1 Timothy 3 Cross References - VIN

¹ This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ [He must] manage his own family well and, with dignity, keep his children in subjection [or, “respectful”]. ⁵ For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. ⁸ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not insincere, not devoted to much wine, not fond of dishonest gain, ⁹ They should keep holding on to the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ They must also first be tested; and then if they are beyond reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ In the same way, the women must be serious, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Deacons must be the husband of one wife, and must manage their children and their households well. ¹³ For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, ¹⁵ so that, if I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.

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

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

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

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

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry:

¹² in order to fit his people for the work of service, for building the body of Christ,

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

¹⁴ And we urge you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

¹⁵ It is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinnersof whom I am the foremost.

² Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ [He must] manage his own family well and, with dignity, keep his children in subjection [or, “respectful”]. ⁵ For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance.

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: if we died with him, we will also live with him;

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

⁸ This teaching is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

¹⁵ See that no one misses the grace of God; that no bitter root spring up to cause trouble and defile many.

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

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

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

² Be shepherds of God's flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires.

¹⁰ Israel's watchmen are blind. They all lack knowledge they are all mute dogs. They cannot bark. They just lie around and dream, they love to sleep.

⁶ They were both upright in the sight of God, blamelessly observing all the Lord's commands and requirements.

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

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

¹⁰ They must also first be tested; and then if they are beyond reproach, let them serve as deacons. ¹¹ In the same way, the women must be serious, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

³ They forbid people to get married and require them to avoid [eating] certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and [fully] know the truth.

⁹ Let a widow be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old, the wife of one husband,

²⁴ And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, patient when wronged,

⁶ namely, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild or rebellious. ⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money. ⁸ Instead, he must be hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. ⁹ He must be devoted to the trustworthy message that agrees with what we teach, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

² Older men are to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

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

² Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for, by so doing, some have entertained angels, without knowing them.

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

⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

⁸ Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.

¹⁵ But even before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, "Give me meat to roast for the priest. He won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." ¹⁶ If the man said to him, Let the fat be burned first, and then take as much as you want; he would say, No, give it to me now, and if you don't, I will take it by force. ¹⁷ The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for the men despised the LORD's offering.

³ And his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

²⁰ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving from his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD lives, I will run after him, and take something from him. ²¹ So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? ²² He said, "All is well. My master has sent me, saying, 'Look, even now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.'" ²³ Naaman said, Please take two talents. He urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants; and they carried them before him. ²⁴ When he came to the hill, he took them from their hands, and put them away in the house; and he sent the men away, and they went. ²⁵ And he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, Where from, Gehazi? And he said, Your servant did not go here or there. ²⁶ And he said to him, Went not my heart with you, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? ²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and to your descendants forever." He went out from his presence a leper, as white as snow.

¹⁹ Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain it takes away the lives of those who possess it.

²⁷ He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live.

⁸ The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.

¹¹ Woe to those who rise early in the morning to go after fermented drink, tarrying in the twilight while wine inflames them! ¹² And the harp and the viol, the tambourine and flutes and wine are in their feasts; but they do not regard the work of the LORD, nor consider the work of his hands.

¹ Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!

⁷ These also stagger from wine and reel from beer. Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine. They reel from beer. They stagger when seeing visions. They stumble when rendering decisions.

¹¹ They are dogs with mighty appetites. They never have enough! They are shepherds who lack understanding. They all turn to their own way and each one seeks dishonest (unjust) gain. ¹² "Come, each one cries, let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."

¹³ For from the least of them even to the greatest, all are given to covetousness: and from the prophet even to the priest, all are guilty of deceit.

¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to others, their fields to conquerors, because from the smallest to the greatest, all of them make profit for unlawful gain, from prophet to priest, all of them practice deceit.

²¹ No priest drinks wine in entering the inner court.

¹¹ If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: "I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;" he would be the prophet of this people.

⁵ Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray; for those who feed their teeth, they proclaim, "Peace." and whoever doesn't provide for their mouths, they prepare war against him:

¹¹ Her leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets of it tell fortunes for money: yet they lean on the LORD, and say, “Isn’t the LORD among us? No disaster will come on us.”

¹⁰ "Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors and not light useless fires on the altar! I'm not pleased with you," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, "and I'll accept no offerings from you.

¹³ "It is written," he said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves."

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

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

³⁴ But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare. ³⁵ For it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ But watch at all times, and pray that ye may be able to escape all the things that are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

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

⁵ "Why wasn't this perfume sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the destitute?" ⁶ Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

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

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

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

¹⁸ Do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

⁸ Deacons likewise must be dignified, not insincere, not devoted to much wine, not fond of dishonest gain,

¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

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

¹¹ They must be silenced, for such men upset whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach, for the sake of dishonest gain.

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

² to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable and gentle, and to show true humility toward all men.

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

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

³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from long ago their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep.

¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery, that never cease from sin; they entice unstable souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! ¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

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

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and chariots; and slaves and human souls.

¹⁹ For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do after right and conscience, that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that he hath promised him."

¹⁵ And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods whom your fathers served Beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

² I will be careful to live a blameless life. When will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a blameless heart. ³ I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me. ⁴ A perverse heart will be far from me. I will have nothing to do with evil. ⁵ Whoso slandereth his neighbour in secret, him will I destroy; whoso is haughty of eye and proud of heart, him will I not suffer. ⁶ My eyes will be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will minister to me. ⁷ He who practices deceit won't dwell within my house. He who speaks falsehood won't be established before my eyes. ⁸ Every morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land: to cut off all workers of iniquity from the city of the LORD.

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

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

¹² Deacons must be the husband of one wife, and must manage their children and their households well.

⁶ namely, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild or rebellious.

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

²⁹ Why do you despise my sacrifice and my offering which I commanded for my dwelling place, while you honored your sons more than me by making yourselves fat from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel? ³⁰ Therefore the LORD the God of Israel says, 'I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me forever'. But now the LORD says, 'Far be it from Me. Those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be despised.

¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain them.

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

²² And he subordinated all things under his feet, and appointed him head over all things for the church,

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

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

¹⁵ so that, if I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

¹⁴ then your heart might be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;

²⁰ And that his heart be not lifted up with pride over his brethren, nor decline to the right or to the left, that he and his sons may reign a long time over Israel.

¹⁰ You just defeated Edom and you're arrogant. Bask in your victory and stay home. Why incite trouble so that you yes, you! fall, along with Judah with you?"

¹⁶ But when he became strong his heart was lifted up to [his] downfall; and he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

²⁵ But Hezekiah didn't render again according to the grace done to him. His heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath on him, and on Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ¹⁹ It is better to be lowly of spirit with the humble Than to apportion loot with the proud.

¹² Before shattering, a man's heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor.

²³ A man's pride brings him low, but one of lowly spirit gains honor.

¹² For the day of the LORD Almighty shall be on all the proud and lofty ones, and on all that is lifted up; and it will be abased;

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn. How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low. ¹³ You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north. ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High."

¹⁸ He said to them, I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven.

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

⁶ Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another. ⁷ For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? ⁸ Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you.

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

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.

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

⁴ Treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God;

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

² Like newborn infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

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

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

⁶ And the angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, he has kept in eternal chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

²⁴ No my sons, it is no good report that I hear; you make the LORD's people disobey.

¹¹ He said to them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables

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

²² They said: "We come from Cornelius the centurion, a righteous man who respects God. He has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so he could hear what you have to say."

¹² There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the Law, highly respected by all the Jews who lived there,

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

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

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

⁵ Behave wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

¹² so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anyone.

²² Avoid every kind of evil.

¹⁴ So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their homes, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach.

²⁴ The sins of some men are obvious, leading the way into judgment, while those of others trail behind. ²⁵ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

⁹ But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

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

⁵ to be chaste and holy, and to take good care of their households, and to be obedient to their husbands; so that no one may reproach the word of God.

⁸ and soundness of speech that can’t be condemned, that he who opposes you may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say about us.

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

¹² Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—even by the truth itself. Yes, we also speak well of him, and we know that our testimony is true.

⁹ For there is not anything reliable in his mouth; their inner part is destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

² Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.

¹⁹ you spread your mouth to evil and contrive your tongue to deceit:

² Your tongue devises woes, Like a honed razor, you who practice deceit."

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

¹³ Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit; the venom of vipers is on their lips;

³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

²³ Stop drinking only water; use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent infirmities.

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

⁵ Now the goal of that command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith;

¹⁹ Holding on to faith and a good conscience; which some have rejected and so shipwrecked their faith:

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

⁹ Anyone who runs ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If any one comes to you and does not bring this Teaching, do not receive him into your house or welcome him;

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

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

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

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

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

¹³ For those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

²² Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

⁶ namely, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild or rebellious. ⁷ As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.

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

⁷ "'They shall take no wife that is an whore, or polluted, or put from her husband: for a priest is holy unto his God.

¹³ "The anointed priest should marry a virgin. ¹⁴ "He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people. ¹⁵ He shall not profane his offspring among his people: for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.'"

³ he who doesn't slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

²⁰ You sit; you speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.

⁵ Whoso slandereth his neighbour in secret, him will I destroy; whoso is haughty of eye and proud of heart, him will I not suffer.

¹⁸ He who hides hatred has lying lips. He who utters a slander is a fool.

¹³ Like the cold of snow in harvest time, so is a faithful messenger to those sending him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

⁴ Everyone beware of his neighbor, and do not trust any brother! For every brother will supplant his neighbor, and will walk with slanders.

²² "'They must not marry widows or women who have been divorced. They may marry only virgins from the nation of Israel or widows of priests.'

¹ Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. ⁶ They were both upright in the sight of God, blamelessly observing all the Lord's commands and requirements.

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

⁶ So then let us not be sleeping as do the rest, but let us be watchful and self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But let us, who belong to the Day, control ourselves, and put on faith and love as a breast plate, and the hope of Salvation as a helmet.

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.

² Moreover, those who have believing masters should be respectful to them, because they are fellow believers. In fact, they must serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dear to them. These are the things you must teach and exhort.

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

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

⁹ And the great dragon was hurled down—the ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰ And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: Now has come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren, he that accused them before our God day and night, is cast down.

⁴ [He must] manage his own family well and, with dignity, keep his children in subjection [or, “respectful”]. ⁵ For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

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

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

¹⁰ Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have proved untrustworthy in using your ill-gotten wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something of your own?

¹⁷ "'Well done, good servant,' he replied; 'because you have been faithful in a very small matter, be in authority over ten towns.'

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

⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

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

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

³⁵ Paul reached the steps. The violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.

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

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

¹⁴ also, most of the brothers in the Lord have been influenced by my chains to be much bolder, to speak the Word fearlessly.

² Rather, in spite of having already suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, we made bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God, in the face of strong opposition.

¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

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

¹⁰ As each has received a gift, minister it to one another as good administrators of God’s varied grace. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

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

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

¹⁵ And in this confidence I intended to come to you first, that you might benefit twice; ¹⁶ I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ When I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a fleshly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, Yes" and "No, No"?

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

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

²² And get ready to entertain me too, for I hope that I shall be restored to you, in answer to your prayers.

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

¹² Though I have much to write to you, I do not want to use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

¹⁴ I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

²⁶ For what mortal man has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire like we did, and lived?

²³ the LORD gave this command to Joshua, son of Nun: "Be strong and courageous, because you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you."

¹⁰ And Joshua said, "Hereby ye shall know, that the living God is among you, and that he will, without fail, cast out before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perezites, the Gergesites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing by him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Indeed, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

³⁶ Your servant killed both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.

² I go the way of all the earth. And you be strong and show yourself a man.

⁴ So that the Lord may give effect to what he said of me, If your children give attention to their ways, living uprightly before me with all their heart and their soul, you will never be without a man to be king in Israel.

⁴ Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all of the words of the chief commander whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to insult the living God, and he will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remainder who are left.'"

¹³ »You will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

⁹ "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and all thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever. ¹⁰ Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for him as a sanctuary. Be strong, and do it." ¹¹ Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the Temple, the storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. ¹² and the pattern of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, and for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of God's house, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things; ¹³ also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD; ¹⁴ of gold by weight for the gold, for all vessels of every kind of service; for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service; ¹⁵ the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps that is, the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps, the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps according to the use of each lamp stand for worship, ¹⁶ the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, ¹⁷ the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, ¹⁸ and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels with their wings spread to cover the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. ¹⁹ the whole in writing, From the hand of the LORD upon me, to give understanding,—all the works of the pattern. ²⁰ David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don't be afraid, nor be dismayed; for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you, nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. ²¹ Here are the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in God's Temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

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

¹⁸ For, behold, today I have made you a fortified city, and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against her princes, against her priests, and to the people of the land.

¹⁰ But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king. Because of his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his anger.

³⁶ But you shall not mention the burden of the LORD, for the burden is to each one his word, and so you twist the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God.

²⁶ "I hereby decree that in every area of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, who endures forever. His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed, and his dominion continues forever.

¹⁰ The number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea that cannot be measured or counted; and in the place where it is said to them, "You are not my people," it will be said to them, "Children of the living God."

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it! ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

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

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

⁶⁹ "We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

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

³⁷ Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "As you say, I am a king. It was for this that I was born and for this that I came to the world, to give testimony for truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to my voice."

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

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

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

²⁶ "And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

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

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

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

⁹ Peter, and John, who were esteemed to be pillars, perceived the favour that was bestowed on me, they admitted me and Barnabas into fellowship, and agreed, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.

²¹ in whom the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord; ²² And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

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

⁵ springing from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel

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

⁵ For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

¹⁰ To this end we labor and strive, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.

¹⁶ who alone has immortality, residing in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see; to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

²⁰ In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay; some for noble purposes, and some for ignoble.

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

¹² See to it, my brothers, that no one of you has a wicked, unbelieving heart, that turns away from the ever-living God,

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

²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the joyful assembly

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

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

¹⁷ The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary. ¹⁸ You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive: you have received gifts for men; yes, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

¹⁴ Therefore the LORD will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).

⁶ For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁵ The Sovereign LORD has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. I have not turned back. ⁶ I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spittle. ⁷ For the Sovereign LORD will help me. Therefore I have not been confounded. Therefore I have set my face like a flint and I know that I will not be put to shame.

⁵ "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: the LORD our righteousness.

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.

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

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

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and waited on him.

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

² And there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and went and rolled the stone back and sat upon it.

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

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

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

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: ¹¹ Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! ¹² And this will be a sign to you: You shall find a baby wrapped in birth clothes and lying in a manger. ¹³ Suddenly a multitude of the Heavenly Army appeared with the angel, praising God by saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

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

⁴ While they were at a loss about this, suddenly two men in glittering robes stood beside them.

⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.

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

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

³² Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. ³³ I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

⁶² "What if you see the Son of man ascending where he was before?

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

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

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

²⁸ I did come from the Father and enter the world. Now I am leaving the world again and going back to the Father."

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

¹² She saw two angels in white seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.

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

¹⁹ This became known to everyone living in Jerusalem; so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁷ But we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and which God destined for our glory before the ages.

⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.

⁸ For God, who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the Jews, was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles.

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

⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁹ They should keep holding on to the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

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

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. ¹⁰ In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ For he who makes holy and they who are made holy are all of one. For this cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, ¹² and say, "I will tell your name to my brothers, In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise"; ¹³ And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."

⁷ And without dispute the lesser person is blessed by the greater.

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

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

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

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

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

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

² the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us

⁵ And you know that He appeared that He might take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

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

¹⁷ And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

⁹ After this I looked, and there was a vast throng that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

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

⁷ And the angel said to me, Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.