, a prisoner for Jesus Christ, and brother Timothy, to our dear fellow-worker Philemon,

⁹ I prefer to appeal to you in the name of love, simply as what I am—Paul, no less an envoy of Christ Jesus, though now a prisoner for him

²³ Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner for Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you,

² but in these latter days he has spoken to us in a Son, whom he had destined to possess everything, and through whom he had made the world. ³ He is the reflection of God's glory, and the representation of his being, and bears up the universe by his mighty word. He has effected man's purification from sin, and has taken his seat on high at the right hand of God's Majesty,

³ For Jesus is entitled to as much more honor than Moses as the builder of a house is than the house he builds. ⁴ For every house has a builder, and the builder of the universe is God.

¹⁴ Since then we have in Jesus, the Son of God, a great high priest who has gone up into heaven, let us keep firm hold of our religion. ¹⁵ For our high priest is not one who is incapable of sympathy with our weaknesses, but he has been tempted in every way just as we have, without committing any sin. ¹⁶ So let us come with courage to God's throne of grace to receive his forgiveness and find him responsive when we need his help.

²⁵ Therefore, he is able to save forever all who come to God through him, because he lives and intercedes for them forever.

¹⁹ Since then, brothers, we have free access to the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new, living way which he has opened for us, through the curtain, that is, his physical nature, ²¹ and since in him we have a great priest set over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God in sincerity of heart and with perfect faith, with our hearts cleansed from the sense of sin, and our bodies washed with clean water.

¹⁹ For he believed that God was able to raise men even from the dead, and from the dead he did indeed, to speak figuratively, receive him back.

³⁴ put out furious fires, escaped death by the sword, found strength in their time of weakness, proved mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

³⁹ Yet though they all gained God's approval by their faith, they none of them received what he had promised, ⁴⁰ for God had resolved upon something still better for us, that they might not reach the fulfilment of their hopes except with us.

³ Think of the opposition that he encountered from those sinners against themselves, if you would not grow weary and faint-hearted. ⁴ You have not yet resisted unto death in your struggle with sin, ⁵ and you have forgotten the challenge addressed to you as God's sons, "My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline, Or give up when he corrects you.

¹⁵ In his name let us continually offer praise as our sacrifice to God—the utterance of lips that glorify God's name. ¹⁶ But do not forget to be helpful and generous, for that is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God.

²⁰ May God, the giver of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus who through the blood by which he ratified the everlasting agreement has become the great shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ fit you by every blessing to do his will, and through Jesus Christ carry out in us what will please him. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹ fit you by every blessing to do his will, and through Jesus Christ carry out in us what will please him. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹² There is only one lawgiver and judge—he who has the power to save and to destroy; who are you, to judge your neighbor?

¹⁰ About this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the blessing that was destined for you made the most careful investigation, ¹¹ trying to learn for what possible time the spirit of Christ within them in predicting the sufferings destined for Christ intended them and the glories that were to follow them. ¹² It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look!

¹² It was disclosed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in dealing with these things, which have now been told you by those who through the holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news; things into which angels long to look!

²⁰ who was predestined for this before the foundation of the world, but was revealed only at the end of the ages,

⁵ and build yourselves up as living stones into a spiritual house for a consecrated priesthood, so as to offer spiritual sacrifices that through Jesus Christ will be acceptable to God.

⁴ yours must be the inner beauty of character, the imperishable attraction of a quiet and gentle spirit, which has great value in the sight of God.

²² who has gone to heaven and is at God's right hand, with angels, hierarchies, and powers made subject to him.

⁵ You younger men must show deference to the elders. And you must all clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but shows mercy to the humble. ⁶ Submit humbly, therefore, to God's mighty hand, so that he may in due time raise you up.

¹¹ His be the dominion forever. Amen.

¹¹ for then you will be triumphantly admitted to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

² to remember the things foretold by the holy prophets, and the command of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

¹⁸ You must grow in the blessing and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory to him now and forever.

³ it is what we have seen and heard that we announce to you also, so that you may share our fellowship, for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ,

²⁵ And what he himself has promised us is eternal life.

⁴ You are children of God, dear children, and you have been victorious over these men, for he who is in our hearts is greater than he who is in the world.

⁹ God's love for us has been revealed in this way—that God has sent his only Son into the world, to let us have life through him. ¹⁰ The love consists not in our having loved God, but in his loving us and sending his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, if God has loved us so, we ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; yet if we love one another, God keeps in union with us and love for him attains perfection in our hearts. ¹³ This is the way we know that we keep in union with him and he does with us—because he has given us some of his Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and can testify that the Father has sent the Son to be Savior of the world.

¹⁶ So we know and believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever continues to love keeps in union with God, and God with him.

¹⁷ But you, dear friends, must remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,

²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in his presence irreproachable and triumphant— ²⁵ to the one God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁰ Do not be afraid of what you are going to suffer. See! The devil is going to put some of you into prison to be tested there, and for ten days to endure persecution. Prove faithful even unto death and I will give you the crown of life.

¹⁷ Let everyone who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give him who is victorious some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white pebble with a new name written on it which no one knows except the man who receives it.'

¹² I will make him who is victorious a pillar in the temple of my God; he shall never go out of it again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem, which is to come down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.

¹⁸ I advise you to buy of me gold that has been tested with fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to put on, to keep your shameful nakedness from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.

²⁰ Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will be his guest and dine with him, and he with me. ²¹ I will permit him who is victorious to take his seat beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and taken my seat beside my Father on his throne.

⁹ And whenever the animals offer glory, honor, and thanksgiving to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and they throw down their crowns before the throne, and say, ¹¹ "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, for you created all things; by your will they existed and were created."

¹¹ "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, for you created all things; by your will they existed and were created."

⁸ When he took the roll, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and gold bowls full of incense, that is, of the prayers of God's people. ⁹ Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the roll and open its seals, for you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought for God men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, ¹⁰ and have made them a kingdom of priests for our God, and they are to reign over the earth." ¹¹ Then in my vision I heard the voices of many angels surrounding the throne, the animals, and the elders, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying in a loud voice, "The Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing." ¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, underneath the earth, and on the sea, and all that they contain, say, "Blessing, honor, glory, and power to him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever!" ¹⁴ The four animals said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

⁴ I heard that the number of those that were marked with the seal was 144,000. They were from every tribe of the children of Israel: ⁵ 12,000 from the tribe of Judah that were marked; 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben; 12,000 from the tribe of Gad; ⁶ 12,000 from the tribe of Asher; 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali; 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh; ⁷ 12,000 from the tribe of Symeon; 12,000 from the tribe of Levi; 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar; ⁸ 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulon; 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph; 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin. ⁹ After that I saw a great crowd which no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and they cried in a loud voice, "Our deliverance is the work of our God who is seated on the throne, and of the Lamb!" ¹¹ Then all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four animals, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, "Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!"

¹² saying, "Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!" ¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me and said, "Who are these people dressed in white robes, and where do they come from?" ¹⁴ I said to him, "You know, my lord." He said to me, "They are the people who come through the great persecution, who have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ That is why they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who is seated on the throne will shelter them. ¹⁶ They will never be hungry or thirsty again, and never again will the sun or any burning heat distress them, ¹⁷ for the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

⁸ All the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not from the foundation of the world been written in the slain Lamb's book of life, will worship it.

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair, with eternal good news to announce to the inhabitants of the earth, to every nation, tribe, language, and people.

⁸ The animal that you saw was, and is no more; it is going to come up out of the abyss, but it is to go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth, whose names from the foundation of the world have not been written in the book of life, will be amazed when they see that the animal was, and is no more, and yet is to come.

²² I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun nor the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The heathen will walk by its light. The kings of the earth will bring their splendor to it.

³ There will no longer be anything that is accursed. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his slaves will worship him; ⁴ they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ There will no longer be any night and they will have no need of lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.