Matthew 18 Cross References - Moffatt

¹ At that hour the disciples came and asked Jesus, "Who is greatest in the Realm of heaven?" ² So he called a child, set it among them, ³ and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like children, you will never get into the Realm of heaven at all. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Realm of heaven; ⁵ and whoever receives a little child like this for my sake, receives me. ⁶ But whoever is a hindrance to one of these little ones who believe in me, better for him to have a great mill-stone hung round his neck and be sunk in the deep sea. ⁷ Woe to the world for hindrances! Hindrances have to come, but — woe to the man by whom the hindrance does come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot is a hindrance to you, cut it off and throw it away; better be maimed or crippled and get into Life, than keep both feet or hands and be thrown into the everlasting fire. ⁹ If your eye is a hindrance to you, tear it out and throw it away; better get into Life with one eye than keep your two eyes and be thrown into the fire of Gehenna. ¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven. ¹¹ — - ¹² Tell me, if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, will he not leave the ninety-nine sheep on the hills and go in search of the one that has strayed? ¹³ And if he happens to find it, I tell you he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should be lost. ¹⁵ If your brother sins [against you], go and reprove him, as between you and him alone. If he listens to you, then you have won your brother over; ¹⁶ but if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every case may be decided on the evidence of two or of three witnesses. ¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church; and if he refuses to listen to the church, treat him as a pagan or a taxgatherer. ¹⁸ I tell you truly, Whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. ¹⁹ I tell you another thing: if two of you agree on earth about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three have gathered in my name, I am there among them." ²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often is my brother to sin against me and be forgiven? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "Seven times? I say, seventy times seven! ²³ That is why the Realm of heaven may be compared to a king who resolved to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began the settlement, a debtor was brought in who owed him three million pounds; ²⁵ as he was unable to pay, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he had, in payment of the sum. ²⁶ So the servant fell down and prayed him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you it all.' ²⁷ And out of pity for that servant his master released him and discharged his debt. ²⁸ But as that servant went away, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him twenty pounds, and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay your debt!' ²⁹ So his fellow-servant fell down and implored him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' ³⁰ But he refused; he went and had him thrown into prison, till he should pay the debt. ³¹ Now when his fellow-servants saw what had happened they were greatly distressed, and they went and explained to their master all that had happened. ³² Then his master summoned him and said, 'You scoundrel of a servant! I discharged all that debt for you, because you implored me. ³³ Ought you not to have had mercy on your fellow-servant, as I had on you?' ³⁴ And in hot anger his master handed him over to the torturers, till he should pay him all the debt. ³⁵ My heavenly Father will do the same to you unless you each forgive your brother from the heart."

²⁰ but after he had planned this, there appeared an angel of the Lord to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife home, for what is begotten in her comes from the holy Spirit.

¹³ After they had gone, there appeared an angel of the Lord to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt; stay there till I tell you. For Herod is going to search for the child and destroy him."

¹⁹ But when Herod died, there appeared an angel of the Lord in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

² "Repent, the Reign of heaven is near."

¹⁶ So your light is to shine before men, that they may see the good you do and glorify your Father in heaven.

¹⁸ (I tell you truly, till heaven and earth pass away not an iota, not a comma, will pass from the Law until it is all in force. ¹⁹ Therefore whoever relaxes a single one of these commands, were it even one of the least, and teaches men so, he will be ranked least in the Realm of heaven; but whoever obeys them and teaches them, he will be ranked great in the Realm of heaven.) ²⁰ For I tell you, unless your goodness excels that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Realm of heaven.

²⁰ For I tell you, unless your goodness excels that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Realm of heaven.

²² whoever maligns his brother must come before the San hedrin, whoever curses his brother must go to the fire of Gehenna.' But I tell you, whoever is angry with his brother [without cause] will be sentenced by God.

²⁴ leave your gift at the very altar and go away; first be reconciled to your brother, then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵ Be quick and make terms with your opponent, so long as you and he are on the way to court, in case he hands you over to the judge, and the judge to the jailer, and you are thrown into prison; ²⁶ truly I tell you, you will never get out till you pay the last halfpenny of your debt.

²⁹ If your right eye is a hindrance to you, pluck it out and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna.

²⁹ If your right eye is a hindrance to you, pluck it out and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna. ³⁰ And if your right hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off and throw it away: better for you to lose one of your members than to have all your body thrown into Gehenna.

⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven: he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love only those who love you, what reward do you get for that? do not the very taxgatherers do as much?

² When you give alms, make no flourish of trumpets like the hypocrites in the synagogues and the streets, so as to win applause from men; I tell you truly, they do get their reward.

⁵ Also, when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street-corners, so as to be seen by men; I tell you truly, they do get their reward.

⁷ Do not pray by idle rote like pagans, for they suppose they will be heard the more they say;

⁹ Let this be how you pray: 'our Father in heaven, thy name be revered,

¹¹ give us to-day our bread for the morrow, ¹² and forgive us our debts as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors,

¹² and forgive us our debts as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors,

¹⁴ For if you forgive men their trespasses, then your heavenly Father will forgive you; ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive men, your Father will not forgive your trespasses either. ¹⁶ When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they look woebegone to let men see they are fasting; I tell you truly, they do get their reward.

³² (pagans make all that their aim in life) for your heavenly Father knows quite well you need all that.

¹ Judge not, that you may not be judged yourselves; ² for as you judge so you will be judged, and the measure you deal out to others will be dealt out to yourselves.

⁷ Ask and the gift will be yours, seek and you will find, knock and the door will open to you;

²¹ It is not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord!', who will get into the Realm of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.

² A leper came up and knelt before him, saying, "If you only choose, sir, you can cleanse me";

¹² When Jesus heard it he said, "Those who are strong have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill. ¹³ Go and learn the meaning of this word, I care for mercy not for sacrifice. For I have not come to call just men but sinners."

⁶ rather make your way to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

⁴⁰ He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives Him who sent me. ⁴¹ He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet's reward; he who receives a good man because he is good, will receive a good man's reward. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, I tell you, he shall not lose his reward."

¹⁹ the Son of man has come eating and drinking, and men say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of taxgatherers and sinners!' Nevertheless, Wisdom is vindicated by all that she does."

¹¹ He said to them, "Is there a man of you with one sheep, who will not catch hold of it and lift it out of a pit on the sabbath, if it falls in?

²⁰ He will not break the bruised reed, he will not put out the smouldering flax, till he carries religion to victory:

¹⁵ For the heart of this people is obtuse, their ears are heavy of hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and turn again, and I cure them.

²⁴ He put another parable before them. "The Realm of heaven," he said, "is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

³¹ He put another parable before them. "The Realm of heaven," he said, "is like a grain of mustard-seed which a man takes and sows in his field.

³³ He told them another parable. "The Realm of heaven," he said, "is like dough which a woman took and buried in three pecks of flour, till all of it was leavened."

⁴¹ the Son of man will despatch his angels, and they will gather out of his Realm all who are hindrances and who practise iniquity, ⁴² and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will wail and gnash their teeth.

⁴⁴ The Realm of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field; the man who finds it hides it and in his delight goes and sells all he possesses and buys that field. ⁴⁵ Again, the Realm of heaven is like a trader in search of fine pearls;

⁴⁷ Again, the Realm of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and collected fish of every sort.

⁵² So he said to them, "Well then, every scribe who has become a disciple of the Realm of heaven is like a householder who produces what is new and what is old from his stores."

³ For Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, ⁴ since John had told him, "You have no right to her."

²⁴ He replied, "It was only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that I was sent."

³⁰ And large crowds came to him bringing the lame, and the blind, the dumb, the maimed, and many others; they laid them at his feet, and he healed them. ³¹ This made the crowd wonder, to see dumb people speaking, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.

¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the Realm of heaven; whatever you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

²⁶ What profit will it be if a man gains the whole world and forfeits his own soul? What will a man offer as an equivalent for his soul?

¹ At that hour the disciples came and asked Jesus, "Who is greatest in the Realm of heaven?"

⁶ But whoever is a hindrance to one of these little ones who believe in me, better for him to have a great mill-stone hung round his neck and be sunk in the deep sea.

⁸ If your hand or your foot is a hindrance to you, cut it off and throw it away; better be maimed or crippled and get into Life, than keep both feet or hands and be thrown into the everlasting fire.

¹⁰ See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.

¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should be lost. ¹⁵ If your brother sins [against you], go and reprove him, as between you and him alone. If he listens to you, then you have won your brother over;

²⁶ So the servant fell down and prayed him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you it all.'

²⁹ So his fellow-servant fell down and implored him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' ³⁰ But he refused; he went and had him thrown into prison, till he should pay the debt.

³⁵ My heavenly Father will do the same to you unless you each forgive your brother from the heart."

¹³ Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray over them. The disciples checked the people, ¹⁴ but Jesus said to them, "Let the children alone, do not stop them from coming to me: the Realm of heaven belongs to such as these."

¹⁴ but Jesus said to them, "Let the children alone, do not stop them from coming to me: the Realm of heaven belongs to such as these."

¹⁷ He said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One alone is good. But if you want to get into Life, keep the commands."

²³ And Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you truly, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into the Realm of heaven.

²³ And Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you truly, it will be difficult for a rich man to get into the Realm of heaven. ²⁴ I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the Realm of God."

² and after agreeing with the labourers to pay them a shilling a day he sent them into his vineyard.

²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedaeus came up to him with her sons, praying him for a favour. ²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said, "Give orders that my two sons are to sit at your right hand and at your left in your Realm." ²² Jesus replied, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." ²³ "You shall drink my cup," said Jesus, "but it is not for me to grant seats at my right hand and at my left; these belong to the men for whom they have been destined by my Father." ²⁴ When the ten heard of this, they were angry at the two brothers, ²⁵ but Jesus called them and said, "You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men overbear them: ²⁶ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

²⁶ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of man has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

²² All that ever you ask in prayer you shall have, if you believe."

²⁸ Tell me what you think. A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard to-day';

³¹ Which of the two did the will of the father?" They said, "The last." Jesus said to them, "I tell you truly, the taxgatherers and harlots are going into the Realm of God before you. ³² For John showed you the way to be good and you would not believe him; the taxgatherers and harlots believed him, and even though you saw that, you would not change your mind afterwards and believe him.

⁴² "Tell me," he said, "what you think about the Christ. Whose son is he?" They said to him, "David's."

¹¹ He who is greatest among you must be your servant.

¹¹ He who is greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be uplifted. ¹³ Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. ¹⁴ — - ¹⁵ Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed you make him a son of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves. ¹⁶ Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' ¹⁷ You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' ¹⁹ You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; ²¹ he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; ²² he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. ²³ Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised — without omit ting the former. ²⁴ Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! ²⁵ Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. ²⁷ Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. ²⁸ So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

³¹ He will despatch his angels with a loud trumpet call to muster his elect from the four winds, from the verge of heaven to the verge of earth.

¹ Then shall the Realm of heaven be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride.

¹⁴ For the case is that of a man going abroad, who summoned his servants and handed over his property to them;

¹⁹ Now a long time afterwards the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ Then the servant who had got the twelve hundred pounds came forward, bringing twelve hundred more; he said, 'You handed me twelve hundred pounds, sir; here I have gained another twelve hundred.' ²¹ His master said to him, 'Capital, you excellent and trusty servant! You have been trusty in charge of a small sum: I will put you in charge of a large sum. Come and share your master's feast.' ²² Then the servant with the five hundred pounds came forward. He said, 'You handed me five hundred pounds, sir; here I have gained another five hundred.' ²³ His master said to him, 'Capital, you excellent and trusty servant! You have been trusty in charge of a small sum: I will put you in charge of a large sum. Come and share your master's feast.' ²⁴ Then the servant who had got the two hundred and fifty pounds came forward. He said, 'I knew you were a hard man, sir, reaping where you never sowed and gathering where you never winnowed. ²⁵ So I was afraid; I went and hid your two hundred and fifty pounds in the earth. There's your money!' ²⁶ His master said to him in reply, 'You rascal, you idle servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I have never sowed and gather where I have never winnowed!

²⁶ His master said to him in reply, 'You rascal, you idle servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I have never sowed and gather where I have never winnowed! ²⁷ Well then, you should have handed my money to the bankers and I would have got my capital with interest when I came back. ²⁸ Take therefore the two hundred and fifty pounds away from him, give it to the servant who had the twelve hundred. ²⁹ For to everyone who has shall more be given and richly given; but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken. ³⁰ Throw the good-for-nothing servant into the darkness outside; there men will wail and gnash their teeth.

⁴⁰ The King will answer them, 'I tell you truly, in so far as you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even to the least of them, you did it to me.' ⁴¹ Then he will say to those on the left, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, 'I tell you truly, in so far as you did not do it to one of these, even the least of them, you did not do it to me.' ⁴⁶ So they shall depart to eternal punishment, and the just to eternal life."

²⁴ The Son of man goes the road that the scripture has described for him, but woe to the man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better that man had never been born!"

²⁰ and teach them to obey all the commands I have laid on you. And I will be with you all the time, to the very end of the world."

⁵ Then glancing round him in anger and vexation at their obstinacy he told the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was quite restored.

¹² so that for all their seeing they may not perceive, and for all their hearing they may not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven."

³³ Then they reached Capharnahum. And when he was indoors he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴ They said nothing, for on the road they had been disputing about which of them was the greatest. ³⁵ So he sat down and called the twelve. "If anyone wants to be first," he said to them, "he must be last of all and the servant of all." ³⁶ Then he took a little child, set it among them, and putting his arms round it said to them, ³⁷ "Whoever receives one of these little ones in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me but him who sent me."

³⁷ "Whoever receives one of these little ones in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me but him who sent me."

⁴¹ Whoever gives you a cup of water because you belong to Christ, I tell you truly, he shall not miss his reward. ⁴² And whoever is a hindrance to one of these little ones who believe, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung round his neck and be thrown into the sea. ⁴³ If your hand is a hindrance to you, cut it off: better be maimed and get into Life, than keep your two hands and go to Gehenna, to the fire that is never quenched. ⁴⁴ -- ⁴⁵ If your foot is a hindrance to you, cut it off: better get into Life a cripple, than keep your two feet and be thrown into Gehenna. ⁴⁶ -- ⁴⁷ If your eye is a hindrance to you, tear it out: better get into God's Realm with one eye, than keep your two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna,

⁴⁷ If your eye is a hindrance to you, tear it out: better get into God's Realm with one eye, than keep your two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna, ⁴⁸ where their worm never dies and the fire is never put out. ⁴⁹ Everyone has to be consecrated by the fire of the discipline.

¹⁴ but Jesus was angry when he saw this, and he said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not stop them: the Realm of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ I tell you truly, whoever will not submit to the Reign of God like a child will never get into it at all."

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedaeus, came up to him saying, "Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you." ³⁶ So he said, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³⁷ They said to him, "Give us seats, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your glory." ³⁸ Jesus said, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I have to drink, or undergo the baptism I have to undergo?" ³⁹ They said to him, "We can." Jesus said, "You shall drink the cup I have to drink and undergo the baptism I have to undergo; ⁴⁰ but it is not for me to grant seats at my right or my left hand — these belong to the men for whom they have been destined." ⁴¹ Now when the ten heard of this, they burst into anger at James and John; ⁴² so Jesus called them and said, "You know the so-called rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men overbear them: ⁴³ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

⁴³ not so with you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever of you wants to be first must be your slave; ⁴⁵ for the Son of man himself has not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

²⁴ So I tell you, whatever you pray for and ask, believe you have got it and you shall have it. ²⁵ Also, whenever you stand up to pray, if you have anything against anybody, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumours of war, do not be alarmed; these have to come, but it is not the end yet.

¹⁹ The angel replied, "I am Gabriel, I stand before God; I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

³⁵ No, you must love your enemies and help them, you must lend to them without expecting any return; then you will have a rich reward, you will be sons of the Most High for he is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, as your Father is merciful. ³⁷ Also, judge not, and you will not be judged yourselves: condemn not, and you will not be condemned: pardon, and you will be pardoned yourselves: ³⁸ give, and you will have ample measure given you — they will pour into your lap measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over; for the measure you deal out to others will be dealt back to yourselves."

⁴¹ "There was a moneylender who had two debtors; one owed him fifty pounds, the other five. ⁴² As they were unable to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him most?"

⁴² As they were unable to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him most?" ⁴³ "I suppose," said Simon, "the man who had most forgiven." "Quite right," he said.

²⁴ for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. ²⁵ What profit will it be for a man to gain the whole world and lose or forfeit himself?

⁴⁶ A dispute arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus knew the dispute that occupied their minds, so he took hold of a little child and set it by his side; ⁴⁸ then he said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For it is the lowliest of you all who is great."

⁴⁸ then he said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For it is the lowliest of you all who is great."

⁵⁶ Then they journeyed to another village.

¹⁶ He who listens to you listens to me, he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

³² Fear not, you little flock, for your Father is delighted to give you the Realm.

⁵⁸ Thus, when you go before the magistrate with your opponent, do your utmost to get quit of him on the way there, in case he hales you before the judge; then the judge will hand you over to the jailer and the jailer will throw you in prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will never get out till you pay the last farthing of your debt."

⁴ Or those eighteen men killed by the fall of the tower at Siloam? do you think they were worse offenders than the rest of the residents in Jerusalem?

²⁴ "Strive to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you many will try to get in and not be able,

¹¹ For everyone who uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted."

²¹ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house was enraged, and said to his servant, 'Quick, go out to the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame.'

²⁶ "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, aye and his own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine; ²⁷ whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me, he cannot be a disciple of mine.

³³ So with everyone of you who will not part with all his goods he cannot be a disciple of mine.

¹ Now the tax gatherers and sinners were all approaching him to listen to him,

⁴ "Which of you with a hundred sheep, if he loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one till he finds it? ⁵ When he finds it he puts it on his shoulders with joy,

⁵ When he finds it he puts it on his shoulders with joy, ⁶ and when he gets home he gathers his friends and neighbours: 'Rejoice with me,' he says to them, 'for I have found the sheep I lost.'

⁶ and when he gets home he gathers his friends and neighbours: 'Rejoice with me,' he says to them, 'for I have found the sheep I lost.' ⁷ So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent.

⁷ So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent. ⁸ Or again, suppose a woman has ten shillings. If she loses one of them, does she not light a lamp and scour the house and search carefully till she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it she gathers her women-friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the shilling I lost.' ¹⁰ So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."

²³ and bring the fatted calf, kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴ for my son here was dead and he has come to life, he was lost and he is found.' So they began to make merry.

²⁴ for my son here was dead and he has come to life, he was lost and he is found.' So they began to make merry.

³² We could not but make merry and rejoice, for your brother here was dead and has come to life again, he was lost but he has been found.' "

¹ He also said to the disciples: "There was a rich man who had a factor, and this factor, he found, was accused of misapplying his property. ² So he summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Hand in your accounts; you cannot be factor any longer.'

⁵ So he summoned every single one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much are you owing to my master?'

⁷ Then he asked another, 'And how much do you owe?' 'A hundred quarters of wheat,' he said. 'Here is your bill,' said the factor, 'just enter eighty.'

¹⁵ So he told them, "You are the people who get men to think you are good, but God knows what your hearts are! What is lofty in the view of man is loathsome in the eyes of God.

²² Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died too, and was buried.

²⁴ so he called out, 'Father Abraham, take pity on me, send Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in these flames.'

¹ To his disciples he said, "It is inevitable that hindrances should come, but woe to the man by whom they come;

¹ To his disciples he said, "It is inevitable that hindrances should come, but woe to the man by whom they come; ² it would be well for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and be flung into the sea, rather than prove a hindrance to one of these little ones! ³ Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins, check him, and if he repents forgive him. ⁴ Even if he sins against you seven times in one day and turns to you seven times saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed by himself as follows; 'I thank thee, O God, I am not like the rest of men, thieves, rogues, and immoral, or even like yon taxgatherer.

¹⁶ but Jesus called for the infants. "Let the children come to me," he said, "do not stop them: the Realm of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁷ I tell you truly, whoever will not submit to the Reign of God like a child will never get into it at all."

²² When Jesus heard this he said to him, "You lack one thing more; sell all you have, distribute the money among the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me." ²³ But when he heard that, he was vexed, for he was extremely rich.

² there was a man called Zacchaeus, the head of the taxgatherers, a wealthy man, ³ who tried to see what Jesus was like; but he could not, on account of the crowd — for he was small of stature.

¹⁰ For the Son of man has come to seek and save the lost."

¹² "A nobleman," he said, "went abroad to obtain royal power for himself and then return. ¹³ He first called his ten servants, giving them each a five-pound note, and telling them, 'Trade with this till I come back.' ¹⁴ Now his people hated him and sent envoys after him to say, 'We object to him having royal power over us.' ¹⁵ However he secured the royal power and came home. Then he ordered the servants to be called who had been given the money, that he might find out what business they had done. ¹⁶ The first came up saying, 'Your five pounds has made other fifty, sir.' ¹⁷ 'Capital,' he said, 'you excellent servant! because you have proved trustworthy in a trifle, you are placed over ten towns.' ¹⁸ Then the second came and said, 'Your five pounds has made twenty-five, sir.' ¹⁹ To him he said, 'And you are set over five towns.' ²⁰ Then the next came and said, 'Here is your five pounds, sir; I kept it safe in a napkin, ²¹ for I was afraid of you, you are such a hard man — picking up what you never put down, and reaping what you never sowed.' ²² He replied, 'You rascal of a servant, I will convict you by what you have said yourself. You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, picking up what I never put down, and reaping what I never sowed!

²² He replied, 'You rascal of a servant, I will convict you by what you have said yourself. You knew, did you, that I was a hard man, picking up what I never put down, and reaping what I never sowed! ²³ Why then did you not put my money into the bank, so that I could have got it with interest when I came back?' ²⁴ Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the five pounds from him and give it to the man with fifty.' ²⁵ 'Sir,' they said, 'he has fifty already!' ²⁶ 'I tell you, to everyone who has shall more be given, but from him who has nothing, even what he has shall be taken. ²⁷ And now for these enemies of mine who objected to me reigning over them — bring them here and slay them in my presence.' "

⁴¹ And when he saw the city, as he approached, he wept over it,

²⁴ A quarrel also rose among them as to which of them could be considered the greatest. ²⁵ But Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles rule over them, and their authorities take the name of 'Benefactor': ²⁶ not so with you. He who is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and he who is chief like a servant. ²⁷ Which is the greatest, guest or servant? Is it not the guest? But I am among you as a servant.

³² but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail. And you in turn must be a strength to your brothers."

⁵¹ He said to him, "Truly, truly I tell you all, you shall see heaven open wide and God's angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

³ Jesus replied, "Truly, truly I tell you, no one can see God's Realm unless he is born from above."

⁵ Jesus replied, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God's Realm.

¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to pass sentence on it, but to save the world by him.

³⁴ Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. ³⁵ You have a saying, have you not, 'Four months yet, then harvest'? Look round, I tell you; see, the fields are white for harvesting! ³⁶ The reaper is already getting his wages and harvesting for eternal life, so that the sower shares the reaper's joy.

³⁹ and the will of him who sent me is that I lose none of those who are his gift to me, but that I raise them all up on the last day. ⁴⁰ It is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should possess eternal life, and that I should raise him up on the last day."

¹⁷ Why, it is written in your own Law that the evidence of two persons is valid:

⁵⁸ "Truly, truly I tell you," said Jesus, "I have existed before Abraham was born."

¹⁰ The thief only comes to steal, to slay, and to destroy: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. ¹¹ I am the good shepherd; a good shepherd lays down his own life for the sheep. ¹² The hired man, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, deserts them when he sees the wolf coming; he runs away, leaving the wolf to tear and scatter them, ¹³ just because he is a hired man, who has no interest in the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me ¹⁵ (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father,) and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep, too, which do not belong to this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; so it will be one flock, one shepherd. ¹⁷ This is why my Father loves me, because I lay down my life to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, I lay it down of my own accord: I have power to lay it down and also power to take it up again; I have my Father's orders for this. ¹⁹ The Jews were again divided over these words. ²⁰ A number of them said, "He is mad. Why listen to him?" ²¹ Others said, "These are not a madman's words. Can a madman open the eyes of the blind?"

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them and they follow me; ²⁸ and I give them eternal life; they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father who gave me them is stronger than all, and no one can snatch anything out of the Father's hand. ³⁰ I and my Father are one — ."

⁴⁷ If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, it is not I who judge him; for I have not come to judge the world but to save the world.

²⁰ (Truly, truly I tell you, he who receives anyone I send receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me.)"

¹³ and I will do whatever you ask in my name, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; ¹⁴ I will do whatever you ask me in my name.

⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, then ask whatever you like and you shall have it.

¹⁶ You have not chosen me, it is I who have chosen you, appointing you to go and bear fruit — fruit that lasts, so that the Father may grant you whatever you ask in my name.

²³ And on that day you will not ask me any questions. Truly, truly I tell you, whatever you ask the Father, he will give you in my name;

¹² When I was with them, I kept them by the power of thy Name which thou hast given me; I guarded them, and not one of them perished — only the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled.

¹⁹ On the evening of that same day — the first day of the week — though the disciples had gathered within closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus entered and stood among them, saying, "Peace be with you!"

²³ If you remit the sins of any, they are remitted: if you retain them, they are retained."

²⁶ Eight days afterwards his disciples were together again, and Thomas with them. Though the doors were closed, Jesus entered and stood among them, saying, "Peace be with you!"

¹⁵ Then after breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than the others do?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then feed my lambs," said Jesus.

¹⁴ All these men resorted with one mind to prayer, together with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

¹⁶ "My brothers," said he, "it had to be fulfilled, that scripture which the holy Spirit uttered beforehand by the lips of David with regard to Judas who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.

¹⁸ With the money paid him for his crime he purchased an estate; but swelling up he burst in two, and all his bowels poured out — ¹⁹ a fact which became known to all the residents in Jerusalem, so that the estate got the name, in their language, of Akeldamach or The Ground of Blood. ²⁰ Now it is written in the book of psalms, Desolate be his residence, may no one dwell in it: also, let another man take over his charge.

¹ During the course of the day of Pentecost they were all together, ² when suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a violent blast of wind, which filled the whole house where they were seated.

¹⁹ Repent then, and turn to have your sins blotted out, so that a breathing-space may be vouchsafed you,

²⁴ and on hearing this the entire company raised their cry to God, "O Sovereign Lord, thou art he who made heaven, earth, and sea, and all that in them is, ²⁵ who said to our fathers by the holy Spirit through the lips of thy servant David, Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples vainly conspire? ²⁶ The kings of the earth stood ready, the rulers mustered together against the Lord and his Christ. ²⁷ In this very city they actually mustered against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst consecrate — Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ mustering to carry out what thy hand had traced, thy purpose had decreed. ²⁹ So now, O Lord, consider the threats of these men, and grant that thy servants may be perfectly fearless in speaking thy word, ³⁰ when thy hand is stretched out to heal and to perform miracles and wonders by the name of thy holy Servant Jesus." ³¹ At their prayer the place of meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the holy Spirit, speaking God's word fearlessly;

¹⁹ but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying,

¹ During these days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists began to complain against the Hebrews, on the ground that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the twelve summoned the main body of the disciples and said: "It is not desirable that we should drop preaching the word of God and attend to meals. ³ Brothers, look out seven of your own number, men of good reputation who are full of the Spirit and of wisdom. We will appoint them to this duty, ⁴ but we will continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word."

⁵ "Who are you?" he asked. "I am Jesus," he said, "and you persecute me.

³ About three o'clock in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, "Cornelius."

⁵ So Peter was closely guarded in prison, while earnest prayer for him was offered to God by the church.

⁷ But an angel of the Lord flashed on him, and a light shone in the cell; striking Peter on the side he woke him, saying, "Quick, get up!" The fetters dropped from his hands, ⁸ and the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." He did so. Then said the angel, "Put on your coat and follow me." ⁹ And he followed him out, not realizing that what the angel did was real, but imagining that he saw a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first guard and the second they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of its own accord; they passed out, and after they had gone through one street, the angel immediately left him. ¹¹ Then Peter came to his senses and said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating."

¹⁵ "You are mad," they said. But she insisted it was true. "It is his angel," they said.

²³ and in a moment an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given due glory to God; he was eaten up by worms and so expired.

²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to hold by the faith, and telling them that "we have to get into the Realm of God through many a trouble."

⁶ The apostles and the presbyters met to investigate this question, ⁷ and a keen controversy sprang up; but Peter rose and said to them, "Brothers, you are well aware that from the earliest days God chose that of you all I should be the one by whom the Gentiles were to hear the word of the gospel and believe it.

²³ They conveyed the following letter. "The apostles and the presbyters of the brotherhood to the brothers who belong to the Gentiles throughout Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: greeting. ²⁴ Having learned that some of our number, quite unauthorized by us, have unsettled you with their teaching and upset your souls, ²⁵ we have decided unanimously to select some of our number and send them to you along with our beloved Paul and Barnabas ²⁶ who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ We therefore send Judas and Silas with the following message, which they will also give to you orally. ²⁸ The holy Spirit and we have decided not to impose any extra burden on you, apart from these essential requirements: ²⁹ abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye." ³⁰ When the messengers were despatched, they went down to Antioch and after gathering the whole body they handed them the letter. ³¹ On reading it the people rejoiced at the encouragement it brought;

²³ For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve, stood before me,

²⁷ For the heart at this people is obtuse, their ears are heavy at hearing, their eyes they have closed, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they understand with their heart and turn again, and I cure them.

²³ You pride yourself on the Law; do you dishonour God by your breaches of the Law? ²⁴ Why, it is owing to you that the name of God is maligned among the Gentiles, as scripture says!

¹⁹ Whatever the Law says, we know, it says to those who are inside the Law, that every mouth may be shut and all the world made answerable to God;

²⁸ We know also that those who love God, those who have been called in terms of his purpose, have his aid and interest in everything. ²⁹ For he decreed of old that those whom he predestined should share the likeness of his Son — that he might be the firstborn of a great brotherhood. ³⁰ Then he calls those whom he has thus decreed; then he justifies those whom he has called; then he glorifies those whom he has justified. ³¹ Now what follows from all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² The God who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, surely He will give us everything besides! ³³ Who is to accuse the elect of God? When God acquits, ³⁴ who shall condemn? Will Christ? — the Christ who died, yes and rose from the dead! the Christ who is at God's right hand, who actually pleads for us! ³⁵ What can ever part us from Christ's love? Can anguish or calamity or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or the sword? ³⁶ (Because, as it is written, For thy sake we are being killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.) ³⁷ No, in all this we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am certain neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, ³⁹ no powers of the Height or of the Depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to part us from God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹ I am telling the truth in Christ — it is no lie, my conscience bears me out in the holy Spirit ² when I say that I am in sore pain. I suffer endless anguish of heart. ³ I could have wished myself accursed and banished from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my natural kinsmen;

³ They would not surrender to the righteousness of God, because they were ignorant of his righteousness and therefore essayed to set up a righteousness of their own.

¹⁰ Put affection into your love for the brotherhood; be forward to honour one another;

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

²¹ Do not let evil get the better of you; get the better of evil by doing good.

¹² It is far on in the night, the day is almost here; so let us drop the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of the light;

¹ Welcome a man of weak faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his scruples. ² While one man has enough confidence to eat any food, the man of weak faith only eats vegetables. ³ The eater must not look down upon the non-eater, and the non-eater must not criticize the eater, for God has welcomed him.

¹⁰ So why do you criticize your brother? And you, why do you look down upon your brother? All of us have to stand before the tribunal of God —

¹² Each of us then will have to answer for himself to God. ¹³ So let us stop criticizing one another; rather make up your mind never to put any stumbling-block or hindrance in your brother's way. ¹⁴ I know, I am certain in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is in itself unclean; only, anything is unclean for a man who considers it unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother is being injured because you eat a certain food, then you are no longer living by the rule of love. Do not let that food of yours ruin the man for whom Christ died.

²¹ the right course is to abstain from flesh or wine or indeed anything that your brother feels to be a stumbling-block.

¹ We who are strong ought to bear the burdens that the weak make for themselves and us. We are not to please ourselves.

¹ We who are strong ought to bear the burdens that the weak make for themselves and us. We are not to please ourselves. ² Each of us must please his neighbour, doing him good by building up his faith. ³ Christ certainly did not please himself, but, as it is written, The reproaches of those who denounced Thee have fallen upon me. —

¹⁷ Brothers, I beg of you to keep your eye on those who stir up dissensions and put hindrances in your way, contrary to the doctrine which you have been taught. Avoid them. ¹⁸ Such creatures are no servants of Christ our Lord, they are slaves of their own base desires; with their plausible and pious talk they beguile the hearts of unsuspecting people. But surely not of you!

⁵ So do not criticize at all; the hour of reckoning has still to come, when the Lord will come to bring dark secrets to the light and to reveal life's inner aims and motives. Then each of us will get his meed of praise from God.

³ For my part, present with you in spirit though absent in body, I have already, as in your presence, passed sentence on such an offender as this, ⁴ by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ; I have met with you in spirit, and by the power of our Lord Jesus

⁴ by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ; I have met with you in spirit, and by the power of our Lord Jesus ⁵ I have consigned that individual to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, in order that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord Jesus.

⁹ In my letter I wrote that you were not to associate with the immoral.

⁶ instead of one brother going to law with another — and before unbelievers too! ⁷ Even to have law-suits with one another is in itself evidence of defeat. Why not rather let yourselves be wronged? Why not rather let yourselves be defrauded? ⁸ But instead of that you inflict wrong and practise frauds — and that upon members of the brotherhood!

⁸ Now mere food will not bring us any nearer to God; if we abstain we do not lose anything, and if we eat we do not gain anything. ⁹ But see that the exercise of your right does not prove any stumbling-block to the weak. ¹⁰ Suppose anyone sees you, a person of enlightened mind, reclining at meat inside an idol's temple; will that really 'fortify his weak conscience'? Will it not embolden him to violate his scruples of conscience by eating food that has been offered to idols? ¹¹ He is ruined, this weak man, ruined by your 'enlightened mind,' this brother for whose sake Christ died! ¹² By sinning against the brotherhood in this way and wounding their weaker consciences, you are sinning against Christ.

¹² By sinning against the brotherhood in this way and wounding their weaker consciences, you are sinning against Christ. ¹³ Therefore if food is any hindrance to my brother's welfare, sooner than injure him I will never eat flesh as long as I live, never!

¹⁹ Why, free as I am from all, I have made myself the slave of all, to win over as many as I could. ²⁰ To Jews I have become like a Jew, to win over Jews; to those under the Law I have become as one of themselves — though I am not under the Law myself — to win over those under the Law; ²¹ to those outside the Law I have become like one of themselves — though I am under Christ's law, not outside God's Law — to win over those outside the Law; ²² to the weak I have become as weak myself, to win over the weak. To all men I have become all things, to save some by all and every means.

¹⁵ I am speaking to sensible people; weigh my words for yourselves.

³² Put no stumbling-block in the way of Jews or Greeks or the church of God. ³³ Such is my own rule, to satisfy all men in all points, aiming not at my own advantage but at the advantage of the greater number — at their salvation.

¹⁹ There must be parties among you, if genuine Christians are to be recognized.

²² What! have you no houses to eat and drink in? Do you think you can show disrespect to the church of God and put the poor to shame? What can I say to you? Commend you? Not for this.

²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in the sphere of intelligence; in evil be mere infants, but be mature in your intelligence.

¹¹ So let no one disparage him. When he leaves to rejoin me, speed him cordially on his journey, for I am expecting him along with the other brothers.

⁶ This censure from the majority is severe enough for the individual in question, ⁷ so that instead of censuring you should now forgive him and comfort him, in case the man is overwhelmed by excessive remorse.

¹⁰ If you forgive the man, I forgive him too; anything I had to forgive him has been forgiven in the presence of Christ for your sakes,

¹⁰ for we have all to appear without disguise before the tribunal of Christ, each to be requited for what he has done with his body, well or ill. ¹¹ If I 'appeal to the interests of men,' then, it is with the fear of the Lord before my mind. What I am is plain to God without disguise, plain also, I trust, to your own conscience.

¹⁴ [Keep out of all incongruous ties with unbelievers. What have righteousness and iniquity in common, or how can light associate with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and Beliar, or what business has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What compact can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God — as God has said, I will dwell and move among them, I will be their God and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Therefore come away from them, separate, saith the Lord, touch not what is unclean; then I will receive you,

¹² So my letter was written to you, not on account of the offender nor for the sake of the injured party, but in order to let you realize before God how seriously you do care for me.

¹ I appeal to you myself by the gentleness and consideration of Christ — the Paul who is 'humble enough to your face when he is with you, but outspoken enough when he gets away from you.'

¹⁰ My opponent says, 'Paul's letters are weighty and telling, but his personality is weak and his delivery is beneath contempt.'

²¹ I am quite ashamed to say I was not equal to that sort of thing! But let them vaunt as they please, I am equal to them (mind, this is the role of a fool!).

¹ This will be my third visit to you: every case is to be decided on the evidence of two or of three witnesses.

¹³ no, although it was because of an illness (you know) that I preached the gospel to you on my former visit, ¹⁴ and though my flesh was a trial to you, you did not scoff at me nor spurn me, you welcomed me like an angel of God, like Christ Jesus. You congratulated yourselves.

¹⁴ and though my flesh was a trial to you, you did not scoff at me nor spurn me, you welcomed me like an angel of God, like Christ Jesus. You congratulated yourselves.

¹ Even if anyone is detected in some trespass, brothers, you are spiritual, you must set the offender right in a spirit of gentleness; let each of you look to himself, in case he too is tempted.

⁵ destining us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ. Such was the purpose of his will, ⁶ redounding to the praise of his glorious grace bestowed on us in the Beloved, ⁷ in whom we enjoy our redemption, the forgiveness of our trespasses, by the blood he shed.

¹⁷ Now in the Lord I insist and protest that you must give up living like pagans; for their purposes are futile, ¹⁸ their intelligence is darkened, they are estranged from the life of God by the ignorance which their dulness of heart has produced in them — ¹⁹ men who have recklessly abandoned themselves to sensuality, with a lust for the business of impurity in every shape and form.

²⁶ Be angry but do not sin; never let the sun set upon your exasperation,

³¹ Drop all bitter feeling and passion and anger and clamouring and insults, together with all malice; ³² be kind to each other, be tender-hearted, be generous to each other as God has been generous to you in Christ.

¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless enterprises of the darkness; rather expose them. ¹² One is indeed ashamed even to speak about what such men do in secret;

¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit with all manner of prayer and entreaty — be alive to that, attend to it unceasingly, interceding on behalf of all the saints ¹⁹ and on my behalf also, that I may be allowed to speak and open my lips in order to expound fully and freely that open secret of the gospel ²⁰ for the sake of which I am in custody as its envoy. Pray that I may have freedom to declare it as I should.

¹⁹ The outcome of all this, I know, will be my release, as you continue to pray for me, and as I am provided with the Spirit of Jesus Christ —

³ never acting for private ends or from vanity, but humbly considering each other the better man,

⁸ indeed I count anything a loss, compared to the supreme value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost everything (I count it all the veriest refuse) in order to gain Christ ⁹ and be found at death in him, possessing no legal righteousness of my own but the righteousness of faith in Christ, the divine righteousness that rests on faith.

¹³ forbear and forgive each other in any case of complaint; as Christ forgave you, so must you forgive.

¹ Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace and peace to you.

⁶ no one is to defraud or overreach his brother in this matter, for the Lord avenges all these sins, as we told you already in our solemn protest against them.

⁸ hence, he who disregards this, disregards not man but the God who gave you his holy Spirit.

⁶ since God considers it but just to repay with trouble those who trouble you, ⁷ and repay you who are troubled (as well as us) with rest and relief, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven together with the angels of his power ⁸ in flaming fire, to inflict punishment on those who ignore God, even on those who refuse obedience to the gospel of our Lord Jesus, ⁹ men who will pay the penalty of being destroyed eternally from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

³ Let nobody delude you into this belief, whatever he may say. It will not come till the Rebellion takes place first of all, with the revealing of the Lawless One, the doomed One, ⁴ the adversary who vaunts himself above and against every so-called god or object of worship, actually seating himself in the temple of God with the proclamation that he himself is God. ⁵ Do you not remember I used to tell you this when I was with you? ⁶ Well, you can recall now what it is that restrains him from being revealed before his appointed time. ⁷ For the secret force of lawlessness is at work already; only, it cannot be revealed till he who at present restrains it is removed. ⁸ Then shall the Lawless One be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his lips and quell by his appearing and arrival — ⁹ that One whose arrival is due to Satan's activity, with the full power, the miracles and portents, of falsehood, ¹⁰ and with the full deceitfulness of evil for those who are doomed to perish, since they refuse to love the Truth that would save them. ¹¹ Therefore God visits them with an active delusion, till they put faith in falsehood, ¹² so that all may be doomed who refuse faith in the Truth but delight in evil.

⁶ Brothers, we charge you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to shun any brother who is loafing, instead of following the rule you got from us.

¹⁴ Only, if anyone will not obey our orders in this letter, mark that man, do not associate with him — that will make him feel ashamed! ¹⁵ You are not to treat him as an enemy, but to put him under discipline, as a brother.

¹⁵ You are not to treat him as an enemy, but to put him under discipline, as a brother.

¹⁵ It is a sure word, it deserves all praise, that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"; and though I am the foremost of sinners,

⁸ Now I want the men to offer prayer at any meeting of the church; and let the hands they lift to heaven be holy — they must be free from anger and dissension.

¹ But in later days, the Spirit distinctly declares, certain people will rebel against the faith; they will listen to spirits of error and to the doctrines that daemons teach ² through plausible sophists who are seared in conscience — ³ men who prohibit marriage and insist on abstinence from foods which God created for believing men, who understand the Truth, to partake of with thanksgiving.

¹² Let no one slight you because you are a youth, but set the believers an example of speech, behaviour, love, faith, and purity.

¹⁴ So I prefer young widows to marry again, to bear children, to look after their households, and not to afford our opponents any chance of reviling us. ¹⁵ As it is, some widows have already turned after Satan. —

¹⁹ Never let any charge be brought against a presbyter, unless it is certified by two or three witnesses.

¹ Let all servants who are under the yoke of slavery remember that their masters are entitled to perfect respect — otherwise it will be a scandal to the Name of God and to our doctrine.

⁵ and constant friction between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the Truth. They imagine religion is a paying concern.

¹⁰ All I endure is for the sake of the elect, to let them obtain their share of the salvation of Christ Jesus and also of eternal glory.

¹ Mark this, there are hard times coming in the last days. ² For men will be selfish, fond of money, boastful, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreverent, ³ callous, relentless, scurrilous, dissolute, and savage; they will hate goodness, ⁴ they will be treacherous, reckless and conceited, preferring pleasure to God — ⁵ for though they keep up a form of religion, they will have nothing to do with it as a force. Avoid all such.

³ for the time will come when people will decline to be taught sound doctrine and will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies; ⁴ they will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths.

⁵ to be mistress of themselves, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands — otherwise it will be a scandal to the gospel.

⁸ let your words be sound and such that no exception can be taken to them, so that the opposite side may be confounded by finding nothing that they can say to our discredit.

² to our sister Apphia, to our fellow-soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house:

¹⁸ and if he has cheated you of any money or owes you any sum, put that down to my account. ¹⁹ This is in my own handwriting: 'I Paul promise to refund it' — not to mention that you owe me, over and above, your very soul.

¹⁴ Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?

¹¹ Let us be eager then to enter that Rest, in case anyone falls into the same sort of disobedience.

²⁸ Anyone who has rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy, on the evidence of two or of three witnesses.

¹³ And make straight paths for your feet to walk in. You must not let the lame get dislocated, but rather make them whole.

³ Remember prisoners, as if you were in prison yourselves; remember those who are being ill-treated, since you too are in the body.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief — which would be a loss to yourselves.

¹³ for the judgment will be merciless to the man who has shown no mercy — whereas the merciful life will triumph in the face of judgment.

¹⁴ But if you are cherishing bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on that — and be false to the truth.

⁸ draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

¹⁰ humble yourselves before the Lord, and then he will raise you up.

¹⁴ Is anyone ill? let him summon the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ the prayer of faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; even the sins he has committed will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed; the prayers of the righteous have a powerful effect.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone of you goes astray from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ understand that he who brings a sinner back from the error of his way saves his soul from death and hides a host of sins.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a life of hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ born to an unscathed, inviolate, unfading inheritance; it is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ and the power of God protects you by faith till you do inherit the salvation which is all ready to be revealed at the last hour.

² Like newly-born children, thirst for the pure, spiritual milk to make you grow up to salvation.

²⁵ You were astray like sheep, but you have come back now to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

¹ In the same way, you wives must be submissive to your husbands, so that even those who will not believe the Word may be won over without a word by the behaviour of their wives,

⁵ You younger men must also submit to the presbyters. Indeed you must all put on the apron of humility to serve one another, for the haughty God opposes, but to the humble he gives grace.

¹¹ you will thus be richly furnished with the right of entry into the eternal realm of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

² and many will follow their immorality (thanks to them the true Way will be maligned); ³ in their lust they will exploit you with cunning arguments — men whose doom comes apace from of old, and destruction is awake upon their trail.

¹⁵ they have gone wrong by leaving the straight road, by following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who liked the profits of evil-doing — ¹⁶ but he got reproved for his malpractice: a dumb ass spoke with human voice and checked the prophet's infatuation. ¹⁷ These people are waterless fountains and mists driven by a squall, for whom the nether gloom of darkness is reserved.

⁹ The Lord is not slow with what he promises, according to certain people's idea of slowness; no, he is longsuffering for your sake, he does not wish any to perish but all to betake them to repentance.

²² and we get from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.

⁷ The Spirit is the witness to this, for the Spirit is truth. ⁸ The witnesses are three, the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three of them are in accord.

¹⁴ Now the confidence we have in him is this, that he listens to us whenever we ask anything in accordance with his will; ¹⁵ and if we know he listens to whatever we ask, we know we obtain the requests we have made to him. ¹⁶ If anyone notices his brother committing a sin which is not deadly, he will ask and obtain life for him — for anyone who does not commit a deadly sin. There is such a thing as deadly sin; I do not mean he is to pray for that.

¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not admit him to the house — do not even greet him, ¹¹ for he who greets him shares in his wicked work.

⁹ I have written to the church; only, Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them, repudiates me. ¹⁰ So when I come, I shall bring up what he is doing, babbling against me with wicked words — and, not satisfied with words, he refuses to welcome the brothers, checks those who want to welcome them, and excommunicates them from the church.

⁴ for certain persons have slipped in by stealth (their doom has been predicted long ago), impious creatures who pervert the grace of our God into immorality and disown our sole liege and Lord, Jesus Christ.

¹¹ Woe to them! they go the road of Cain, rush into Balaam's error for what it brings them, and perish in Korah's rebellion. ¹² These people are stains on your love-feasts; they have no qualms about carousing in your midst, they look after none but themselves — rainless clouds, swept along by the wind, trees in autumn without fruit, doubly dead and so uprooted, ¹³ wild waves foaming out their own shame, wandering stars for whom the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved eternally.

¹¹ "Write your vision in a book, and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum and Thyatira and Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea." ¹² So I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me; and on turning round I saw seven golden lampstands ¹³ and in the middle of the lampstands One who resembled a human being, with a long robe, and a belt of gold round his breast;

¹ To the angel of the church at Ephesus write thus: — These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who moves among the seven golden lampstands:

¹⁴ But I have one or two things against you: you have some adherents there of the tenets of Balaam, who taught Balak how to set a pitfall before the sons of Israel by making them eat food which had been sacrificed to idols and give way to sexual vice. ¹⁵ So even with you; you likewise have some adherents of the tenets of the Nicolaitans.

²⁰ Still I have this against you: you are tolerating that Jezebel of a woman who styles herself a prophetess and seduces my servants by teaching them to give way to sexual vice and to eat food which has been sacrificed to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual vice. ²² Lo, I will lay her on a sickbed, and bring her paramours into sore distress, if they do not repent of her practices; ²³ and her children I will exterminate. So shall all the churches know that I am the searcher of the inmost heart; I will requite each of you according to what you have done.

²³ and her children I will exterminate. So shall all the churches know that I am the searcher of the inmost heart; I will requite each of you according to what you have done.

⁷ Then to the angel of the church at Philadelphia write thus: — These are the words of the true Holy One, who holds the key of David, who opens and none shall shut, who shuts and none shall open. ⁸ Lo, I have set a door open before you which no one is able to shut; for though your strength is small, you have kept my word, you have not renounced my Name.

² Then I saw seven trumpets being given to the seven angels who stand before God.

³ But I will allow my two witnesses to prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clad in sackcloth ⁴ (they are the two olive-trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth): ⁵ whoever tries to harm them, fire will issue from their mouth and consume their enemies; whoever should try to harm them, so must he be killed." ⁶ They have power to shut up the sky, so that no rain falls during the days when they are prophesying; and they have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and also to smite the earth with all manner of plagues as often as they choose.

¹⁰ he shall drink the wine of God's passion, poured out untempered in the cup of his anger, and shall be tortured with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb:

¹⁰ he shall drink the wine of God's passion, poured out untempered in the cup of his anger, and shall be tortured with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb: ¹¹ the smoke of their torture rises for ever and ever, and they get no rest from it, day and night, these worshippers of the Beast and his statue, and all who are marked with his name."

²⁰ But the Beast was seized, together with the false Prophet who had performed in his presence the miracles by means of which he seduced those who received the mark of the Beast and worshipped his statue; both of them were flung alive into the lake of fire that blazes with brimstone, ²¹ while the rest were killed by the sword of him who is seated on the horse, by the sword that issues from his lips. And all the birds were glutted with their flesh.

¹⁵ and whoever was not found enrolled in the book of Life was flung into the lake of fire — which is the second death, the lake of fire.

³ And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, crying, "Lo, God's dwelling-place is with men, with men will he dwell; they shall be his people, and God will himself be with them:

⁸ but as for the craven, the faithless, the abominable, as for murderers, the immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars of all kinds — their lot is the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

²⁷ Nothing profane, none who practises abomination or falsehood shall enter, but those alone whose names are written in the Lamb's book of Life.