# verses

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So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."


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Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."


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Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."


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Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."


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Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;


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but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.


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After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tibe'ri-as; and he revealed himself in this way.


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Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan'a-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zeb'edee, and two others of his disciples were together.


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Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.


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Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.


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He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.


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That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea.


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But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.


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So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.


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Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.


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This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.


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When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."


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A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."


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He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.


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Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go."


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(This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."


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Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?"


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The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"


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This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true.


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But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.


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until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.


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To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.


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And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me,


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So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"


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He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.


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But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."


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And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.


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and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."


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Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away;


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and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.


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All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.


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In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said,


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"Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus.


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(Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.


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And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Akel'dama, that is, Field of Blood.)


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For it is written in the book of Psalms, `Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and `His office let another take.'


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So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,


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beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."


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And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen


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to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place."


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And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthi'as; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.


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And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.


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And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.


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And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.


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Par'thians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pontus and Asia,


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Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,


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But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.


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`And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;


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yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.


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And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;


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the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day.


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"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--


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this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.


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But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.


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For David says concerning him, `I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;


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"Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.


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Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,


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he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.


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Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear.


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For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,


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Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."


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Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"


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And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


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For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him."


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And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation."


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So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.


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And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.


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And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts,


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praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.


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And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple.


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But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."


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And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.


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And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.


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and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.


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While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's, astounded.


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And when Peter saw it he addressed the people, "Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?


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The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.


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And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.


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But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.


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Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,


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whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.


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Moses said, `The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.


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And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.'


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And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days.


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You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God gave to your fathers, saying to Abraham, `And in your posterity shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'


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God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness."


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And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sad'ducees came upon them,


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annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.


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But many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand.


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with Annas the high priest and Ca'iaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.


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And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?"


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if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed,


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be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.


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And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."


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Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.


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But seeing the man that had been healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.


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saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.


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But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to any one in this name."


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But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;


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And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people; for all men praised God for what had happened.


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When they were released they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.


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And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,


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who by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit, `Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?


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The kings of the earth set themselves in array, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'--


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for truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,


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And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness,


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while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus."


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And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.


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Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.


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And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.


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There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold


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Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,


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and with his wife's knowledge he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet.


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But Peter said, "Anani'as, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?


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While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."


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When Anani'as heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.


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And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much."


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But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Hark, the feet of those that have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."


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Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


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Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico.


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so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.


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The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.


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But the high priest rose up and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sad'ducees, and filled with jealousy


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And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and taught. Now the high priest came and those who were with him and called together the council and all the senate of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.


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"We found the prison securely locked and the sentries standing at the doors, but when we opened it we found no one inside."


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Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.


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And some one came and told them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."


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Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.


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And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,


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saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us."


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God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.


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And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."


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But a Pharisee in the council named Gama'li-el, a teacher of the law, held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while.


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For before these days Theu'das arose, giving himself out to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was slain and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.


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After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.


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So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail;


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So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.


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Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.


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And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.


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Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.


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And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.


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Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.


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And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Proch'orus, and Nica'nor, and Ti'mon, and Par'menas, and Nicola'us, a proselyte of Antioch.


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And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.


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Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyre'nians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cili'cia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen.


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Then they secretly instigated men, who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."


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And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,


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and set up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law;


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for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us."


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And Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopota'mia, before he lived in Haran,


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and said to him, `Depart from your land and from your kindred and go into the land which I will show you.'


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Then he departed from the land of the Chalde'ans, and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living;


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yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him in possession and to his posterity after him, though he had no child.


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And God spoke to this effect, that his posterity would be aliens in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and ill-treat them four hundred years.


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`But I will judge the nation which they serve,' said God, `and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.'


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And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.


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and rescued him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household.


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Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.


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And at the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.


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and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.


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"But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt


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He dealt craftily with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, that they might not be kept alive.


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At this time Moses was born, and was beautiful before God. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house;


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And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.


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And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking the Egyptian.


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He supposed that his brethren understood that God was giving them deliverance by his hand, but they did not understand.


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And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and would have reconciled them, saying, `Men, you are brethren, why do you wrong each other?'


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But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, `Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?


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At this retort Moses fled, and became an exile in the land of Mid'ian, where he became the father of two sons.


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"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.


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When Moses saw it he wondered at the sight; and as he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came,


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`I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and did not dare to look.


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And the Lord said to him, `Take off the shoes from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.


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I have surely seen the ill-treatment of my people that are in Egypt and heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.'


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"This Moses whom they refused, saying, `Who made you a ruler and a judge?' God sent as both ruler and deliverer by the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.


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He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years.


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This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, `God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up.'


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This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living oracles to give to us.


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saying to Aaron, `Make for us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'


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And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and rejoiced in the works of their hands.


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But God turned and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: `Did you offer to me slain beasts and sacrifices, forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?


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And you took up the tent of Moloch, and the star of the god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship; and I will remove you beyond Babylon.'


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"Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, even as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.


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Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God thrust out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David,


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`Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?


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"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.


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Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,


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But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;


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and he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God."


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Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.


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And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.


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And Saul was consenting to his death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Sama'ria, except the apostles.


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But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.


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And the multitudes with one accord gave heed to what was said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he did.


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For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice; and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.


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But there was a man named Simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Sama'ria, saying that he himself was somebody great.


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They all gave heed to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that power of God which is called Great."


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But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.


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Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.


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Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Sama'ria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,


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for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.


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Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,


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But Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!


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Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.


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Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.


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But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert road.


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And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship


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So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"


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And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.


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Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.


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In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."


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And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"


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And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?"


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And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.


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And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.


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But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.


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But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest


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and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.


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Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.


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Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani'as. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Anani'as." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."


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And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; for behold, he is praying,


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and he has seen a man named Anani'as come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."


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But Anani'as answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem;


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But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;


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So Anani'as departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."


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And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized,


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And all who heard him were amazed, and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called on this name? And he has come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests."


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But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.


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And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.


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But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.


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preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him.


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So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sama'ria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.


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Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints that lived at Lydda.


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And Peter said to him, "Aene'as, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose.


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Now there was at Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.


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Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him entreating him, "Please come to us without delay."


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So Peter rose and went with them. And when he had come, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping, and showing tunics and other garments which Dorcas made while she was with them.


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But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, rise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.


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And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling the saints and widows he presented her alive.


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a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God.


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About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius."


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And he stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.


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When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those that waited on him,


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The next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.


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And he became hungry and desired something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance


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and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth.


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Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate


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And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.


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And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?"


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And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say."


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So he called them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went off with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.


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And on the following day they entered Caesare'a. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends.


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and he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.


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And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel,


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Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the seaside.'


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So I sent to you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."


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You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),


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the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:


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how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.


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And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;


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not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.


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And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.


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To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."


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And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.


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"Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"


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And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.


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Now the apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.


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"I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me.


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And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brethren also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.


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And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter;


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And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, `John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'


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If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"


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When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life."


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Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoeni'cia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none except Jews.


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But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyre'ne, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.


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When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose;


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for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord.


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and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.


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And one of them named Ag'abus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius.


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And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea;


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and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.


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And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.


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The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison;


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and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands.


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And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and follow me."


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And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.


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When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him.


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And Peter came to himself, and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."


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When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.


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Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and told that Peter was standing at the gate.


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But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell this to James and to the brethren." Then he departed and went to another place.


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And when Herod had sought for him and could not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesare'a, and remained there.


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Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a body, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.


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On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them.


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Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died.


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And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark.


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Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyre'ne, Man'a-en a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.


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While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."


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So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleu'cia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.


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When they arrived at Sal'amis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.


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When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus.


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He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.


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But El'ymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith.


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and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?


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And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.


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Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.


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Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphyl'ia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem;


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but they passed on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisid'ia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.


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After the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it."


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The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.


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And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty years.


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Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.


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And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; of whom he testified and said, `I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'


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And as John was finishing his course, he said, `What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'


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"Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.


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For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him.


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Though they could charge him with nothing deserving death, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed.


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And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.


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and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.


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this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, `Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee.'


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And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he spoke in this way, `I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'


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For David, after he had served the counsel of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption;


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Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,


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and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.


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`Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I do a deed in your days, a deed you will never believe, if one declares it to you.'"


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And when the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.


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But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy, and contradicted what was spoken by Paul, and reviled him.


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And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.


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For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, `I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"


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And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.


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But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.


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Now at Ico'nium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue, and so spoke that a great company believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.


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So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.


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When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to molest them and to stone them,


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they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycao'nia, and to the surrounding country;


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Now at Lystra there was a man sitting, who could not use his feet; he was a cripple from birth, who had never walked.


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He listened to Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well,


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And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycao'nian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"


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And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people.


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But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out among the multitude, crying,


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"Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.


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yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."


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But Jews came there from Antioch and Ico'nium; and having persuaded the people, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.


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But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city; and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.


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When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Ico'nium and to Antioch,


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strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.


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And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed.


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and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.


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And when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.


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But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."


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And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.


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So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoeni'cia and Sama'ria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren.


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When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.


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But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses."


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And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.


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Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?


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And all the assembly kept silence; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.


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`After this I will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up,


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but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood.


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For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues."


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Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsab'bas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,


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with the following letter: "The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cili'cia, greeting.


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Since we have heard that some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,


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it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,


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We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.


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For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:


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that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."


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So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.


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And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words and strengthened them.


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And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brethren to those who had sent them.


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But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.


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And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."


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But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphyl'ia, and had not gone with them to the work.


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And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,


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And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek.


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Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.


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As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.


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And they went through the region of Phry'gia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.


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And when they had come opposite My'sia, they attempted to go into Bithyn'ia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;


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And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedo'nia was standing beseeching him and saying, "Come over to Macedo'nia and help us."


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And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedo'nia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.


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Setting sail therefore from Tro'as, we made a direct voyage to Sam'othrace, and the following day to Ne-ap'olis,


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and from there to Philip'pi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedo'nia, and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days;


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and on the sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.


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One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyati'ra, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.


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And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.


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As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying.


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She followed Paul and us, crying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation."


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And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.


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But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers;


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and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, "These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city.


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The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.


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And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.


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Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.


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But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,


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and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were unfastened.


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When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.


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And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family.


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Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.


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And the jailer reported the words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace."


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But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now cast us out secretly? No! let them come themselves and take us out."


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The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens;


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So they went out of the prison, and visited Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they exhorted them and departed.


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Now when they had passed through Amphip'olis and Apollo'nia, they came to Thessaloni'ca, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.


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explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."


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And some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.


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But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked fellows of the rabble, they gathered a crowd, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the people.


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And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,


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and Jason has received them; and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."


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The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroe'a; and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.


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Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessaloni'ca, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.


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But when the Jews of Thessaloni'ca learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroe'a also, they came there too, stirring up and inciting the crowds.


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Then the brethren immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.


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Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.


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Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.


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So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the market place every day with those who chanced to be there.


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Some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers met him. And some said, "What would this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"--because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.


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And they took hold of him and brought him to the Are-op'agus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present?


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Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.


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So Paul, standing in the middle of the Are-op'agus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.


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For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.


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The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man,


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nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.


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And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation,


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that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us,


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for `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, `For we are indeed his offspring.'


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Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man.


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because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead."


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Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We will hear you again about this."


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But some men joined him and believed, among them Dionys'ius the Are-op'agite and a woman named Dam'aris and others with them.


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And he found a Jew named Aq'uila, a native of Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them;


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and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and they worked, for by trade they were tentmakers.


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When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedo'nia, Paul was occupied with preaching, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.


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And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be upon your heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."


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And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue.


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Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.


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But when Gallio was proconsul of Acha'ia, the Jews made a united attack upon Paul and brought him before the tribunal,


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But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I should have reason to bear with you, O Jews;


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but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I refuse to be a judge of these things."


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And they all seized Sos'thenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to this.


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After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aq'uila. At Cen'chre-ae he cut his hair, for he had a vow.


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And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself went into the synagogue and argued with the Jews.


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but on taking leave of them he said, "I will return to you if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus.


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After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phryg'ia, strengthening all the disciples.


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Now a Jew named Apol'los, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures.


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He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.


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He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aq'uila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately.


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And when he wished to cross to Acha'ia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,


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While Apol'los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.


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And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."


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And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus."


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And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.


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And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God;


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but when some were stubborn and disbelieved, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the hall of Tyran'nus.


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This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.


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so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.


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Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."


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And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.


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And this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.


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And a number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.


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Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedo'nia and Acha'ia and go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."


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And having sent into Macedo'nia two of his helpers, Timothy and Eras'tus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.


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For a man named Deme'trius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Ar'temis, brought no little business to the craftsmen.


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These he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth.


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And you see and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable company of people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.


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And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Ar'temis may count for nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship."


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So the city was filled with the confusion; and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Ga'ius and Aristar'chus, Macedo'nians who were Paul's companions in travel.


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some of the A'si-archs also, who were friends of his, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater.


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Now some cried one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together.


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Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense to the people.


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But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice cried out, "Great is Ar'temis of the Ephesians!"


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And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Ar'temis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?


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If therefore Deme'trius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against any one, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another.


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For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, there being no cause that we can give to justify this commotion."


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After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them took leave of them and departed for Macedo'nia.


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There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedo'nia.


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Sop'ater of Beroe'a, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalo'nians, Aristar'chus and Secun'dus; and Ga'ius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tych'icus and Troph'imus.


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but we sailed away from Philip'pi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Tro'as, where we stayed for seven days.


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On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and he prolonged his speech until midnight.


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And a young man named Eu'tychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer; and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.


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But Paul went down and bent over him, and embracing him said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him."


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And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed.


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But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there; for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land.


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And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chi'os; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we came to Mile'tus.


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For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.


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And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,


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serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews;


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how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,


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And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there;


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except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.


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But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.


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And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.


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Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.


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and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.


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Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.


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And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.


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In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"


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sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. And they brought him to the ship.


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And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Pat'ara.


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When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.


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And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.


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And when our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till we were outside the city; and kneeling down on the beach we prayed and bade one another farewell.


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When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolema'is; and we greeted the brethren and stayed with them for one day.


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On the morrow we departed and came to Caesare'a; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.


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And coming to us he took Paul's girdle and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, `So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"


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Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."


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And some of the disciples from Caesare'a went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.


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After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.


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And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed; they are all zealous for the law,


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and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs.


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take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you but that you yourself live in observance of the law.


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But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity."


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Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself with them and went into the temple, to give notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for every one of them.


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When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up all the crowd, and laid hands on him,


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crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching men everywhere against the people and the law and this place; moreover he also brought Greeks into the temple, and he has defiled this holy place."


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For they had previously seen Troph'imus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.


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Then all the city was aroused, and the people ran together; they seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.


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And as they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.


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He at once took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them; and when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.


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Then the tribune came up and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.


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Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.


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And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;


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As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek?


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Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"


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Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cili'cia, a citizen of no mean city; I beg you, let me speak to the people."


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And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying:


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And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet. And he said:


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"I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cili'cia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gama'li-el, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as you all are this day.


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as the high priest and the whole council of elders bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brethren, and I journeyed to Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.


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"As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.


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And I answered, `Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, `I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.'


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Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.


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And I said, `What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, `Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.'


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And when I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.


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"And one Anani'as, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,


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came to me, and standing by me said to me, `Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And in that very hour I received my sight and saw him.


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And he said, `The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from his mouth;


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and saw him saying to me, `Make haste and get quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'


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And I said, `Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in thee.


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And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments of those who killed him.'


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Up to this word they listened to him; then they lifted up their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he ought not to live."


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the tribune commanded him to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by scourging, to find out why they shouted thus against him.


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But when they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen, and uncondemned?"


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When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen."


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The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."


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So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him instantly; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.


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But on the morrow, desiring to know the real reason why the Jews accused him, he unbound him, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.


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And Paul, looking intently at the council, said, "Brethren, I have lived before God in all good conscience up to this day."


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Then Paul said to him, "God shall strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?"


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And Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, `You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"


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But when Paul perceived that one part were Sad'ducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead I am on trial."


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And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sad'ducees; and the assembly was divided.


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For the Sad'ducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.


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Then a great clamor arose; and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?"


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And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.


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The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also at Rome."


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When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.


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And they went to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.


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You therefore, along with the council, give notice now to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near."


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Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush; so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.


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And Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the tribune; for he has something to tell him."


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So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, "Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you."


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The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"


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And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him.


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But do not yield to them; for more than forty of their men lie in ambush for him, having bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you."


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So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, "Tell no one that you have informed me of this."


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Then he called two of the centurions and said, "At the third hour of the night get ready two hundred soldiers with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesare'a.


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This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them, when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.


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I found that he was accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.


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And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him."


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So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antip'atris.


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When they came to Caesare'a and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him.


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On reading the letter, he asked to what province he belonged. When he learned that he was from Cili'cia


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he said, "I will hear you when your accusers arrive." And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.


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And after five days the high priest Anani'as came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertul'lus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul;


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and when he was called, Tertul'lus began to accuse him, saying: "Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your provision, most excellent Felix, reforms are introduced on behalf of this nation,


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For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.


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By examining him yourself you will be able to learn from him about everything of which we accuse him."


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And when the governor had motioned to him to speak, Paul replied: "Realizing that for many years you have been judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.


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and they did not find me disputing with any one or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues, or in the city.


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But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets,


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having a hope in God which these themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.


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As I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia--


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except this one thing which I cried out while standing among them, `With respect to the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you this day.'"


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But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lys'ias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case."


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Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but should have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.


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After some days Felix came with his wife Drusil'la, who was a Jewess; and he sent for Paul and heard him speak upon faith in Christ Jesus.


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And as he argued about justice and self-control and future judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity I will summon you."


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At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.


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But when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.


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Now when Festus had come into his province, after three days he went up to Jerusalem from Caesare'a.


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And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they urged him,


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Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesare'a, and that he himself intended to go there shortly.


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"So," said he, "let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them accuse him."


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When he had stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesare'a; and the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.


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And when he had come, the Jews who had gone down from Jerusalem stood about him, bringing against him many serious charges which they could not prove.


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Paul said in his defense, "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all."


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But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem, and there be tried on these charges before me?"


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But Paul said, "I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried; to the Jews I have done no wrong, as you know very well.


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If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death; but if there is nothing in their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar."


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Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go."


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Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Berni'ce arrived at Caesare'a to welcome Festus.


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And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, "There is a man left prisoner by Felix;


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and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews gave information about him, asking for sentence against him.


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I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up any one before the accused met the accusers face to face, and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him.


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When therefore they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in.


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but they had certain points of dispute with him about their own superstition and about one Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.


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Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wished to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them.


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But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be held until I could send him to Caesar."


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And Agrippa said to Festus, "I should like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," said he, "you shall hear him."


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So on the morrow Agrippa and Berni'ce came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then by command of Festus Paul was brought in.


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And Festus said, "King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.


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But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him.


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But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you, and, especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write.


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Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:


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"I think myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,


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because you are especially familiar with all customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.


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"My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.


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They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.


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to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!


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And I did so in Jerusalem; I not only shut up many of the saints in prison, by authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.


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And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme; and in raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.


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At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me.


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And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, `Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.'


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But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,


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to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'


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but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.


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To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:


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that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles."


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And as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are mad; your great learning is turning you mad."


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For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner.


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And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am--except for these chains."


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and when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, "This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment."


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And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, named Julius.


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And embarking in a ship of Adramyt'tium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristar'chus, a Macedo'nian from Thessaloni'ca.


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The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.


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And when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cili'cia and Pamphyl'ia, we came to Myra in Ly'cia.


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We sailed slowly for a number of days, and arrived with difficulty off Cni'dus, and as the wind did not allow us to go on, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmo'ne.


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Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lase'a.


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As much time had been lost, and the voyage was already dangerous because the fast had already gone by, Paul advised them,


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saying, "Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives."


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But the centurion paid more attention to the captain and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.


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And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to put to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, looking northeast and southeast, and winter there.


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And when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close inshore.


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And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the boat;


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after hoisting it up, they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they should run on the Syr'tis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven.


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And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many a day, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.


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As they had been long without food, Paul then came forward among them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and should not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.


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and he said, `Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and lo, God has granted you all those who sail with you.'


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When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of A'dria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.


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So they sounded and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.


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And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.


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And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,


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Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."


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As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.


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Therefore I urge you to take some food; it will give you strength, since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you."


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And when he had said this, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.


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Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to bring the ship ashore.


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So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders; then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach.


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But striking a shoal they ran the vessel aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the surf.


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but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their purpose. He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land,


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And the natives showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.


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Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.


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When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."


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They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.


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Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.


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It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery; and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him.


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And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.


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After three months we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the Twin Brothers as figurehead.


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And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhe'gium; and after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Pute'oli.


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And the brethren there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Ap'pius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage.


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After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.


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When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.


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But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar--though I had no charge to bring against my nation.


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For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."


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And they said to him, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brethren coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you.


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But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against."


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When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in great numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets.


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So, as they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:


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`Go to this people, and say, You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.


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For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'


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Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."


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and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,


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through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,


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To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.


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For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,


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I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.


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For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.


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For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live."


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For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.


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Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;


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for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.


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and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.


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Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,


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because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.


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For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural,


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and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.


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And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct.


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They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,


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Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.


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Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.


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Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?


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Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?


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But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.


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to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;


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but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.


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There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,


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All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.


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For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.


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When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.


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They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them


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a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--


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you then who teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?


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You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?


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Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.


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So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?


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Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.


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For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.


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He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God.


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By no means! Let God be true though every man be false, as it is written, "That thou mayest be justified in thy words, and prevail when thou art judged."


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But if our wickedness serves to show the justice of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)


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But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?


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And why not do evil that good may come?--as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.


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What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin,


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"Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."


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Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.


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For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.


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But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it,


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the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction;


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whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins;


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it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus.


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Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On the principle of works? No, but on the principle of faith.


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since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of their faith and the uncircumcised through their faith.


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For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."


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And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.


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So also David pronounces a blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:


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Is this blessing pronounced only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.


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How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.


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He received circumcision as a sign or seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised and who thus have righteousness reckoned to them,


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and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.


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The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.


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That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants-- not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all,


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as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations" --in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.


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In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So shall your descendants be."


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He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.


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No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,


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but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,


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Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.


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and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.


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Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.


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Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.


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For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.


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Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.


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Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned--


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Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.


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But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.


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And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.


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If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.


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Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.


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For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous.


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so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


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Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?


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We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.


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For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.


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We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.


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For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.


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Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.


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Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?


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But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,


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I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.


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But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.


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But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.


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Do you not know, brethren--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law is binding on a person only during his life?


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Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband.


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Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.


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Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.


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While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.


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But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.


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What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin. I should not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."


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But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, wrought in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead.


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Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.


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For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.


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but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.


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Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.


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For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,


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in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.


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For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.


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For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot;


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But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.


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But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.


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If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.


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for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.


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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"


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and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.


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I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.


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for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope;


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because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.


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and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.


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Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.


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And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


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We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.


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For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.


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And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.


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He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?


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who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?


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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?


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As it is written, "For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."


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For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,


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nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.


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I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit,


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For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race.


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They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;


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to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen.


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But it is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,


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and not all are children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named."


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This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants.


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though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call,


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For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."


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For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."


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But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me thus?"


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Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?


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What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction,


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in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,


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As indeed he says in Hose'a, "Those who were not my people I will call `my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call `my beloved.'"


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


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And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved;


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And as Isaiah predicted, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us children, we would have fared like Sodom and been made like Gomor'rah."


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What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, righteousness through faith;


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but that Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law did not succeed in fulfilling that law.


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Why? Because they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,


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as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."


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For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.


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Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it.


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But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down)


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But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach);


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because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.


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For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.


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For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him.


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But how are men to call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?


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And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"


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But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?"


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But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."


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Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry."


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Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."


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But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."


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I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.


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God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Eli'jah, how he pleads with God against Israel?


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"Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have demolished thy altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life."


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But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Ba'al."


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But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.


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What then? Israel failed to obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,


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as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day."


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So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.


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Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!


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Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry


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For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?


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If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.


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But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree,


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do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you.


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That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe.


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Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.


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And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.


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For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.


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Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in,


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and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";


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As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.


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so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.


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O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!


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I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.


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Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.


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For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.


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Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;


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he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.


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Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited.


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Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."


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No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."


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Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.


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Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.


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For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,


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for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.


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For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.


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Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.


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Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.


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The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."


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Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed;


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the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;


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let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.


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Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.


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Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand.


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One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.


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He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.


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If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.


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For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.


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Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;


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for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."


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Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.


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I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean.


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If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died.


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For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit;


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Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats;


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The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.


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But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.


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For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached thee fell on me."


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For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.


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May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,


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For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,


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and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise thee among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name";


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and further Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, he who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles hope."


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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.


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I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.


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But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God


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to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.


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For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed,


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by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr'icum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ,


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thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man's foundation,


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but as it is written, "They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him."


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But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you,


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I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be sped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little.


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For Macedo'nia and Acha'ia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem;


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they were pleased to do it, and indeed they are in debt to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.


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When therefore I have completed this, and have delivered to them what has been raised, I shall go on by way of you to Spain;


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I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,


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that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,


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that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.


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who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks;


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greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epae'netus, who was the first convert in Asia for Christ.


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Greet Androni'cus and Ju'nias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are men of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.


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Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphae'na and Trypho'sa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.


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Greet Philol'ogus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olym'pas, and all the saints who are with them.


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I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.


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For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded.


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For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil;


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then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.


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Ga'ius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Eras'tus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.


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Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages


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but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--


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To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:


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I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,


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so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ;


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I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.


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What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apol'los," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."


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(I did baptize also the household of Steph'anas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else.)


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For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.


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For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


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For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart."


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Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?


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For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.


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For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth;


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but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong,


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God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,


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He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;


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When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom.


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and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,


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Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.


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But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification.


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None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.


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But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him,"


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God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.


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For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.


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Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.


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And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.


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The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.


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But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ.


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for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?


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What then is Apol'los? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.


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According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it.


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each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.


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If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.


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If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.


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Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.


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For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"


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whether Paul or Apol'los or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours;


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But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself.


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I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.


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Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.


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I have applied all this to myself and Apol'los for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.


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For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?


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Already you are filled! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!


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For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men.


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We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.


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when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.


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For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.


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Therefore I sent to you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.


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But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.


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It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife.


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And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.


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For though absent in body I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment


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in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,


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you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.


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Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.


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Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.


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not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.


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But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber--not even to eat with such a one.


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For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?


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When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?


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Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?


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I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood,


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To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?


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Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts,


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nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.


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And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.


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"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.


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"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.


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Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!


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Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh."


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Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body.


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Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own;


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But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.


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For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.


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Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.


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I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.


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But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.


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To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband


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(but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband)--and that the husband should not divorce his wife.


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To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.


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If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.


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For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.


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But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.


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Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?


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Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.


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Was any one at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was any one at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.


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For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.


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Were you a slave when called? Never mind. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.


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For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.


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Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.


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But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.


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I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,


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and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,


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and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away.


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I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;


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and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband.


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I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.


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If any one thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry--it is no sin.


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But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.


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A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.


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But in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I have the Spirit of God.


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Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." "Knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.


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Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one."


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For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"--


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yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.


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However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through being hitherto accustomed to idols, eat food as really offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.


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For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?


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Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.


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Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall.


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Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?


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If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.


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Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?


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Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?


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For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned?


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Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a share in the crop.


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If others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.


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Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?


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In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.


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But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have any one deprive me of my ground for boasting.


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For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!


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For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.


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What then is my reward? Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.


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To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law--though not being myself under the law--that I might win those under the law.


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To those outside the law I became as one outside the law--not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ--that I might win those outside the law.


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To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.


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Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.


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Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.


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I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,


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and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ.


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Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance."


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We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.


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Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come.


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No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.


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The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?


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No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.


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You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.


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"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.


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If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.


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(But if some one says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then out of consideration for the man who informed you, and for conscience' sake--


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I mean his conscience, not yours--do not eat it.) For why should my liberty be determined by another man's scruples?


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just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.


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I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.


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But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.


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but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head--it is the same as if her head were shaven.


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For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.


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For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.


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If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God.


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But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.


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For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it,


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for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.


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What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.


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For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,


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and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."


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In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."


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Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.


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But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world.


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if any one is hungry, let him eat at home--lest you come together to be condemned. About the other things I will give directions when I come.


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You know that when you were heathen, you were led astray to dumb idols, however you may have been moved.


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Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.


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To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,


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to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.


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All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.


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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.


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For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.


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If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.


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And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.


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If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?


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The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."


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and those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,


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which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior part,


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that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.


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And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.


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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.


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And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.


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If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.


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Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.


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When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.


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For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.


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For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.


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On the other hand, he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.


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Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than he who speaks in tongues, unless some one interprets, so that the church may be edified.


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Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?


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If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will any one know what is played?


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So with yourselves; if you in a tongue utter speech that is not intelligible, how will any one know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.


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but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.


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So with yourselves; since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.


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What am I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.


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Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how can any one in the position of an outsider say the "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?


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nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.


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In the law it is written, "By men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."


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Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.


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If, therefore, the whole church assembles and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?


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But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,


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the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.


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What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.


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If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret.


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But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God.


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the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says.


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If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.


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If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.


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Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand,


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For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,


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Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.


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For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.


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But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.


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Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?


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We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.


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Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.


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"For God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection under him," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him.


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When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.


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Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?


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What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."


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Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.


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And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.


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For not all flesh is alike, but there is one kind for men, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.


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There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.


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There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.


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So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.


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It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.


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Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.


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As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.


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Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.


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I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.


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in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.


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For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality.


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When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."


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Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.


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Now concerning the contribution for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.


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On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come.


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and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may speed me on my journey, wherever I go.


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For I do not want to see you now just in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.


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When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.


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So let no one despise him. Speed him on his way in peace, that he may return to me; for I am expecting him with the brethren.


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As for our brother Apol'los, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brethren, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.


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Now, brethren, you know that the household of Steph'anas were the first converts in Acha'ia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints;


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I rejoice at the coming of Steph'anas and Fortuna'tus and Acha'icus, because they have made up for your absence;


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The churches of Asia send greetings. Aq'uila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Acha'ia:


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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,


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who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.


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For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.


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If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.


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Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.


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For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself.


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Why, we felt that we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead;


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he delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.


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You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us in answer to many prayers.


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For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we have behaved in the world, and still more toward you, with holiness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God.


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as you have understood in part, that you can be proud of us as we can be of you, on the day of the Lord Jesus.


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Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double pleasure;


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I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedo'nia, and to come back to you from Macedo'nia and have you send me on my way to Judea.


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Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans like a worldly man, ready to say Yes and No at once?


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For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silva'nus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes.


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For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God.


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Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.


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And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.


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For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.


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But if any one has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely-- to you all.


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Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,


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but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedo'nia.


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But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.


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For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,


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to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?


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For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.


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Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you?


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You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men;


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and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.


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Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God,


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who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.


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Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness, fading as this was,


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For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor.


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Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it.


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not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor.


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But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.


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And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.


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We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.


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In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.


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For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.


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For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.


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But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.


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always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.


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For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.


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Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak,


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knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.


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For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.


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So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.


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For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,


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because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.


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For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.


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For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.


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So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,


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For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.


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Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men; but what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.


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We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who pride themselves on a man's position and not on his heart.


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For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.


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And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.


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From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer.


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Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.


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All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;


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that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.


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So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.


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For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


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For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.


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but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,


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truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;


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in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;


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as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.


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Do not be mismated with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?


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What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.


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Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you,


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Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.


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Open your hearts to us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.


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I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.


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I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction, I am overjoyed.


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For even when we came into Macedo'nia, our bodies had no rest but we were afflicted at every turn--fighting without and fear within.


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and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.


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For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it), for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while.


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As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting; for you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.


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For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.


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For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter.


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So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your zeal for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.


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Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by you all.


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For if I have expressed to him some pride in you, I was not put to shame; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus has proved true.


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And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, and the fear and trembling with which you received him.


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We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedo'nia,


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for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part.


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For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will,


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and this, not as we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.


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Accordingly we have urged Titus that as he had already made a beginning, he should also complete among you this gracious work.


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Now as you excel in everything--in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for us--see that you excel in this gracious work also.


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I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.


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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.


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And in this matter I give my advice: it is best for you now to complete what a year ago you began not only to do but to desire,


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For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he has not.


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but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality.


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For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.


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With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel;


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and not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work which we are carrying on, for the glory of the Lord and to show our good will.


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And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you.


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As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker in your service; and as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.


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for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedo'nia, saying that Acha'ia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them.


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But I am sending the brethren so that our boasting about you may not prove vain in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be;


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lest if some Macedo'nians come with me and find that you are not ready, we be humiliated--to say nothing of you--for being so confident.


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So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren to go on to you before me, and arrange in advance for this gift you have promised, so that it may be ready not as an exaction but as a willing gift.


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The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.


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Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.


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And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.


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He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.


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You will be enriched in every way for great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God;


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for the rendering of this service not only supplies the wants of the saints but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God.


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Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ, and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others;


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I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!--


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I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of acting in worldly fashion.


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We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,


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Look at what is before your eyes. If any one is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that as he is Christ's, so are we.


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For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame.


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For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account."


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Not that we venture to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.


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But we will not boast beyond limit, but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us, to reach even to you.


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For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.


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We do not boast beyond limit, in other men's labors; but our hope is that as your faith increases, our field among you may be greatly enlarged,


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so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's field.


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


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But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.


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For if some one comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.


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Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.


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Did I commit a sin in abasing myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God's gospel without cost to you?


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And when I was with you and was in want, I did not burden any one, for my needs were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedo'nia. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.


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As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced in the regions of Acha'ia.


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And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.


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So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.


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I repeat, let no one think me foolish; but even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.


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For you bear it if a man makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.


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To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever any one dares to boast of--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast of that.


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Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.


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Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea;


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on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren;


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in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.


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And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.


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I must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.


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I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.


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And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--


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Though if I wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.


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And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.


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but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


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For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.


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I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing.


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The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.


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For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!


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Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children.


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I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?


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But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by guile.


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I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?


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Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.


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For I fear that perhaps I may come and find you not what I wish, and that you may find me not what you wish; that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.


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I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness which they have practiced.


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This is the third time I am coming to you. Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses.


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I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them--


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since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you.


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For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we shall live with him by the power of God.


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Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!


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But we pray God that you may not do wrong--not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.


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I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority which the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.


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Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.


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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.


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Paul an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--


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who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father;


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I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--


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not that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.


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But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed.


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As we have said before, so now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.


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Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.


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For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.


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For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it;


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and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.


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was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood,


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nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus.


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they only heard it said, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."


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I went up by revelation; and I laid before them (but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain.


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But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage--


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to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.


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And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)--those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me;


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but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised


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(for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles),


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and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised;


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For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.


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And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity.


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But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"


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yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.


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But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not!


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I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.


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I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.


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O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?


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Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?


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And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."


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For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them."


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Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live";


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Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree"--


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that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.


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To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man's will, or adds to it, once it has been ratified.


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Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many; but, referring to one, "And to your offspring," which is Christ.


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This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.


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For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.


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Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained by angels through an intermediary.


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Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not; for if a law had been given which could make alive, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.


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But the scripture consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.


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Now before faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed.


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There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


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I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate;


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And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"


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but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?


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and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.


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What has become of the satisfaction you felt? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.


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They make much of you, but for no good purpose; they want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.


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But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise.


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Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.


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Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.


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For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married."


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But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now.


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But what does the scripture say? "Cast out the slave and her son; for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman."


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For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.


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You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.


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For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.


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I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.


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But if I, brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.


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For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.


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For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would.


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envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


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Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted.


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But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.


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For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.


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So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.


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It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.


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For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.


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But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus:


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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,


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even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.


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In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace


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For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ


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as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.


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In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will,


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In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,


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which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.


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For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,


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that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,


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having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,


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and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might


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which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,


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far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;


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in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.


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Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.


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even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),


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that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.


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For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--


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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.


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Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--


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remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.


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by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,


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and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.


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So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,


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which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;


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that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.


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Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given me by the working of his power.


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To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,


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and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;


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that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.


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that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man,


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and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,


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may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,


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and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God.


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Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,


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I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,


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There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,


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Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."


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(In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?


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And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,


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until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;


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so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.


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Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,


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from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love.


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Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;


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they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart;


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they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.


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Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,


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Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.


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Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.


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Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.


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Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,


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And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.


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But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints.


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Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.


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Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.


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Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.


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but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.


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addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,


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For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.


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that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.


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"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."


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however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.


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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.


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Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ;


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not in the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,


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knowing that whatever good any one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.


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Masters, do the same to them, and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.


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For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.


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Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.


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Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,


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besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.


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Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,


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and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,


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Now that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tych'icus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything.


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I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.


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Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philip'pi, with the bishops and deacons:


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And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.


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It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.


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filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.


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so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ;


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and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.


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the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.


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What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.


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Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,


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as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.


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If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.


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I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.


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Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,


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Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,


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and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.


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For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,


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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,


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complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.


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And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.


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Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;


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that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,


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holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.


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Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.


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I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphrodi'tus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,


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Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.


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I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.


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Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not irksome to me, and is safe for you.


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For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.


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Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:


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circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee,


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Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ


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and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith;


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that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,


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Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.


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Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,


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Let those of us who are mature be thus minded; and if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal that also to you.


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For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ.


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Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.


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who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.


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Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.


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And I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.


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Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.


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And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


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Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.


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What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.


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I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me; you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.


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I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want.


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And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedo'nia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only;


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I have received full payment, and more; I am filled, having received from Epaphrodi'tus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.


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To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colos'sae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.


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because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints,


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because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel


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which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--so among yourselves, from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth,


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as you learned it from Ep'aphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf


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And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,


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to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.


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May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,


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giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.


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He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,


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for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.


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He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.


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and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.


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he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,


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provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.


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Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,


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of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,


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To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


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Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.


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For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at La-odice'a, and for all who have not seen my face,


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that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ,


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For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.


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rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.


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See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.


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In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ;


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and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.


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And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,


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having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross.


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He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.


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Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.


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Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,


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and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.


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If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations,


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These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.


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If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.


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Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.


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Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scyth'ian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.


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Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience,


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forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.


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And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.


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Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.


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And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


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Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord.


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knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.


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and pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison,


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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.


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Tych'icus will tell you all about my affairs; he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.


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I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,


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and with him Ones'imus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of yourselves. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.


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Aristar'chus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions--if he comes to you, receive him),


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and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.


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Ep'aphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always remembering you earnestly in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.


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For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in La-odice'a and in Hi-erap'olis.


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And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the La-odice'ans; and see that you read also the letter from La-odice'a.


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Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.


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remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.


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for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.


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And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit;


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For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedo'nia and Acha'ia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.


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For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,


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and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.


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but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philip'pi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition.


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but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts.


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nor did we seek glory from men, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.


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So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.


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For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God.


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You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our behavior to you believers;


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for you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you


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And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.


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For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea; for you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,


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who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all men


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by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved--so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!


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But since we were bereft of you, brethren, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face;


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For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?


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and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the gospel of Christ, to establish you in your faith and to exhort you,


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For when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction; just as it has come to pass, and as you know.


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For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent that I might know your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor would be in vain.


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But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you--


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for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith;


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For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you, for all the joy which we feel for your sake before our God,


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praying earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?


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and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we do to you,


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so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.


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Finally, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more.


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that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you.


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But concerning love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;


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and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedo'nia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more,


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to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you;


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But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.


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For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.


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For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.


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For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first;


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then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.


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When people say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child, and there will be no escape.


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But, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.


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But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,


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And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.


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May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:


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We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.


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Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.


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This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering--


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and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,


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inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.


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They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,


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when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.


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To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,


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so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,


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not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.


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Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition,


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who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.


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For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.


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And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.


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The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders,


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and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.


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But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.


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To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.


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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,


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Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you,


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And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command.


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Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.


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we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.


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For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.


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Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.


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If any one refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.


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Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.


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I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.


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To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.


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As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,


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nor to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the divine training that is in faith;


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whereas the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.


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desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.


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understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,


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immoral persons, sodomites, kidnapers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,


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I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service,


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though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,


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The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners;


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but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.


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This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophetic utterances which pointed to you, that inspired by them you may wage the good warfare,


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holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith,


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among them Hymenae'us and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.


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First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men,


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for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.


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For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.


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I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;


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also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire


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Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.


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Now a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, dignified, hospitable, an apt teacher,


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He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil;


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moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders, or he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.


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Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for gain;


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And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons.


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Let deacons be the husband of one wife, and let them manage their children and their households well;


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for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.


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if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.


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Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.


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Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,


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who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.


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For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving;


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If you put these instructions before the brethren, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have followed.


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for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.


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


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Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.


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Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you.


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Take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.


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If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn their religious duty to their own family and make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.


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She who is a real widow, and is left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day;


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If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.


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Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband;


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and she must be well attested for her good deeds, as one who has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, relieved the afflicted, and devoted herself to doing good in every way.


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Besides that, they learn to be idlers, gadding about from house to house, and not only idlers but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.


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So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, rule their households, and give the enemy no occasion to revile us.


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If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her assist them; let the church not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are real widows.


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Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;


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for the scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."


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As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.


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In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without favor, doing nothing from partiality.


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Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor participate in another man's sins; keep yourself pure.


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No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.


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Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed.


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Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties.


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If any one teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness,


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he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions,


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and wrangling among men who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.


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But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.


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For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs.


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But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.


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Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.


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In the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,


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I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ;


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and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,


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


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As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy.


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thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed.


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O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge,


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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus,


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To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.


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I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers.


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I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo'is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you.


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Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;


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Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God,


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who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago,


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and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.


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and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.


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Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus;


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You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, and among them Phy'gelus and Hermog'enes.


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May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiph'orus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains,


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may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day--and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.


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and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.


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No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him.


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the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered.


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Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.


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Remind them of this, and charge them before the Lord to avoid disputing about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.


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Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.


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who have swerved from the truth by holding that the resurrection is past already. They are upsetting the faith of some.


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But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."


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In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble.


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If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.


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So shun youthful passions and aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart.


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correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,


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For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,


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For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses,


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As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith;


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Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,


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my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Ico'nium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.


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But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it


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and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.


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All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,


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I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:


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preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.


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For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings,


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Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.


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For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessaloni'ca; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.


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When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Tro'as, also the books, and above all the parchments.


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But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.


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The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Do your best to come before winter. Eubu'lus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.


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Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness,


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and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by command of God our Savior;


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To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.


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This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you,


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if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate.


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For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,


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he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.


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For there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially the circumcision party;


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they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach.


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One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."


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To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.


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They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good deed.


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Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good,


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to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited.


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and sound speech that cannot be censured, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.


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Bid slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to be refractory,


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nor to pilfer, but to show entire and true fidelity, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.


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training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world,


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who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.


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Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work,


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to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all men.


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For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another;


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he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,


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The saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men.


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But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile.


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As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him,


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When I send Artemas or Tych'icus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicop'olis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.


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And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.


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All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.


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because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,


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and I pray that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ.


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For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.


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yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus--


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I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel;


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but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.


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no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.


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I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.


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At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be granted to you.


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but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.


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He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,


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For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"?


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And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."


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But of the Son he says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom.


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Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy comrades."


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And, "Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands;


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like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end."


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But to what angel has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet"?


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Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?


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For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,


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how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him,


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while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.


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It has been testified somewhere, "What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him?


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Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,


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putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.


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But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.


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For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.


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For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren,


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saying, "I will proclaim thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee."


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Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil,


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Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.


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Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.


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Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honor than the house.


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Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later,


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but Christ was faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope.


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Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, `They always go astray in their hearts; they have not known my ways.'


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Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.


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But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.


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Who were they that heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?


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And with whom was he provoked forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?


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Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it.


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For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers.


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For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, `They shall never enter my rest,'" although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.


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For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."


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Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,


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again he sets a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."


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For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


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And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.


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Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.


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For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.


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Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


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For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.


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So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee";


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In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear.


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For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food;


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But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.


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Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,


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with instruction about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.


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For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,


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if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.


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For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.


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But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned.


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Though we speak thus, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things that belong to salvation.


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For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.


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And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end,


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so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.


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For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,


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Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.


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So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath,


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so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.


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We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain,


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where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek.


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For this Melchiz'edek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him;


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and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.


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He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest for ever.


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And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brethren, though these also are descended from Abraham.


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But this man who has not their genealogy received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.


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Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?


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For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.


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For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.


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who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life.


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(for the law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.


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Those who formerly became priests took their office without an oath, but this one was addressed with an oath, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, `Thou art a priest for ever.'"


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The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office;


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Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.


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For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens.


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He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself.


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Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever.


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Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,


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For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.


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Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.


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They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary; for when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, "See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."


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But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.


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For he finds fault with them when he says: "The days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;


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not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord.


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This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.


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And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest.


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In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.


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For a tent was prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence; it is called the Holy Place.


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having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, which contained a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;


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above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.


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These preparations having thus been made, the priests go continually into the outer tent, performing their ritual duties;


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but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.


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By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened as long as the outer tent is still standing


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(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,


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but deal only with food and drink and various ablutions, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.


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But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)


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he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.


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For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh,


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how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.


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Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.


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For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.


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For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,


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Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.


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Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.


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For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.


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Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own;


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for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.


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so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.


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For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near.


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Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? If the worshipers had once been cleansed, they would no longer have any consciousness of sin.


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Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me;


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Then I said, `Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book."


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When he said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law),


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then he added, "Lo, I have come to do thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.


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And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.


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And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.


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But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,


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"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,"


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let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.


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not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.


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For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,


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A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.


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How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?


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For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."


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But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,


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sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.


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For you had compassion on the prisoners, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.


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But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls.


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By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.


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By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking.


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By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God.


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And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.


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By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.


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By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go.


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By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.


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By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.


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Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.


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These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.


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If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.


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But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.


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By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son,


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He considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead; hence, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.


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By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.


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By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his burial.


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By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king's edict.


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choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.


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He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.


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By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.


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By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.


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By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.


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By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given friendly welcome to the spies.


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And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets--


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who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions,


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quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.


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Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life.


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They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated--


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of whom the world was not worthy-- wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.


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Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,


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looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


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Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.


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And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?-- "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him.


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It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?


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If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.


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Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?


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For they disciplined us for a short time at their pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.


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For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.


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and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.


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See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" spring up and cause trouble, and by it the many become defiled;


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For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.


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For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest,


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and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them.


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For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."


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But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,


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and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,


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and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.


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See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.


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His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven."


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This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain.


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Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe;


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Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body.


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Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.


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Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you."


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Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.


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Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents.


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For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.


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Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.


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Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.


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Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.


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Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,


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equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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You should understand that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon.


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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greeting.


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And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.


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If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.


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But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.


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For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.


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For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.


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Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.


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Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one;


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Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.


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Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.


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Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.


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Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.


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For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror;


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But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.


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If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.


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Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.


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For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,


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and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "Have a seat here, please," while you say to the poor man, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet,"


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Listen, my beloved brethren. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?


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But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you, is it not they who drag you into court?


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If you really fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.


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For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," said also, "Do not kill." If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.


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What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?


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and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?


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But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.


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and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God.


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And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?


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Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness.


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For we all make many mistakes, and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.


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Look at the ships also; though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.


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So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!


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And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell.


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For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind,


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


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Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.


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But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.


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But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.


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What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?


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You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask.


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Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.


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Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us"?


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Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.


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Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.


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There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?


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Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain";


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whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.


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Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days.


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Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.


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You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.


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Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain.


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Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors.


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As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


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Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.


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But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.


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Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;


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and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.


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Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.


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Eli'jah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.


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let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.


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Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappado'cia, Asia, and Bithyn'ia,


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chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.


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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,


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so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


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Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.


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The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation;


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they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory.


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It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.


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Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


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And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.


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You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,


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He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake.


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Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.


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Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.


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You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;


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for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,


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and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.


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For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."


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To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,"


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and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.


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But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.


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Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.


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Beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul.


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Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.


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Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God.


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Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.


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For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval.


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For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.


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When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.


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He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.


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Likewise you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,


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Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine clothing,


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but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.


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So once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were submissive to their husbands,


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as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.


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Likewise you husbands, live considerately with your wives, bestowing honor on the woman as the weaker sex, since you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered.


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Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind.


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Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing.


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For "He that would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile;


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For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil."


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But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,


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but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;


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and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.


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For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;


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who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.


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Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,


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who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.


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Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,


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so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by human passions but by the will of God.


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Let the time that is past suffice for doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.


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For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though judged in the flesh like men, they might live in the spirit like God.


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whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.


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Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.


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But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.


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If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.


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For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?


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Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.


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So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.


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Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly,


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Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."


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Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.


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Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.


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And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.


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By Silva'nus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God; stand fast in it.


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Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:


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His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,


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by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.


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For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,


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and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,


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For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.


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Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall;


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so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


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Therefore I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.


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For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.


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For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,"


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And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.


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First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,


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because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.


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But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.


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


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For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment;


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if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;


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if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomor'rah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly;


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(for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds),


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then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,


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and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and wilful, they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones,


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whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a reviling judgment upon them before the Lord.


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But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed, reviling in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed in the same destruction with them,


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suffering wrong for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation, carousing with you.


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They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!


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Forsaking the right way they have gone astray; they have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Be'or, who loved gain from wrongdoing,


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but was rebuked for his own transgression; a dumb ass spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.


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These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved.


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For, uttering loud boasts of folly, they entice with licentious passions of the flesh men who have barely escaped from those who live in error.


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They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.


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For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first.


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For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.


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It has happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire.


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This is now the second letter that I have written to you, beloved, and in both of them I have aroused your sincere mind by way of reminder;


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that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.


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First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions


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and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation."


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They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water,


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But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.


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But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.


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The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.


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But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.


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Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,


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waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire!


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Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.


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And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,


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speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.


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You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your own stability.


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But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.


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That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--


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the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--


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that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.


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This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all.


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If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth;


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but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.


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If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


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My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;


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and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.


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but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:


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Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.


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Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.


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But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


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I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.


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I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.


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Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.


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For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.


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Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour.


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They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.


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I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and know that no lie is of the truth.


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Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.


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Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father.


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but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.


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And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.


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See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.


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Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.


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He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.


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No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.


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By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.


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and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.


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We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.


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Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.


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By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.


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But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?


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And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.


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All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.


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Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.


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By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,


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and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.


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Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.


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We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.


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Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God.


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In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.


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In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.


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So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.


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In this is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so are we in this world.


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There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.


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If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.


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Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child.


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For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.


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For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.


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This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood.


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If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son.


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He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son.


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I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.


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And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.


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And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.


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If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that.


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We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.


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And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.


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The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth,


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Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.


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I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children following the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.


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And now I beg you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.


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And this is love, that we follow his commandments; this is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you follow love.


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For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.


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Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.


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If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting;


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


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Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health; I know that it is well with your soul.


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For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as indeed you do follow the truth.


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Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers,


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who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God's service.


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I have written something to the church; but Diot'rephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority.


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So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, prating against me with evil words. And not content with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren, and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church.


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Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen God.


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Deme'trius has testimony from every one, and from the truth itself; I testify to him too, and you know my testimony is true.


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I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. [ (III John 1:15) Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them. ]


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Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:


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Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.


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For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.


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Now I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that he who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.


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And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day;


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just as Sodom and Gomor'rah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.


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Yet in like manner these men in their dreamings defile the flesh, reject authority, and revile the glorious ones.


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But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you."


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But these men revile whatever they do not understand, and by those things that they know by instinct as irrational animals do, they are destroyed.


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Woe to them! For they walk in the way of Cain, and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error, and perish in Korah's rebellion.


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These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they boldly carouse together, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;


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wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars for whom the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved for ever.


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It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads,


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to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."


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These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.


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save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.


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Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing,


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to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen.


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The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,


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Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.


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John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,


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and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood


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and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.


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Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.


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


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I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.


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saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per'gamum and to Thyati'ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice'a."


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Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,


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and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast;


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his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters;


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in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.


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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last,


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and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.


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As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.


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"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: `The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.


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"`I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false;


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Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.


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He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'


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"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: `The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.


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"`I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.


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Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.


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He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.'


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"And to the angel of the church in Per'gamum write: `The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.


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"`I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of An'tipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.


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But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.


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He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it.'


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"And to the angel of the church in Thyati'ra write: `The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.


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"`I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.


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But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jez'ebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.


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Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings;


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and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.


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But to the rest of you in Thyati'ra, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden;


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and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father;


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"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: `The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "`I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.


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Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.


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Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.


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Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.


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He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.


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"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: `The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.


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"`I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.


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Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you.


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Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.


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He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.


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"And to the angel of the church in La-odice'a write: `The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.


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For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.


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Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.


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Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.


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He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.


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After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this."


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And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.


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Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.


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From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God;


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and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:


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the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.


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And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"


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And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever,


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the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,


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"Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."


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And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;


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and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"


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Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."


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And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth;


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And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;


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and they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,


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Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,


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saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"


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And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, "To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!"


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Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!"


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And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.


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And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.


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When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand;


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and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!"


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And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.


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When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne;


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they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?"


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Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.


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When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,


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and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale;


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the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.


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Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,


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calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;


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After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.


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Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,


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saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."


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And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,


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twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad,


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twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand of the tribe of Naph'tali, twelve thousand of the tribe of Manas'seh,


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twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Is'sachar,


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twelve thousand of the tribe of Zeb'ulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.


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After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,


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and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"


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And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,


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saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."


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Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?"


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I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.


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Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence.


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They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.


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For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."


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And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne;


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and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.


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Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.


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The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth; and a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.


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The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea;


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and a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.


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The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water.


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The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the water, because it was made bitter.


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The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.


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Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice, as it flew in midheaven, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!"


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And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit;


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he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.


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Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth;


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they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads;


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they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man.


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And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them.


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In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces,


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they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.


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They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails.


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They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abad'don, and in Greek he is called Apol'lyon.


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Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,


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saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphra'tes."


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So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind.


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The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number.


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And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths.


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By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur issuing from their mouths.


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For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they wound.


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The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk;


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Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.


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He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,


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and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring; when he called out, the seven thunders sounded.


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And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down."


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and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there should be no more delay,


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but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled.


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Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."


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So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth."


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And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.


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Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,


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but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.


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And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."


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And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed.


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They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.


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And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them,


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and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.


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For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,


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and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.


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But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.


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Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud.


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And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.


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Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."


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And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,


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saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign.


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The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."


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Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.


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And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;


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And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.


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His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth;


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she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,


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and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.


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Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,


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And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.


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And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.


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And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.


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Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"


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And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child.


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But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.


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The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood.


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But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth.


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Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.


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And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads.


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And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.


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One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder.


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Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"


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And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months;


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it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.


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Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation,


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and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.


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If any one is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.


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Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.


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It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.


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and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived;


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and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.


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Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,


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so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.


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This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.


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Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.


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And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps,


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and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.


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It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb,


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Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;


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and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water."


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Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion."


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And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,


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he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.


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And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."


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Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.


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And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"


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Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.


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And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe."


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Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe."


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So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God;


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and the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for one thousand six hundred stadia.


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Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.


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And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.


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And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages!


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Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord? For thou alone art holy. All nations shall come and worship thee, for thy judgments have been revealed."


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and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles.


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And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever;


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and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.


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Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."


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So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.


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The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a dead man, and every living thing died that was in the sea.


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And I heard the angel of water say, "Just art thou in these thy judgments, thou who art and wast, O Holy One.


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For men have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. It is their due!"


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men were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.


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The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was in darkness; men gnawed their tongues in anguish


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The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphra'tes, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.


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And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs;


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for they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.


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("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!")


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The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"


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And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake.


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The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath.


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and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.


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Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters,


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with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk."


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And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.


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The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;


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and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations."


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And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marveled greatly.


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But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.


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The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.


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This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated;


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they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while.


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As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition.


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And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.


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they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."


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And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.


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And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire,


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for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.


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After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.


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And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird;


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for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness."


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Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;


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Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed.


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As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, `A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,'


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so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."


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And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning;


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they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! alas! thou great city, thou mighty city, Babylon! In one hour has thy judgment come."


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cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble,


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cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.


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"The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee, and all thy dainties and thy splendor are lost to thee, never to be found again!"


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The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,


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"Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!


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In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste." And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off


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And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! In one hour she has been laid waste.


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Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"


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Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So shall Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and shall be found no more;


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and the sound of harpers and minstrels, of flute players and trumpeters, shall be heard in thee no more; and a craftsman of any craft shall be found in thee no more; and the sound of the millstone shall be heard in thee no more;


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and the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more; and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall be heard in thee no more; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth, and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery.


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After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,


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for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants."


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And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"


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And from the throne came a voice crying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great."


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Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.


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Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;


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it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure"-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.


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And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God."


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Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.


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Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.


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His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself.


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From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.


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Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God,


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to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great."


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And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army.


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And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.


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And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.


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Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain.


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And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,


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and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.


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Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.


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The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.


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Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years.


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and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.


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And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,


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and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.


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Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.


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And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.


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And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.


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and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.


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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.


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And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband;


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and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;


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he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."


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And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."


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And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment.


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But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."


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Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."


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And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,


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It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed;


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on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.


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And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.


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The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal.


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The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,


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the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.


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And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.


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And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.


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But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.


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Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb


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through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.


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There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him;


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And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.


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And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.


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I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me;


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but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."


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Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."


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Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.


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Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.


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"I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."


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The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.


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I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,


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and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.


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The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. [ (Revelation of John 22:22) The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. ]


