1 Corinthians 1 Cross References - ISV

¹ Paul Greets the Church in CorinthFrom: Paul, called to be an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes.
² To: God’s church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah—their Lord and ours.
³ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!
⁴ You are RichI always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah Jesus. ⁵ For by him you have become rich in every way—in speech and knowledge of every kind— ⁶ while our testimony about the Messiah has been confirmed among you. ⁷ Therefore, you don’t lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah to be revealed. ⁸ He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. ⁹ Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.
¹⁰ Divisions in the ChurchBrothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, I urge all of you to be in agreement and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions. ¹¹ My brothers, some members of Chloe’s family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to the Messiah.”
¹³ Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? You weren’t baptized in Paul’s name, were you? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I’m not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won’t be emptied of its power.
¹⁸ The Messiah is God’s Power and WisdomFor the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. ¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject.”
²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn’t he? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. ²² Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom. ²⁵ For God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
²⁶ Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. ²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, ²⁹ so that no one may boast in God’s presence. ³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written, “The person who boasts must boast in the Lord.”

¹³ When daylight came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also called apostles:

¹⁶ “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. I have appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

²¹ Jesus told them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

² up to the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

²⁵ to serve in this office of apostle, from which Judas left to go to his own place.”
²⁶ So they drew lots for them, and when the lot fell on Matthias, he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.

¹⁷ Then all of them took Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and began beating him in front of the judge’s seat. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

²¹ “Then he told me, ‘Go, because I’ll send you far away to the gentiles.’”

¹ Greetings from PaulFrom: Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, called to be an apostle and set apart for God’s gospel,

⁵ Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about faithful obedience among all the gentiles for the sake of his name.

⁹ For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s farmland and God’s building.

¹⁶ You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don’t you? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

¹ The Rights of an ApostleI am free, am I not? I am an apostle, am I not? I have seen Jesus our Lord, haven’t I? You are the result of my work in the Lord, aren’t you? ² If I am not an apostle to other people, surely I am one to you, for you are the evidence of my apostolic authority from the Lord.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God’s church.

¹ Paul Greets the Church in CorinthFrom: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.
To: God’s church in Corinth, and to all the holy people throughout Achaia.

⁵ I do not think I’m inferior in any way to those “super-apostles.”

¹² The signs of an apostle were performed among you with utmost patience—signs, wonders, and powerful actions.

¹ Greetings from PaulFrom: Paul—an apostle not sent from men or by a man, but by Jesus the Messiah, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being at any time,

⁷ In fact, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. ⁸ For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles.

¹ Greetings from PaulFrom: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by God’s will.
To: His holy and faithful people in Ephesus who are in union with the Messiah Jesus.

¹¹ And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers,

¹ Greetings from PaulFrom: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and the Messiah Jesus, our hope.

⁷ For this reason I was appointed to be an announcer, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the gentiles. (I am telling you the truth. I am not lying.)

¹ GreetingsFrom: Paul, an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by God’s will in keeping with the promise of life that is in the Messiah Jesus.

²⁶ Seth also fathered a son, whom he named Enosh. At that time, profaning the name of the LORD began.

⁸ From there Abram traveled on to the hill country east of Bethel and set up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

⁴ where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
⁵ Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks of sheep, herds, and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them living together, because they had so many livestock that they could not stay together. ⁷ There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot’s livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.
⁸ So Abram told Lot, “Please, let’s not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. ⁹ Isn’t the whole land available to you? Let’s separate: If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
¹⁰ Lot looked around and noticed that the whole Jordan plain as far as Zoar was well-watered like the garden of the LORD or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan plain. Then Lot traveled eastward, and they separated from each other.
¹² So Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent in the vicinity of Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were particularly evil and sinful in their defiance of the LORD.

¹¹ and the king will greatly desire your beauty. Because he is your lord, you should bow in respect before him.

¹⁷ “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸ Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ It is for their sakes that I sanctify myself, so that they, too, may be sanctified by the truth.

⁵⁹ As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” After he had said this, he died.

¹⁴ He is here with authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call on your name.”

²¹ Everyone who heard him was astonished and said, “This is the man who harassed those who were calling on Jesus’ name in Jerusalem, isn’t it? Didn’t he come here to bring them in chains to the high priests?”

³⁶ He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

⁹ He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts.

¹ Paul in CorinthAfter this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

⁸ Now Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole family. Many Corinthians who heard Paul also believed and were baptized.
⁹ One night, the Lord told Paul in a vision, “Stop being afraid to speak out! Don’t remain silent! ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you or harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul lived there for a year and a half and continued to teach the word of God among the people there.

¹⁶ So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.’

¹⁸ You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

⁷ To: Everyone in Rome, loved by God and called to be holy.
May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

²² God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah— for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people,

¹² There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him.

⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

⁹ You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, ¹⁰ thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

⁶ yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus the Messiah as Lord, and ourselves as merely your servants for Jesus’ sake.

² and all the brothers who are with me.
To: The churches in Galatia.

²⁶ so that he might make it holy by cleansing it, washing it with water and the word,

⁹ Now lifted up by God to heaven, a name above all others given, this matchless name possessing. ¹⁰ And so, when Jesus’ name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, wherever they’re residing. ¹¹ Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.
To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.
May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to be holy.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.
To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus, the Messiah himself, and may God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good action and word.

¹⁵ in case I am delayed, so that you may know how to behave in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

⁹ He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in the Messiah Jesus before time began.

²² Flee from youthful passions. Instead, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace together with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.

¹¹ because both the one who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers

¹⁰ By God’s will we have been sanctified once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah.

¹² That is why Jesus, in order to sanctify the people by his own blood, also suffered outside the city gate.

¹⁵ Instead, be holy in every aspect of your life, just as the one who called you is holy. ¹⁶ For it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy.”

¹ GreetingsFrom: Jude, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, and yet a brother of James.
To: Those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus, the Messiah.

¹⁶ On his robe that covers his thigh he has a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

² May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

² May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

² the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying action of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus, the Messiah, and to be sprinkled with his blood.
May grace and peace be yours in abundance!

³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

¹⁴ If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.”

¹⁶ I will ask the Father to give you another Helper, to be with you always.

²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you.

²⁶ “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of Truth, who comes from the Father—he will testify on my behalf.

²³ When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done, and with hearty determination he kept encouraging all of them to remain faithful to the Lord,

²⁰ When they heard about it, they praised God and told him, “You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are zealous for the Law.

⁸ Paul’s Prayer and Desire to Visit RomeFirst of all, I thank my God through Jesus the Messiah for all of you, because the news about your faith is being reported throughout the world.

¹⁷ But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted!

³ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!

¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah Jesus.

⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit gave them that ability.

¹² Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their fall means riches for the gentiles, how much more will their full participation mean!

⁴ For everything that was written long ago was written to instruct us, so that we might have hope through the endurance and encouragement that the Scriptures give us.

¹⁴ Paul’s Desire to Take the Gospel to the Whole WorldI myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are filled with goodness and full of all the knowledge you need to be able to instruct each other.

⁷ For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it? ⁸ You already have all you want! You have already become rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you really were kings so that we could be kings with you! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display in last place, like men condemned to death. We have become a spectacle for the world, for angels, and for people to stare at. ¹⁰ We are fools for the Messiah’s sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.

¹¹ In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge.

⁸ To one has been given a message of wisdom by the Spirit; to another the ability to speak with knowledge according to the same Spirit;

¹⁰ to another miraculous results; to another prophecy; to another the ability to distinguish between spirits; to another various kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

² If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing.

⁸ Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

⁵ Now I wish that all of you could speak in foreign languages, but especially that you could prophesy. The person who prophesies is more important than the person who speaks in a foreign language, unless he interprets it so that the church may be built up.
⁶ Indeed, brothers, if I come to you speaking in foreign languages, what good will I be to you unless I speak to you in some revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or teaching?

²⁶ Maintain Order in the ChurchWhat, then, does this mean, brothers? When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, foreign language, or interpretation. Everything must be done for upbuilding.

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus the Messiah.

⁷ Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.

¹¹ In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us,

¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah fully.

⁷ so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah Jesus.

⁸ To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so that I might proclaim to the gentiles the immeasurable wealth of the Messiah

¹⁹ Pray also for me, so that, when I begin to speak, the right words will come to me. Then I will boldly make known the secret of the gospel,

⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight,

⁹ The Messiah is Above AllFor this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him as you bear fruit while doing all kinds of good things and growing in the full knowledge of God.

³ In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is being renewed in full knowledge, consistent with the image of the one who created it.

³ At the same time also pray for us—that God would open before us a door for the word so that we may tell the secret about the Messiah, for which I have been imprisoned. ⁴ May I reveal it as clearly as I should!

¹³ Live WiselyWho among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely.

¹⁸ Instead, continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah. Glory belongs to him both now and on that eternal day! Amen.

²⁰ Then his disciples went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the signs that accompanied it.

¹⁷ Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who was I to try to stop God?”

²¹ The hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

⁵ But when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself entirely to the word as he emphatically assured the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

²¹ I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

²⁴ But I don’t place any value on my life, if only I can finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

¹⁸ and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people won’t accept your testimony about me.’

¹¹ That night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage! For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome, too.”

²³ So they set a day to meet with Paul and came out in large numbers to see him where he was staying.
From morning until evening, he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of God’s Spirit, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of the Messiah from Jerusalem as far as Illyricum.

¹ Preaching in the Power of GodWhen I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come and tell you about God’s secret with rhetorical language or wisdom. ² For while I was with you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus the Messiah, and him crucified.

⁵ Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the actions of the Law or because you believe what you heard?

¹⁰ when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be regarded with wonder on that day by all who have believed—including you, because you believed our testimony.

⁶ He gave himself as a ransom for everyone, the testimony at the proper time.

⁸ Therefore, never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God’s power, join me in suffering for the sake of the gospel.

³ how will we escape if we neglect a salvation as great as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and then it was confirmed to us by those who heard him, ⁴ while God added his testimony through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

¹¹ This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son. ¹² The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this life.
¹³ ConclusionI have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

² who testified about this message from God and the testimony about Jesus the Messiah.

⁹ John’s Vision of the MessiahI am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

⁹ The Vision of the Fifth Seal OpenedWhen the lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given.

¹¹ Our brothers conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to their lives even in the face of death.

¹⁷ The dragon became angry with the woman and went away to do battle against the rest of her children, the ones who keep God’s commandments and hold on to the testimony about Jesus.¹⁸ Then the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

¹⁰ I bowed down at his feet to worship him, but he told me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who rely on what Jesus is saying. Worship God, because what Jesus is saying is the spirit of prophecy!”

¹⁸ “LORD, I’m waiting for your salvation.”

¹ The Parable about the Ten Bridesmaids “At that time, the kingdom from heaven will be comparable to ten bridesmaids who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the groom.

³⁶ Be like people who are waiting for their master to return from a wedding. As soon as he arrives and knocks, they will open the door for him.

³⁰ The day when the Son of Man is revealed will be like that.

¹⁹ For the creation is eagerly awaiting the revelation of God’s children,

⁵ Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

¹³ How were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I did not bother you for help? Forgive me for this wrong!

²⁰ Our citizenship, however, is in heaven, and it is from there that we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

⁴ When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you, too, will be revealed with him in glory.

¹⁰ and to wait for his Son whom he raised from the dead to come back from heaven. This Jesus is the one who rescues us from the coming wrath.

⁷ and to give us who are afflicted relief when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

¹⁴ to keep these commands stainlessly and blamelessly until the appearance of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. ¹⁵ At the right time, he will make him known. God is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

⁸ The victor’s crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing.

¹³ as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

²⁸ so the Messiah was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly wait for him.

³⁶ For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will you can receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For “in a very little while the one who is coming will return— he will not delay;

⁷ Be PatientSo be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious crop from his land, being patient with it until it receives the fall and the spring rains. ⁸ You, too, must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near.

¹³ Be HolyTherefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.

¹³ Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah, keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the victor’s crown of glory that will never fade away.

¹² as you look forward to and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire.

² Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

²¹ Remain in God’s love as you look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, which brings eternal life.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.

²⁸ Indeed, the LORD loves justice, and he will not abandon his godly ones. They are kept safe forever, but the lawless will be chased away, and the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

²⁴ Because just as lightning flashes and shines from one end of the sky to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his time.

⁴ Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

²⁵ Final DoxologyNow to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago

⁵ turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

¹⁴ just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

²¹ Now the one who makes us—and you as well—secure in union with the Messiah and has anointed us is God,

²⁷ and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault.

⁶ I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah Jesus.

¹⁰ so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah returns,

¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and innocent, God’s children without any faults among a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. Then I will be proud when the Messiah returns that I did not run in vain or work hard in vain.

²² he has now reconciled by the death of his physical body, so that he may present you holy, blameless, and without fault before him.

¹³ Then your hearts will be strong, blameless, and holy in the presence of God, who is our Father, when our Lord Jesus appears with all his saints.

²³ Final GreetingMay the God of peace himself make you holy in every way. And may your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—remain blameless when our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, appears. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will continue to be faithful.

³ But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you by the Messiah Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you.

¹⁰ But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to have the Lord find you at peace and without spot or fault.

²⁴ Final PrayerNow to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and for all eternity! Amen.

¹⁹ God is not a human male— he doesn’t lie, nor is he a human being— he never vacillates. Once he speaks up, he’s going to act, isn’t he? Once he makes a promise, he’ll fulfill it, won’t he?

⁹ Know that the LORD your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands.

⁴ Flawless is the work of the Rock, because all his ways are just. A faithful God—never unjust— righteous and upright is he.

³³ But I will not cut off my gracious love from him, and I will not stop being faithful. ³⁴ I will not dishonor my covenant, because I will not change what I have spoken. ³⁵ I have sworn by my holiness once for all: I will not lie to David.

⁵ for the LORD is good and his gracious love stands forever. His faithfulness remains from generation to generation.

⁵ Righteousness will be the sash around his loins, and faithfulness the belt around his waist.”

¹ Praise to the Victorious God LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for you have done marvelous things, plans made long ago in faithfulness and truth.

⁷ “This is what my Lord says— the LORD your Redeemer, O Israel, and his Holy One— to one despised by people, to those abhorred as a nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings see and arise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, the one who has chosen you.”

²² Because of the LORD’s gracious love we are not consumed, since his compassions never end. ²³ They are new every morning— great is your faithfulness!

³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”

⁴ “Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

²¹ so that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.

³⁰ And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

²⁴ including us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but from the gentiles as well?

¹⁷ Now if some of the branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree,

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.

¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless is our fellowship in the blood of the Messiah, isn’t it? The bread that we break is our fellowship in the body of the Messiah, isn’t it?

¹⁸ As certainly as God is faithful, we haven’t talked to you with mixed messages like that.

¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased

²⁰ I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah Jesus himself being the cornerstone. ²¹ In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. ²² You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.

⁶ The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

²⁴ Paul’s Service in the ChurchNow I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah’s sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

¹² We comforted and encouraged you, urging you to live in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

¹⁴ With this purpose in mind, he called you through our proclamation of the gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

² which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.

¹⁷ thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.

¹ The Messiah is Superior to MosesTherefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

¹⁴ because we are the Messiah’s partners only if we hold on to our original confidence to the end.

¹⁸ so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us.

²³ Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful.

¹¹ By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful.

³ What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah.

⁷ But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

¹³ This is how we know that we abide in him and he in us: he has given us his Spirit.

¹¹ The Vision of the Coming of the MessiahThen I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse! Its rider is named Faithful and True. He administers justice and wages war righteously.

¹ A Davidic Song of Ascents
The Significance of Unity Look how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

³⁹ I’ll give them one heart and one lifestyle so they’ll fear me always for their own good and for the good of their descendants after them.

¹⁶ The Unshrunk Cloth
“No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.

²¹ The Unshrunk Cloth
“No one patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunk cloth. If he does, the patch pulls away from it—the new from the old—and a worse tear is made.

⁴³ So there was a division in the crowd because of him.

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees began to remark, “This man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.

¹⁹ Once again there was a division among the Jews because of what Jesus had been saying.

³⁴ I’m giving you a new commandment…to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

²³ I am in them, and you are in me. May they be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you have loved them as you loved me.

³² The Believers Share Their PossessionsNow all the believers were one in heart and soul, and nobody called any of his possessions his own. Instead, they shared everything they owned.

¹ Dedicate Your Lives to GodI therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

¹⁶ Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are.

⁵ Now may God, the source of endurance and encouragement, allow you to live in harmony with each other as you follow the Messiah Jesus, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you might glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

³⁰ Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and by the love that the Spirit produces, to join me in my struggle, earnestly praying to God for me

¹⁷ Final WarningNow I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements that oppose the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them,

¹⁶ So I urge you to imitate me.

¹⁸ For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

²⁵ so that there might be no disharmony in the body, but that its parts should have the same concern for each other.

²⁰ Therefore, we are the Messiah’s representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God!”

¹ Workers with GodSince, then, we are working with God, we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain.

¹ Paul’s Authority to Speak ForcefullyNow I myself, Paul, plead with you with the gentleness and kindness of the Messiah—I who am humble when I am face to face with you but forceful toward you when I am away!

¹¹ Final Greetings and BenedictionFinally, brothers, goodbye. Keep on growing to maturity. Keep listening to my appeals. Continue agreeing with each other and living in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Paul’s Concern for the GalatiansI beg you, brothers, to become like me, since I became like you. You did not do anything wrong to me.

¹ The Messiah’s Gifts to the ChurchI, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. ³ Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling. ⁵ There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.
⁷ Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah’s gift.

³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. ³² And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.

²⁷ Standing Firm in One SpiritThe only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Messiah. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you—that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

¹ Unity through HumilityTherefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy, ² then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind. ³ Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. ⁴ Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.

¹⁶ However, we should live up to what we have achieved so far.

¹ Instructions on the Way Christians Should LiveNow then, brothers, you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, as in fact you are doing. We ask and encourage you in the Lord to do so even more. ² You know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

¹³ Hold them in the highest regard, loving them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

¹ The Lawless OneNow we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and our gathering together to him,

²¹ With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.

¹ Complete the Task Entrusted to YouIn the presence of God and the Messiah Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you

⁹ I prefer to make my appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner of the Messiah Jesus, ¹⁰ appeal to you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.

¹³ Live WiselyWho among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. ¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.
¹⁷ However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace planted by peacemakers.

¹¹ Live as God’s ServantsDear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.

⁸ When You are WrongedFinally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. ⁹ Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.

⁴² Eventually, what Rebekah’s older son Esau had been saying was reported to her, so she sent for her younger son Jacob and warned him, “Look! Your brother is planning to get even by killing you.

² This is a record of Jacob’s descendants.
When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was helping his brothers tend their flocks. He was a young man at that time, as were the children of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. But Joseph would come back and tell his father that his brothers were doing bad things.

¹⁴ Abigail Intercedes with DavidNow, one of the young men told Nabal’s wife Abigail: “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ The men were very good to us. They didn’t harm us, and we didn’t miss anything all the time we moved around with them when we were in the field. ¹⁶ They were a wall around us both day and night, all the time we were with them taking care of the sheep. ¹⁷ Now, be aware of this and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He’s such a worthless person that no one can talk to him.”

¹⁰ Arrogance only brings quarreling, but those receiving advice are wise.

⁶ A fool’s words bring strife, and his mouth invites fighting.

³ That’s because you are still worldly. As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, you are worldly and living by human standards, aren’t you?

¹ Morality in Legal MattersWhen one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints? ² You know that the saints will rule the world, don’t you? And if the world is going to be ruled by you, can’t you handle insignificant cases? ³ You know that we will rule angels, not to mention things in this life, don’t you? ⁴ So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church? ⁵ I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers? ⁶ Instead, one brother goes to court against another brother, and before unbelieving judges, at that! ⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves is already a defeat for you. Why not rather just accept the wrong? Why not rather be cheated?

²⁰ I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other.

²⁰ idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions,

²⁶ Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another.

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining or arguing

⁴ he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions,

²³ Do not have anything to do with foolish and stupid discussions, because you know they breed arguments. ²⁴ A servant of the Lord must not argue. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, teachable, willing to suffer wrong, ²⁵ and gentle when refuting opponents. After all, maybe God will allow them to repent and to come to a full knowledge of the truth,

¹ Stop Fighting with Each OtherWhere do those fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your selfish desires that are at war in your bodies, don’t they? ² You want something but do not get it, so you commit murder. You covet something but cannot obtain it, so you quarrel and fight. You do not get things because you do not ask for them!

⁹ And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father, the one in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called ‘Teachers,’ because you have only one teacher, the Messiah!

⁴² He led Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him intently and said, “You are Simon, John’s son. You will be called Cephas!” (which is translated “Peter”).

²⁴ Apollos Preaches in EphesusMeanwhile, a Jew named Apollos arrived in Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man, and well versed in the Scriptures.

⁴ For when one person says, “I follow Paul,” and another person says, “I follow to Apollos,” you’re following your own human nature, aren’t you?
⁵ Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They’re merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing.

²¹ So let no one boast about human beings, since everything belongs to you, ²² whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, or the future—everything belongs to you, ²³ but you belong to the Messiah, and the Messiah belongs to God.

⁶ Fools for the Messiah’s SakeBrothers, I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what the Scriptures say. Then you will stop boasting about one person at the expense of another.

²⁹ This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

⁵ We have the right to take a believing wife with us like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas, don’t we?

⁵ and he was seen by Cephas, and then by the Twelve.

⁵⁰ Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay.

¹² Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not inclined to do so just now. However, he will visit you when the time is right.

⁶ Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

⁹ So when James, Cephas, and John (who were reputed to be leaders) recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised.

¹⁷ This is what I mean: The Law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified.

¹⁹ Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

³⁸ Peter answered them, “Every one of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.

¹⁶ Before this, he had not come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁴⁸ So Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah. Then they asked him to stay there for several days.

⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁵ so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

¹⁹ You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don’t you? You do not belong to yourselves, ²⁰ because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

² and they all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

¹⁴ The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. ¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

⁴ For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen.

⁷ not that another one really exists. To be sure, there are certain people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel about the Messiah.

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

¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

⁸ Now Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole family. Many Corinthians who heard Paul also believed and were baptized.

²³ Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.

⁴ You are RichI always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah Jesus.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in foreign languages more than all of you.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him.

²⁰ you will consistently give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah;

¹⁵ Let the peace of the Messiah also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful.

¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸ In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah Jesus.

¹² I thank the Messiah Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service.

⁴ Paul’s Prayer for PhilemonI always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers,

¹ Greetings from JohnFrom: The Elder
To: My dear friend Gaius, whom I genuinely love.
² Encouragement for GaiusDear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way and that you are healthy, just as your soul is healthy. ³ I was overjoyed when some brothers arrived and testified about your truthfulness and how you live according to the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

²⁸ You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ It is the bridegroom who gets the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend, who merely stands by and listens for him, is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That’s why this joy of mine is now complete.

¹⁸ The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise. But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is genuine, and there’s nothing false in him.

² I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah.

¹⁵ When she and her family were baptized, she urged us, “If you are convinced that I am a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she continued to insist that we do so.

³³ At that hour of the night, he took them and washed their wounds. Then he and his entire family were baptized immediately.

¹⁵ Now I urge you, brothers—for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints—

¹⁷ I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus came here, because what was lacking they have supplied through you.

² although it was not Jesus who did the baptizing but his disciples—

¹⁷ I’ll continue to rescue you from your people and from the gentiles to whom I’m sending you. ¹⁸ You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹ Preaching in the Power of GodWhen I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come and tell you about God’s secret with rhetorical language or wisdom.

⁴ My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.

¹³ We don’t speak about these things with words taught us by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual things to spiritual people.

² Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God’s word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

³ Of course, we are living in the world, but we do not wage war in a world-like way. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments

¹⁰ For someone is saying, “His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.”

⁶ Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

¹⁶ Pay Attention to God’s WordWhen we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, we did not follow any clever myths. Rather, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

² When the LORD extends your mighty scepter from Zion, rule in the midst of your enemies. ³ Your soldiers are willing volunteers on your day of battle; in majestic holiness, from the womb, from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.

⁴⁷ They were praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord was adding to their number those who were being saved.

⁴¹ ‘Look, you mockers! Be amazed and die! Since I am performing an action in your days, one that you would not believe even if someone told you!’”

¹⁸ Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, “What is this blabbermouth trying to say?” while others said, “He seems to be preaching about foreign gods.” This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

³² When they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began joking about it, while others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well.

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching.

²³ but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom. ²⁵ For God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

² For while I was with you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus the Messiah, and him crucified.

¹⁴ A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the things of God’s Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can’t understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God’s sight. For it is written, “He catches the wise with their own trickery,”

² and by which you are also being saved if you hold firmly to the message I proclaimed to you—unless, of course, your faith was worthless.

¹⁵ To God we are the aroma of the Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. ¹⁶ To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

³ So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying.

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments

¹² These people who want to impress others by their external appearance are trying to force you to be circumcised, simply to avoid being persecuted for the cross of the Messiah. ¹³ Why, not even those who are circumcised obey the Law! They simply want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your external appearance. ¹⁴ But may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!

⁵ for the gospel we brought did not come to you in words only, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Indeed, you know what kind of people we proved to be while we were with you, acting on your behalf.

¹⁰ and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them.

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.

¹² He frustrates the plans of the crafty; so that what they work for never succeeds. ¹³ He captures the wise in their own craftiness, bringing a quick end to their cunning advice.

³ The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage, and I will bring their plans to nothing. They will consult idols and spirits of the dead, and mediums and spiritists.

¹¹ A Rebuke to Egypt’s LeadersZoan’s princes are nothing but fools; the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I’m a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings”?

¹⁴ Therefore, watch out! “As for me, I will once again do amazing things with this people, wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the insights of their discerning men will stay hidden.”

⁹ The wise men will be put to shame. They’ll be dismayed and taken captive. Look, they have rejected the message from the LORD! So what kind of wisdom do they have?

³¹ Just then, someone told David, “Ahithophel is one of Absalom’s conspirators!”
So David prayed, “LORD, please turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

²³ Ahithophel Tries to Crush David’s SupportersNow Ahithophel’s advice that he provided at that time was being compared to one who inquired of God, so highly regarded was Ahithophel’s counsel by both David and Absalom.

¹⁴ Absalom and all of the Israelis replied, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than Ahithophel’s!”
Hushai Warns DavidBut the LORD had planned to circumvent the sound advice of Ahithophel so the LORD could bring Absalom to destruction.

²³ Ahithophel’s SuicideMeanwhile, when Ahithophel observed that his counsel was not being acted upon, he saddled his donkey, got up, and left for his hometown. Leaving behind a set of orders for his household, he hanged himself. After his death he was buried in his father’s tomb.

¹⁷ He leads counselors away naked; he turns judges into fools.

²⁰ He keeps reliable advisors from speaking, and removes discernment from elders.

²⁴ He withdraws understanding from national leaders of the world, causing them to wander through uncharted wilderness.

¹¹ A Rebuke to Egypt’s LeadersZoan’s princes are nothing but fools; the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I’m a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings”? ¹² Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you, let them make known what the LORD has planned against Egypt.

¹⁸ Your mind will ponder at that time of terror: ‘Where is the king’s accountant? Where is the one who weighed the revenue? Where is the officer who supervises the towers?’

²⁵ who frustrates the omens of idle talkers, and drives diviners mad, who turns back the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish;

¹ “Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

²² Though claiming to be wise, they became fools

¹⁹ For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject.”

⁶ God’s Spirit Reveals EverythingHowever, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.

²⁰ and said, “May the name of God be blessed forever and ever; wisdom and power are his for evermore.

²⁵ Jesus Praises the Father and Invites the Disciples to Come to Him
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants.

²¹ Jesus Praises the Father
At that moment, the Holy Spirit made Jesus extremely joyful, so Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ²² Though claiming to be wise, they became fools

²⁸ Furthermore, because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done.

³³ In Praise of God’s WaysO how deep are God’s riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways!

²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

¹⁰ He did this so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm

³⁸ The Sign of Jonah
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees told Jesus, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
³⁹ But he replied to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah,

¹ Interpreting the Time
When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² He replied to them, “You say, ‘Red sky at night, what a delight! ³ Red sky in the morning, cloudy and storming.’
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can’t interpret the signs of the times? ⁴ An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.

¹¹ Interpreting the Time
The Pharisees arrived and began arguing with Jesus. They tested him by demanding from him a sign from heaven.

¹⁶ Others, wanting to test Jesus, kept asking him for a sign from heaven.

²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the power of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

¹⁸ Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “What sign can you show us as authority for doing these things?”

²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to town. She told people,

¹⁸ Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some asked, “What is this blabbermouth trying to say?” while others said, “He seems to be preaching about foreign gods.” This was because Paul was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
¹⁹ Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus, and asked, “May we know what this new teaching of yours is? ²⁰ It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.

¹⁴ Then he will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel he’ll also be a stone with which someone strikes himself, a rock one stumbles over, a trap and a snare to those who live in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Many will stumble on them; They’ll fall and be broken; They’ll be snared and captured.

⁶ How blessed is anyone who is not offended by me!”

⁵⁷ And they were offended by him.
But Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown and in his own home.”

³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and told Mary, his mother, “This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. Also, he will be a sign that will be opposed.

⁴⁶ He told them, “This is how it is written: the Messiah was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

⁵³ So Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I’ll raise him to life on the last day, ⁵⁵ because my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the kind that your ancestors ate. They died, but the one who eats this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
⁶⁰ The Words of Eternal LifeWhen many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This is a difficult statement. Who can accept it?”
⁶¹ But Jesus, knowing within himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What if you saw the Son of Man going up to the place where he was before? ⁶³ It’s the Spirit who gives life; the flesh accomplishes nothing. The words that I’ve spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But there are some among you who don’t believe...”—because Jesus knew from the beginning those who weren’t believing, as well as the one who would betray him. ⁶⁵ So he said, “That’s why I told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by the Father.” ⁶⁶ As a result, many of his disciples turned back and no longer associated with him.

³² ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses became terrified and didn’t dare to look. ³³ Then the Lord told him, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I’ve heard their groans, and I’ve come down to rescue them. Now come, I’ll send you to Egypt.’ ³⁵ “This same Moses—whom they rejected by saying, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’—was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush.

³⁹ We are witnesses of everything Jesus did in the land of the Jews, including Jerusalem.
“They hung him on a tree and killed him, ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear— ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He also ordered us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that this is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify to this: everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

³² Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble. ³³ As it is written, “Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble— a large rock that will make them fall— and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed.”

¹⁸ The Messiah is God’s Power and WisdomFor the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something,

¹ Believers are Approved by GodYou foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified?

¹¹ As for me, brothers, if I am still preaching the necessity of circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.

¹⁴ But may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!

⁸ a stone they stumble over and a rock they trip on.”They keep on stumbling because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

¹ Wisdom Calls for an Audience Isn’t wisdom calling out; isn’t understanding raising her voice?

²² The Agelessness of Wisdom“The LORD made me as he began his planning, before his ancient activity commenced. ²³ From eternity I was appointed, from the beginning, from before there was land. ²⁴ When there were no ocean depths, I brought them to birth at a time when there were no springs. ²⁵ Before the mountains were shaped, before there were hills, I was bringing them to birth. ²⁶ Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world’s first grains of dust, ²⁷ when he crafted the heavens, I was there— when he marked out a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he made the clouds from above, when the springs of the depths were established, ²⁹ when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not exceed his limits, when he marked out the foundations of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was with him, his master craftsman— I was his delight daily, continuously rejoicing in his presence,

³⁵ Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and persecute others,’

⁴ and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit of holiness—Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.
²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

² To: God’s church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah—their Lord and ours.

⁹ Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

¹⁷ God Guides the People in the DesertWhen Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearer, because God had said, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.”

² “Tell the Israelis that they are to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it by the sea. ³ Pharaoh will say about the Israelis, ‘They’re wandering aimlessly in the land, and the desert has closed in on them.’ ⁴ I’ve made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so he will pursue them. But I’ll receive honor by means of Pharaoh and his army, so that the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelis did.

² The LORD told Joshua, “Look! I have given Jericho over to your control, along with its kings and valiant soldiers. ³ March around the city, all the soldiers circling the city once. Do this for six days, ⁴ with seven priests carrying in front of the ark seven trumpets made from rams’ horns. On the seventh day march around the city seven times while the priests blow their trumpets. ⁵ When they sound a long blast with the ram’s horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then the entire army is to cry out loud, the city wall will collapse, and then all of the soldiers are to charge straight ahead.”

² The LORD told Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you for me to drop Midian into their hands, because Israel would become arrogant and say, ‘It was my own abilities that delivered me.’ ³ That’s why you’re to ask in full view of the soldiers, “Whoever is afraid or is trembling may go back from Mount Gilead and return home.” So 22,000 soldiers left and 10,000 remained.
⁴ “There are still too many soldiers,” the LORD told Gideon. “Bring them down to the water and I’ll refine them for you there. Therefore when I say to you, ‘This one will be going with you,’ he’ll go with you, but no one may go about whom I tell you, ‘This one won’t be going with you.’”
⁵ So he brought his soldiers down to the water, and the LORD told Gideon, “You are to cull out everyone who laps up water with his tongue like a dog from everyone who kneels to drink.” ⁶ The contingent of soldiers who lapped water with their hands to their mouths numbered 300 men, but everyone else kneeled to drink water.
⁷ Then the LORD told Gideon, “I’m going to deliver you with the 300 soldiers who lapped by giving the Midianites into your control. Send everyone else back to their own homes.”
⁸ So the soldiers took provisions with them, along with their trumpets, and Gideon sent all the rest of the soldiers of Israel back to their own tents, but he retained the 300 men. And the Midian encampment was below him in the valley.

¹⁵ He happened upon a jawbone from a putrefying donkey, reached out to grab it, and killed 1,000 men with it. ¹⁶ Then Samson declared, “With a jawbone from the donkey— here a heap, there a pair of heaps— with the jawbone of the donkey I’ve killed 1,000 men.”

⁴⁰ He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the pouch in his shepherd’s bag. He approached the Philistine with his sling in his hand.
⁴¹ David Defeats GoliathWith a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome. ⁴³ The Philistine asked David, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his own gods and ⁴⁴ told David, “Come to me! I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field.”
⁴⁵ Then David told the Philistine, “You come at me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I’ll strike you down and remove your head from you. And this very day I’ll give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and this whole congregation will know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or spear. Indeed, the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hands.”
⁴⁸ When the Philistine got up and came closer to meet David, David quickly ran to the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David reached his hand into the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. ⁵⁰ David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone; he struck down the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David’s hand. ⁵¹ David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, killed him, and then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

¹⁴ “By whom?” Ahab asked.
“This is what the LORD says,” the prophet replied. “‘By the young men who serve as officials within the provinces.’”
“Who is to begin the battle?” Ahab asked.
“You,” the prophet answered.
¹⁵ So Ahab gathered together 232 young men who served as officials within the provinces and then mustered 7,000 soldiers from among the Israelis. ¹⁶ They attacked at noon, just as Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the battle pavilions, along with the 32 kings who had joined him. ¹⁷ The young men who served as officials within the provinces led the charge, and somebody informed Ben-hadad, “Some men have come out from Samaria.”
¹⁸ “Take them alive, whether they’ve come in peace or not,” he ordered.
¹⁹ Meanwhile, as the young men who served as officials within the provinces left the city, their army followed after them. ²⁰ Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans ran away with Israel in pursuit. King Ben-hadad of Aram escaped on horseback with the help of his cavalry. ²¹ The king of Israel went out and attacked the cavalry and chariots and killed the Arameans in a massive victory.
²² The prophet approached the king of Israel and told him, “Go replenish your forces and prepare for the future, because early this next year the king of Aram will attack you again.”

⁶ The LORD’s First Charge to ZerubbabelThen he replied to me, “This is this message from the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by valor nor by strength, but only by my Spirit,’ says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. ⁷ ‘Who are you, great mountain? You will become a plain in Zerubbabel’s presence, and he will position the capstone, exulting over it, “How beautiful! How beautiful!”’”

⁷ The LORD will deliver the tents of Judah first, so that neither the glory of the house of David nor the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem overshadows Judah. ⁸ At that time, the LORD will defend those who live in Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them at that time will be like David. The entire house of David will be like God—indeed, like the angel of the LORD in their midst!

³³ In Praise of God’s WaysO how deep are God’s riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! ³⁴ Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his adviser? ³⁵ Or who has given him something only to have him pay it back?” ³⁶ For all things are from him, by him, and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.

²⁷ But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. ²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, ²⁹ so that no one may boast in God’s presence.

⁴ Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God’s power. We are weak with him, but by God’s power we will live for you.

¹² I will keep a humble and gentle people among you, and they will trust in the name of the LORD.

²⁵ Jesus Praises the Father and Invites the Disciples to Come to Him
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this is what was pleasing to you.

³ I, too, have carefully investigated everything from the beginning and have decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

²⁴ Salvation and Reward
So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”

⁴⁶ So Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. Meanwhile, in Capernaum there was a government official whose son was ill. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him repeatedly to come down and heal his son, because he was about to die.
⁴⁸ Jesus told him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
⁴⁹ The official told him, “Sir, please come down before my little boy dies.”
⁵⁰ Jesus told him, “Go home. Your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus told him and started back home.
⁵¹ While he was on his way, his servants met him and told him that his child was alive. ⁵² So he asked them at what hour he had begun to recover, and they told him, “The fever left him yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon.”
⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the very hour when Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole family.

⁴⁷ Then the Pharisees replied to them, “You haven’t been deceived, too, have you? ⁴⁸ None of the authorities or Pharisees has believed in him, have they? ⁴⁹ But this mob that does not know the Law—they’re under a curse!”

³⁸ Jesus is Buried
Later on, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, and he came and removed his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus, the man who had first come to Jesus at night, also arrived, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about 100 litra.

⁷ He was associated with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. He sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.

¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the Lord’s teaching.

³⁴ Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.

²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn’t he?

³ It was in weakness, fear, and great trembling that I came to you. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
⁶ God’s Spirit Reveals EverythingHowever, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.

⁸ None of the rulers of this world understood it, because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

¹⁸ True WisdomLet no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of this world, he must become a fool to become really wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God’s sight. For it is written, “He catches the wise with their own trickery,”
²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless.”

²² All the saints, especially those of the emperor’s household, greet you.

⁹ A brother of humble means should rejoice in his having been exalted, ¹⁰ and a rich person in his having been humbled, because he will fade away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass. The flower in it drops off, and its beauty is gone. That is how the rich person will fade away in his pursuits.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not?

¹³ Live WiselyWho among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. ¹⁵ That kind of wisdom does not come from above. No, it is worldly, self-centered, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.
¹⁷ However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

¹ Greetings from JohnFrom: The Elder
To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, and not only I but also all who know the truth,

² Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have established strength on account of your adversaries, in order to silence the enemy and vengeful foe.

⁵ For he has made drunk the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low to the ground casting it down to the dust, ⁶ by the feet of the oppressed who trample it, by the footsteps of the needy.

¹⁹ The humble will again experience joy in the LORD, and the poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁸ Jesus Calls Four Fishermen
While Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” ²⁰ So at once they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ Going on from there he saw two other brothers—James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them, ²² they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

⁹ Jesus Calls Matthew
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s desk and told him, “Follow me.” So he got up and followed him.

¹⁶ and asked him, “Do you hear what these people are saying?”
Jesus told them, “Yes! Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have created praise’?”

³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd told Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to be quiet.”
⁴⁰ He replied, “I tell you, if they were quiet, the stones would cry out!”

¹⁵ because I will give you the ability to speak, along with wisdom, that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

¹¹ He is ‘the stone that was rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.’
¹² There is no salvation by anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.”
¹³ Now when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who was healed standing with them, they could not say anything against them. ¹⁵ So they ordered them to leave the Council and began to discuss the matter among themselves. ¹⁶ They said, “What should we do with these men? For it’s obvious to everybody living in Jerusalem that an unmistakable sign has been done by them, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to keep it from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name.”
¹⁸ So they called Peter and John back in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “You must decide whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, ²⁰ for we cannot stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard.”
²¹ So they threatened Peter and John even more and then let them go. They couldn’t find any way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened,

⁹ But some men who belonged to the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), as well as some Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and began to debate with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could neither refute the wisdom nor withstand the Spirit by which he kept speaking.

³⁵ “This same Moses—whom they rejected by saying, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’—was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush.

⁵⁴ Stephen is Stoned to DeathWhile they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him.

²⁴ Some days later, Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Jesus the Messiah. ²⁵ As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid and said, “For the present you may go. When I get a chance, I will send for you again.”

⁷ But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us.

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments ⁵ and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.

⁶³ Just as the LORD delighted to prosper and increase you, so now the LORD will delight to destroy, exterminate, and banish you from the land that you are about to enter to possess.”

¹⁹ Who isn’t partial to princes? Who doesn’t give preference to the nobles over the poor? Nevertheless, all of them are his handiwork. ²⁰ “They die suddenly, in the middle of the night; people suffer seizures and pass away; even valiant men can be taken away— and not by human hands.

²⁴ He shatters valiant men without a need to investigate, and he raises others in their place.

¹⁰ The wicked have many sorrows, but gracious love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.

³⁵ I once observed a wicked and oppressive person, flourishing like a green tree in native soil. ³⁶ But then he passed away; in fact, he simply was not there. When I looked for him, he could not be found.

¹¹ The haughty looks of mankind will be brought low, the lofty pride of human beings will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted at that time.

¹⁷ “Humanity’s haughtiness will be humbled, male arrogance will be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

¹³ The nations roar like the rushing of many waters, but the LORD will rebuke them, and they will run far away, chased like chaff blown down from the mountains or like thick dust that rolls along, blown along by a wind storm. ¹⁴ When the evening arrives, watch out—sudden terror! By morning they will be there no longer! So it will be for those who plunder us and what will happen to those who rob us.”

³⁶ Sennacherib is DefeatedAfter this, the angel of the LORD went out and put to death 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When Hezekiah’s army awakened in the morning—there were all the dead bodies!

¹² Those who quarrel with you will be as nothing; those who fight you like nothing at all!”

³⁴ “As you were watching, a rock was quarried—but not with human hands—and it struck the iron and clay feet of the statue, breaking them to pieces. ³⁵ Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together and became like chaff from a summer threshing floor that the breeze carries away without leaving a trace. Then the rock that struck the statue grew into a huge mountain and filled the entire earth.

⁴⁴ “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor its sovereignty left in the hands of another people. It will shatter and crush all of these kingdoms, and it will stand forever. ⁴⁵ Now, just as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands—and that it crushed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces—so also the great God has revealed to the king what will take place after this. Your dream will come true, and its meaning will prove trustworthy.”

¹⁷ As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations.” Abraham acted in faith when he stood in the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist.

¹¹ Concern for the CorinthiansI have become a fool. You forced me to be one. Really, I should have been commended by you, for I am not in any way inferior to your “super-apostles,” even if I am nothing.

¹⁷ because all this wealth has been destroyed in a single hour!”
Every ship’s captain, everyone who traveled by ship, sailors, and everyone who made a living from the sea stood far away.

⁶ those who put confidence in their wealth and boast about their great riches?

¹⁵ “Does the ax exalt itself over the one who swings it? Or does the saw magnify itself in opposition to the one who wields it? As if a rod were to wield those who lift it, or as if a club were to brandish the one who is not wood!

²³ True Wisdom and the Coming JudgmentThis is what the LORD says: “The wise man is not to boast in his wisdom; the strong man is not to boast in his strength; and the rich man is not to boast in his riches.

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

²⁷ What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith.

² For if Abraham was justified by actions, he would have had something to boast about—though not before God.

¹⁷ Therefore, in the Messiah Jesus I have the right to boast about my work for God.

³¹ Therefore, as it is written, “The person who boasts must boast in the Lord.”

⁷ For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

⁶ Your boasting is not good. You know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough, don’t you?

⁹ and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.

¹⁵ I will declare your righteousness and your salvation every day, though I do not fully understand what the outcome will be. ¹⁶ Lord GOD, I will come in the power of your mighty acts, remembering your righteousness—yours alone.

²⁰ The Benefits of Choosing WisdomWisdom cries out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares.

⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁵ Understand prudence, you naïve people; and gain an understanding heart, you foolish ones.

¹⁷ But Israel will be saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you won’t be put to shame or disgraced ever again.”

²⁴ One will say of me, ‘Only in the LORD are victories and might.’ All who raged against him will come to him and will be put to shame. ²⁵ In the LORD all the descendants of Israel will triumph and make their boast.”

¹⁷ no weapon that is forged against you will be effective. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their righteousness from me,” says the LORD.

⁵ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

¹⁶ At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people will call it, “The LORD is Our Righteousness.”’

²⁴ Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for lawlessness, to establish everlasting righteousness, to conclude vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

¹⁴ “From the power of Sheol I will rescue them, from death I will redeem them. Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? My eyes will remain closed to your pleas for compassion.

²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he is the one who will save his people from their sins.”

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.

¹² Jesus the Light of the WorldLater on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

¹ Jesus the True Vine “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vintner. ² He cuts off every branch that does not produce fruit in me, and he cuts back every branch that does produce fruit, so that it might produce more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of what I’ve spoken to you.
⁴ “Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up.

⁸ because the words that you gave me I passed on to them. They have received them and know for sure that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

²¹ so that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.
²² “I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are one. ²³ I am in them, and you are in me. May they be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you have loved them as you loved me.

²⁶ I made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me may be in them and I myself may be in them.”

¹⁷ For in the gospel God’s righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”

²¹ God Gives Us Righteousness through FaithBut now, apart from the Law, God’s righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets— ²² God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah— for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people, ²³ since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory. ²⁴ By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah Jesus,

⁶ Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from actions:

²⁵ He was sentenced to death because of our sins and raised to life to justify us.

¹⁹ For just as through one man’s disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man’s obedience many people will be made righteous.

²¹ so that, just as sin ruled by bringing death, so also grace might rule by bringing justification that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

¹ The Spirit Gives LifeTherefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with the Messiah Jesus.

⁹ You, however, are not under the control of the human nature but under the control of the Spirit, since God’s Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of the Messiah, he does not belong to him.

²³ However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

³⁶ For all things are from him, by him, and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.

⁵ In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah and individual parts connected to each other.

⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who are in prison with me and are prominent among the apostles. They belonged to the Messiah before I did.

¹¹ Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the family of Narcissus, who belong to the Lord.

¹¹ That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

¹⁸ But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan.

²⁷ Now you are the Messiah’s body and individual parts of it.

⁵⁴ Now, when what is decaying is clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying is clothed with what cannot die, then the written word will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up by victory!” ⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
⁵⁶ Now death’s stinger is sin, and sin’s power is the Law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Messiah!

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new!
¹⁸ All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ for through the Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are the Messiah’s representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God!” ²¹ God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.

² I know a man who belongs to the Messiah. Fourteen years ago—whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows—that man was snatched away to the third heaven.

⁴ He gave himself for our sins in order to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father.

¹³ The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴ Now those who belong to the Messiah Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.

³ The Many Blessings of SalvationBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! He has blessed us in the Messiah with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, ⁴ just as he chose us in the Messiah before the creation of the universe to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love

⁷ In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s grace

¹⁰ to usher in the fullness of the times and to bring together in the Messiah all things in heaven and on earth.

¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until God redeems his own possession for his praise and glory.

¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah fully. ¹⁸ Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence that is produced by God having called you, the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints,

¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece, created in the Messiah Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.

⁹ and help everyone see how this secret that has been at work was hidden for ages by God, who created all things. ¹⁰ He did this so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm

³⁰ Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.

⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes through the faithfulness of the Messiah, the righteousness that comes from God and that depends on faith.

¹⁴ through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

² Because they are united in love, I pray that their hearts may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of the full knowledge of the Messiah, who is the mystery of God. ³ In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁶ Let the word of the Messiah inhabit you richly with wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and singing to God with thankfulness in your hearts.

¹⁵ From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good action.

¹² Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he went into the Most Holy Place once for all and secured our eternal redemption.

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him.

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah.
To: Those who have received faith that is as valuable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

⁶ This man, Jesus the Messiah, is the one who came by water and blood—not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁹ They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered. With your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

⁴ They have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, and they follow the lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from among humanity as the first fruits for God and the lamb.

¹⁰ Find joy in his holy name; let the hearts of those who keep on seeking the LORD rejoice.

³⁵ Call out, “Save us, God, you who delivers us! Gather us and rescue us from the nations! We will thank your holy name and rejoice as we praise you!

³ Exult in his holy name; let all those who seek the LORD rejoice!

¹⁶ You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up, and a tempest will blow them away. Then you’ll rejoice in the LORD, and you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”

²⁵ In the LORD all the descendants of Israel will triumph and make their boast.”

² If you swear, ‘as surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations will be blessed by him, and in him they will boast.”

²³ True Wisdom and the Coming JudgmentThis is what the LORD says: “The wise man is not to boast in his wisdom; the strong man is not to boast in his strength; and the rich man is not to boast in his riches. ²⁴ Rather, let the one who boasts, boast in this: that he understands and knows me, for I am the LORD who acts with gracious love, justice, and righteousness in the land. I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

¹⁷ “The person who boasts should boast in the Lord.”

³ For it is we who are the circumcision—we who worship in the Spirit of God and find our joy in the Messiah Jesus. We have not placed any confidence in the flesh,