1 Timothy 3 Cross References - MSB

¹ This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not dependent on wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. ⁴ An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. ⁵ For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil. ⁸ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money. ⁹ They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things. ¹² A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household. ¹³ For those who have served well as deacons acquire for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these things ¹⁵ in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: God appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

³⁰ The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

²⁰ “For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’

²⁸ Therefore keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of the Lord and of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

¹³ I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry

¹² to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

¹ Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not dependent on wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. ⁴ An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. ⁵ For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.

⁹ This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.

¹¹ This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.

⁸ This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.

¹⁵ See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.

¹⁹ Brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, ²⁰ consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save (his) soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

²⁵ For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

¹⁵ Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;

¹⁰ Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.

⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

¹³ Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁵ so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

¹⁰ Additionally, they must first be tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ In the same way, the women must be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things.

³ They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

⁹ A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,

²⁴ And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

⁶ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination. ⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money. ⁸ Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.

² Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and perseverance.

¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.

² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

⁸ Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come.

¹⁵ Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” ¹⁶ And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.

³ But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.

²⁰ Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” ²² “Everything is all right,” Gehazi replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” ²³ But Naaman insisted, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they departed. ²⁵ When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you been?” “Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied. ²⁶ But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? ²⁷ Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!” And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.

¹⁹ Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.

²⁷ He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.

⁸ The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.

¹¹ Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine. ¹² At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.

¹ Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

⁷ These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

¹¹ Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain: ¹² “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

¹³ “For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.

¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.

²¹ No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.

¹¹ If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!

⁵ This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths:

¹¹ Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

¹⁰ “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

¹³ And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

⁴⁵ Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ ⁴⁹ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰ The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. ⁵¹ Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴² And the Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their portion at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

³⁴ But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. ³⁶ So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may be deemed worthy to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them and scatters the flock. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.

⁵ “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” ⁶ Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. ¹⁹ “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.

³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

¹⁸ For such people are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

⁸ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money.

¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. ¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

²⁴ And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. ²⁵ He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

¹¹ who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.

³ Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much wine, but teachers of good.

² to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

¹ What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

³ In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction will not sleep.

¹⁴ Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed. ¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

¹¹ Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.

⁹ I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus Christ.

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— ¹² cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ of cinnamon, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls of men.

¹⁹ For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

¹⁵ But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

² I will ponder the way that is blameless—when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with integrity of heart. ³ I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. ⁴ A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know nothing of evil. ⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure. ⁶ My eyes favor the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of integrity shall minister to me. ⁷ No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence. ⁸ Every morning I will remove all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD.

² He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

¹² A deacon must be the husband of but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own household.

⁶ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.

⁷ In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, incorruptibility,

²⁹ Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’ ³⁰ Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

¹³ I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

³² Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—

²² And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,

²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

³² This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.

¹⁵ in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁴ then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

²⁰ Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.

¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”

¹⁶ But when Uzziah grew powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

²⁵ But because his heart was proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ¹⁹ It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.

¹² Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

²³ A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

¹² For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations. ¹³ You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. ¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

¹⁸ So He told them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

¹ Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

⁶ Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to think beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. ⁷ For who makes you so 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? ⁸ Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you!

¹ Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

⁴ he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions,

⁴ traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

¹² Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow,

⁵ Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility, being subject to one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

⁶ And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.

²⁴ No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.

¹¹ He replied, “To know the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,

³ Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them

²² “Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

¹² There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,

¹² What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

³ We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.

²¹ We are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

⁵ Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.

¹² Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

²² Abstain from every form of evil.

¹⁴ So I advise the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the adversary occasion for slander.

²⁴ The sins of some men are obvious, going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not surface until later. ²⁵ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even the ones that are inconspicuous cannot remain hidden.

⁹ Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

²⁶ Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.

⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, managers of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be discredited.

⁸ and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Indeed, on their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. ¹⁵ Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God in this matter.

¹² Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

⁹ For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

² They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

¹⁹ You unleash your mouth for evil and unharness your tongue for deceit.

² Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.

³ Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them ⁴ and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

¹³ “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”

³ not dependent on wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.

²³ Stop drinking only water and use a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!

⁵ The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.

¹⁹ holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.

¹⁶ By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: God appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

⁹ Anyone who transgresses without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.

¹ In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

⁸ He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²² But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—

² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil.

¹³ For those who have served well as deacons acquire for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

²² Do not be too quick in the laying on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

⁶ An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination. ⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

⁷ A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.

¹³ The woman he marries must be a virgin. ¹⁴ He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, ¹⁵ so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”

³ who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

²⁰ You sit and malign your brother; you slander your own mother’s son.

⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

¹⁸ The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

¹³ Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.

⁴ “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

²² And they shall not marry a widow or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.

¹ Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”

⁶ So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

¹² And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.

² Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

⁵ But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁹ And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God.

⁴ An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. ⁵ For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?

²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

²¹ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

¹⁷ His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

⁸ Now Stephen, who was full of faith and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. ¹⁶ Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor of Shechem for a price he paid in silver. ¹⁷ As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. ¹⁸ Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose. ¹⁹ He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die. ²⁰ At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. ²¹ When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. ²² So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. ²³ When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. ²⁵ He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’ ²⁷ But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons. ³⁰ After forty years had passed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him: ³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look. ³³ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’ ³⁵ This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. ³⁶ He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. ³⁷ This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘The Lord our God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ ³⁸ He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. ³⁹ But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. ⁴⁰ They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ ⁴¹ At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands. ⁴² But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? ⁴³ You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Remphan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’ ⁴⁴ Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, ⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built the house for Him. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says: ⁴⁹ ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be? ⁵⁰ Has not My hand made all these things?’ ⁵¹ You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— ⁵³ you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”

³⁵ When Paul reached the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.

⁷ if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

¹⁵ You know that Stephanas and his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brothers,

¹⁴ And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

² As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.

¹ You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the labor of love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

¹⁰ As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

³⁴ If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.

⁵ After I go through Macedonia, however, I will come to you; for I will be going through Macedonia. ⁶ Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not want to see you now only in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

¹⁵ Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to have you help me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” when I really mean “No, no”?

¹⁸ Therefore we wanted to come to you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.

¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.

²² In the meantime, prepare a guest room for me, because I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you.

²³ Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

¹² I have many things to write to you, but I would prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

¹⁴ Instead, I hope to see you soon and speak with you face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send you greetings. Greet each of our friends there by name.

²⁶ For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?

²³ Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.”

¹⁰ He continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

³⁶ Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

² “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.

⁴ and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

⁴ Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”

¹³ Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

⁹ As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.” ¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat. ¹² The plans contained everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things, ¹³ for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD: ¹⁴ the weight of all the gold articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver articles for every kind of service; ¹⁵ the weight of the gold lampstands and their lamps, including the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table of showbread, and of silver for the silver tables; ¹⁷ the weight of the pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers; the weight of each gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl; ¹⁸ the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD. ¹⁹ “All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.” ²⁰ David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. ²¹ The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”

² My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

² My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

¹⁸ Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.

¹⁰ But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.

³⁶ But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.

²⁶ I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.

¹⁰ Yet the number of the Israelites will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted. And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

⁶⁹ We believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

³⁷ “Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”

² until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

² Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.

²⁶ and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”

³ It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

¹⁶ What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

⁹ And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.

¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you not to obey the truth? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified.

²¹ In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

²¹ Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—

⁵ the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

⁹ For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

⁵ For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?

¹⁰ To this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe.

¹⁶ He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

²⁰ A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use.

² He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. ³ For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ And every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. ⁵ Now Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to the end our confidence and the hope of which we boast.

¹² See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God.

¹⁴ how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify your consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

²² Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

² And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:

¹⁷ The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai. ¹⁸ You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁵ The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back. ⁶ I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. ⁷ Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.

⁵ Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

²³ “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and angels came and ministered to Him.

¹¹ He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

² Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone from the entrance, and sat on it.

¹³ and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.

⁵ When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

¹⁹ After the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: ¹¹ Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! ¹² And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men!”

³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”

⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.

⁴ While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

⁵¹ While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

³² Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him. ³³ I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

⁶² Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?

³ Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.

²⁶ When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.

⁸ And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me;

²⁸ I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”

⁵ And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

¹² and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

¹ In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, ² until the day He was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. ³ After His suffering, He presented Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ And while they were gathered together, He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ⁶ So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹ After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. ¹⁰ They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

¹⁹ This became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

³² God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses. ³³ Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand ³⁵ until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’ ³⁶ Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” ⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

²⁷ When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

³ regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

³ For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,

⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen.

¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,

¹⁸ But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

²⁵ Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past

⁷ No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.

⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

⁸ For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.

⁴ But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

⁹ And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴ In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of His promise in Christ. ⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power. ⁸ Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

⁸ This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.” ⁹ What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended first to the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

⁶ Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

⁶ that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

¹⁶ For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

² that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,

¹⁰ on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.

⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.

⁹ They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. ¹⁰ In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. ¹² He says: “I will proclaim Your name to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.” ¹³ And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”

⁷ And indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

¹ The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

²⁰ He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.

² And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

⁵ But you know that Christ appeared to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

⁶ This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify: ⁸ the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.

¹⁷ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever. Amen. And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

⁹ After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

⁵ And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

⁷ “Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.