Colossians Cross References - Williams

¹ Paul, by God's will an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy, ² to the consecrated and faithful brothers at Colossae who are in union with Christ: spiritual blessing and peace to you from God our Father. ³ Every time we pray for you we thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people, ⁵ because of your hope of what is laid up for you in heaven. Long ago you heard of this hope through the message of the good news ⁶ which reached you, and since it is bearing fruit and growing among you, just as it is all over the world, from the day you first heard of God's favor and in reality came to know it, ⁷ as you learned it from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow-slave. As a faithful minister of Christ for me ⁸ he is the very one who told me of the love awakened in you by the Spirit. ⁹ This is why, ever since I heard of it, I have never ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you, through full wisdom and spiritual insight, with a clear knowledge of His will, ¹⁰ so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord to His full satisfaction, by perennially bearing fruit in every good enterprise and by a steady growth in fuller knowledge of God; ¹¹ then you will be perfectly empowered by His glorious might for every sort of joyous endurance and forbearance, ¹² and you will always be thanking the Father who has qualified you to share the lot of His people in the realm of light. ¹³ It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dearly loved Son, ¹⁴ by whom we possess the ransom from captivity, which means the forgiveness of our sins. ¹⁵ Yes, He is the exact likeness of the unseen God, His first-born Son who existed before any created thing, ¹⁶ for it was through Him that everything was created in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ So He existed before all things, and through Him all things are held together. ¹⁸ Yes, He is the Head of the church as His body. For He is the beginning, the first-born among the dead, so that He alone should stand first in everything. ¹⁹ It is so because it was the divine choice that all the divine fullness should dwell in Him, ²⁰ and that through Him He might reconcile to Himself all things on earth or in heaven, making this peace through the blood He shed On His cross. ²¹ So you, who were once estranged from Him, and hostile in disposition as shown by your wrongdoings, He has now reconciled ²² by His death in His human body, so as to present you consecrated, faultless, and blameless in His presence, ²³ if indeed you continue well grounded and firm in faith and never shift from the hope inspired by the good news you heard, which has been preached all over the world, and of which I, Paul, have been made a minister. ²⁴ I am now glad to be suffering for you, and in my own person I am filling in what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for His body, that is, the church. ²⁵ In it I have been made a minister in accordance with the trusteeship God entrusted to me for you, that I might prove among you the universal message of God, ²⁶ the open secret, covered up from the people of former ages and generations, but now uncovered to God's people, ²⁷ to whom God has chosen to make known how glorious are the riches of this open secret among the heathen, namely, Christ in you the hope of your glorification. ²⁸ We are proclaiming Him, warning everyone and teaching everyone with ample wisdom, in order to present to God everyone mature through union with Christ. ²⁹ For this I am toiling and struggling by His active energy which is mightily working in me.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to escape from the wrath that is coming?

¹⁷ and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am delighted!"

¹¹ "Blessed are you when people abuse you, and persecute you, and keep on falsely telling all sorts of evil against you for my sake. ¹² Keep on rejoicing and leaping for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way they persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

⁴⁸ So you, my followers, ought to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is."

¹⁹ "Stop storing up your riches on earth where moths and rust make away with them, and where thieves break in and steal them. ²⁰ But keep on storing up your riches in heaven where moths and rust do not make away with them and where thieves do not break in and steal them.

²⁴ "So everyone who listens to my words and practices their teaching, will be like a prudent man who built his house on a rocky foundation. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, for its pillars had been laid on a rocky foundation.

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing these matters from wise and learned men, and for revealing them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, I thank You that Your good pleasure made it so. ²⁷ All things have been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one but the Father perfectly knows the Son, and no one but the Son perfectly knows the Father, and the one to whom the Son chooses to make Him known.

²⁹ Or, how can anyone get into a giant's house and carry off his goods, unless he first binds the giant? After that he can make a clean sweep of his house. ³⁰ Whoever is not in partnership with me is against me, and whoever does not gather in partnership with me scatters.

¹¹ He answered: "It is you and not they who are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud cast its shadow over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am delighted. Keep on listening to Him!"

²⁸ just as the Son of Man has come, not to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom price to set many free."

⁸ But as for you, you must not seek for others to call you 'Teacher,' for you have but one who is 'Teacher,' and you are all brothers.

¹³ But whoever bears up to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom must be preached all over the inhabited world, for a testimony to all the heathen, and then the end will come.

¹⁴ And this good news of the kingdom must be preached all over the inhabited world, for a testimony to all the heathen, and then the end will come.

⁴⁵ "Who then is the faithful and thoughtful slave, whom his master put in charge of his household, to deal out to the members of it their supplies at the proper time?

²¹ His master said to him 'Well done, my good and faithful slave, you have been faithful in the use of a small amount; I will put you in charge of a larger one. Come, share your master's joy!'

³⁴ Then the King will say to those at His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came up to them, and said, "Full authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptize them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teach them to practice all the commands that I have given you. And I myself will surely be with you all the days, down to the very close of an age."

⁸ Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

¹¹ Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that

²⁶ He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷ then continues sleeping by night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up without his knowing how. ²⁸ The ground of itself produces, first the stalk, then the head; at last there is the matured grain of wheat in the head. ²⁹ But as soon as the crop Will permit it, he puts in the sickle, for the reaping time has come."

³⁴ So when He got out of the boat, He saw a great crowd waiting, and His heart was moved with pity at the sight of them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and so He proceeded to teach them a number of things.

¹⁵ Then He said to them, "You must go all over the world and preach the good news to all the creation.

⁷⁵ in holiness and uprightness In His own presence all our days.

¹⁴ "Glory to God in highest heaven! And peace on earth to men who please him."

²⁰ When He saw their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁸ He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep, and laid its foundation upon the rock; and when a flood came, the torrent burst upon that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built.

⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her sins, as many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the one who has little to be forgiven loves me little." ⁴⁸ And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven!" ⁴⁹ The men at the table began to say to themselves, "Who is this man, who even forgives sins?" ⁵⁰ But He said to the woman, "It is your faith that has saved you; go on in peace."

¹⁰ So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand.

¹³ The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. ¹⁵ But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

²¹ At that very moment, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He exulted and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for concealing these matters from wise and learned men, and for revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, I thank you that your good pleasure made it so.

³³ Sell your property and give to charity. Provide for yourselves purses that will never wear out, riches that never fail in heaven, where a thief cannot come near nor a moth destroy,

²⁴ "You must struggle on to get in through the narrow door, for I tell you, many will try to get in, but will not succeed,

²¹ and so people will not say, 'Look! Here it is,' nor, 'There it is,' for the kingdom of God is within you."

¹⁵ for I will give you such wisdom of speech as all your opponents combined will not be able to resist and refute.

³² but I have prayed especially for you that your own faith may not utterly fail. And you yourself, after you have turned, must strengthen your brothers."

⁵³ While I was among you day after day in the temple, you never laid a hand on me! But this is your opportunity, even the power which darkness gives you!"

¹ In the beginning the Word existed; and the Word was face to face with God; yea, the Word was God Himself.

¹ In the beginning the Word existed; and the Word was face to face with God; yea, the Word was God Himself. ² He is the One who was face to face with God in the beginning. ³ It was through Him that everything came into existence, and apart from Him not a single thing came into existence.

³ It was through Him that everything came into existence, and apart from Him not a single thing came into existence.

¹⁴ So the Word became human and lived a little while among us, and we actually saw His glory, the glory of One who is an only Son from His Father, and He was full of spiritual blessing and truth.

¹⁶ For from His bounty we have all received spiritual blessing after spiritual blessing.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only son, Deity Himself, who lies upon His Father's breast, has made him known.

²⁷ He is to become my successor, because He has been put before me, and I am not fit to untie His shoestrings."

¹⁶ "For God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son, so that anyone who trusts in Him may never perish but have eternal life.

²⁹ It is the bridegroom who has the bride, but the bridegroom's friend, who stands outside and listens to him, is very happy to hear the bridegroom's voice. So this happiness of mine is running over. ³⁰ He must grow greater and greater, but I less and less." ³¹ He who comes from above is far above all others. He who springs from earth belongs to the earth and speaks of earth. He who comes from heaven is far above all others.

³⁴ For He whom God has sent continues to speak the words of God, for God continues to give Him the Spirit without measure.

³⁴ For He whom God has sent continues to speak the words of God, for God continues to give Him the Spirit without measure. ³⁵ The Father loves His Son and has put everything in His hands.

³⁵ The Father loves His Son and has put everything in His hands.

²³ But a time is coming -- indeed, it is already here -- when the real worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and reality, for the Father is looking for just such worshipers.

¹⁷ Then He answered them, "My Father is still working, and so am I." ¹⁸ It was on account of this that the Jews tried all the harder to put Him to death, because He not only persisted in breaking the Sabbath, but also kept on saying that God was His Father, and so was making Himself equal to God.

²⁴ "I most solemnly say to you, whoever listens to me and believes Him who has sent me possesses eternal life, and will never come under condemnation, but has already passed out of death into life.

⁵⁶ Whoever continues to eat my flesh and drink my blood continues to live in union with me and I in union with him.

¹⁷ If anyone is willing to keep on doing God's will, he will know whether my teaching comes from God, or merely expresses my own ideas.

³⁰ Even while He was saying this, many believed in Him. ³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him, "If you live in accordance with what I teach, you are really my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

⁵⁸ Then Jesus said to them, "I most solemnly say to you, I existed before Abraham was born."

²⁵ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life myself. Whoever continues to believe in me will live right on even though he dies, ²⁶ and no person who continues to live and believe in me will ever die at all. Do you believe this?"

³¹ This world is now in process of judgment; the prince of this world is now to be expelled. ³² And if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to me."

⁶ Jesus answered him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

⁹ Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you disciples so long, and yet you, Philip, have not recognized me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Let us see the Father'?

¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see Him or recognize Him, because He is going to remain with you, and will be within you.

²⁰ At that time you will know that I am in union with my Father and you are in union with me and I am in union with you.

²³ Jesus answered him, "If anyone really loves me, he will observe my teaching, and my Father will love him, and both of us will come in face-to-face fellowship with him; yes, we will make our special dwelling place with him.

² He cuts away any branch on me that stops bearing fruit, and He repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more. ³ You are already pruned because of the teaching that I have given you. ⁴ You must remain in union with me and I will remain in union with you. Just as no branch by itself can bear fruit unless it remains united to the vine, so you cannot unless you remain in union with me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in union with me and I in union with him will bear abundant fruit, because you cannot do anything cut off from union with me. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is thrown away as a mere branch and is dried up; then it is picked up and thrown into the fire and burned up.

⁸ By your continuously bearing abundant fruit and in this way proving yourselves to be real disciples of mine, my Father is glorified. ⁹ I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. You must remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you continue to keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in His love.

¹⁶ You have not chosen me; I have chosen you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit, that your fruit may remain too, so that the Father may grant you, as bearers of my name, whatever you ask Him for.

²⁴ If I had not done things among them that no one else has ever done, they would not be guilty of sin. But now the fact is, they have seen and even hated both my Father and me.

³ Now eternal life means knowing you as the only true God and knowing Jesus your messenger as Christ.

⁵ So now, Father, glorify me up there in your presence just as you did before the world existed.

²² I have given them the glory which you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are, ²³ I in union with them and you in union with me, so that they may be perfectly united, and the world may be sure that you sent me and that you have loved them just as you have loved me. ²⁴ Father, I want to have those whom you have given me right where I am, in order that they may see the glory which you have given me, because you loved me before the creation of the world.

²⁶ and I made known to them your very self, and I will make you known still further, so that the love which you have shown to me may be felt in them, and I in union with them."

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to me so, for I have not yet gone up to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them that I am going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

⁸ but you are going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you must be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth."

¹⁷ for he was one of our number, and he received a share in this ministry of ours.

²⁵ to take a share in this service as an apostle, from which Judas fell away to go to his own place."

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every part of the world living in Jerusalem.

³⁸ Peter said to them, "You must repent -- and, as an expression of it, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ -- that you may have your sins forgiven; and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ and He may send back Jesus, the Christ who long ago was appointed for you.

¹² There is no salvation by anyone else, for no one else in all the wide world has been appointed among men as our only medium by which to be saved."

⁴¹ So they went out from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer disgrace for Jesus' name; ⁴² and not for a single day did they stop teaching in the temple square and in private houses the good news of Jesus the Christ.

⁵ So Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began to preach the Christ to the Samaritans.

³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and starting from this passage, he told him the good news about Jesus.

²⁰ and at once he began to preach in their synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.

³⁰ Then Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and all at once a man in dazzling clothing stood before me,

³⁶ He has sent His message to the descendants of Israel, by telling them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.

⁴³ To this very One all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him is to receive the forgiveness of sins through His name."

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had no answer to make, but gave God the glory, saying, "So God has given even the heathen the repentance that leads to life."

²⁰ But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who on reaching Antioch began to speak to the Greeks too, and proceeded to tell them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

²³ When he reached there and saw the spiritual blessing God had given them, he was delighted, and continuously encouraged them all with hearty purpose to continue to be devoted to the Lord;

⁵ So Peter was being kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God for him was persistently made by the church.

²⁴ But the message of the Lord continued to grow and spread.

²⁶ Brothers, descendants of the race of Abraham, and all among you who reverence God, it is to us that the message of this salvation has been sent.

³⁸ So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you,

³⁸ So, my brothers, you must understand that through Him the forgiveness of your sins is now proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and that through union with Him every one of you who believes is given right standing with God and freed from every charge from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

²² strengthening the hearts of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, and warning them that it is through enduring many hardships that we must get into the kingdom of God.

¹⁴ Among them was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple goods from the town of Thyatira, and she stayed to listen to us. She was already a worshiper of God, and the Lord so moved upon her heart that she accepted the message spoken by Paul.

³ explaining them and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ."

¹⁸ Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.

²⁸ For it is through union with Him that we live and move and exist, as some of your own poets have said, "'For we are His offspring too.'

²⁴ But now I count as nothing the sacrifice of my life, if only I can finish my race and render the service entrusted to me by the Lord Jesus, of faithfully telling the good news of God's favor.

²⁷ for I never shrank from telling you God's whole plan. ²⁸ Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.

²⁸ Take care of yourselves and of the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, so as to continue to be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.

³¹ So ever be on your guard and always remember that for three years, night and day, I never ceased warning you one by one, and that with tears. ³² And now I commit you to the Lord, and to the message of His favor, which is able to build you up and to give you your proper possession among all God's consecrated people.

⁶ Because Paul knew that part of them were Sadducees and part of them Pharisees, he began to cry out in the council chamber, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a Pharisee's son, and now I am on trial for the hope of the resurrection of the dead."

¹⁵ and I have the same hope in God that they cherish for themselves, that there is to be a resurrection of the upright and the wicked.

⁶ And now it is for the hope of the promise made by God to our forefathers that I stand here on trial, ⁷ which promise our twelve tribes, by devotedly worshiping day and night, hope to see fulfilled for them. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused by some Jews.

¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you my servant and a witness to me of the things which you have seen and those which I shall yet enable you to see.

¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's power to God, so as to have their sins forgiven and have a possession among those that are consecrated by faith in me.'

²³ if the Christ should suffer, and by being the first to rise from the dead was to proclaim the light to the Jewish people and to the heathen."

¹ Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called as an apostle, set apart to preach God's good news,

⁷ to all those in Rome who are God's loved ones, called to be His people: spiritual blessing and peace be yours from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ First, through Jesus Christ I thank my God for you all, because the report of your faith is spreading all over the world.

⁸ First, through Jesus Christ I thank my God for you all, because the report of your faith is spreading all over the world. ⁹ Indeed, my witness is God, whom I serve in my spirit by telling the good news about His Son, that I never fail to mention you every time I pray,

⁹ Indeed, my witness is God, whom I serve in my spirit by telling the good news about His Son, that I never fail to mention you every time I pray, ¹⁰ always entreating God that somehow by His will I may some day at last succeed in getting to see you.

¹³ Furthermore, I want you to know, brothers, that I have often planned to come to see you (though until now I have been prevented), in order that I may gather some fruit among you too, as I have among the rest of the heathen.

³⁰ they are secret backbiters, open slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful; inventors of new forms of evil, undutiful to parents,

⁷ eternal life to those who patiently continue doing good and striving for glory, honor, and immortality,

²⁴ but anybody may have right standing with God as a free gift of His undeserved favor, through the ransom provided in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ For God once publicly offered Him in His death as a sacrifice of reconciliation through faith, to demonstrate His own justice (for in His forbearance God had passed over men's former sins);

⁶ So David, too, describes the happiness of the man to whom God credits right standing with Himself, without the things he does having anything to do with it: ⁷ "Happy are they whose transgressions have been forgiven, whose sins were covered up; ⁸ Happy the man whose sin the Lord does not charge against him!"

¹² and the forefather of those Jews who not only belong to the circumcision but also follow in the footsteps of our forefather Abraham in the faith he had before he was circumcised.

¹ Since we have been given right standing with God through faith, then let us continue enjoying peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² by whom we have an introduction through faith into this state of God's favor, in which we safely stand; and let us continue exulting in the hope of enjoying the glorious presence of God. ³ And not only that, but this too: let us continue exulting in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces endurance,

³ And not only that, but this too: let us continue exulting in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance, tested character, and tested character, hope, ⁵ and hope never disappoints us; for through the Holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.

⁵ and hope never disappoints us; for through the Holy Spirit that has been given us, God's love has flooded our hearts.

⁹ So if we have already been brought into right standing with God by Christ's death, it is much more certain that by Him we shall be saved from God's wrath. ¹⁰ For if while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, it is much more certain that since we have been reconciled we shall finally be saved through His new life.

⁴ So through baptism we have been buried with Him in death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father's glorious power, so we too should live an entirely new life.

¹⁷ But, thank God, that though you once were slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching in which you have been instructed, ¹⁸ and since you have been freed from sin, you have become the slaves of right-doing. ¹⁹ I am speaking in familiar human terms because of the frailty of your nature. For just as you formerly offered the parts of your bodies in slavery to impurity and to ever increasing lawlessness, so now you must once for all offer them in slavery to right-doing, which leads to consecration. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free so far as doing right was concerned. ²¹ What benefit did you then derive from doing the things of which you are now ashamed? None, for they end in death. ²² But now, since you have been freed from sin and have become the slaves of God, the immediate result is consecration, and the final destiny is eternal life.

⁴ So, my brothers, you too in the body of Christ have ended your relation to the law, so that you may be married to another husband, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

⁷ Because one's thinking the things suggested by the lower nature means enmity to God, for it does not subject itself to God's law, nor indeed can it. ⁸ The people who live on the plane of the lower nature cannot please God.

¹⁰ But if Christ lives in you, although your bodies must die because of sin, your spirits are now enjoying life because of right standing with God.

¹⁷ and if children, then also heirs, heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ if in reality we share His sufferings, so that we may share His glory too. ¹⁸ For I consider all that we suffer in this present life is nothing to be compared with the glory which by-and-by is to be uncovered for us. ¹⁹ For all nature is expectantly waiting for the unveiling of the sons of God.

²⁹ For those on whom He set His heart beforehand He marked off as His own to be made like His Son, that He might be the eldest of many brothers;

²⁹ For those on whom He set His heart beforehand He marked off as His own to be made like His Son, that He might be the eldest of many brothers; ³⁰ and those whom He marked off as His own He also calls; and those whom He calls He brings into right standing with Himself; those whom He brings into right standing with Himself He also glorifies.

³⁸ For I have full assurance that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor the present nor the future

²³ so as to make known the riches of His glory for the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in ages past to share His glory --

⁸ But what does it say? "God's message is close to you, on your very lips and in your heart"; that is, the message about faith which we preach.

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing what is told, and hearing through the message about Christ. ¹⁸ But may I ask, They had no chance to hear, did they? Yes, indeed: "All over the earth their voices have gone, to the ends of the world their words."

¹⁸ But may I ask, They had no chance to hear, did they? Yes, indeed: "All over the earth their voices have gone, to the ends of the world their words."

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and yet you, although you were wild olive suckers, have been grafted in among the native branches, and been made to share the rich sap of the native olive's root,

³³ How fathomless the depths of God's resources, wisdom, and knowledge! How unsearchable His decisions, and how mysterious His methods!

³⁶ For from Him everything comes, through Him everything lives, and for Him everything exists. Glory to Him forever! Amen.

² Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.

¹⁷ For the kingdom of God does not consist in what we eat and drink, but in doing right, in peace and joy through the Holy Spirit;

¹⁵ And yet, to refresh your memories, I have written you rather freely on some details, because of the unmerited favor shown me by God ¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus to the heathen peoples, to have me act as a sacrificing minister of the good news, in order that my offering of the heathen peoples to God may be acceptable, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁶ in making me a minister of Christ Jesus to the heathen peoples, to have me act as a sacrificing minister of the good news, in order that my offering of the heathen peoples to God may be acceptable, consecrated by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ So, as a Christian, I am proud of the things that I have done for God. ¹⁸ For I would venture to mention only what Christ has accomplished through me in bringing the heathen peoples to obedience, by word and by work, ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So I have completed the telling of the good news of Christ all the way from Jerusalem around to Illyricum.

¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit. So I have completed the telling of the good news of Christ all the way from Jerusalem around to Illyricum. ²⁰ In this matter it has ever been my ambition to tell the good news where Christ's name had never been mentioned, so as not to build upon foundations laid by other men,

²⁷ They certainly were delighted to do it, and they really are under obligation to them, for if the heathen peoples have shared in their spiritual blessings, they ought to serve them in material blessings. ²⁸ So, after I have finished this matter and made sure of the results of this contribution for them, I shall come by you on my way to Spain.

³⁰ Now I beg you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit inspires, to wrestle with me in prayers to God on my behalf,

²⁵ To Him who can make you strong in accordance with the good news I bring and in accordance with the message preached about Jesus Christ, in accordance with the uncovering of the secret which for ages past had not been told,

²⁵ To Him who can make you strong in accordance with the good news I bring and in accordance with the message preached about Jesus Christ, in accordance with the uncovering of the secret which for ages past had not been told, ²⁶ but now has been fully brought to light by means of the prophetic Scriptures, and in accordance with the command of the eternal God has been made known to all the heathen, to win them to obedience inspired by faith --

²⁶ but now has been fully brought to light by means of the prophetic Scriptures, and in accordance with the command of the eternal God has been made known to all the heathen, to win them to obedience inspired by faith --

¹ Paul, by the will of God called as an apostle of Jesus Christ, and our brother Sosthenes, ² to the church of God at Corinth, to those who are consecrated by union with Christ Jesus, and called to be God's people, in fellowship with those who anywhere call upon the name of Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

⁴ I am always thanking God for you, for the spiritual blessing given you by God through union with Christ Jesus; ⁵ because you have in everything been richly blessed through union with Him, with perfect expression and fullness of knowledge.

²³ we are preaching the Christ who was crucified -- a message that is a trap-stick to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks,

³⁰ So you owe it all to Him through union with Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our means of right standing, our consecration, and our redemption,

⁶ Yet, when among mature believers we do set forth a wisdom, but a wisdom that does not belong to this world or to the leaders of this world who are passing away; ⁷ rather, we are setting forth a wisdom that came from God, once a covered secret but now uncovered, which God marked off as His plan for bringing us to glory.

¹² Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world but the Spirit that comes from God, that we may get an insight into the blessings God has graciously given us. ¹³ These truths we are setting forth, not in words that man's wisdom teaches but in words that the Spirit teaches, in this way fitting spiritual words to spiritual truths. ¹⁴ An unspiritual man does not accept the things that the Spirit of God teaches, for they are nonsense to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are appreciated by spiritual insight. ¹⁵ But the spiritual man appreciates everything, and yet he himself is not really appreciated by anybody.

⁵ Then what is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Mere servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave each of us his task.

¹⁶ Are you not conscious that you are God's temple, and that the Spirit of God has His permanent home in you?

¹ As for us apostles, men ought to think of us as ministers of Christ and trustees to handle God's uncovered truths. ² Now in this matter of trustees the first and final requirement is that they should prove to be trustworthy.

² Now in this matter of trustees the first and final requirement is that they should prove to be trustworthy. ³ As for me, myself, it is of very little concern to me to be examined by you or any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.

¹⁴ I do not write this to make you blush with shame but to give you counsel as my dear children.

¹⁷ This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is a dear child of mine and trustworthy in the Lord's work; he will call to your minds my methods in the work of Christ Jesus, just as I teach them everywhere in every church.

⁹ Do you not know that wrongdoers will not have a share in the kingdom of God? Stop being misled; people who are sexually immoral or idolaters or adulterers or sensual or guilty of unnatural sexual vice ¹⁰ or thieves or greedy graspers for more or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers will not have a share in the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And these are just the characters some of you used to be. But now you have washed yourselves clean, you have been consecrated, you are now in right standing with God, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.

²⁵ About unmarried women I have no command from the Lord, but I will give you my opinion as of one who is trustworthy, since I have had mercy shown me by the Lord.

⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things and the goal of our living, and but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live.

¹⁷ For if I do it of my own accord, I get my pay; but if I am unwilling to do it, I still am entrusted with trusteeship.

²³ And I do it all for the sake of the good news, so as to share with others in its blessings.

²⁵ Any man who enters an athletic contest practices rigid self-control in training, only to win a wreath that withers, but we are in to win a wreath that never withers. ²⁶ So that is the way I run, with no uncertainty as to winning. That is the way I box, not like one that punches the air. ²⁷ But I keep on beating and bruising my body and making it my slave, so that I, after I have summoned others to the race, may not myself become unfit to run.

³ But I want you to realize the fact that Christ is the Head of every man, that the husband is the head of the wife, and that God is the Head of Christ.

⁶ there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who does all things by putting energy in us all.

⁸ To one, wise speech is given by the Spirit; to another, by the same Spirit, intelligent speech is given;

¹¹ But the one and same Spirit accomplishes all these achievements, and apportions power to each of us as He chooses.

¹³ And so these three, faith, hope, and love endure, but the greatest of them is love.

¹⁰ But by God's unmerited favor I have become what I am, and His unmerited favor shown to me was not bestowed for nothing, for I have toiled more extensively than any of them, and yet it was not I but God's unmerited favor working with me.

¹⁰ But by God's unmerited favor I have become what I am, and His unmerited favor shown to me was not bestowed for nothing, for I have toiled more extensively than any of them, and yet it was not I but God's unmerited favor working with me. ¹¹ But whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. ¹² Now if we preach that Christ has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you are saying that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?

¹⁹ If for this life only we Christians have set our hopes on Christ, we are the most pitiable people in the world. ²⁰ But in reality Christ has been raised from the dead, the first to be raised of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since it was through a man that death resulted, it was also through a man that the resurrection of the dead resulted. ²² For just as all men die by virtue of their descent from Adam, so all such as are in union with Christ will be made to live again. ²³ But each in his proper order; Christ first, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.

²³ But each in his proper order; Christ first, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ After that comes the end, when He will turn the kingdom over to God His Father, when He will put an end to all other government, authority, and power; ²⁵ for He must continue to be king until He puts all His enemies under His feet.

²⁵ for He must continue to be king until He puts all His enemies under His feet.

⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers, continue to be firm, incapable of being moved, always letting the cup run over in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the service of the Lord is never thrown away.

¹ Paul, by the will of God an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all God's people all over Greece:

⁵ For just as my sufferings for Christ are running over the cup, so through Christ my comfort is running over too. ⁶ If I am in sorrow, it is on behalf of your comfort and salvation; if I am comforted, it is for the comfort that is experienced by you in your patient endurance of the same sort of sufferings that I am enduring too. ⁷ My hope for you is well founded; because I know that just as you, brothers, are sharers of my sufferings, so you will be sharers of my comfort too. ⁸ For I do not want you to be uninformed about the sorrow that I suffered in Asia, because I was so crushed beyond any power to endure that I was in dire despair of life itself.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, for He always leads me in His triumphal train, through union with Christ, and everywhere through me keeps spreading the perfume of the knowledge of Him.

⁶ He has qualified even me as a minister of the new covenant, which is not a written but a spiritual covenant. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

¹ So, because I hold a place in this ministry and that because I have had God's mercy shown me, I never give up.

⁴ In their case, the god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers, to keep the glorious light of the good news of Christ, who is the likeness of God, from dawning upon them. ⁵ For I am not proclaiming myself but Christ Jesus as Lord, and myself a slave of yours for Jesus' sake. ⁶ For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in my heart, to give me the light of the knowledge of God's glory, reflected on the face of Christ. ⁷ But I am keeping this jewel in an earthen jar, to prove that its surpassing power is God's, not mine. ⁸ On every side I am ever hard-pressed, but never hemmed in; always perplexed, but never to the point of despair; ⁹ always being persecuted, but not deserted; always getting a knockdown, but never a knockout; ¹⁰ always being exposed to death as Jesus was, so that in my body the life of Jesus may be clearly shown. ¹¹ For all the time I continue to live I am being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that in my mortal lower nature the life of Jesus may be clearly shown. ¹² So it is death that works in me, but it is life that works in you.

¹⁷ For this slight and momentary sorrow continues to accumulate for me a solid and eternal glory far beyond any comparison,

⁵ Now it is God Himself who has put the finishing touches on me for this change, because He has given me the Spirit as the first installment of future bliss.

⁹ So whether I am at home or away from home, it is my constant ambition to please Him.

¹⁸ This has all originated with God, for He through Christ has reconciled me to Himself and has given me the ministry of reconciliation.

¹⁸ This has all originated with God, for He through Christ has reconciled me to Himself and has given me the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹ For it was through Christ that God was reconciling the world to Himself instead of debiting men's offenses against them, and He has committed to me the message of this reconciliation.

¹⁹ For it was through Christ that God was reconciling the world to Himself instead of debiting men's offenses against them, and He has committed to me the message of this reconciliation.

¹⁹ For it was through Christ that God was reconciling the world to Himself instead of debiting men's offenses against them, and He has committed to me the message of this reconciliation. ²⁰ So I am an envoy to represent Christ, because it is through me that God is making His appeal. As one representing Christ I beg you, be reconciled to God.

²⁰ So I am an envoy to represent Christ, because it is through me that God is making His appeal. As one representing Christ I beg you, be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made Him who personally knew nothing of sin to be a sin-offering for us, so that through union with Him we might come into right standing with God.

¹ As God's fellow-worker I beg you too not to accept God's favor and throw it away.

⁴ On the contrary, I am trying in everything to prove to people that I am a true servant of God: by my tremendous endurance in sorrows, distresses, difficulties; ⁵ in floggings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger;

⁵ in floggings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger; ⁶ through my personal purity, my knowledge, my patience, my kindness; through the Holy Spirit, my genuine love, ⁷ my message of truth, and the power of God; with the weapons of right-doing in my right hand and my left;

¹⁶ And what agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: "I will live in them and walk in them, and I will be their God and they will be my people." ¹⁷ Therefore: "'Come out of company with them, and separate from them,' the Lord has said, 'And stop touching what is unclean; then I will welcome you, ¹⁸ I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters of mine,' The Lord Almighty said."

⁴ I have the greatest confidence in you; I speak most highly of you. I am fully comforted; in the face of all my sorrow my cup is running over with joy.

⁷ and not only by his coming but by the comfort he had gotten from you, because he kept on telling me how you were longing to see me, how sorry you were, and how loyal you were to me, so that I was gladder still.

⁸ And God is able to make your every spiritual blessing overflow for you, so that you will always have in every situation an entire sufficiency and so overflow for every good cause;

¹⁴ For I am not overstepping my authority as though I should not reach you, for I was the very first to reach as far as you with the good news of Christ.

² For I feel a divine jealousy for you, as I betrothed you to Christ, to present you as a pure bride to her one husband.

²³ Are they ministers of Christ? So am I. I am talking like a man that has gone crazy -- as such I am superior! -- serving Him with labors greater by far, with far more imprisonments, with floggings vastly worse, and often at the point of death.

²³ Are they ministers of Christ? So am I. I am talking like a man that has gone crazy -- as such I am superior! -- serving Him with labors greater by far, with far more imprisonments, with floggings vastly worse, and often at the point of death. ²⁴ Five times I have taken thirty-nine lashes from the Jews, ²⁵ three times I have been beaten by the Romans, once I was pelted with stones; three times I have been shipwrecked, and once I have spent a day and a night adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have served Him on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the heathen, dangers in the city, dangers in the desert, dangers at sea, dangers from false brothers, ²⁷ through toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, through many a fasting season, poorly clad and exposed to cold.

⁹ but He said to me, "My spiritual strength is sufficient, for it is only by means of conscious weakness that perfect power is developed." ¹⁰ So I most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the strength of Christ may overshadow me. That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecution, and difficulties, which I endure for Christ's sake, for it is when I am consciously weak that I am really strong.

³ since you demand a proof that Christ is speaking through me. For Christ is not exhibiting weakness toward you but power in you.

³ spiritual blessing and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ But when God, who had already set me apart from my birth, and had called me by His unmerited favor, ¹⁶ chose to unveil His Son in me, so that I might preach the good news about Him among the heathen, at once, before I conferred with any human creatures,

⁷ On the contrary, because they saw that I had been entrusted with the good news for the heathen, just as Peter had been entrusted with it for the Jews -- ⁸ for He who had been at work in Peter for his apostleship to the Jews had been at work in me too for the apostleship to the heathen --

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ, and I myself no longer live, but Christ is living in me; the life I now live as a mortal man I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

⁹ So the men of faith are blessed as partners with trusting Abraham.

¹³ Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us -- for the Scripture says, "Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree" --

¹¹ I am beginning to fear that I have bestowed my labors on you for nothing.

¹⁹ O my dear children, I am suffering a mother's birth pangs for you again, until Christ is formed in you.

⁵ For we, by the Spirit, are awaiting the hoped-for blessing which our right standing with God will bring us. ⁶ For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of it counts for anything; but only faith that is spurred on to action by love. ⁷ You were running beautifully! Who was it that cut into your way and kept you from obeying the truth?

²² But the product of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

²² But the product of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. There is no law against such things.

⁹ Let us stop getting tired of doing good, for at the proper time we shall reap if we do not give up.

¹ Paul, by God's will an apostle of Christ Jesus, to God's people who are faithful in Christ Jesus;

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. ⁴ Through Him He picked us out before the creation of the world, to be consecrated and above reproach in His sight in love. ⁵ He foreordained us to become His sons by adoption through Christ Jesus, to carry out the happy choice of His will, ⁶ so that we might praise the splendid favor which He has shown us in His beloved Son. ⁷ It is through union with Him that we have redemption by His blood and the forgiveness of our shortcomings, in accordance with the generosity of His unmerited favor ⁸ which He lavished upon us. Through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight

¹⁰ so that, at the coming of the climax of the ages, everything in heaven and on earth should be unified through Christ, ¹¹ in union with whom we were made God's portion, since we had been foreordained in accordance with the purpose of Him who in everything carries out the plan of His will,

¹³ You too, as you have heard the message of the truth, the good news that means your salvation, and as you have trusted in Him too, have been stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit,

¹⁵ This is why I myself, since I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and in all His people,

¹⁵ This is why I myself, since I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and in all His people, ¹⁶ never cease to thank God for you when I mention you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may grant you the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation which come through a growing knowledge of Him,

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may grant you the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation which come through a growing knowledge of Him,

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may grant you the Spirit to give wisdom and revelation which come through a growing knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ by having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how glorious rich God's portion in His people is,

¹⁸ by having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how glorious rich God's portion in His people is,

¹⁸ by having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how glorious rich God's portion in His people is,

¹⁸ by having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, so that you may know what the hope is to which He calls you, how glorious rich God's portion in His people is, ¹⁹ and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe, measured by His tremendously mighty power

¹⁹ and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe, measured by His tremendously mighty power

¹⁹ and how surpassingly great is His power for us who believe, measured by His tremendously mighty power ²⁰ when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in heaven,

²⁰ when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in heaven, ²¹ far above every other government, authority, power, and dominion, yea, far above every other title that can be conferred, not only in this world but in the world to come. ²² And so He has put all things under His feet and made Him the supreme Head of the church, ²³ which is His body, that is being filled by Him who fills everything everywhere.

²³ which is His body, that is being filled by Him who fills everything everywhere.

¹ You too were dead because of the shortcomings and sins ² in which you once lived in accordance with the spirit of this present world, and the mighty prince of the air, who is always at work in the disobedient, among whom all of us, we Jews as well as you heathen, ³ once lived while gratifying the cravings of our lower nature, as we continued to carry out the impulses of our lower nature and its thoughts, and by nature we were exposed to God's wrath, as the rest of mankind.

³ once lived while gratifying the cravings of our lower nature, as we continued to carry out the impulses of our lower nature and its thoughts, and by nature we were exposed to God's wrath, as the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, who is so rich in mercy on account of the great love He has for us, ⁵ has made us, though dead because of our shortcomings, live again in fellowship with Christ -- it is by His unmerited favor that you have been saved. ⁶ And He raised us with Him and through union with Christ Jesus He made us sit down with Him in the heavenly realm, ⁷ to show, throughout the coming ages, the boundless generosity of His unmerited favor shown us in His goodness to us through Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by His unmerited favor through faith that you have been saved; it is not by anything that you have done, it is the gift of God. ⁹ It is not the result of what anyone can do, so that no one can boast of it. ¹⁰ For He has made us what we are, because He has created us through our union with Christ Jesus for doing good deeds which He beforehand planned for us to do.

¹⁰ For He has made us what we are, because He has created us through our union with Christ Jesus for doing good deeds which He beforehand planned for us to do.

¹² At that time you were without any connection with Christ; you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the sacred compacts made by God's promise, with no hope, and no God in the world. ¹³ But now through your union with Christ Jesus you who were once far away have through the blood of Christ been brought near. ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, He is the one who has made us both into one body and has broken down the barrier that kept us apart; ¹⁵ through His human nature He has put a stop to the hostility between us, namely, the law with its commands and decrees, in order to create one new humanity out of the two parties and so make peace through union with Himself, and in one body

¹⁵ through His human nature He has put a stop to the hostility between us, namely, the law with its commands and decrees, in order to create one new humanity out of the two parties and so make peace through union with Himself, and in one body ¹⁶ to reconcile them both to God with His cross after He had killed the hostility through it.

¹⁶ to reconcile them both to God with His cross after He had killed the hostility through it. ¹⁷ When He came, He brought the good news of peace for you who were far away and for you who were near;

¹⁹ So you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow-citizens of God's people and members of His family;

²¹ In union with Him the whole building is harmoniously fitted together and continues to grow into a temple, sacred through its union with the Lord, ²² and you yourselves, in union with Him, in fellowship with one another, are being built up into a dwelling for God through the Spirit.

¹ This is why I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the heathen -- ² that is, if you have heard how God's favor has been entrusted to me for you, ³ and how by revelation the secret was made known to me, as I have briefly written before. ⁴ By reading this you will be able to understand my insight into the secret about the Christ -- ⁵ which in the earlier ages, so different from the present, was not made known to mankind as fully as now, but through the Spirit it has been revealed to His Holy apostles and prophets -- ⁶ that the heathen through union with Christ Jesus are fellow-heirs with the Jews, are members with them of the same body, and sharers with them of the promise through the good news,

⁶ that the heathen through union with Christ Jesus are fellow-heirs with the Jews, are members with them of the same body, and sharers with them of the promise through the good news, ⁷ for which I was called to serve in accordance with the gift of God's unmerited favor which was bestowed on me by the exercise of His power--

⁷ for which I was called to serve in accordance with the gift of God's unmerited favor which was bestowed on me by the exercise of His power--

⁷ for which I was called to serve in accordance with the gift of God's unmerited favor which was bestowed on me by the exercise of His power-- ⁸ yes, on me, the very least of all His people, this unmerited favor was bestowed -- that I might preach as good news to the heathen the boundless riches of Christ,

⁸ yes, on me, the very least of all His people, this unmerited favor was bestowed -- that I might preach as good news to the heathen the boundless riches of Christ,

⁸ yes, on me, the very least of all His people, this unmerited favor was bestowed -- that I might preach as good news to the heathen the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make clear how is to be carried out the trusteeship of this secret which has for ages been hidden away in God, the Creator of all things, ¹⁰ so that the many phases of God's wisdom may now through the church be made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven,

¹³ So I beg you not to lose heart over the sorrows that I am suffering for your sake, for they bring you honor. ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, ¹⁶ and beg Him to grant you, in accordance with the riches of His perfect character, to be mightily strengthened by His Spirit in your inmost being,

¹⁶ and beg Him to grant you, in accordance with the riches of His perfect character, to be mightily strengthened by His Spirit in your inmost being,

¹⁶ and beg Him to grant you, in accordance with the riches of His perfect character, to be mightily strengthened by His Spirit in your inmost being, ¹⁷ and that Christ in His love, through your faith, may make His permanent home in your hearts. You must be deeply rooted, your foundations must be strong,

¹⁷ and that Christ in His love, through your faith, may make His permanent home in your hearts. You must be deeply rooted, your foundations must be strong,

¹⁷ and that Christ in His love, through your faith, may make His permanent home in your hearts. You must be deeply rooted, your foundations must be strong, ¹⁸ so that you with all God's people may be strong enough to grasp the idea of the breadth and length, the height and depth, ¹⁹ yes, to come at last to know the love of Christ, although it far surpasses human understanding, so that you may be filled with the perfect fullness of God. ²⁰ To Him who by His power that is at work within us can do surpassingly more than all we ask or imagine,

¹ So I, a prisoner for the Lord's sake, entreat you to live lives worthy of the call you have received, ² with perfect humility and gentleness, with patience, lovingly bearing with one another,

⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over us all, who pervades us all, and who is within us all.

¹⁰ The very One that went down has gone up, too, far above all the heavens, to fill the universe. ¹¹ And He has given some men to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² for the immediate equipment of God's people for the work of service, for the ultimate building up of the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to unity in faith and to perfect knowledge of the Son of God, namely, to a mature manhood and to a perfect measure of Christ's moral stature;

¹³ until we all attain to unity in faith and to perfect knowledge of the Son of God, namely, to a mature manhood and to a perfect measure of Christ's moral stature;

¹⁵ But, on the other hand, we shall go on holding to the truth and in love growing up into perfect union with Him, that is, Christ Himself who is the Head. ¹⁶ For it is under His direction that the whole body is perfectly adjusted and united by every joint that furnishes its supplies; and by the proper functioning of each particular part there is brought about the growing of the body for its building up in love.

¹⁶ For it is under His direction that the whole body is perfectly adjusted and united by every joint that furnishes its supplies; and by the proper functioning of each particular part there is brought about the growing of the body for its building up in love.

¹⁸ with darkened understanding, estranged from the life of God because of the ignorance that exists among them and because of the stubbornness of their hearts;

²¹ if, as I take it, you have heard Him and in union with Him have been taught the truth as it is seen in Jesus,

²³ and to have a new attitude of mind

³² You must practice being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you.

² and practice living in love, just as Christ loved you too and gave Himself for you as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

⁴ there must be no indecency, silly talk or suggestive jesting, for they are unbecoming. There should be thanksgiving instead.

⁸ For at one time you were darkness itself, but now in union with the Lord you are light itself. You must live like children of light, ⁹ for the product of light consists in practicing everything that is good and right and true; ¹⁰ you must approve what is pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁵ So you must be very careful how you live, not thoughtlessly but thoughtfully,

¹⁷ So stop becoming senseless, but understand what the Lord's will is.

²⁰ continue giving thanks for everything to God our Father; ²¹ keep on living in subordination to one another out of reverence to Christ.

²³ for a husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the Head of the church, His body, and Saviour of it.

²⁷ that He might present the church to Himself as a splendid bride without a blot or wrinkle or anything like it, but to be consecrated and faultless.

⁶ not serving them as though they were watching you, but as true slaves of Christ, trying to carry out the will of God.

¹⁰ From now on you must grow stronger through union with the Lord and through His mighty power.

¹² For our contest is not with human foes alone, but with the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark world; that is, with the spirit-forces of evil challenging us in the heavenly contest.

²¹ That you may also know how I am, Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and a faithful minister in the Lord's service, will give you all the information;

¹ Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all God's people in union with Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and assistants:

³ Every time I remember you I thank my God, ⁴ and always do it with joy in every entreaty I make for all of you,

⁴ and always do it with joy in every entreaty I make for all of you, ⁵ for your cooperation in spreading the good news, from the first day you heard it until now.

⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may overflow still more and more, directed by fuller knowledge and keener insight, ¹⁰ so that you may always approve the better things, and be men of transparent character and blameless life, ¹¹ men that are abounding in the fruits of right-doing with the help of Jesus Christ, to the honor and praise of God.

¹¹ men that are abounding in the fruits of right-doing with the help of Jesus Christ, to the honor and praise of God.

¹⁵ Some, indeed, are actually preaching Christ because they are moved by jealousy and partisanship, but others are doing so from the motive of good will; ¹⁶ the latter, indeed, are doing so from love to me, for they know that I am providentially put here to defend the good news; ¹⁷ the former are preaching Christ from the motive of rivalry, not in sincerity, supposing that this is making it harder for me to bear my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What difference then does it make? In one way or another, whether in pretense or in sincerity, Christ is being preached, and that is the thing that makes me glad; yes, more too, I will continue to be glad of it,

²⁷ Only you must practice living lives that are worthy of the good news, so that whether I come and see you or stay away, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, and that with one purpose you are continuing to cooperate in the fight for faith in the good news.

³⁰ since you are having the same struggle that you once saw me have and which you hear that I am still having.

⁶ Though He was existing in the nature of God, He did not think His being on an equality with God a thing to be selfishly grasped,

¹⁰ so that in the name of Jesus everyone should kneel, in heaven, on earth, and in the underworld,

¹³ for it is God Himself who is at work in you to help you desire it as well as do it.

¹⁶ to hold up the message of life. That will give me ground for boasting on the day of Christ, because neither my career nor my labor has been a failure. ¹⁷ Yes, even if I am pouring out my life as a libation on the sacrifice and service your faith is rendering, I am glad to do so and congratulate you upon it; ¹⁸ you too must do likewise, be glad of it, and congratulate me. ¹⁹ I hope, with the approval of the Lord Jesus, soon to send Timothy to you, so that I too may be cheered on getting the news about you. ²⁰ For I have no one else with a heart like his who would take such genuine interest in you, ²¹ for most people are looking out for their own interests, not for the interests of Jesus Christ. ²² But you know his tested character, how like a son in fellowship with his father he has toiled with me like a slave in preaching the good news.

²⁵ But I think it proper now to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-laborer, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger to minister to my needs,

¹⁰ Yes, I long to come to know Him; that is, the power of His resurrection and so to share with Him his sufferings as to be continuously transformed by His death,

⁶ Stop being worried about anything, but always, in prayer and entreaty, and with thanksgiving, keep on making your wants known to God.

¹³ I can do anything through Him who gives me strength.

¹⁷ It is not your gift that I want, but I do want the profits to pile up to your credit. ¹⁸ I have received your payment in full, and more too. I am amply supplied after getting the things you sent by Epaphroditus; they are like sweet incense, the kind of sacrifice that God accepts and approves. ¹⁹ My God will amply supply your every need, through Christ Jesus, from His riches in glory.

³ Every time we pray for you we thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people,

⁴ because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people, ⁵ because of your hope of what is laid up for you in heaven. Long ago you heard of this hope through the message of the good news

⁵ because of your hope of what is laid up for you in heaven. Long ago you heard of this hope through the message of the good news ⁶ which reached you, and since it is bearing fruit and growing among you, just as it is all over the world, from the day you first heard of God's favor and in reality came to know it,

⁶ which reached you, and since it is bearing fruit and growing among you, just as it is all over the world, from the day you first heard of God's favor and in reality came to know it,

⁹ This is why, ever since I heard of it, I have never ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you, through full wisdom and spiritual insight, with a clear knowledge of His will, ¹⁰ so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord to His full satisfaction, by perennially bearing fruit in every good enterprise and by a steady growth in fuller knowledge of God;

¹³ It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dearly loved Son,

¹⁵ Yes, He is the exact likeness of the unseen God, His first-born Son who existed before any created thing, ¹⁶ for it was through Him that everything was created in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ So He existed before all things, and through Him all things are held together. ¹⁸ Yes, He is the Head of the church as His body. For He is the beginning, the first-born among the dead, so that He alone should stand first in everything.

²⁰ and that through Him He might reconcile to Himself all things on earth or in heaven, making this peace through the blood He shed On His cross. ²¹ So you, who were once estranged from Him, and hostile in disposition as shown by your wrongdoings, He has now reconciled ²² by His death in His human body, so as to present you consecrated, faultless, and blameless in His presence,

²² by His death in His human body, so as to present you consecrated, faultless, and blameless in His presence, ²³ if indeed you continue well grounded and firm in faith and never shift from the hope inspired by the good news you heard, which has been preached all over the world, and of which I, Paul, have been made a minister. ²⁴ I am now glad to be suffering for you, and in my own person I am filling in what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for His body, that is, the church. ²⁵ In it I have been made a minister in accordance with the trusteeship God entrusted to me for you, that I might prove among you the universal message of God,

²⁷ to whom God has chosen to make known how glorious are the riches of this open secret among the heathen, namely, Christ in you the hope of your glorification.

¹ I want you to know what a battle I am fighting for you and for those in Laodicea, yes, for all who have never known me personally, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, by having been knit together in love and by having atoned to the full assurance of understanding, so that they may finally reach the fullest knowledge of the open secret, Christ Himself, ³ in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are stored up.

⁶ So, just as you once accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue living in vital union with Him, ⁷ with your roots deeply planted in Him, being continuously built up in Him, and growing stronger in faith, just as you were taught to do, overflowing through it in your gratitude.

⁹ For it is in Him that all the fullness of Deity continues to live embodied, ¹⁰ and through union with Him you too are filled with it. He is the Head of all principalities and dominions.

¹⁰ and through union with Him you too are filled with it. He is the Head of all principalities and dominions. ¹¹ And through your union with Him you once received, not a hand-performed circumcision but one performed by Christ, in stripping you of your lower nature, ¹² for you were buried with Him in baptism and raised to life with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ Yes, although you were dead through your shortcomings and were physically uncircumcised, God made you live again through fellowship with Christ. He graciously forgave us all our shortcomings,

¹³ Yes, although you were dead through your shortcomings and were physically uncircumcised, God made you live again through fellowship with Christ. He graciously forgave us all our shortcomings, ¹⁴ canceled the note that stood against us, with its requirements, and has put it out of our way by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He thus stripped the principalities and dominions of power and made a public display of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

¹⁹ Such a person is not continuing in connection with the Head, from which the whole body, when supplied and united through its joints and sinews, grows with a growth that God produces.

¹¹ In this new relation there is no Greek and Jew, no circumcised and uncircumcised, no barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is everything and in us all.

¹³ forbearing one another and freely forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; just as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also do.

¹⁵ Let the peace that Christ can give keep on acting as umpire in your hearts, for you were called to this state as members of one body. And practice being thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ continue to live in you in all its wealth of wisdom; keep on teaching it to one another and training one another in it with thankfulness, in your hearts singing praise to God with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. ¹⁷ And whatever you say or do, let it all be done with reference to the Lord Jesus, and through Him continue to give thanks to God the Father.

²⁰ Children, practice obedience to your parents in everything, for this is acceptable in Christians.

⁵ Practice living prudently in your relations with outsiders, making the most of your opportunities.

⁷ My dearly loved Tychicus, a faithful minister and my fellow-servant in the Lord's work, will tell you all about me.

¹² Epaphras, one of your own number, a slave of Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you. He is always earnestly pleading for you in his prayers that you may stand fast as men mature and of firm convictions in everything required by the will of God.

¹ Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Thessalonian church in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: spiritual blessing and peace be to you. ² We always thank God for you all as we continually mention you in our prayers, ³ for we can never for a moment before our God forget your energizing faith, your toiling love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵ for our preaching of the good news came to you not entirely in words but with power and with the Holy Spirit and with absolute certainty (for you know the kind of men we were among you for your own sakes).

⁹ You remember, brothers, our hard labor and toil. We kept up our habit of working night and day, in order not to be a burden to any of you when we preached to you.

¹² to live lives worthy of God who calls you into His kingdom and His glory. ¹³ For another reason too, we, as far as we are concerned, are constantly giving thanks to God; that is, when you received the message you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the message of men but as the message of God, as it really is, which keeps on working in you who believe.

² and so I sent my brother Timothy, God's minister in the preaching of the good news of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³ so that none of you might be deceived amid these difficulties. For you knew yourselves that this is our appointed lot,

³ so that none of you might be deceived amid these difficulties. For you knew yourselves that this is our appointed lot, ⁴ for when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were going to be pressed with difficulties, and it took place, as you know. ⁵ That was why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you and our labor might be lost. ⁶ But now, since Timothy has just come back to me from you, and brought me good tidings of your faith and love, and told me how kindly you remembered me and that you are longing to see me as much as I am to see you,

¹⁰ as night and day I continue to pray with deepest earnestness and keenest eagerness that I may see your faces and round out to completeness what is lacking in your faith? ¹¹ Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus guide my way to you! ¹² May the Lord make you increase and overflow in love for one another and for all men, as my love for you does, ¹³ so that He may strengthen your hearts to be faultless in purity in the sight of God, when our Lord Jesus comes back with all His consecrated ones.

¹ Now, brothers, we ask and beg you, in the face of our union with the Lord Jesus, as you once received from us how you ought to live so as to please God -- as indeed you are living -- to continue to live this life better and better.

⁶ that no one should do wrong and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord takes vengeance for all such things, as we told you before and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For God did not call us to a life of immorality, but to one of personal purity.

⁹ Now as to brotherly love, you have no need of anyone's writing you, for you have yourselves been taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ as you are practicing it toward all the brothers all over Macedonia. We beg you, brothers, to continue to live better and better;

⁸ but let us who belong to the day keep sober, clothed with faith and love for a coat of mail and with the hope of salvation for a helmet.

¹² We beg you, brothers, to practice showing respect to those who labor among you, who are your leaders in the Lord's work, and who advise you; ¹³ continue to hold them in the highest esteem for the sake of the work they do. Practice living at peace with one another. ¹⁴ We beg you, brothers, continue to warn the shirkers, to cheer the faint-hearted, to hold up the weak, and to be patient with everybody.

¹⁷ Never stop praying.

¹ Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the Thessalonian church in union with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

³ We always ought to be thanking God for you, brothers, as it is right to do so, because your faith is growing so much and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing

¹¹ With this in view we are always praying for you too, that our God may make you worthy of His call, and by His power fully satisfy your every desire for goodness, and complete every activity of your faith,

¹³ We ought always to be thanking God for you, brothers dearly loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through the Spirit's consecration of you and through your faith in the truth,

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and graciously given us encouragement that is eternal, and a hope that is well-founded,

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and graciously given us encouragement that is eternal, and a hope that is well-founded, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

⁸ I did not eat any man's bread without paying for it, but with toil and hard labor I worked night and day, in order not to be a burden to any of you.

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope,

¹² I am always thanking Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me strength for it, for thinking me trustworthy and putting me into the ministry,

¹⁵ It is a saying to be trusted and deserves our fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; and I am the foremost of them.

¹⁷ To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.

⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom for all, a fact that was testified to at the proper time, ⁷ and for which purpose I was appointed a preacher and an apostle -- I am telling the truth, I am not lying, -- a teacher of the heathen in the realm of faith and truth.

² So the pastor must be a man above reproach, must have only one wife, must be temperate, sensible, well-behaved, hospitable, skillful in teaching;

¹⁶ Undoubtedly the mystery of our religion is a great wonder: "He was made visible in human form; He was vindicated by the Spirit; He was seen by angels; He was proclaimed among the heathen; He was trusted in throughout the world; He was taken up to glory."

⁶ If you continue to put these things before the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, ever feeding your own soul on the truths of the faith and of the fine teaching which you have followed.

¹⁶ who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

³ I thank God, whom I worship, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as I ceaselessly remember you in my prayers. Because I remember the tears you shed for me, I am always longing night and day

³ I thank God, whom I worship, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as I ceaselessly remember you in my prayers. Because I remember the tears you shed for me, I am always longing night and day ⁴ to see you again, that I may feel the fullest joy

⁷ For the Spirit that God has given us does not impart timidity but power and love and self-control. ⁸ So you must never be ashamed of me His prisoner, but suffer for the good news in fellowship with me and by the power of God.

¹⁰ but has only recently been made known through the appearance of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who through the good news has put a stop to the power of death, and brought life and immortality to light. ¹¹ Of this good news I have been appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. ¹² This is why I am suffering so, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have trusted and I am absolutely sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

¹ So you, my son, must keep renewing your strength in the spiritual blessing that comes through union with Christ Jesus. ² The things you learned from me before many witnesses you must commit to trustworthy men who will be competent to teach others too.

² The things you learned from me before many witnesses you must commit to trustworthy men who will be competent to teach others too. ³ Take your share of hardships like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier ever allows himself to be involved in the business affairs of life, so that he may please the officer who enlisted him.

⁹ for the sake of which I am suffering hardships even to the extent of wearing chains as though I were a criminal. But God's message is not in chains. ¹⁰ For this reason I am bearing anything for the sake of His chosen people, so that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

¹⁰ For this reason I am bearing anything for the sake of His chosen people, so that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

²⁴ and a slave of the Lord must not quarrel but must be gentle to everybody; he must be a skillful teacher, and not resentful under injuries. ²⁵ With gentleness he must correct his opponents, for God might grant them repentance that would lead them to a full knowledge of the truth,

² preach the message, stay at it in season and out of season; convince, reprove, exhort people with perfect patience as a teacher. ³ For a time will come when they will not listen to wholesome teaching, but to gratify their own evil desires will surround themselves with teachers who teach to gratify their own evil desires, because their ears are itching so to be tickled, ⁴ and they will cease to listen to the truth and will turn to listen to myths. ⁵ But you, on your part, must always keep your head cool, suffer hardship, do your work as a herald of the good news, and so fill your ministry to the brim.

⁵ But you, on your part, must always keep your head cool, suffer hardship, do your work as a herald of the good news, and so fill your ministry to the brim. ⁶ My life, indeed, is already ebbing out, and the time has come for me to sail away.

⁸ Now the crown for doing right awaits me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day, and not only me but also all who have loved His appearing.

² in the hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago

¹⁵ To the pure everything is pure, but to the impure and unbelieving nothing is pure, but their very minds and consciences are impure. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown Him; they are detestable, disobedient, and useless for anything good.

¹¹ For God's favor has appeared with its offer of salvation to all mankind, ¹² training us to give up godless ways and worldly cravings and live serious, upright, and godly lives in this world,

¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to ransom us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people to be His very own, zealous of good works.

¹ Constantly remind people to submit to and obey the rulers who have authority over them, so as to be ready for any good enterprise,

³ For once we too were without understanding, disobedient, misled, habitual slaves to all sorts of passions and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy.

³ For once we too were without understanding, disobedient, misled, habitual slaves to all sorts of passions and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy. ⁴ But when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Saviour were brought to light,

⁴ But when the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Saviour were brought to light, ⁵ He saved us, not for upright deeds that we had done, but in accordance with His mercy, through the bath of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

⁵ He saved us, not for upright deeds that we had done, but in accordance with His mercy, through the bath of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ which He abundantly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour,

⁶ which He abundantly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour, ⁷ so that we might come into right standing with God through His unmerited favor and become heirs of eternal life in accordance with our hope.

⁷ so that we might come into right standing with God through His unmerited favor and become heirs of eternal life in accordance with our hope.

¹⁴ Our people too must set examples of doing good, so as to meet the necessary demands and not to live unfruitful lives.

¹ Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and my brother Timothy, to our dearly loved fellow-worker Philemon,

⁴ I always thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, ⁵ because I continue to hear of the love and faith you have in the Lord Jesus and all His people,

²³ Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in the cause of Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you.

² but in these latter days He has spoken to us through a Son, whom He had appointed lawful owner of everything, and through whom He had made the worlds. ³ He is the reflection of God's glory and the perfect representation of His being, and continues to uphold the universe by His mighty word. After He had procured man's purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of God's majesty,

⁵ For to what angel did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have become your Father"? ⁶ Or again, "I will become His Father, and He shall become my Son"? But when He brings again His first-born Son into the world, He says, "And let all the angels worship Him."

⁶ Or again, "I will become His Father, and He shall become my Son"? But when He brings again His first-born Son into the world, He says, "And let all the angels worship Him."

¹⁰ And: "You, Lord, in the beginning founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. ¹¹ They will perish, but you always remain; they all will grow old like a coat, ¹² And you will fold them up just like a robe, and they will be changed like the changing of one's coat, but you are the same, and your years will never cease."

¹⁰ For it was appropriate for Him, who is the Final Goal and the First Cause of the universe, in bringing many children to glory, to make the Leader in their salvation perfect through the process of sufferings.

¹⁴ Since then the children mentioned share our mortal nature, He too took on Himself a full share of the same, in order that He by His death might put a stop to the power of him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

¹⁷ Therefore He had to be made like His brothers, so that He could be a sympathetic High Priest, as well as a faithful one, in things relating to God, in order to atone for the people's sins.

¹ Therefore, my Christian brothers, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the Messenger and High Priest whom we profess to follow, ² to see how faithful He was to God who appointed Him, just as Moses was in all the house of God. ³ For just as the man who builds a house has greater glory than the house, by just so much is Jesus judged to be worthy of greater glory than Moses. ⁴ For every house is built by somebody, but the builder and furnisher of the universe is God.

⁶ but Christ as a Son set over the house of God was faithful; and we are that house, if we keep up our courage and the joy that hope inspires to the very end.

¹⁴ For we have become real sharers in Christ, if we keep firm to the end the faith we had at first,

¹⁴ Since then we have in Jesus, the Son of God, a great High Priest who has gone right up to heaven itself, let us continue to keep a firm hold on our profession of faith in Him.

¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have shown His name in the service you have rendered for your fellow-Christians, and still are doing.

¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor for our souls, secure and safe, which reaches up behind the heavenly veil,

¹⁹ for the law had never made anything perfect -- and so a better hope is brought to us, through which we have approach to God.

¹² and not with blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He once for all went into the real sanctuary and secured our eternal redemption.

²² In fact, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood no forgiveness is granted.

¹⁰ It is by this will of God that we are consecrated through the offering of Jesus' body once for all.

¹² But this One offered up once for all and for all time one sacrifice for sins, and once for all took His seat at God's right hand, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies should be made the footstool of His feet. ¹⁴ For by that one sacrifice He has made perfect for all time those who are consecrated to Him.

¹⁴ For by that one sacrifice He has made perfect for all time those who are consecrated to Him.

²⁰ the new and living way which He opened for us, through the curtain, that is, His physical nature,

³⁴ For you showed sympathy with those who were in prison and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, for you knew that you had in yourselves and in heaven one that was lasting. ³⁵ So you must never give up your confident courage, for it holds a rich reward for you. ³⁶ Indeed, to carry out the will of God and to receive the blessing He has promised, you need endurance, for:

³⁶ Indeed, to carry out the will of God and to receive the blessing He has promised, you need endurance, for: ³⁷ "In just a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay; ³⁸ Meantime, my righteous servant will live by faith. But if a man draws back, my soul has no delight in him."

³⁸ Meantime, my righteous servant will live by faith. But if a man draws back, my soul has no delight in him."

⁵ By faith Enoch was transplanted from earth, so that he did not experience dying; and he could not be found, because God had transplanted him from earth. For before he was transplanted from earth evidence was given him that he pleased God;

²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, because he was not afraid of the king's anger, for he persevered as though he were actually seeing Him who is unseen.

³⁴ stopped the force of fire, escaped from dying by the sword, out of weakness found great strength, grew mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women by a resurrection received their dead again; others endured tortures, because they would not accept release, that they might rise to a better life. ³⁶ Still others stood the test of taunts and tortures, and even chains and prisons. ³⁷ They were stoned to death, they were tortured to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. With nothing on their bodies but skins of sheep or goats they wandered here and there, destitute, oppressed, mistreated -- ³⁸ men of whom the world was not worthy, though wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.

¹ Therefore, as we have so vast a crowd of spectators in the grandstands, let us throw off every impediment and the sin that easily entangles our feet, and run with endurance the race for which we are entered, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the perfect leader and example of faith, who, instead of the joy which lay before Him, endured the cross with no regard for its shame, and since has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

⁴ You have not yet, as you have struggled on against sin, resisted to the point of pouring out your blood,

²³ to the festal gathering and assembly of God's firstborn sons enrolled as citizens in heaven, to a Judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of upright men who have attained perfection,

⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, forever.

¹⁶ And stop neglecting to do good and to be generous, for God is highly pleased with just such sacrifices as these.

²⁰ May God, who gives us peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, who through the blood by which He ratified the everlasting covenant, is now the Great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ perfectly fit you to do His will, He Himself, through Jesus Christ, accomplishing through you what is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹ perfectly fit you to do His will, He Himself, through Jesus Christ, accomplishing through you what is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

² You must consider it the purest joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials,

² You must consider it the purest joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, ³ for you surely know that what is genuine in your faith produces the patient mind that endures; ⁴ but you must let your endurance come to its perfect product, so that you may be fully developed and perfectly equipped, without any defects. ⁵ But if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God who generously gives to everyone and never reproaches one with its lack, and it will be given to him.

⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God's likeness.

¹⁷ The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, free from doubts and insincerity.

⁴ You faithless wives! Do you not know that the friendship of the world means enmity with God? So whoever wants to be a friend to the world puts himself down as an enemy to God.

⁷ So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer keeps on waiting and waiting for the precious crop from his land; how he keeps up his patience over it until he gets the early and late rains, ⁸ You must be patient, too; you must put iron into your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is close at hand.

² the people chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: spiritual blessing and peace to you in increasing abundance.

² the people chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: spiritual blessing and peace to you in increasing abundance.

² the people chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: spiritual blessing and peace to you in increasing abundance. ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with His great mercy He has begotten us anew to an ever living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with His great mercy He has begotten us anew to an ever living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with His great mercy He has begotten us anew to an ever living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with His great mercy He has begotten us anew to an ever living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; ⁴ yes, to an inheritance that is imperishable, unsullied, and unfading, which is kept in heaven for you

⁴ yes, to an inheritance that is imperishable, unsullied, and unfading, which is kept in heaven for you ⁵ who are always guarded by the power of God through faith, in order that you may receive that final salvation which will be ready to be uncovered for you at the last time.

⁵ who are always guarded by the power of God through faith, in order that you may receive that final salvation which will be ready to be uncovered for you at the last time.

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without a blemish or a blot, ²⁰ who was foreordained for it before the foundation of the world but was brought out to public view at the end of the ages, for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him trust in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory; so that your faith and hope may rest in God. ²² Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, in sincere love for the brotherhood you must love one another heartily and fervently,

²² Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, in sincere love for the brotherhood you must love one another heartily and fervently, ²³ because you have been born anew, not from a germ that perishes but from one that does not perish, by the word of the living and everlasting God.

² and like new-born babies thirst for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to final salvation,

⁹ But you are the chosen race, the royal priesthood, the consecrated nation, the people to be His very own, to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

¹⁵ but in your hearts be consecrated to Christ as Lord, and always be ready to make your defense to anyone who asks a reason for the hope you have. But you must do it in gentleness and reverence,

¹⁸ For Christ Himself, once for all, died for our sins, the Innocent for the guilty to bring us to God, being put to death in physical form but made alive in the Spirit,

²² who has gone to heaven and is now at God's right hand, with angels, heavenly authorities and powers made subject to Him.

² so that he no longer can spend the rest of his earthly life in harmony with human desires but in accordance with God's will.

¹ So, as a joint-elder with them, a witness of the suffering borne by Christ, and a sharer of the glory that is to be uncovered, I beg the elders among you,

¹² By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written you this short letter, to encourage you and to testify that this is the true, unmerited favor of God. Stand firm in it.

² spiritual blessing and peace be to you in increasing abundance through a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

² spiritual blessing and peace be to you in increasing abundance through a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ because His divine power has given us everything that is needful for life and piety, through our full knowledge of Him who through His glory and excellence has called us to Him.

⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with patient endurance, patient endurance with piety,

⁸ For if you have these qualities and they continue to increase in you, they will make you neither idle nor unproductive in attaining a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹¹ for it is in this way that to you will be generously granted a triumphant admittance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ For by uttering arrogant nonsense, through base desires of the lower nature, they entice into immorality men who are just escaping from those who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom, though they are slaves of destruction themselves; for a man is the slave of anything that conquers him. ²⁰ For if, after men have escaped the corrupting ways of the world through a full knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them and are conquered by them, then their last condition is worse than their former one. ²¹ For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of uprightness than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command committed to their trust. ²² In them is verified the truth of the proverb, "A dog turns back to what he has vomited"; and of that other proverb, "A sow that has washed herself goes back to wallow in the mire."

¹⁴ Therefore, dearly beloved, since you are expecting this, be in earnest to be found by Him without a blot, without reproach, and at peace. ¹⁵ Always think of our Lord's patience as salvation, just as our dearly beloved brother Paul, with the wisdom granted him, wrote you to do,

¹⁸ but instead, you must continue to grow in the spiritual strength and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever!

¹ It is what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have beheld, what our own hands have touched, about the very message of life --

³ I repeat, it is what we have seen and heard that we now announce to you, so that you too may share this fellowship with us, for this fellowship that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ;

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is to be depended on, since He is just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from every wrong.

² And He is Himself the atoning sacrifice for our sins; and not for ours alone, but also for the whole world.

⁸ Yet it is a new command that I am writing you; it is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

¹² I am writing to you, dear children, because for His sake your sins have been forgiven.

¹⁷ and the world is passing away and with it the evil longings it incites, but whoever perseveres in doing God's will lives on forever.

²⁷ The anointing of the Spirit which you received still remains in your hearts, and so you have no need that anyone should teach you. But just as that anointing of His teaches you about everything, and as it is true and no falsehood, and as it has taught you to do so, you must continue to live in union with Him.

¹ See what wonderful love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called God's children, and that is what we are! This is why the world does not know what we are, because it has never come to know Him. ² Dearly beloved, we are now God's children, but what we are going to be has not been unveiled. We know that if it is unveiled, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in him tries to make himself as pure as He is.

³ And everyone who has this hope in him tries to make himself as pure as He is.

⁸ Whoever practices sin belongs to the devil, because the devil has practiced sin from the beginning. This is why the Son of God appeared, to undo the devil's works.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love our brothers. Whoever does not continue to love continues still in death.

²² and we obtain from Him whatever we ask for, because we practice obedience to His commands and do what pleases Him. ²³ His command is this, that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and practice loving one another, just as He commanded us to do.

⁴ You are children of God, dear children, and you have conquered these men, because He who is in our hearts is greater than he who is in the world.

⁹ This is the way God's love for us has been shown, namely, God has sent His only Son into the world that we through Him might have life. ¹⁰ In this way is seen the true love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

¹⁶ So we know by experience and trust the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever continues to love continues in union with God and God in union with him.

²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us insight to recognize the True One; and we are in union with the True One through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

³ For I am happy to have some brothers come and testify to the truth that is in you, since you are living by the truth. ⁴ I have no greater spiritual blessing than this, to hear that my children are living by the truth.

² may mercy, peace, and love in abundance be given you.

²⁴ Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in His glorious presence faultless and full of triumphant joy, ²⁵ to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, as it was before all time, both now and forever and ever. Amen.

⁴ John to the seven churches in Asia: spiritual blessing and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits that are before His throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ the trustworthy witness, the First-born of the dead, and the Sovereign of the kings of the earth. To Him who ever loves us and once for all released us from our sins by His blood,

⁸ "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come, the Almighty.

¹¹ "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

¹⁷ So when I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He laid His right hand upon me and said: "Do not be afraid any more. I am the First and the Last; ¹⁸ yea, the ever-living One. I once was dead, but now I live forever and ever. I carry the keys of death and the underworld.

³ You are showing patient endurance, and you have borne it for my sake, and have not grown weary.

⁸ "To the messenger of the church in Smyrna write: "'The First and the Last, who once was dead but came to life again, speaks as follows:

¹⁰ Do not be so afraid of what you are to suffer. See! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison to be tested there and for ten days to suffer pressing troubles. Each one of you must prove to be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹⁴ "To the messenger of the church in Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the true and faithful witness, the origin of God's creation, speaks as follows:

²⁰ I am now standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will be his guest and feast with him, and he with me.

⁹ Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the book and break its seals, because you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation,

⁹ Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the book and break its seals, because you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, ¹⁰ and have made them a kingdom of priests for our God; and they will rule over the earth." ¹¹ Then I looked and heard the voices of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying in a loud voice: "The Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing." ¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, underneath the earth, and on the sea, and all that they contain, say: "Blessing, honor, glory, and power be to Him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever."

¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, underneath the earth, and on the sea, and all that they contain, say: "Blessing, honor, glory, and power be to Him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever." ¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and loud voices were heard in heaven, saying, "The sovereignty of the world has come into the possession of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever."

⁴ These are the men who have not been defiled by relations with women, for they are as pure as virgins, These are the men who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from among men as the first fruits for God and the Lamb,

¹² In this way is shown the patient endurance of God's people, who always cling to God's commands and their faith in Jesus.

⁶ He further said to me: "They have come true. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I myself, without cost, will give to anyone who is thirsty water from the springs of living water.

²³ The city does not need the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God has lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp.

²³ The city does not need the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God has lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light; the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.

⁵ There will be no night any longer; so they will need no lamplight nor sunlight, for the Lord God will give them light, and they will rule forever and ever.

¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. ¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so as to have a right to the tree of life and to enter the gates of the city.