Matthew 23 Cross References - Twentieth_Century

¹ Then Jesus speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said: ² "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they tell preach but do not practice. ⁴ While they make up heavy loads and pile them on other men's shoulder's they decline, themselves, to lift a finger to move them. ⁵ All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels, ⁶ and like to have the place of honor at dinner, and the best seats in the Synagogues, ⁷ and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called 'Rabbi' for everybody. ⁸ But do not allow yourselves to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Father, the heavenly Father. ⁹ And do not call any one Father, the heavenly Father. ¹⁰ Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ. ¹¹ The man who would be the greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever shall exalt himself will be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself will be exalted. ¹³ But alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the key of the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces. For you do not go in yourselves, nor yet allow those who try to go in to do so. ¹⁴ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You destroy widow's houses, even while pretending to make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation. ¹⁵ Alas for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he is gained, you make him twice as deserving of the Pit as you are yourselves. ¹⁶ Alas for you, you blind guides! You say 'if any answer by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his oath is binding him'! ¹⁷ Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold? ¹⁸ You say, too, 'If any one swears by the altar, his oath counts for nothing, but, if any one swears by the offering placed on it, his oath is binding on him'! ¹⁹ Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering? ²⁰ Therefore a man, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it, ²¹ and a man, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it, ²² while a man, swearing by Heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. ²³ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and caraway seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law--justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first. ²⁴ You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel! ²⁵ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. ²⁷ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed look fair outside, while inside they are filled with dead men's bones and all kinds of filth. ²⁸ It is the same with you. Outwardly, and to others, you have the look of religious men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin. ²⁹ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You build the tombs of the Prophets, and decorate the monuments of religious men, ³⁰ and say 'Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken part in their murder of the Prophets! ³¹ By doing this you are furnishing evidence against yourselves that you are true children of the men who murdered the Prophets. ³² Fill up the measure of your ancestor's guilt. ³³ You serpents and brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to the Pit? ³⁴ That is why I send you Prophets, wise men, and Teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from town to town; ³⁵ in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ³⁶ All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation. ³⁷ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! She who slays the Prophets and stones the messengers sent to her--Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children round me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not came! ³⁸ Verily, your house is left to you desolate! ³⁹ For nevermore, I tell you, shall you see me, until you say-- 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!'"

⁷ When, however, John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to receive his baptism, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

¹² Be glad and rejoice, because your reward in Heaven will be great; for so men persecuted the Prophets who lived before you.

¹⁹ Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these commandments, even the least of them, and teaches others to do so, will be the least- esteemed in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever keeps them, and teaches others to do so, will be esteemed great in the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁰ Indeed I tell you that, unless your religion is above that of the Teachers of the Law, and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

²² I, however, say to you that any one who cherishes anger against his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the Court; and whoever pours contempt upon his brother shall be liable to answer for it to the High Council, while whoever calls down curses upon him shall be liable to answer for it in the fiery Pit.

²⁹ If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the Pit.

³³ Again, you have heard that to our ancestors it was said--'Thou shalt not break an oath, but thou shall keep thine oaths as a debt due to the Lord.' ³⁴ I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by Heaven, since that is God's throne,

³⁴ I, however, say to you that you must not swear at all, either by Heaven, since that is God's throne, ³⁵ Or by the earth, since that is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the Great King.

¹ Take care not to perform your religious duties in public in order to be seen by others; if you do, your Father who is in Heaven has no reward for you. ² Therefore, when you do acts of charity, do not have a trumpet blown in front of you, as hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. There, I tell you, is their reward! ³ But, when you do acts of charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ So that your charity may be secret; and your Father, who sees what is in secret, will recompense you. ⁵ And, when you pray, you are not to behave as hypocrites do. They like to pray standing in the Synagogues and at the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. There, I tell you, is their reward! ⁶ But, when one of you prays, let him go into his own room, shut the door, and pray to his Father who dwells in secret; and his Father, who sees what is secret, will recompense him. ⁷ When praying, do not repeat the same words over and over again, as is done by the Gentiles, who think that by using many words they will obtain a hearing. ⁸ Do not imitate them; for God, your Father, knows what you need before you ask him.

⁸ Do not imitate them; for God, your Father, knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ You, therefore, should pray thus--'Our Father, who art in Heaven, May thy name be held holy,

⁹ You, therefore, should pray thus--'Our Father, who art in Heaven, May thy name be held holy, ¹⁰ Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done--on earth, as in Heaven. ¹¹ Give us to-day the bread that we shall need; ¹² And forgive us our wrong-doings, as we have forgiven those who have wronged us; ¹³ And take us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.' ¹⁴ For, if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also; ¹⁵ But, if you do not forgive others their offences, not even your Father will forgive your offences. ¹⁶ And, when you fast, do not put on gloomy looks, as hypocrites do who disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. That, I tell you, is their reward!

³² All these are the things for which the nations are seeking, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

⁴ How will you say to your brother 'Let me take out the straw from your eye,' when all the time there is a beam in your own?

¹¹ If you, then, wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those that ask him!

¹³ Go and learn what this means--'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice'; for I did not come to call the religious, but the outcast."

²⁰ But meanwhile a woman, who had been suffering from hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind and touched the tassel of his cloak.

¹⁶ Remember, I am sending you out as my Messengers like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as serpents, and as blameless as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard against your fellow men, for they will betray you to courts of law, and scourge you in their Synagogues;

²³ But, when they persecute you in one town, escape to the next; for, I tell you, you will not have come to the end of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

²⁵ It is enough for a scholar to be treated like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Baal-zebub, how much more the members of his household!

²⁴ Yet, I tell you, the doom of Sodom will be more bearable in the 'Day of Judgment' than yours."

²⁸ Come to me, all you who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest! ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly-minded, and 'you shall find rest for your souls'; ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

⁷ And had you learned the meaning of the words--'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned those who are not guilty.

³³ You must assume either that both tree and fruit are good, or that both tree and fruit are worthless; since it is by it's fruits that a tree is known. ³⁴ You brood of vipers! how can you, evil as you are, say anything good? For what fills the heart will rise to the lips.

³⁴ You brood of vipers! how can you, evil as you are, say anything good? For what fills the heart will rise to the lips. ³⁵ A good man, from his good stores, produces good things; while an evil man, from his evil stores, produces evil things.

⁵² Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."

² "How is it that your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? For they do not wash their hands when they eat food."

² "How is it that your disciples break the traditions of our ancestors? For they do not wash their hands when they eat food." ³ His reply was: "How is it that you on your side break God's commandments out of respect for your own traditions?

³ His reply was: "How is it that you on your side break God's commandments out of respect for your own traditions? ⁴ For God said--'Honor thy father and mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,'

⁴ For God said--'Honor thy father and mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,' ⁵ But you say 'Whenever any one says to his father or mother "Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is 'Given to God,'"

⁵ But you say 'Whenever any one says to his father or mother "Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is 'Given to God,'" ⁶ He is in no way bound to honor his father.' In this way you have nullified the words of God on account of your traditions.

⁶ He is in no way bound to honor his father.' In this way you have nullified the words of God on account of your traditions. ⁷ Hypocrites! It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you-- ⁸ 'This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me; ⁹ But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.'" ¹⁰ Then Jesus called the people to him, and said: "Listen, and mark my words. ¹¹ It is not what enters a man's mouth that 'defiles' him, but what comes out from his mouth--that does defile him!" ¹² On this his disciples came up to him, and said: "Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked on hearing what you said?" ¹³ "Every plant," Jesus replied, "that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. ¹⁴ Let them be; they are but blind guides; and, if one blind man guides another, both of them will fall into a ditch."

¹⁴ Let them be; they are but blind guides; and, if one blind man guides another, both of them will fall into a ditch." ¹⁵ Upon this, Peter said to Jesus: "Explain this saying to us." ¹⁶ "What, do even you understand nothing yet?" Jesus exclaimed. ¹⁷ "Do not you see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is afterwards expelled? ¹⁸ But the things that come out from the mouth proceed from the heart, and it is these that defile a man; ¹⁹ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts--murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, perjury, slander. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud that said-- "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight; him you must hear."

⁴ Therefore, any one who will humble himself like this child-- that man shall be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

²⁴ I say again, it is easier for a camel to get through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!"

²¹ "What is it that you want?" he asked. "I want you to say," she replied, "that in your Kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right, and the other on your left."

²⁶ Among you it is not so. ²⁷ No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to take the first place among you, must be your slave;

⁹ The crowds that led the way, as well as those that followed behind, kept shouting: "God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God save him from on high!"

³⁰ Then the father went to the second son, and said the same. 'I will not,' he answered; but afterwards he was sorry and went. ³¹ Which of the two sons did as his father wished?" " The second," they said. "I tell you," added Jesus, "that tax-gatherers and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God before you. ³² For when John came to you, walking in the path of righteousness, you did not believe him, but tax-gatherers and prostitutes did; and yet you, though you saw this, even then were not sorry, nor did you believe him.

³⁴ When the time for the vintage drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to receive his share of the produce. ³⁵ But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

³⁵ But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ³⁶ A second time the owner sent some servants, a larger number than before, and the tenants treated them in the same way.

³ He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet, but they were unwilling to come.

⁶ While the rest, seizing his servants, ill-treated them and killed them.

³⁷ His answer was: "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' ³⁸ This is the great first commandment. ³⁹ The second, which is like it, is this--'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thou dost thyself.' ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

⁵ All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels,

⁸ But do not allow yourselves to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Father, the heavenly Father.

¹⁰ Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ.

¹³ But alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the key of the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces. For you do not go in yourselves, nor yet allow those who try to go in to do so. ¹⁴ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You destroy widow's houses, even while pretending to make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation. ¹⁵ Alas for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he is gained, you make him twice as deserving of the Pit as you are yourselves. ¹⁶ Alas for you, you blind guides! You say 'if any answer by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his oath is binding him'! ¹⁷ Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?

¹⁹ Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?

²³ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and caraway seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law--justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first. ²⁴ You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel! ²⁵ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well. ²⁷ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed look fair outside, while inside they are filled with dead men's bones and all kinds of filth.

²⁹ Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You build the tombs of the Prophets, and decorate the monuments of religious men, ³⁰ and say 'Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken part in their murder of the Prophets!

³³ You serpents and brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to the Pit? ³⁴ That is why I send you Prophets, wise men, and Teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from town to town;

³⁴ That is why I send you Prophets, wise men, and Teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from town to town; ³⁵ in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.

³⁵ in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ³⁶ All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation.

² "Do you see all these things?" was his answer. "I tell you, not a single stone will be left here upon another, which will not be throne down,"

³⁴ I tell you, even the present generation will not pass away, till all these things have taken place.

⁴⁹ So he went up to Jesus at once, and exclaimed: "Welcome, Rabbi!" and kissed him;

⁶ The Chief Priests took the pieces of silver, but they said: "We must not put them into the Temple treasury, because they are blood-money." ⁷ So, after consultation, they bought with them the 'Potter's Field' for a burial-ground for foreigners; ⁸ And that is why that field is called the 'Field of Blood' to this very day.

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the Faith of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ And teaching them to lay to heart all the commands that I have given you; and, remember, I myself am with you every day until the close of the age."

⁴ When they come from market, they will not eat without first sprinkling themselves; and there are many other customs which they have inherited and hold to, such as the ceremonial washing of cups, and jugs, and copper pans). ⁵ So the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law asked Jesus this question--"How is it that your disciples do not follow the traditions of our ancestors, but eat their food with defiled hands?" ⁶ His answer was: "It was well said by Isaiah when he prophesied about you hypocrites in the words--'This is a people that honor me with their lips, While their hearts are far removed from me; ⁷ But vainly do they worship me, For they teach but the precepts of men.' ⁸ You neglect God's commandments and hold to the traditions of men. ⁹ Wisely do you set aside God's commandments," he exclaimed, "to keep your own traditions! ¹⁰ For while Moses said 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' and 'Let him who reviles his father or mother suffer death,' ¹¹ You say 'If a man says to his father or mother "Whatever of mine might have been of service to you is Korban"' (which means 'Given to God')-- ¹² Why, then you do not allow him to do anything further for his father or mother! ¹³ In this way you nullify the words of God by your traditions, which you hand down; and you do many similar things." ¹⁴ Then Jesus called the people to him again, and said: "Listen to me, all of you, and mark my words.

²¹ For it is from within, out of the hearts of men, that there come evil thoughts--unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, ²² Greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, haughtiness, folly; ²³ All these wicked things come from within, and do defile a man."

⁵ "Rabbi," said Peter, interposing, "it is good to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁴³ But among you it is not so. No, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ And whoever wants to take the first place among you must be the servant of all;

⁵¹ "What do you want me to do for you?" said Jesus, addressing him. "Rabboni," the blind man answered, "I want to recover my sight."

³ But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty- handed. ⁴ A second time the owner sent a servant to them; this man, too, the tenants struck on the head, and insulted. ⁵ He sent another, but him they killed; and so with many others- -some they beat and some they killed. ⁶ He had still one son, who was very dear to him; and him he sent to them last of all. 'They will respect my son,' he said.

³⁸ In the course of his teaching, Jesus said: "See that you are on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect,

³⁸ In the course of his teaching, Jesus said: "See that you are on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect, ³⁹ And to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. ⁴⁰ They are the men that rob widows of their homes, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

¹⁴ As soon, however, as you see 'the Foul Desecration' standing where he ought not" (the reader must consider what this means) "then those of you who are in Judea must take refuge in the mountains;

³⁰ I tell you that even the present generation will not pass away, until all these things have taken place. ³¹ The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

⁵¹ Mighty are the deeds of his arm; He scatters the proud with their own devices, ⁵² He casts down princes from their thrones, and the lowly he uplifts,

²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple Courts, and, when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the Law, ²⁸ Simeon himself took the child in his arms, and blessed God, and said: ²⁹ "Now, Lord, thou wilt let thy servant go, According to thy word, in peace, ³⁰ For my eyes have seen the Salvation

⁷ And John said to the crowds that went to be baptized by him: "You brood of vipers! who has prompted you to seek refuge from the coming judgment?

⁷ The Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely, to see if he would work cures on the Sabbath, so that they might find a charge to bring against him. ⁸ Jesus, however, knew what was in the their minds, and said to the man whose hand was withered: "Stand up and come out into the middle." The man stood up; ⁹ And Jesus said to them: "I ask you, is it allowable to do good on the Sabbath--or harm? to save a life, or let it perish?" ¹⁰ Then, looking round at them all, he said to the man: "Stretch out your hand." The man did so; and his hand had become sound.

⁴⁵ A good man, from the good stores of his heart, brings out what is good; while a bad man, from his bad stores, brings out what is bad. For what fills a man's heart will rise to his lips.

²² Everything has been committed to me by my Father; nor does any one know who the Son is, except the Father, or who the Father is, except the Son and those to whom the Son may choose to reveal him." ²³ Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said to them alone: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing;

³⁹ But the Master said to him: "You Pharisees do, it is true, clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside you yourselves are filled with greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Fools! did not the maker of the outside make the inside too?

⁴² But alas for you Pharisees! You pay tithes on mint, rue, and herbs of all kinds, and pass over justice and love to God. These last you ought to have put into practice without neglecting the first. ⁴³ Alas for you Pharisees! You delight to have the front seat in the Synagogues, and to be greeted in the markets with respect.

⁴³ Alas for you Pharisees! You delight to have the front seat in the Synagogues, and to be greeted in the markets with respect. ⁴⁴ Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares."

⁴⁴ Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares."

⁴⁴ Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares." ⁴⁵ Here one of the Students of the Law interrupted him by saying: "Teacher, when you say this, you are insulting us also." ⁴⁶ But Jesus went on: "Alas for you, too, you Students of the Law! You load men with loads that are too heavy to carry, but do not, yourselves, touch them with one of your fingers.

⁴⁶ But Jesus went on: "Alas for you, too, you Students of the Law! You load men with loads that are too heavy to carry, but do not, yourselves, touch them with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷ Alas for you! You build the monuments of the Prophets whom your ancestors killed.

⁴⁷ Alas for you! You build the monuments of the Prophets whom your ancestors killed. ⁴⁸ You are actually witnesses to your ancestors' acts and show your approval of them, because, while they killed the Prophets, you build tombs for them.

⁴⁸ You are actually witnesses to your ancestors' acts and show your approval of them, because, while they killed the Prophets, you build tombs for them. ⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said--"I will send to them Prophets and Apostles,

⁴⁹ That is why the Wisdom of God said--"I will send to them Prophets and Apostles, ⁵⁰ Some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the 'blood' of all the prophets 'that has been spilt' since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation--

⁵⁰ Some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the 'blood' of all the prophets 'that has been spilt' since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation-- ⁵¹ From the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God." Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation.

⁵¹ From the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God." Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation.

⁵¹ From the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God." Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation. ⁵² Alas for you Students of the Law! You have taken away the key of the door of Knowledge. You have not gone in yourselves and you have hindered those who try to go in."

⁵² Alas for you Students of the Law! You have taken away the key of the door of Knowledge. You have not gone in yourselves and you have hindered those who try to go in." ⁵³ When Jesus left the house, the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to press him hard and question him closely upon many subjects, ⁵⁴ Laying traps for him, so as to seize upon anything that he might say.

¹ Meanwhile the people had gathered in thousands, so that they trod upon one another, when Jesus, addressing himself to his disciples, began by saying to them: "Be on your guard against the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees.

⁴⁸ while one who does not know his master's wishes, but acts so as to deserve a flogging, will receive but few. From every one to whom much has been given much will be expected, and from the man to whom much has been entrusted the more will be demanded.

⁵⁷ Why do not you yourselves decide what is right?

³⁴ Jerusalem! Jerusalem! she who slays the Prophets and stones the messengers sent to her--Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children round me, as a hen takes her brood under her wings, and you would not come! ³⁵ Verily your House is left to you desolate! and never, I tell you, shall you see me, until you say--'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

³⁵ Verily your House is left to you desolate! and never, I tell you, shall you see me, until you say--'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

⁷ Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable-- ⁸ "When you are invited by any one to a wedding banquet, do not seat yourself in the best place, for fear that some one of higher rank should have been invited by your host; ⁹ And he who invited you both will come and say to you 'Make room for this man,' and then you will begin in confusion to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ No, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place, so that, when he who has invited you comes, he may say to you 'Friend, come higher up'; and then you will be honored in the eyes of all your fellow-guests. ¹¹ For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹¹ For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹⁷ And sent his servant, when it was time for the dinner, to say to those who had been invited 'Come, for everything is now ready.' ¹⁸ They all with one accord began to ask to be excused. The first man said to the servant 'I have bought a field and am obliged to go and look at it. I must ask you to consider me excused.' ¹⁹ The next said 'I have bought five pairs of bullocks, and I am on my way to try them. I must ask you to consider me excused'; ²⁰ While the next said 'I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.'

²⁸ This made him angry, and he would not go in. But his father came out and begged him to do so.

¹⁵ "You," said Jesus, "are the men who justify themselves before the world, but God can read your hearts; and what is highly esteemed among men may be an abomination in the sight of God.

²² The day will come," he said to his disciples, "when you will long to see but one of the days of the Son of Man, and will not see it.

¹² I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of everything I get to God.'

¹⁴ This man, I tell you, went home pardoned, rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, while every one who humbles himself shall be exalted."

¹⁴ But his subjects hated him and sent envoys after him to say 'We will not have this man as our King.' ¹⁵ On his return, after having been appointed King, he directed that the servants to whom he had given his money should be summoned, so that he might learn what amount of trade they had done. ¹⁶ The first came up, and said 'Sir, your ten pounds have made a hundred.' ¹⁷ 'Well done, good servant!' exclaimed the master. 'As you have proved trustworthy in a very small matter, I appoint you governor over ten towns.' ¹⁸ When the second came, he said 'Your ten pounds, Sir, have produced fifty.' ¹⁹ So the master said to him 'And you I appoint over five towns.' ²⁰ Another servant also came and said 'Sir, here are your ten pounds; I have kept them put away in a handkerchief. ²¹ For I was afraid of you, because you are a stern man. You take what you have not planted, and reap what you have not sown.' ²² The master answered 'Out of your own mouth I judge you, you worthless servant. You knew that I am a stern man, that I take what I have not planted, and reap what I have not sown?

²² The master answered 'Out of your own mouth I judge you, you worthless servant. You knew that I am a stern man, that I take what I have not planted, and reap what I have not sown? ²³ Then why did not you put my money into a bank? And I, on my return, could have claimed it with interest. ²⁴ Take away from him the ten pounds,' he said to those standing by, 'and give them to the one who has the hundred.' ²⁵ 'But, Sir,' they interposed, 'he has a hundred pounds already!' ²⁶ 'I tell you,' he answered, 'that, to him who has, more will be given, but, from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷ But as for my enemies, these men who would not have me as their King, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.'" ²⁸ After saying this, Jesus went on in front, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ It was when Jesus had almost reached Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, that he sent on two of the disciples. ³⁰ "Go to the village facing us," he said, " and, when you get there, you will find a foal tethered, which no one has yet ridden; untie it and lead it here. ³¹ And, if anybody asks you 'Why are you untying it?,' you are to say this--'The Master wants it.'" ³² So the two who were sent went and found it as Jesus had told them. ³³ While they were untying the foal, the owners asked them--"Why are you untying the foal?" ³⁴ And the two disciples answered--"The Master wants it." ³⁵ Then they led it back to Jesus, and threw their cloaks on the foal and put Jesus upon it. ³⁶ As he went along, the people kept spreading their cloaks in the road. ³⁷ When he had almost reached the place where the road led down the Mount of Olives, every one of the many disciples began in their joy to praise God loudly for all the miracles that they had seen: ³⁸ "Blessed is He who comes--Our King--in the name of the Lord! Peace in Heaven, And glory on high." ³⁹ Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him: "Teacher, reprove your disciples." ⁴⁰ But Jesus answered: "I tell you that if these men are silent, the very stones will call out." ⁴¹ When he drew near, on seeing the city, he wept over it, and said: ⁴² "Would that you had known, while yet there was time--even you--the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight. ⁴³ For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will surround you with earthworks, and encircle you, and hem you in on all sides; ⁴⁴ They will trample you down and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know 'the time of your visitation.'"

¹¹ The owner afterwards sent another servant; but the tenants beat and insulted this man too, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² He sent a third; but they wounded this man also, and threw him outside. ¹³ 'What shall I do?' said the owner of the vineyard. 'I will send my son, who is very dear to me. Perhaps they will respect him.' ¹⁴ But, on seeing him, the tenants consulted with one another. 'Here is the heir!' they said. 'Let us kill him, and then the inheritance will become ours.'

⁴⁵ While all the people were listening, Jesus said to the disciples: ⁴⁶ "Be on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner.

⁴⁶ "Be on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner.

⁴⁶ "Be on your guard against the Teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and like to be greeted in the streets with respect, and to have the best seats in the Synagogues, and places of honor at dinner. ⁴⁷ These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

⁴⁷ These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

⁴⁷ These are the men who rob widows of their houses, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier."

⁶ "As for these things that you are looking at, a time is coming when not one stone will be left upon another here, which will not be thrown down."

²⁰ As soon, however, as you see Jerusalem surrounded by armed camps, then you may know that the hour of her desecration is at hand.

²⁴ They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be taken prisoners to every land, and 'Jerusalem will be under the heel of the Gentiles,' until their day is over--as it shall be.

³² I tell you that even the present generation will not pass away till all has taken place. ³³ The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

²⁶ But with you it must not be so. No, let the greatest among you become like the youngest, and him who leads like him who serves. ²⁷ Which is the greater--the master at the table or his servant? Is not it the master at the table? Yet I myself am among you as one who serves.

³² But I prayed for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. And you, when you have returned to me, are to strengthen your Brothers."

⁴⁷ And that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed on his authority to all the nations--beginning at Jerusalem.

³⁸ But Jesus turned round, and saw them following. "What are you looking for?" he asked. "Rabbi," they answered (or, as we should say, "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

⁴⁹ "Rabbi," Nathanael exclaimed, "you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!"

² This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: "Rabbi, we know that you are a Teacher come from God; for no one could give such signs as you are giving, unless God were with him."

²⁶ And the disciples came to John and said: "Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan, and to whom you have yourself borne testimony--he, also, is baptizing, and everybody is going to him."

⁴⁴ How can you believe in me, when you receive honor from one another and do not desire the honor which comes from the only God?

²⁵ And, when they found him on the other side of the Sea, they said: "When did you get here, Rabbi?"

¹⁸ The man who speaks on his own authority seeks honor for himself; but the man who seeks the honor of him that sent him is sincere, and there is nothing false in him.

⁴⁶ "No man ever spoke as he speaks!" they answered. ⁴⁷ "What! Have you been led astray too?" the Pharisees replied. ⁴⁸ "Have any of our leading men believed in him, or any of the Pharisees? ⁴⁹ As for these people who do not know the Law--they are cursed!" ⁵⁰ But one of their number, Nicodemus, who before this had been to see Jesus, said to them: ⁵¹ "Does our Law pass judgment on a man without first giving him a hearing, and finding out what he has been doing?" ⁵² "Are you also from Galilee?" they retorted. "Search, and you will find that no Prophet is to arise in Galilee!"

²¹ Jesus again spoke to the people. "I am going away," he said, "and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin; you cannot come where I am going."

²⁴ And so I told you that you would die in your sins, for, unless you believe that I am what I am, you will die in your sins."

⁴⁴ As for you, you are children of your Father the Devil, and you are determined to do what your father loves to do. He was a murderer from the first, and did not stand by the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he does what is natural to him; because he is a liar, and the father of lying.

⁵⁶ Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; and he did see it, and was glad."

²² His parents spoke in this way because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that, if any one should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, he should be expelled from their synagogues.

²⁴ So the Jews again called the man who had been blind, and said to him: "Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man."

³⁴ "You," they retorted, "were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?" So they expelled him.

³⁹ And Jesus added: "It was to put men to the test that I came into this world, in order that those that cannot see should see, and that those that can see should become blind." ⁴⁰ Hearing this, some of the Pharisees who were with him said: "Then are we blind too?" ⁴¹ "If you had been blind," replied Jesus, "you would have had no sin to answer for; but, as it is, you say 'We can see,' and so your sin remains.

⁴³ For they valued honor from men more than honor from God.

¹³ "You yourselves call me 'the Teacher' and 'the Master', and you are right, for I am both. ¹⁴ If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet;

¹⁴ If I, then--'the Master' and 'the Teacher'--have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet; ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, so that you may do just as I have done to you.

⁹ "Have I been all this time among you," said Jesus, "and yet you, Philip, have not recognized me? He who has seen me has seen the Father, how can you say, then, 'Show us the Father'?

¹⁹ In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will still see me; because I am living, you will be living also.

² They will expel you from their Synagogues; indeed the time is coming when any one who kills you will think that he is making an offering to God.

²⁸ From Caiaphas they took Jesus to the Government House. It was early in the morning. But they did not enter the Government House themselves, lest they should become 'defiled,' and so be unable to eat the Passover.

⁴⁰ "No, not this man," they shouted again, "but Barabbas!" This Barabbas was a robber.

¹⁶ "Mary!" said Jesus. She turned round, and exclaimed in Hebrew: "Rabboni!" (or, as we should say, 'Teacher').

²¹ Again Jesus said to them: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me as his Messenger, so I am sending you."

⁸ But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit shall have descended upon you, and shall be witnesses for me not only in Jerusalem, but throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

¹⁰ In Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the districts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; some of us are visitors from Rome,

²⁹ Brothers, I can speak to you the more confidently about the Patriarch David, because he is dead and buried, and his tomb is here among us to this very day.

¹⁷ But, to prevent this thing from spreading further among the people, let us warn them not to speak in this Name any more to any one whatever." ¹⁸ So they called the Apostles in, and ordered them not to speak or teach in the Name of Jesus.

²⁸ "We gave you strict orders," he said, "not to teach in this Name. Yet you have actually flooded Jerusalem with your teaching, and you want to make us responsible for the death of this man." ²⁹ To this Peter and the Apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men.

⁴⁰ The Council followed his advice, and, calling the Apostles in, had them flogged, and then, after cautioning them not to speak in the Name of Jesus, set them free.

⁵ This proposal was unanimously agreed to; and the disciples chose Stephen--a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit--and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a former convert to Judaism;

¹³ There they produced witnesses who gave false evidence. "This man," they said, "is incessantly saying things against this Holy Place and the Law; ¹⁴ Indeed, we have heard him declare that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this Place, and change the customs handed down to us by Moses."

⁴⁹ 'The heavens are a throne for me, and the earth a stool for my feet. What manner of House will you build me, says the Lord, or what place is there where I may rest?

⁵¹ O! stubborn race, heathen in heart and ears, you are for ever resisting the Holy Spirit; your ancestors did it, and you are doing it still. ⁵² Which of the Prophets escaped persecution at their hands? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One; of whom you, in your turn, have now become the betrayers and murderers--

⁵⁸ And began to stone him, the witnesses laying their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, while he cried to the Lord: "Lord Jesus! receive my spirit!"

¹ Saul approved of his being put to death. On that very day a great persecution broke out against the Church which was in Jerusalem; and its members, with the exception of the Apostles, were all scattered over the districts of Judea and Samaria.

¹ Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the High Priest, ² And asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorizing him, if he found there any supporters of the Cause, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem.

²⁷ During this time, some Prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem.

² He had James, the brother of John, beheaded;

¹ Among the members of the Church at Antioch there were several Prophets and Teachers--Barnabas, Simeon who was known by the name of 'Black', Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, foster-brother of Prince Herod, and Saul.

⁸ But Elymas, the astrologer (for that is the meaning of the word), opposed them, eager to divert the Governor's attention from the Faith.

¹⁰ "You incarnation of deceit and all fraud! You son of the Devil! You opponent of all that is good! Will you never cease to divert 'the straight paths of the Lord'? Listen!

⁴³ After the congregation had dispersed, many of the Jews, and of the converts who joined in their worship, followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue to rely upon the loving-kindness of God.

² But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles, and poisoned their minds against the Brethren.

¹⁹ Presently, however, there came some Jews from Antioch, and Iconium who, after they had won over the people, stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the town, thinking him to be dead.

¹⁰ Why, then, do you now provoke God, by putting on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our ancestors nor we were able to bear?

²⁸ We have, therefore, decided, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to lay no further burden upon you beyond these necessary conditions--

³² Judas and Silas, who were themselves Prophets, further encouraged the Brethren by many an address, and strengthened their faith.

⁵ But the Jews, becoming jealous, engaged some worthless fellows from the streets, and, getting a mob together, kept the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason's house, with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the Popular Assembly; ⁶ And, not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the Brethren before the City Magistrates, shouting out: "These men, who have turned the world upside down, have now come here,

¹³ But, when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that God's Message had been delivered by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people.

¹ "Brothers and Father, listen to the defense which I am about to make."

¹⁹ 'Lord,' I answered, 'these people know that I used to imprison and scourge, in Synagogue after Synagogue, those who believed in you; ²⁰ And, when the blood of your martyr, Stephen, was being shed, I was myself standing by, approving of his death, and took charge of the clothes of those who were murdering him.

³ Whereupon Paul turned to him and said: "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?"

¹⁹ Perhaps you are confident that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in the dark, an instructor of the unintelligent, ²⁰ And a teacher of the childish, because in the Law you possess the outline of all Knowledge and Truth. ²¹ Why, then, you teacher of others, do not you teach yourself? Do you preach against stealing, and yet steal? ²² Do you forbid adultery, and yet commit adultery? Do you loathe idols, and yet plunder temples? ²³ Boasting, as you do, of your Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law? ²⁴ For, as Scripture says-'The name of God is reviled among the Gentiles because of you'!

¹⁴ All who are guided by the Spirit of God are Sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of a slave, to fill you once more with fear, but the spirit of a son which leads us to cry 'Abba, Our Father.' ¹⁶ The Spirit himself unites with our spirits in bearing witness to our being God's children, ¹⁷ And if children, then heirs-heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, since we share Christ's sufferings in order that we may also share his Glory.

²⁵ Brothers, for fear that you should think too highly of yourselves, I want you to recognize the truth, hitherto hidden, that the callousness which has come over Israel is only partial, and will continue only till the whole Gentile world has been gathered in.

¹⁰ In brotherly love, be affectionate to one another; in showing respect, set an example of deference to one another;

¹ Let every one obey the supreme Authorities. For no Authority exists except by the will of God, and the existing Authorities have been appointed by God.

⁹ The very purpose for which Christ died and came back to life was this--that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ I would ask the one man 'Why do you judge your Brother?' And I would ask the other 'Why do you despise your Brother?' For we shall all stand before the Bar of God.

¹² I mean this, that every one of you says either 'I follow Paul,' or 'I Apollos,' or 'I Kephas,' or 'I Christ.' ¹³ You have rent the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? or were you baptized into the Faith of Paul?

⁶ Yet there is a philosophy that we teach to those whose faith is matured, but it is not the philosophy of to-day, nor that of the leaders of to-day-men whose downfall is at hand.

³ While there exist among you jealousy and party feeling, is it not true that you are worldly, and are acting merely as other men do? ⁴ When one says 'I follow Paul,' and another 'I follow Apollos,' are not you like other men? ⁵ What, I ask, is Apollos? or what is Paul? Servants through whom you were led to accept the Faith; and that only as the Lord helped each of you.

¹⁰ In fulfillment of the charge which God had entrusted to me, I laid the foundation like a skillful master-builder; but another man is now building upon it. Let every one take care how he builds;

¹⁵ Though you may have thousands of instructors in the Faith of Christ, yet you have not many fathers. It was I who, through union with Christ Jesus, became your father by means of the Good News.

¹⁹ Although I was entirely free, yet, to win as many converts as possible, I made myself everyone's slave.

³ Therefore I tell you plainly that no one who speaks under the influence of the Spirit of God says 'JESUS IS ACCURSED,' and that no one can say 'JESUS IS LORD,' except under the influence of the Holy Spirit. ⁴ Gifts differ, but the Spirit is the same; ⁵ Ways of serving differ, yet the Master is the same; ⁶ Results differ, yet the God who brings about every result is in every case the same. ⁷ To each man there is given spiritual illumination for the general good. ⁸ To one is given the power to speak with wisdom through the Spirit; to another the power to speak with knowledge, due to the same Spirit; ⁹ To another faith by the same Spirit; to another power to cure diseases by the one Spirit; to another supernatural powers; ¹⁰ To another the gift of preaching; to another the gift of distinguishing between true and false inspiration; to another varieties of the gift of 'tongues'; to another the power to interpret 'tongues.' ¹¹ All these result from one and the same Spirit, who distributes his gifts to each individually as he wills.

²⁴ I do not mean that we are to dictate to you with regard to your faith; on the contrary, we work with you for your true happiness; indeed, it is through your faith that you are standing firm.

¹⁴ But their minds were slow to learn. Indeed, to this very day, at the public reading of the Old Covenant, the same veil remains unlifted; only for those who are in union with Christ does it pass away. ¹⁵ But, even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies on their hearts. ¹⁶ 'Yet, whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.' ¹⁷ And the 'Lord' is the Spirit, and, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And all of us, with faces from which the veil is lifted, seeing, as if reflected in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his likeness, from glory to glory, as it is given by the Lord, the Spirit.

⁵ (For it is not ourselves that we proclaim, but Christ Jesus, as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.)

¹⁸ And I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters," says the Lord, the Ruler of all.'

¹ With these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that pollutes either body or spirit, and, in deepest reverence for God, aim at perfect holiness.

³ Yet I fear that it may turn out that, just as the Serpent by his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may have lost the loyalty and purity due from you to the Christ.

²³ Are they 'Servants of Christ'? Though it is madness to talk like this, I am more so than they! I have had more of toil, more of imprisonment! I have been flogged times without number. I have been often at death's door. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty lashes, all but one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a whole day and night in the deep.

¹⁷ Certain people are seeking your favor, but with no honorable object. No, indeed, they want to isolate you, so that you will have to seek their favor.

³ I again declare to every one who receives circumcision, that he binds himself to obey the whole Law.

¹³ Remember, Brothers, to you the Call came to give you freedom. Only do not make your freedom an opportunity for self-indulgence, but serve one another in a loving spirit.

²² But the fruit produced by the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindliness, generosity, trustfulness, gentleness, self-control. ²³ Against such things there is no law!

¹² Those who wish to appear to advantage in regard to outward observances are the very people who are trying to compel you to be circumcised; and they do it only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Jesus, the Christ. ¹³ Even these men who are circumcised do not themselves keep the Law; yet they want you to be circumcised, so that they may boast of your observance of the rite.

³ And it was among them that we all once lived our lives, indulging the cravings of our earthly nature, and carrying out the desires prompted by that earthly nature and by our own thoughts. Our very nature exposed us to the Divine Wrath, like the rest of mankind.

²² And, through union in him, you also are being built up together, to be a dwelling-place for God through the Spirit.

¹⁵ From whom all 'fatherhood' in Heaven and on earth derives its name--

⁸ That is why it is said--'When he went up on high, he led his captives into captivity. And gave gifts to mankind.' ⁹ Now surely this 'going up' must imply that he had already gone down into the world beneath. ¹⁰ He who went down is the same as he who went up--up beyond the highest Heaven, that he might fill all things with his presence. ¹¹ And he it is who gave to the Church Apostles, Prophets, Missionaries, Pastors, and Teachers, ¹² To fit his People for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the Body of the Christ.

¹⁵ It is true that some do proclaim the Christ out of Jealousy and opposition; but there are others who proclaim him from good- will.

³ Nothing should be done in a factious spirit or from vanity, but each of you should with all humility regard others as of more account than himself,

⁵ Let the spirit of Christ Jesus be yours also. ⁶ Though the divine nature was his from the beginning, yet he did not look upon equality with God as above all things to be clung to, ⁷ But impoverished himself by taking the nature of a servant and becoming like men; ⁸ He appeared among us as a man, and still further humbled himself by submitting even to death--to death on a cross!

¹ From Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and from Timothy, our Brother. ² To Christ's People at Colossae--the Brothers who are faithful to him: May God, our Father, bless you and give you peace.

²⁸ This is the Christ whom we proclaim, warning every one, and instructing every one, with all the wisdom that we possess, in the hope of bringing every one into God's presence perfected by union with Christ.

⁹ For in Christ the Godhead in all its fulness dwells incarnate;

¹⁵ The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the Prophets, and persecuted us also. They do not try to please God, and they are enemies to all mankind,

¹⁵ The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the Prophets, and persecuted us also. They do not try to please God, and they are enemies to all mankind, ¹⁶ For they would prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles with a view to their Salvation, and thus are always 'filling up the measure of their iniquity.' But the Wrath of God has come upon them to the full!

¹⁶ For they would prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles with a view to their Salvation, and thus are always 'filling up the measure of their iniquity.' But the Wrath of God has come upon them to the full!

⁴ Who so opposes himself to every one that is spoken of as a God or as an object of worship, and so exalts himself above them, that he seats himself in the Temple of God, and displays himself as God!

¹ Do not reprimand an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat the young men as brothers, ² the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters--with all purity.

⁵ and while they retain the outward form of religion, they will not allow it to influence them. Turn your back on such men as these. ⁶ For among them are to be found those who creep into homes and captivate weak women--women who, loaded with sins, and slaves to all kinds of passions,

⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these people, in their turn, oppose the Truth. Their minds are corrupted, and, as regards the Faith, they are utterly worthless.

¹⁵ Do you also, be on your guard against him, for he is strongly opposed to our teaching.

¹⁰ There are, indeed, many unruly persons--great talkers who deceive themselves, principally converts from Judaism, ¹¹ whose mouths ought to be stopped; for they upset whole households by teaching what they ought not to teach, merely to make questionable gains.

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown him. They are degraded and self-willed; and, as far as anything good is concerned, they are utterly worthless.

³ how can we, of all people, expect to escape, if we disregard so great a Salvation? It was the Master who at the outset spoke of this Salvation, and its authority was confirmed for us by those who heard him,

¹² God's Message is a living and active power, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing its way till it penetrates soul and spirit--not the joints only but the very marrow--and detecting the inmost thoughts and purposes of the mind. ¹³ There is no created thing that can hide itself from the sight of God. Everything is exposed and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we have to give account.

²² let us draw near to God in all sincerity of heart and in perfect faith, with our hearts purified by the sprinkled blood from all consciousness of wrong, and with our bodies washed with pure water.

²⁹ How much worse then, think you, will be the punishment deserved by those who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, who have treated the blood that rendered the Covenant valid--the very blood by which they were purified--as of no account, and who have outraged the Spirit of Love?

⁴ Faith made the sacrifice which Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain's, and won him renown as a righteous man, God himself establishing his renown by accepting his gifts; and it is by the example of his faith that Abel, though dead, still speaks.

³⁷ They were stoned to death, they were tortured, they were swan asunder, they were put to the sword; they wandered about clothed in the skins of sheep or goats, destitute, persecuted, ill-used--

⁹ Further, when our earthly fathers disciplined us, we respected them. Shall we not, then, much rather yield submission to the Father of souls, and live?

²⁴ to Jesus, the intermediary of a new Covenant, and to the Sprinkled Blood that tells of better things than the blood of Abel. ²⁵ Beware how you refuse to hear him who is speaking. For, if the Israelites did not escape punishment, when they refused to listen to him who taught them on earth the divine will, far worse will it be for us, if we turn away from him who is teaching us from Heaven.

¹ My Brothers, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the worship of rank? ² Suppose a man should enter your Synagogue, with gold rings and in grand clothes, and suppose a poor man should come in also, in shabby clothes, ³ And you are deferential to the man who is wearing grand clothes, and say--"There is a good seat for you here," but to the poor man--"You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool," ⁴ Is not that to make distinctions among yourselves, and show yourselves prejudiced judges?

¹ I do not want many of you, my Brothers, to become teachers, knowing, as you do, that we who teach shall be judged by a more severe standard than others.

⁶ No; the gift that God gives is for a nobler end; and that is why it is said--'God is opposed to the haughty, but gives help to the humble.'

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Make your hands clean, you sinners; and your hearts pure, you vacillating men!

¹² Above all things, my Brothers, never take an oath, either by heaven, or by earth, or by anything else. With you let 'Yes' suffice for yes, and 'No' for no, so that you may escape condemnation.

³ not as lords of your charges, but as examples to your flock.

⁵ Again, you younger men should show deference to the older. And all of you should put on the badge of humility in mutual service, for 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives his help to the humble.'

³ In their covetousness they will try to make you a source of profit by their fabrications; but for a long time past their Sentence has not been standing idle, nor their Ruin slumbering.

¹⁴ They have eyes only for adulteresses, eyes never tired of sin; they entice weak souls; their minds are trained to covet; they live under a curse. ¹⁵ Leaving the straight road, they have gone astray and followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who set his heart on the reward for wrong-doing,

¹ Think what love the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called 'Children of God'; as indeed we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it has not learned to know him.

¹¹ For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first--that we are to love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother's was good.

⁹ I wrote a few lines to the Church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, declines to recognize us.

⁹ I, John, who am your Brother, and who share with you in the suffering and kingship and endurance of Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos, for the sake of the Message of God and the testimony to Jesus.

²⁴ But I say to the rest of you at Thyatira--all who do not accept such teaching, whose who did not learn 'the secrets of Satan,' as men call them--I am not laying on you any further burden;

² Immediately after this I fell into a trance. There stood a throne in Heaven, and on the throne was One seated. ³ He who was seated on it was in appearance like a jasper and a sardius; and 'round the throne there was a rainbow' of the color of an emerald.

⁷ As soon as they have completed their testimony, 'the wild Beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer' and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies will lie in the streets of the great City, which is mystically spoken of as 'Sodom' and 'Egypt,' where their Master was crucified.

¹⁰ Those who live on the earth rejoice over them and are merry, and they will send presents to one another, because these two Prophets brought torments upon those who live on the earth.

⁹ Then the great Dragon, the primeval Serpent, known as the 'Devil' and 'Satan,' who deceives all the world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of Christ's People and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed beyond measure;

²⁴ Yes, and in her was to be found the blood of the Prophets and of Christ's People, and of all who have been put to death upon the earth.'

¹⁰ I prostrated myself at the feet of him who spoke to worship him, but he said to me- - 'Forbear; I am your fellow-servant, and the fellow-servant of your Brothers who bear their testimony to Jesus. Worship God. For to bear testimony to Jesus needs the inspiration of the Prophets.'

⁹ But he said to me-- 'Forbear; I am your fellow-servant, and the fellow-servant of your Brothers, the Prophets, and of all who lay to heart the words in this book. Worship God.'