Matthew 7 Cross References - Williams

¹ "Stop criticizing others, so that you may not be criticized yourselves. ² For exactly as you criticize others, you will be criticized, and in accordance with the measure that you give to others, it will be measured back to you. ³ Why do you keep watching the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the girder in your own? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, 'Let me get that tiny speck out of your eye,' while all the time there is a girder in your own? ⁵ You hypocrite, first get the girder out of your own eye, and then you can see well enough to get the tiny speck out of your brother's eye. ⁶ "You must never give the things that are sacred to dogs, and you must never throw your pearls before hogs, for fear they might trample them under their feet and turn and tear you to pieces. ⁷ "Keep on asking, and the gift will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and the door will open to you. ⁸ For everyone who keeps on asking, receives, and everyone who keeps on seeking, finds, and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open. ⁹ What human father among you, when his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? ¹¹ So if you, in spite of your being bad, know how to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your heavenly Father give what is good to those who keep on asking Him? ¹² Then you must practice dealing with others as you would like for them to deal with you, for this is the summing up of the law and the prophets. ¹³ "Go in by the narrow gate, for broad and roomy is the road that leads to destruction, and many are going in by it. ¹⁴ But narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to life, and few are they that find it. ¹⁵ "Look out for false prophets, who come to you under the guise of sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. ¹⁶ You must recognize them by their fruits. People do not pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? ¹⁷ So any healthy tree bears good fruit and a sickly tree bears poor fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear poor fruit, and a sickly tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and burned up. ²⁰ So you must recognize them by their fruits. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who practice doing the will of my Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, was it not in your name that we prophesied, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many wonder-works?' ²³ And then I will say to them openly, 'I never knew you at all. Go away from me, you who practiced doing wrong.' 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. ²⁶ And anyone who listens to my words and does not practice their teaching, will be like an imprudent man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the rivers rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed, and the wreck of it was complete." ²⁸ When Jesus had closed this address, the result was that the crowds were dumbfounded at His teaching, ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority to teach, and not as their scribes did.

² and saying, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near."

⁸ Produce, then, fruit that is consistent with the repentance you profess,

¹⁰ Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree then that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.

³ "Blessed are those who feel poor in spiritual things, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. ⁴ "Blessed are the mourners, for they will be comforted. ⁵ "Blessed are the lowly in mind, for they will possess the land. ⁶ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for being and doing right, for they will be completely satisfied. ⁷ "Blessed are those who show mercy, for they will have mercy shown them. ⁸ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called God's sons. ¹⁰ "Blessed are those who suffer persecution for being and doing right, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 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.

²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.

²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman so as to have an evil desire for her at once has already committed adultery with her in his heart,

²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman so as to have an evil desire for her at once has already committed adultery with her in his heart, ²⁹ So if your right eye causes you to do wrong, pluck it out of your way; for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to do wrong, cut it off and put it out of your way, for it is better to have one part of your body suffer loss than to have your whole body go down to the pit. ³¹ "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' ³² But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any other ground than unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a wife who is thus divorced commits adultery.

³² But I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any other ground than unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a wife who is thus divorced commits adultery.

⁴⁴ But I tell you, practice loving your enemies and praying for your persecutors,

¹⁴ "For if you forgive others their shortcomings your heavenly Father will forgive you, too. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive your shortcomings either.

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. ²¹ For wherever your treasure is, there too your heart will be.

³³ But as your first duty keep on looking for His standard of doing right, and for His will, and then all these things will be yours besides.

² For exactly as you criticize others, you will be criticized, and in accordance with the measure that you give to others, it will be measured back to you.

⁵ You hypocrite, first get the girder out of your own eye, and then you can see well enough to get the tiny speck out of your brother's eye.

⁷ "Keep on asking, and the gift will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and the door will open to you. ⁸ For everyone who keeps on asking, receives, and everyone who keeps on seeking, finds, and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open.

⁸ For everyone who keeps on asking, receives, and everyone who keeps on seeking, finds, and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open.

¹¹ So if you, in spite of your being bad, know how to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your heavenly Father give what is good to those who keep on asking Him?

¹³ "Go in by the narrow gate, for broad and roomy is the road that leads to destruction, and many are going in by it. ¹⁴ But narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to life, and few are they that find it.

¹⁶ You must recognize them by their fruits. People do not pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they?

²⁰ So you must recognize them by their fruits. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who practice doing the will of my Father in heaven.

⁵ Jesus sent these twelve out, after giving them the following charge: "Do not go to the heathen, or to any Samaritan town, ⁶ but rather to the lost sheep of Israel's house. ⁷ And as you go continue to preach, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' ⁸ Keep on curing the sick, raising the dead, healing lepers, and driving out demons. You received and gave no pay; you must give and take none.

¹⁴ And whoever will not welcome you, or listen to your words, on leaving that place shake off from your feet its very dust. ¹⁵ I tell you, the punishment on the day of judgment will be lighter for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

¹⁵ I tell you, the punishment on the day of judgment will be lighter for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

¹⁷ Be on your guard against men, for they will turn you over to the courts and will flog you in their synagogues,

³² Therefore, everyone who will own me before men I will own before my Father in heaven, ³³ but anyone who disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in heaven.

¹ When Jesus had closed this charge to His disciples, He left there to teach and preach in their towns.

³³ "You must either make the tree healthy and its fruits healthy or make the tree sickly and its fruits sickly, for a tree is judged by its fruit.

³³ "You must either make the tree healthy and its fruits healthy or make the tree sickly and its fruits sickly, for a tree is judged by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers! How can you, wicked as you are, say anything that is good? For the mouth talks about the things that fill the heart. ³⁵ The good man out of his good inner storehouse, brings out good things, the bad man, out of his bad one, bad things.

⁴³ "Whenever the foul spirit goes out of a man, it wanders about in deserts in search of rest, but cannot find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, 'I will go back to my house which I left,' and it finds it unoccupied, swept, and ready for use. ⁴⁵ "Then it goes and gets seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and make their home there, and so the end of that man is worse than the beginning. This is the way it will be with the wicked leaders of this age."

⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my mother and sister and brother."

¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, ²¹ but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. ²² And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit.

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these stories, He left there. ⁵⁴ He went to His own home town, and kept teaching in their synagogue in such a way that they were dumbfounded, and said, "Where did He get this wisdom and this power to do such wonder-works?

¹ Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus, and asked Him, ² "Why do your disciples break the rules handed down by our forefathers? For they do not practice washing their hands when they take their meals." ³ But He answered, "Why do you too break God's command for the sake of the rules that have been handed down to you? ⁴ For God said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.' ⁵ But you say, 'Whoever tells his father or mother, "Everything I have that might be used for helping you, is devoted to God," ⁶ is under no obligation at all to help his parent.' So you have set aside what God has said for the sake of what has been handed down to you. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied beautifully about you, when he said: ⁸ "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me; ⁹ Their worship of me is an empty show; the things they teach are only men's precepts.'"

²² And a Canaanite woman of that district came out and pleaded, saying, "Do pity me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is suffering horrors from a demon." ²³ But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came up and kept begging Him, "Send her away, for she keeps on screaming after us." ²⁴ But He answered, "I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel's house." ²⁵ But she came and bowed to Him, and kept praying, "Lord, help me!" ²⁶ He answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the house dogs."

²⁶ He answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the house dogs." ²⁷ She said, "Yes, Lord, and yet the house dogs usually eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, wonderful is your faith! You must have what you want." And her daughter was cured at that very moment.

⁶ And Jesus said to them, "Look out, and keep on guarding yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees!"

¹¹ How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread, when I said, keep on guarding yourselves against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees?"

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for it is not man that made this known to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I, yes I, tell you, your name from now on is to be Peter, Rock, and on a massive rock like this I will build my church, and the powers of the underworld shall never overthrow it.

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples: "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must say 'No' to self, put his cross on his shoulders, and keep on following me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his higher life will have to give up the lower life, and whoever gives up his lower life for my sake will find the higher life.

² And He called a little child to Him, and had him stand in the midst of them, ³ and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.

³ and said: "I solemnly say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you can never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.

¹⁰ "Be careful not to look with scorn on a single one of these little children, for I tell you that in heaven their angels have uninterrupted access to my Father in heaven.

¹⁹ "Again, I tell you, if only two of you on earth agree on what they pray for, they will get it from my Father in heaven.

³⁵ This is the way my heavenly Father too will deal with you, if you do not, each one, heartily forgive your brother."

¹ When Jesus had finished this discourse, He left Galilee and went into the district of Judea that is on the other side of the Jordan.

²⁴ Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven."

¹⁶ So those who are last now will be first then, and those first will be last."

¹⁹ As He saw a fig tree by the roadside, He came to it but found on it nothing but leaves, and said to it, "Never again shall a fig grow on you!" And the fig tree at once withered up. ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they were dumbfounded, and asked, "How is it that the fig tree withered up all at once?"

²² And whatever you ask for in prayer, if you believe it, you will get it." ²³ And when He had come into the temple, the high priests and elders of the people came up to Him while He was teaching, and asked, "What sort of authority have you for doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus answered them, "Let me too ask you just one question, and if you answer it, I will tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do. ²⁵ Where did John's baptism come from? From heaven, or from men?" They argued it out among themselves in this way, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' ²⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the people, for they all consider John a prophet." ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." He also answered them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do.

²⁹ And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said the same thing. And he answered, 'I will not.' But afterward he changed his mind and went. ³¹ Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They answered, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I solemnly say to you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of heaven ahead of you.

⁵ But they paid no attention to it, but went off, one to his farm, another to his place of business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves, treated them with violence, and murdered them.

¹⁴ For many are invited, but few are selected."

¹⁸ But Jesus saw their malicious plot, and so asked, "Why are you testing me so, you hypocrites?

³³ And when the crowds heard this, they were dumbfounded at His teaching.

³⁹ The second is like it: 'You must love your neighbor as you do yourself.' ⁴⁰ The essence of the whole law and the prophets is packed into these two commands."

² "The scribes and Pharisees have taken Moses' seat as teachers. ³ So everything they tell you, do and practice, but stop doing what they do, for they preach but do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and fasten them on men's shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to help bear them. ⁵ They do what they do to attract people's attention. They wear on their coats Scripture texts in big letters, and they wear large tassels, ⁶ and they like the places of honor at feasts and the front seats in synagogues,

¹³ "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you bolt the doors of the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you let those who are trying to do so go in.

¹³ "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you bolt the doors of the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you let those who are trying to do so go in. ¹⁴ Omitted Text. ¹⁵ A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you scour land and sea to win a single convert, and when he is won you make him twice as fit for the pit as you are.

¹⁵ A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you scour land and sea to win a single convert, and when he is won you make him twice as fit for the pit as you are. ¹⁶ A curse on you, you blind leaders who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is duty-bound.'

¹⁶ A curse on you, you blind leaders who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is duty-bound.' ¹⁷ You blind fools! which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred?

¹⁷ You blind fools! which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ You say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the offering on the altar is duty-bound!'

¹⁸ You say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the offering on the altar is duty-bound!' ¹⁹ You blind men! which is greater, the offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred?

¹⁹ You blind men! which is greater, the offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by everything on it;

²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by everything on it; ²¹ whoever swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who dwells in it;

²¹ whoever swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who dwells in it; ²² whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²² whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. ²³ "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint and dill and cummin, and yet leave out the more vital matters of the law, justice, love and fidelity. These latter especially you ought to have done, but ought not to have left out the former.

²³ "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint and dill and cummin, and yet leave out the more vital matters of the law, justice, love and fidelity. These latter especially you ought to have done, but ought not to have left out the former. ²⁴ You blind leaders, who are straining out the gnat but gulping down the camel!

²⁴ You blind leaders, who are straining out the gnat but gulping down the camel! ²⁵ A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of your greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisees! You must first clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may be clean too. ²⁷ "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead people's bones and everything that is unclean! ²⁸ So you, too, on the outside seem to people to be upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

⁴ Jesus answered, "Look out that no one misleads you about it, ⁵ for many will come bearing the name of the Messiah, and saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many people.

¹⁰ Then many will fall by the way, and will betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will appear and mislead many people;

²⁴ for false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will show great signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, God's chosen people. ²⁵ Remember, I have told you beforehand.

³⁶ But about that day or hour not a single one knows -- not even the angels in heaven or the Son; not a single one but the Father alone.

¹ "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were thoughtless and five were thoughtful, ³ for the thoughtless ones took their lamps but took no oil with them. ⁴ But the thoughtful ones not only took their lamps but also extra oil in their oil cans. ⁵ While the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and dropped off to sleep. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, 'Here comes the bridegroom! Go out to meet him!' ⁷ Then all those bridesmaids awoke and trimmed their lamp-wicks. ⁸ And the thoughtless ones said to the thoughtful ones, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' ⁹ But the thoughtful ones answered, 'No, no, there may not be enough for you and us. Go to the store and buy your own oil.' ¹⁰ And while they were going to buy it, the bridegroom came, and the bridesmaids that were ready went in with him to the wedding reception; and the door was closed. ¹¹ At last the rest of the bridesmaids came, and kept begging, 'Master, master, open the door for us!'

¹¹ At last the rest of the bridesmaids came, and kept begging, 'Master, master, open the door for us!' ¹² But he answered, 'I positively say to you, I do not know you.'

¹² But he answered, 'I positively say to you, I do not know you.'

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!'

⁴¹ "Then He will say to those at His left, 'Be gone from me, you who are now cursed, to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

⁴⁶ Then these will go away to everlasting punishment, but the upright to everlasting life."

¹ When Jesus had ended this discourse, He said to His disciples,

³⁹ Then He walked on a few steps and threw Himself upon His face, and in this attitude continued to pray, and say, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by me; and yet, I pray, not what I want but what you want."

⁴² A second time He went away and prayed, "My Father, if it cannot pass by without my drinking it, your will be done."

¹⁸ Then Jesus came up to them, and said, "Full authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

²² And they were dumbfounded at His teaching, for He was teaching them like one who had authority to teach, and not like the scribes.

³⁵ Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

²⁴ And He was saying to them: "Take care what you hear. The measure you give will come back to you, and more besides.

² When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And the people were dumbfounded when they heard Him, and said, "Where did He get all these things? What sort of wisdom is it that has been given Him? And such mighty deeds are done by Him!

⁵ And so the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why is it that your disciples do not practice the customs handed down from our forefathers, but eat their meals without purifying their hands?" ⁶ But He answered them, "Isaiah beautifully prophesied about you hypocrites; as the Scripture says: "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me; ⁷ Their worship of me is but an empty show; the things they teach are but men's precepts.' ⁸ "You give up what God has commanded, ⁹ you cling to what men hand down. You are fine teachers to cancel what God commanded, in order to keep what men have handed down! ¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and again, 'Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death,' ¹¹ but you say if a man tells his father or mother, 'Everything I have that may be of use to you is Corban,' that is, consecrated to God, ¹² you let him off from doing anything more for his father or mother; ¹³ and so you set aside what God has said by what you have handed down. You have many other practices like these."

³⁴ Then He called the people to Him along with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must say, 'No' to self, put the cross on his shoulders, and keep on following me.

⁴⁷ And if your eye makes you do wrong, tear it out. You might better go into the kingdom of God with only one eye than keep both your eyes and be thrown into the pit,

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have money to get into the kingdom of God!" ²⁴ His disciples were startled at this statement. But Jesus again said to them as He continued the topic, "My children, how hard it is to get into the kingdom of God!

¹⁸ Then the high priests and the scribes heard of this, and they kept looking for some way to destroy Him, for they were afraid of Him, for everybody was swept off his feet at what He said.

²⁴ So then I tell you, whenever you pray and ask for anything, have faith that it has been granted you, and you will get it.

²⁹ Jesus answered, "The first one is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, ³⁰ and you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, and your whole strength.' ³¹ And this is the second, 'You must love your neighbor as you do yourself.' No other command is greater than these." ³² Then the scribe said to Him, "Indeed, Teacher, you have properly said that He is one by Himself, and there is no other but Him, ³³ and to love Him with one's whole heart, one's whole understanding, and one's whole strength, and to love one's neighbor as one loves himself is far more than all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices." ³⁴ So Jesus said to him, as He saw that he had answered thoughtfully, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And no one ventured to ask Him any more questions.

³⁸ And in His teaching He continued to say: "Beware of the scribes who like to go about in long robes, to be saluted with honor in public places, ³⁹ to be seated in the front seats in the synagogues, to occupy the places of honor at banquets -- ⁴⁰ men who eat up widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers. They will get a much heavier sentence!"

²² For false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will do signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, even God's chosen people. ²³ So you must be on your guard. I have warned you about it all beforehand.

¹⁰ But the angel said to them: "Stop being afraid, for now I bring you good tidings of great joy which is to be for all the people; ¹¹ for today, in the town of David, a Saviour for you has been born, who is to be your Messiah and Lord.

⁹ Now the axe is already lying at the roots of the trees. Every tree, then, that fails to bear good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire."

²² So they all began to speak well of Him and to wonder at the gracious words that fell from His lips, and yet they continued to say, "Is He not Joseph's son?" ²³ He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote this proverb to me, 'Doctor, cure yourself! Do the things here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.'"

³² and they were completely astounded, because His message was spoken with authority.

²⁶ A curse on you when everyone speaks well of you, for this is the way their forefathers used to treat the false prophets.

³¹ Yes, you must practice dealing with others as you would like them to deal with you.

³⁷ Then stop criticizing others, and you will never be criticized; stop condemning others, and you will never be condemned. ³⁸ Practice forgiving others, and you will be forgiven. Practice giving to others, and they will give to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, people will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you."

⁴¹ Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye?

⁴¹ Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me get that tiny speck out of your eye,' when you cannot see the girder in your own eye? You hypocrite! First get the girder out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to get out the tiny speck in your brother's eye.

⁴² How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me get that tiny speck out of your eye,' when you cannot see the girder in your own eye? You hypocrite! First get the girder out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to get out the tiny speck in your brother's eye. ⁴³ "For there never is a healthy tree that bears poor fruit, nor a sickly tree that bears good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or gather grapes from a bramble-bush. ⁴⁵ The good man, out of his good inner storehouse, brings forth what is good, the bad man, out of his bad one, what is bad. For a man's mouth usually speaks the things that fill his heart. ⁴⁶ "So why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' but do not practice what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and continues to listen to my words and practices their teachings, I will show you whom he is like. 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. ⁴⁹ But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."

⁴⁹ But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."

³³ And just as they were starting to leave Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- although he did not know what he was saying.

¹² I tell you, on that day the punishment will be lighter for Sodom than for that town.

⁹ So I tell you, keep on asking, and the gift will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and the door will open to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who keeps on asking, receives; and the one who keeps on seeking, finds; and to the one who keeps on knocking, the door will open. ¹¹ Now is there a father among you who, if his son asks him for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or, if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ So if you, in spite of your being bad, know how to give your children what is good, how much more surely will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who continue to ask Him?"

²⁸ But He said, "Yes, but better still, blessed are those who listen to God's message and practice it!"

¹⁵ And then He said to them, "Be ever on the alert and always on your guard against every form of greed, because a man's life does not consist in his possessions, even though they are abundant."

³² Stop being afraid, my little flock, for your Father has gladly chosen to give you the kingdom.

⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret day by day the look of earth and sky. Then how is it that you do not know how to interpret the present crisis?

⁶ Then He told them this story: "A man had a fig tree planted by his vineyard, and he kept going and looking for figs on it, but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the vine-dresser, 'Look here! for three years I have been coming to look for figs on this fig tree, and have not found any. Cut it down. Why waste the ground with it?' ⁸ But he answered, 'Leave it, sir, just one more year, till I dig around it and manure it. ⁹ If it bears figs in the future, well; but if not, you will have to cut it down.'"

¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not everyone of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey and lead him out of the stable to water him?

²³ And someone asked Him, "Lord, are only a few to be saved?" And He said to them, 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,

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, ²⁵ when once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand on the outside and to knock on the door again and again and say, 'Lord, open it for us'; but He will answer, 'I do not know where you come from.'

²⁵ when once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand on the outside and to knock on the door again and again and say, 'Lord, open it for us'; but He will answer, 'I do not know where you come from.'

²⁵ when once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand on the outside and to knock on the door again and again and say, 'Lord, open it for us'; but He will answer, 'I do not know where you come from.'

²⁵ when once the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand on the outside and to knock on the door again and again and say, 'Lord, open it for us'; but He will answer, 'I do not know where you come from.' ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

²⁶ Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' ²⁷ But He will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Go away from me, all you wrongdoers!'

²⁷ But He will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Go away from me, all you wrongdoers!'

²⁷ But He will say to you, 'I do not know where you come from. Go away from me, all you wrongdoers!' ²⁸ There you will weep and grind your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves being driven away on the outside. ²⁹ People will come from east and west, from north and south, and take their seats at the feast in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And so there are those now last who will be first then, and there are those now first who will then be last."

³³ "Just so, no one of you who does not forsake everything that he has, can be a disciple of mine.

¹ Now He told them the following story to show how necessary it is for people always to pray and never to give up:

¹¹ The Pharisee stood and said this self-centered prayer, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector.

²⁵ For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God."

⁴⁸ but they could not find, as hard as they tried, what to do with Him, for all the people continued to hang on His words.

⁸ Then Jesus said to them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do."

⁴⁶ "Beware of the scribes who like to go about in long robes and love to be saluted with honor in public places, to be seated in the front seats in the synagogues, and to occupy the places of honor at banquets -- ⁴⁷ men who eat up widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers! They will receive a much heavier sentence."

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

⁴² Then he went on to say, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom!" ⁴³ So He said to him, "I solemnly say to you, this very day you will be in paradise with me."

² Jesus and His disciples, too, were invited to the wedding.

⁵ Jesus answered, "I most solemnly say to you, no one can ever get into the kingdom of God, unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. That is just the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ⁹ Then Nicodemus answered by asking, "How can this be?" ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel and do not know this?

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.

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, "If you just knew what God has to give and who it is that said to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have been the one to ask Him, and He would have given you living water."

¹⁷ Then He answered them, "My Father is still working, and so am I."

⁴⁰ For it is my Father's will that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him to life on the last day."

¹⁵ The Jews were dumbfounded and said, "How can this uneducated man know the Scriptures?"

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.

⁴⁶ The officers answered, "No man ever talked as He does!"

⁷ When the questioners persisted, Jesus straightened up and said to them, "Let the one of you who is sinless be the first one to cast a stone at her." ⁸ Then Jesus again stooped and continued writing in the dirt. ⁹ Having heard, they began to leave one by one, starting with the eldest, until only Jesus was left with the woman.

⁹ I am the door myself. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

¹² The hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf carries off some of the sheep and scatters the flock.

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd myself. I know my sheep and my sheep know me,

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them and they follow me, ²⁸ and I give to them eternal life, and they shall never get lost, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My father who gave them to me is stronger than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. ³⁰ The Father and I are one."

⁵¹ Now he did not say this on his own authority, but because he was high priest that year he uttered this prophecy from God, that Jesus was to die for the nation,

¹⁷ If you know all this, happy are you if you practice it.

⁶ Jesus answered him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you knew me, you would know my Father too. From now on you do know Him and you have seen Him."

¹³ And anything you ask for as bearers of my name I will do for you, so that the Father may be glorified through the Son. ¹⁴ Yes, I repeat it, anything you ask for as bearers of my name I will do it for you. ¹⁵ "If you really love me, you will keep my commands.

²² Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said to Him, "Why is it, Lord, that you are going to make yourself real to us and not to the world?" 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. ²⁴ Whoever does not really love me does not observe my teaching; and yet the teaching which you are listening to is not mine but comes from the Father who has sent me.

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. ⁷ If you remain in union with me and my words remain in you, you may ask whatever you please and you shall have it.

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.

¹⁴ You are my friends, if you keep on doing what I command you to do.

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.

¹⁸ If the world continues to hate you, remember that it has first hated me. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, the world would love what is its own. But it is because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, that the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I once told you: No slave is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you too. If they have observed my teaching, they will observe yours too.

²³ Whoever continues to hate me continues to hate my Father too.

² Men will turn you out of their synagogues. Yes, indeed, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think that he is rendering a religious service to God.

²³ At that time you will ask me no more questions. I most solemnly say to you, the Father will give you, as bearers of my name, whatever you ask Him for. ²⁴ Up to this time you have not asked for anything as bearers of my name, but now you must keep on asking, and you will receive, that your cup of joy may be full to the brim.

³³ I have told you these things, that you through union with me may have peace. In the world you have trouble, but be courageous! I have conquered the world."

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, ³⁹ for the promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are far away whom the Lord our God may call to Him." ⁴⁰ With many more words he continued to testify and to plead with them to save themselves from that crooked age.

¹⁹ So now repent and turn to Him, to have your sins wiped out, that times of revival may come from the presence of the Lord,

²² Moses, indeed, said: 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, as He did me. You must attentively listen to everything that He tells you. ²³ The result will be, that any person who will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.'

³⁸ So in the present case, I warn you, stay away from these men, let them alone. For, if this program or movement has its origin in men, it will go to pieces,

¹⁰ but they could not cope with his good practical sense and the spiritual power with which he usually spoke.

¹¹ And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called 'The Straight Street,' and ask at the house of Judas for one named Saul, from Tarsus, for he is now praying there.

⁶ Then they went through the whole island as far as Paphos, and there they found a Jewish magician and false prophet whose name was Barjesus.

⁴⁰ So take care that what is said in the prophets does not come upon you:

⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were completely overcome by their jealousy and began to contradict the statements made by Paul, and even to abuse him. ⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas courageously spoke out, "God's message had to be spoken to you Jews first, but since you continue to thrust it from you and since you show yourselves unworthy to receive eternal life, now and here we turn to the heathen. ⁴⁷ For here are the orders that the Lord has given us: 'I have made you a light to the heathen, To be the means of salvation to the very ends of the earth.'"

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.

¹³ But some wandering Jews who claimed to be driving out the evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits in them, saying, "I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!"

¹³ But some wandering Jews who claimed to be driving out the evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits in them, saying, "I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!" ¹⁴ Sceva, a Jewish high priest, had seven sons who were doing this.

¹⁴ Sceva, a Jewish high priest, had seven sons who were doing this. ¹⁵ But on one occasion the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?"

¹⁵ But on one occasion the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?"

¹⁵ But on one occasion the evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you?" ¹⁶ So the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped upon them and so violently overpowered two of them that they ran out of the house stripped of their clothes and wounded. ¹⁷ This at once became known to everybody living in Ephesus, Greeks as well as Jews, and awe fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus began to be held in high honor. ¹⁸ And many who became believers kept coming and confessing and uncovering their former practices. ¹⁹ Many people who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them up before the public gaze. They estimated the price of them and found it to be ten thousand dollars. ²⁰ In a way of just such power as this the Lord's message kept on spreading and prevailing.

²⁹ Because I know that after I have gone violent wolves will break in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will appear who will try, by speaking perversions of truth, to draw away the disciples after them. 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.

¹ Therefore, you have no excuse, whoever you are, who pose as a judge of others, for when you pass judgment on another, you condemn yourself, for you who pose as a judge are practicing the very same sins yourself. ² Now we know that God's judgment justly falls on those who practice such sins as these.

⁶ For when He finally judges, He will pay everyone with exactness for what he has done, ⁷ eternal life to those who patiently continue doing good and striving for glory, honor, and immortality,

⁷ eternal life to those who patiently continue doing good and striving for glory, honor, and immortality, ⁸ but wrath and fury, crushing suffering and awful anguish, to the self-willed who are always resisting the right and yielding to the wrong, ⁹ to every human soul who practices doing evil, the Jew first and then the Greek.

¹³ For merely hearing the law read does not make men upright with God, but men who practice the law will be recognized as upright.

⁹ What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin,

⁹ What is our conclusion then? Is it that we Jews are better than they? Not at all! For we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under the sway of sin, ¹⁰ as the Scriptures say: "Not a single human creature is upright, ¹¹ No one understands, no one is searching for God;

¹¹ No one understands, no one is searching for God; ¹² They all have turned aside, all have become corrupt; No one does good, not even one! ¹³ Their throats are just like open graves, with their tongues they have spoken treachery; the poison of asps is under their lips. ¹⁴ Their mouths are full of bitter cursing. ¹⁵ Their feet are swift for shedding blood, ¹⁶ Ruin and wretchedness are on their paths, ¹⁷ They do not know the way of peace. ¹⁸ There is no reverence for God before their eyes." ¹⁹ Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God.

¹⁹ Now we know that everything the law says is spoken to those who are under its authority, that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be held responsible to God.

⁸ But God proves His love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. 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.

³² Since He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not with Him graciously give us everything else?

²² And what if God, though wishing to display His anger and make known His power, yet, has most patiently borne with the objects of His anger, already ripe for destruction,

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out about Israel, "Although the sons of Israel are as numberless as the sands of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will completely and quickly execute His sentence on the earth." ²⁹ As Isaiah again has foretold, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left us some descendants, we would have fared as Sodom did and would have been like Gomorrah."

³² Why? Because they did not try through faith but through what they could do. They have stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble,

⁵ So it is at the present time; a remnant remains, in accordance with God's unmerited favor. ⁶ But if it is by His unmerited favor, it is not at all conditioned on what they have done. If that were so, His favor would not be favor at all.

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.

⁸ Stop owing anybody anything, except the obligation to love one another, for whoever practices loving others has perfectly satisfied the law. ⁹ For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not have an evil desire," and any other commandment if there is any, are summed up in this command, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself." ¹⁰ Love never does a wrong to one's neighbor; so love is the perfect satisfaction of the law.

³ The man who eats anything must not look down on the man who does not do so, nor must the man who does not do so condemn the man who does, for God has fully accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to criticize another man's servant? It is his own master's business whether he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord has power to make him stand.

¹⁰ Then why should you criticize your brother? Or, why should you look down on your brother? Surely, we shall all stand before God to be judged, ¹¹ for the Scripture says: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall make acknowledgment to God.'" ¹² So each of us must give an account of himself to God. ¹³ Then let us stop criticizing one another; instead, do this, determine to stop putting stumbling blocks or hindrances in your brother's way.

¹⁷ But I beg you, brothers, to keep on the lookout for those who stir up divisions and put hindrances in your way, in opposition to the instruction that you had, and always avoid them. ¹⁸ For such men are really not serving our Lord Christ but their own base appetites, and by their fair and flattering talk they are deceiving the hearts of unsuspecting people.

¹⁰ As a skilled architect, in accordance with God's unmerited favor given to me, I laid a foundation, and now another is building upon it. But every builder must be careful how he builds upon it; ¹¹ for no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is laid, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.

¹³ the character of each one's work will come to light, for the judgment day will show it up. This is so, because that day will show itself in fire, and the fire will test the character of each one's work.

¹³ the character of each one's work will come to light, for the judgment day will show it up. This is so, because that day will show itself in fire, and the fire will test the character of each one's work. ¹⁴ If the structure which one builds upon it stands the test, he will get his pay. ¹⁵ If the structure which one builds is burned up, he will get no pay; and yet he himself will be saved, but just as one who goes through a fire.

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. ⁴ For although my conscience does not accuse me, yet I am not entirely vindicated by that. It is the Lord Himself who must examine me. ⁵ So you must stop forming any premature judgments, but wait until the Lord shall come again, for He will bring to light the secrets hidden in the dark and will make known the motives of men's hearts, and the proper praise will be awarded each of us.

¹ If I could speak the languages of men, of angels too, and have no love, I am only a rattling pan or a clashing cymbal. ² If I should have the gift of prophecy, And know all secret truths, and knowledge in its every form, and have such perfect faith that I could move mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.

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.

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,

⁶ Now this is the way it is: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly too, but whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully too.

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; ⁹ as the Scripture says: "He has generously given to the poor; His deeds of charity go on forever." ¹⁰ He who always supplies the sower with seed and the eater with bread will supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest which your deeds of charity yield. ¹¹ In every way you will grow richer and richer so as to give with perfect liberality, which will through me result in thanksgiving to God for it. ¹² Because the service rendered by this sacred offering is not only fully supplying the needs of God's people, but it is also running over with many thanks to God for it. ¹³ For through the test you get by doing this service you will continue praising God for your fidelity to your confession of the good news of Christ, and for the liberality of your contributions to them and all others; ¹⁴ and so in their prayers for you they will continue longing for you, because of God's surpassing favor shown you. ¹⁵ Thank God for His unspeakable gift!

¹³ For such men are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no surprise if his servants also masquerade as ministers for doing right, whose doom shall be in accordance with what they do.

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,

⁴ they did not try it even for the sake of the false brothers who had been smuggled in, who stole in to spy out the freedom we enjoy in Christ Jesus, so as to make us slaves again.

²² But the Scripture pictures all mankind as prisoners of sin, so that the promised blessing through faith in Christ might be given to those who have faith.

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?

¹³ For you, brothers, were called to freedom; only you must not let your freedom be an excuse for the gratification of your lower nature, but in love be slaves to one another. ¹⁴ For the whole law is summed up in one saying, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself."

¹⁷ For the cravings of the lower nature are just the opposite to those of the Spirit, and the cravings of the Spirit are just the opposite of those of the lower nature; these two are opposed to each other, so that you cannot do anything you please.

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. ²⁴ And those who belong to Jesus the Christ have crucified the lower nature with its passions and evil cravings.

²⁴ And those who belong to Jesus the Christ have crucified the lower nature with its passions and evil cravings.

¹ Brothers, if anybody is caught in the very act of doing wrong, you who are spiritual, in the spirit of gentleness, must set him right; each of you continuing to think of yourself, for you may be tempted too.

⁷ Do not be deceived anymore; God is not to be scoffed at. A person will reap just what he sows, whatever it is. ⁸ The person who sows to gratify his lower nature will reap destruction from that lower nature, and the person who sows to gratify his higher nature will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

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,

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.

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,

¹⁴ so that we may not be babies any longer, or like sailors tossed about and driven around by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men through their cunning in inventing new methods of error.

⁶ Stop letting anyone deceive you with groundless arguments about these things, for it is because of these very sins that God's anger comes down upon the disobedient.

⁹ for the product of light consists in practicing everything that is good and right and true;

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

² Look out for those dogs, those mischief-makers, those self-mutilators!

¹⁹ Their doom is destruction, their stomach is their god, their glory is in their shame, and their minds are feeding on earthly things,

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;

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. ⁸ Take care that nobody captures you by the idle fancies of his so-called philosophy, following human tradition and the world's crude notions instead of Christ.

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.

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, 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.

³ For it is God's will that you should keep pure in person, that you should practice abstinence from sexual immorality,

⁴ But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that that day, like a thief, should take you by surprise;

¹⁸ Make it a habit to give thanks for everything, for this is God's will for you through Christ Jesus.

⁶ indeed, it is right for God to repay with crushing sorrows those who cause you these crushing sorrows, ⁷ and to give rest to you who are being crushed with sorrows, along with us, at the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, with His mighty angels ⁸ in a flame of fire, who will take vengeance on those who do not know God, that is, those who will not listen to the good news of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ These will receive the punishment of eternal destruction as exiles from the presence of the Lord and His glorious might, ¹⁰ when on that day He comes to be glorified in His consecrated ones and to be admired by all who believe in Him because our testimony has been confidently accepted among you.

⁵ But the aim of your instruction is to be love that flows out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

¹ Now the Spirit distinctly declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, because they continuously give their attention to deceiving spirits and the things that demons teach ² through the pretensions of false teachers, men with seared consciences, ³ who forbid people to marry and teach them to abstain from certain sorts of food which God created for the grateful enjoyment of those who have faith and a clear knowledge of the truth.

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.

¹⁸ The Lord grant that he may find mercy at His hands on that day. And you very well know yourself how great were the services he rendered me at Ephesus.

¹⁹ But God's foundation stands unshaken, with these inscriptions: "The Lord knows the people who belong to Him" and "Everyone who bears the name of the Lord must abstain from evil."

⁵ keeping up the forms of religion but not giving expression to its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For some of them practice going into people's houses and capturing weak and silly women who are overwhelmed with the weight of their sins, who are easily led about by all sorts of evil impulses, ⁷ who are always trying to learn but never able to come to a full knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, these people resist the truth, for they are depraved in mind and so counterfeits in the faith. ⁹ But they will not make any more progress, for their folly will be evident to everybody, as theirs was.

¹³ But bad men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, misleading others and misled themselves.

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,

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.

¹⁴ Alexander, a worker in metal, did me ever so much harm. The Lord will repay him for what he did. ¹⁵ You too must be on your guard against him, for he has vigorously opposed my teaching.

¹⁶ They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown Him; they are detestable, disobedient, and useless for anything good.

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, 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, 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.

⁶ Since then it still remains that some are being admitted to it and that those who first had the good news told to them were not admitted because of disobedience,

¹² For God's message is alive and full of power in action, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the depths of soul and spirit, to the dividing of joints and marrow, and passing judgment on the thoughts and purposes of the heart. ¹³ No creature of His can escape God's sight, but everything is bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we have to give account.

⁴ For it is impossible for those who have once for all been enlightened and have experienced the gift from heaven, who have been made sharers of the Holy Spirit ⁵ and have experienced how good God's message is and the mighty powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen by the wayside -- it is impossible, I say, to keep on restoring them to their first repentance, since they continue to crucify the Son of God to their detriment and hold Him up to contempt.

⁶ and then have fallen by the wayside -- it is impossible, I say, to keep on restoring them to their first repentance, since they continue to crucify the Son of God to their detriment and hold Him up to contempt.

⁸ But if it continues to yield thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and in danger of being cursed, and its final fate is burning.

²⁶ For if we go willfully sinning after we have received full knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice left to be offered for our sins, ²⁷ but only a terrifying prospect of judgment and that fiery indignation which is going to devour God's enemies. ²⁸ Anyone who breaks the law of Moses pays the death penalty without any show of pity, on the evidence of two or three witnesses only. ²⁹ How much severer punishment do you suppose that one deserves who tramples the Son of God underfoot, and counts as a common thing the blood of the covenant by which he was consecrated, and has insulted the Spirit that grants God's unmerited favor?

²⁹ How much severer punishment do you suppose that one deserves who tramples the Son of God underfoot, and counts as a common thing the blood of the covenant by which he was consecrated, and has insulted the Spirit that grants God's unmerited favor? ³⁰ For we know who it was that said, "Vengeance belongs to me, I will pay back!" and again, "The Lord will be His people's judge." ³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the ever living God!

⁶ but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that there is a God and that He gives rewards to all who earnestly try to find Him.

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.

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. ⁶ But he must ask in faith, without a doubt, for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is whirled and swayed by the wind.

¹² Blessed is the person who endures trial, for when he stands the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variation or changing shadow.

²¹ So strip yourselves of everything impure and all the evils prevailing around you, and in humble spirit welcome the message which when rooted in your hearts is able to save your souls. ²² Keep on obeying this message; do not merely listen to it, and so deceive yourselves.

²² Keep on obeying this message; do not merely listen to it, and so deceive yourselves. ²³ Because if anyone merely listens to the message without obeying it, he is like a man who looks in a mirror at his own face, ²⁴ for he looks and then goes off and at once forgets how he looked. ²⁵ But the man who looks at the flawless law that makes men free, and keeps on looking, proving himself to be, not a forgetful hearer but an actual doer of what it requires, will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives himself, his religious worship is worthless. ²⁷ A religious worship that is pure and stainless in the sight of God the Father is this: To look after orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one's own self unstained by the world.

¹⁰ For whoever obeys the whole law, except to slip in a single instance, is guilty of breaking it all. ¹¹ For He who said, "You must not commit adultery," also said, "You must not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but you do commit murder, you are just the same a lawbreaker. ¹² You must continue talking and acting like people who are to be judged by the law that treats them as free. ¹³ For merciless judgment will be the portion of the merciless man; yet mercy will triumph over judgment.

¹³ For merciless judgment will be the portion of the merciless man; yet mercy will triumph over judgment.

¹⁷ So faith by itself, if it has no deeds to back it up, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone may say, "You have faith, and I have good deeds. Show me your faith without any good deeds, but I will show you mine by my good deeds." ¹⁹ Do you believe in one God? Very well; the demons, too, believe that, and shudder. ²⁰ But, O senseless man, are you willing to learn that faith without good deeds is worthless?

²⁰ But, O senseless man, are you willing to learn that faith without good deeds is worthless? ²¹ Was not our forefather Abraham shown to be upright by his good deeds, namely, by offering Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² You see that faith cooperated with his good deeds, and by his good deeds faith was made complete; ²³ and so the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham put his faith in God, and it was credited to him for uprightness, and he was called God's friend." ²⁴ You see that a man is shown to be upright by his good deeds, and not merely by his faith. ²⁵ Was not even Rahab the prostitute shown to be upright by her good deeds, namely, by entertaining the scouts and sending them off by a different road? ²⁶ Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without good deeds is dead.

¹ Many of you, my brothers, should avoid becoming teachers, because you know that we teachers are going to be judged with stricter judgment than other people.

¹² A fig tree, my brothers, cannot bear olives, or a grape-vine figs, can it? And a salt spring cannot furnish fresh water. ¹³ Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him show by his noble living that his good deeds are done in humility, which wisdom prompts. ¹⁴ But if you cherish bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop being proud of it and stop being false to the standard of truth. ¹⁵ This is not the kind of wisdom that comes down from above; no, it is earthly, human, demoniacal. ¹⁶ For wherever jealousy and rivalry exist, there will be confusion and all sorts of evil practices. 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. ¹⁸ The harvest of uprightness is grown from the seed of peace by those who are peacemakers.

¹¹ Stop talking against one another, brothers. Whoever is in the habit of talking against a brother or of criticizing his brother is criticizing and condemning the law. But if you are in the habit of criticizing the law, you are not a practicer but a critic of the law. ¹² There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who has the power to save and to destroy; then who are you that you presume to judge your brother?

¹⁵ and the prayer that is offered in faith will save the sick man; the Lord will raise him to health, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

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.

⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even after it is shown by the test of fire to be genuine, may result in your praise and glory and honor at the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

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

²⁰ who had once been disobedient, while God's patience was awaiting in the days when Noah was preparing an ark, in which a few people-- eight, to be exact -- were brought safely through the water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this figure, now saves you, too -- I do not mean the mere removal of physical stains, but the craving for a clear conscience toward God -- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

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.

¹⁷ Because the time has come for judgment to begin at the household of God, and if it begins with us, what will the end be of those who are rejecting God's good news? ¹⁸ And if it is hard for the upright man to be saved, what will become of the godless and sinful?

¹ Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you too, who will insidiously introduce destructive heresies and deny the Master who has bought them, thus bringing on themselves swift destruction. ² Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the true Way will be abused, ³ In their greed they will exploit you with messages manufactured by themselves. From of old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction has not been slumbering.

¹⁰ especially those who satisfy their lower nature by indulging in its evil passions which defile them, and who despise authority. Daring, headstrong men! They do not tremble when they abuse persons of majesty, ¹¹ whereas angels who are far superior in strength and power to these beings bring no abusive accusation against them before the Lord. ¹² These men, like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct created to be caught and killed, abuse the things that they do not understand, and so by their corruption they will be destroyed, suffering wrong as punishment for their wrongdoing. ¹³ They think their daily luxurious living real pleasure; they are spots and blots, deceitfully living in luxurious pleasure while they continue their religious feasting with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery and insatiable by sin. They practice enticing unsteady souls. They have trained their hearts in greed. They are doomed to a curse! ¹⁵ They have left the straight road and gone astray. They have followed the road that Balaam, the son of Beor, trod, who fell in love with the profits of wrongdoing ¹⁶ but was reproved for his offense; a dumb animal spoke with a human voice and stopped the prophet's madness. ¹⁷ Such men are dried-up springs, clouds driven by the storm, and they are doomed to densest darkness. 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,

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."

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."

¹⁷ So, dearly beloved, since you have been forewarned, you must always be on your guard against being led astray by the errors of lawless men, and so against falling away from your present firmness;

³ By this we can be sure that we know Him -- if we practice obedience to His commands.

¹⁹ They have gone out from our own number, but they did not really belong to us; for if they had, they would have stayed with us. It was to show that none of those who went out really belonged to us.

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.

⁹ No one who is born of God makes a practice of sinning, because the God-given life-principle continues to live in him, and so he cannot practice sinning, because he is born of God. ¹⁰ This is the way to distinguish God's children from the devil's children. No one who fails to do right is God's child, and no one who fails to love his brother.

²¹ Dearly beloved, if our consciences do not condemn us, we come with perfect confidence to God, ²² and we obtain from Him whatever we ask for, because we practice obedience to His commands and do what pleases Him.

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. ²⁴ Whoever practices obedience to His commands remains in union with Him and He in union with him; and in this way we know that He remains in union with us, by the Spirit that He has given us.

¹ Dearly beloved, stop believing every so-called spiritual utterance, but keep testing them to see whether they come from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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.

³ For love to God means this, to practice obedience to His commands, and His commands are not burdensome, ⁴ for every child of God continues to conquer the world. Our faith is the victory that has conquered the world. ⁵ Now who is it that continues to conquer the world, if it is not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask for anything that is in accordance with His will, He will listen to us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He listens to us in whatever we ask Him for, we know that we get from Him the things that we have asked Him for.

¹⁹ We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

⁴ For certain persons have sneaked in -- their doom was written down long ago -- godless persons, who turn the favor of our God into an excuse for licentiousness, and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ But these persons abuse everything they do not understand, and they are going to be destroyed by the very things they know by instinct, like the irrational animals. ¹¹ Alas for them, because they have trod the road that Cain did; for gain they have rushed into Balaam's error and have perished in rebellion like that of Korah! ¹² They are blots on your love feasts while they feast with you, daringly caring for no one but themselves; rainless clouds swept along by winds; leafless trees that bear no fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;

¹² They are blots on your love feasts while they feast with you, daringly caring for no one but themselves; rainless clouds swept along by winds; leafless trees that bear no fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; ¹³ wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars that are forever doomed to utter darkness. ¹⁴ It was about such men also that Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied when he said: "See! The Lord comes with myriads of His people ¹⁵ to execute judgment upon all, to convict all the godless of their godless deeds which in their godlessness they have committed, and of all the harsh things that godless sinners have said against Him." ¹⁶ These persons are grumblers, ever complaining about their lot. They live to satisfy their evil passions, their lips boast arrogant things, and they flatter others for personal gain. ¹⁷ But you, dearly beloved, must remember the words that have already been spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ because they said to you, "In the last times there will be mockers who will live to satisfy their own godless passions." ¹⁹ These are men who cause divisions; mere animals, destitute of any spiritual nature,

²⁷ he will govern them with a scepter of iron and shatter them like earthen jars -- just such authority as I have received from my Father --

⁵ Whoever conquers will be clothed this way -- in white clothes -- and I will never blot his name out of the book of life, but I will own him as mine in the presence of my Father and His angels.

¹⁷ Because you say, 'I am rich, I have already become rich, I need nothing,' and you do not know that you are the very one that is wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked; ¹⁸ I advise you to buy of me gold that has been refined in the fire, so that you may become rich, and white clothes to put on, to hide your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, to make you see.

⁹ So the huge dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.

⁸ All the inhabitants of the earth whose names, from the foundation of the world, have not been written in the slaughtered Lamb's book of life, will worship him.

¹¹ Then I saw another wild beast coming up out of the land. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. ¹² He exercises the full authority of the first wild beast in his presence; he makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first wild beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³ He performs great wonders; even makes fire come down out of heaven to earth before men's eyes. ¹⁴ He leads the inhabitants of the earth astray because of the wonders he is permitted to perform in the presence of the wild beast, telling the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the wild beast that bears the sword-thrust and yet has lived. ¹⁵ Permission has also been given him to impart life to the statue of the wild beast so that it can speak, and to have all who do not worship the statue of the wild beast killed. ¹⁶ And he makes all, great and small, rich and poor, freemen and slaves, have a mark stamped on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and he permits no one to buy or sell anything unless he bears the mark; that is, the name of the wild beast or the number that represents the name.

¹³ Then I saw three foul spirits leap like frogs from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the wild beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.

⁶ I saw the woman drinking herself drunk with the blood of God's people and the blood of the martyred witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was utterly astonished,

⁶ Pay her back in her own coin; give her double for what she has done. In the cup that she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.

²⁰ Then the wild beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed wonders in his presence, by which he led astray those who let the mark of the wild beast be put on them and worshiped his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns with brimstone.

³ Then he hurled him into the abyss, closed it, and sealed it over him, to keep him from leading the nations astray anymore, until the thousand years are at an end; after that he must be let loose a little while.

¹⁵ If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was hurled into the fiery lake.

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.

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. ¹⁵ The dogs, that is, those who practice magic and immorality, murderers, idolaters, and those who love and practice lying, are on the outside.

¹⁵ The dogs, that is, those who practice magic and immorality, murderers, idolaters, and those who love and practice lying, are on the outside.