# verses

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In every way I showed you that by working hard like this we should help the weak and remember the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, «It is more blessed to give than to receive.» " <n>{This saying is not recorded in the Gospels.}</n> 


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All of them cried and cried <n>{Lit. Great crying came to all}</n> as they put their arms around Paul and kissed <n>{People customarily greeted their friends with a kiss.}</n> him affectionately. 


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They were especially sorrowful because of what he had said that they would never see his face again. Then they took him to the ship. 


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<n>{Paul in Tyre}</n> d When we had torn ourselves away from those brothers, <n>{Lit. from them}</n> we sailed straight to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. <n>{Other mss. read Patara and Myra}</n> 


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We came in sight of Cyprus, and leaving it on our left, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 


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So we located some disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, 


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but when our time there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey. All of them with their wives and children accompanied us out of the city. We knelt on the beach, prayed, 


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<n>{Paul in Caesarea}</n> d When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, greeted the brothers there, and stayed with them for one day. 


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The next day, we left and came to Caesarea. We went to the home of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 


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He came to us, took Paul's belt, and tied his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, "The Holy Spirit says, «This is how the Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt. Then they will hand him over to the gentiles.»" 


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When we heard this, we and the people who lived there begged Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> not to go up to Jerusalem. 


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At this Paul replied, "What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I'm ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!" 


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When he could not be persuaded otherwise, we remained silent except to say, "May the Lord's will be done." 


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<n>{Paul in Jerusalem}</n> d When our time there ended, <n>{Lit. After those days}</n> we got ready to go up to Jerusalem. 


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Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us. They took us to the home of Mnason to be his guests. He was from Cyprus and had been <n>{The Gk. lacks had been}</n> an early disciple. 


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After greeting them, Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> related one by one the things that God had done among the gentiles through his ministry. 


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When they heard about it, they praised God and told him, "You see, brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are zealous for the Law. 


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But they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the gentiles to forsake the Law of Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. 


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Take these men, go through the purification ceremony with them, and pay their expenses to shave their heads. Then everyone will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you are carefully observing and keeping the Law. 


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As for the gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our decision that they should keep away from food that has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, <n>{I.e. uncooked meat}</n> from anything strangled, <n>{Other mss. lack from anything strangled}</n> and from sexual immorality." 


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<n>{Paul is Arrested in the Temple}</n> d Then Paul took those men and the next day purified himself with them. Then he went into the Temple to announce the time when their days of purification would end and when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them. 


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When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, seeing Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> in the Temple, stirred up a large crowd. They grabbed Paul, <n>{Lit. him}</n> 


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yelling, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere to turn against our people, the Law, and this place. More than that, he has even brought Greeks into the Temple and desecrated this Holy Place." 


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For they had earlier seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him and assumed that Paul had taken him into the Temple. 


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The whole city was in chaos. The people rushed together, grabbed Paul, dragged him out of the Temple, and at once the doors were sealed shut. 


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The crowd <n>{Lit. They}</n> was trying to kill Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> when a report reached the tribune of the cohort <n>{I.e. perhaps as many as 600 soldiers}</n> that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 


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Immediately the tribune <n>{Lit. Immediately he}</n> took some soldiers and officers and ran down to the crowd. <n>{Lit. them}</n> When the people <n>{Lit. When they}</n> saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 


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Then the tribune came up, grabbed Paul, <n>{Lit. him}</n> and ordered him to be tied up with two chains. He then asked who Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> was and what he had done. 


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Some of the crowd shouted this and some that. Since the tribune <n>{Lit. Since he}</n> couldn't learn the facts due to the confusion, he ordered Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> to be taken into the barracks. 


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When Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because the mob had become so violent. 


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<n>{Paul Speaks in His Own Defense}</n> d Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the tribune, "May I say something to you?" The tribune <n>{Lit. He}</n> asked, "Oh, do you speak Greek? 


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You're not the Egyptian who started a revolt some time ago and led 4,000 assassins into the desert, are you?" 


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Paul replied, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. Please let me speak to the people." 


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The tribune <n>{Lit. He}</n> gave him permission, and Paul, standing on the steps, motioned for the people to be silent. When everyone had quieted down, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language: 


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"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but raised in this city and educated at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict ways of our ancestral Law. I am as zealous for God as all of you are today. 


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I persecuted this Way, even executing people, <n>{The Gk. lacks people}</n> and kept tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, 


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as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished. 


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"But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 


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"I answered, «Who are you, Lord? '<n>{Or Sir}</n> "He told me, «I am Jesus from Nazareth, <n>{Or Jesus the Nazarene ; the Gk. Nazoraios may be a word play between Heb. netser, meaning branch (see Isa 11:1), and the name Nazareth.}</n> whom you are persecuting.» 


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The men who were with me saw the light but didn't understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 


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"Then I asked, «What am I to do, Lord? '"The Lord told me, «Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.» 


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Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus. 


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"A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the Law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there, 


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came to me. He stood beside me and said, «Brother Saul, receive your sight!'At that moment I could see him. 


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"Then he said, «The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice, <n>{Lit. the voice of his mouth}</n> 


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What are you waiting for now? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'


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and saw the Lord <n>{Lit. him}</n> saying to me, «Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people <n>{Lit. they}</n> won't accept your testimony about me.» 


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"I said, «Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you. 


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Even when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there approving it and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.'


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Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! He's not fit to go on living!" 


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the tribune ordered Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers <n>{Lit. them}</n> to beat and question him in order to find out why the people <n>{Lit. why they}</n> were yelling at him like this. 


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But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion <n>{A Roman centurion commanded about 100 men.}</n> who was standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't been condemned?" 


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When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!" 


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So the tribune went and asked Paul, <n>{Lit. him}</n> "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes," he said. 


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Then the tribune replied, "I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." 


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Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up. 


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<n>{Paul is Brought before the Jewish Council}</n> d The next day, since the tribune <n>{Lit. he}</n> wanted to find out exactly what Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them. 


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<n>{Paul Defends Himself}</n> d Paul looked straight at the Council <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> and said, "Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day." 


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At this Paul told him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! <n>{I.e. hypocrite}</n> How can you sit there and judge me according to the Law and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?" 


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Paul answered, "I didn't realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, «You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.»" <n>{Exod 22:28}</n> 


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When Paul saw that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he shouted in the Council, <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> "Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a descendant <n>{Or son}</n> of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected." 


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After he said that, an angry quarrel broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided, 


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because the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and that there is no such thing as an angel or spirit, but the Pharisees believe in all those things. 


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There was a great deal of shouting until some of the scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and argued forcefully, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 


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The quarrel was becoming violent, and the tribune was afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces. So he ordered the soldiers to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. 


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That night the Lord stood near Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> and said, "Have courage! For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome, too." 


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<n>{Some Jews Plot to Kill Paul}</n> d In the morning, the Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> formed a conspiracy and took an oath not to eat or drink anything before they had killed Paul. 


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They went to the high priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul. 


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Now then, you and the Council <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> must notify the tribune to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to look into his case more carefully, but before he arrives we'll be ready to kill him." 


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But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush, so he came and got into the barracks and told Paul. 


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


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So the centurion <n>{Lit. So he}</n> took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, "The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you." 


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The tribune took him by the hand, stepped aside to be alone with him, and asked, "What have you got to tell me?" 


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He answered, "The Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Council <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> tomorrow as though they were going to examine his case more carefully. 


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Don't believe them, because more than 40 of them are planning to ambush him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink before they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent." 


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Then he summoned two centurions and ordered, "Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o'clock tonight, <n>{Lit. from the third hour of the night}</n> along with 70 mounted soldiers and 200 soldiers with spears. 


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This man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I went with the guard and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 


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I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, so I had him brought before their Council. <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> 


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I found that, although he was charged with questions about their Law, there was no charge against him deserving death or imprisonment. 


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Since a plot against the man has been reported to me, I am at once sending him to you and have also ordered his accusers to present their charges against him before you." 


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The next day, they let the horsemen ride with Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> while they returned to their barracks. 


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When these men <n>{The Gk. lacks men}</n> came to Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 


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After reading the letter, the governor <n>{Lit. letter, he}</n> asked which province Paul <n>{Lit. Paul}</n> was from. On learning that he was from Cilicia, 


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he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers arrive." Then he ordered Paul <n>{Lit. Paul}</n> to be kept in custody in Herod's palace. <n>{Lit. praetorium}</n> 


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<n>{Paul Presents His Case to Felix}</n> d Five days later, the high priest Ananias arrived with certain elders and Tertullus, an attorney, and they summarized their case against Paul before the governor. 


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When Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> had been summoned, Tertullus opened the prosecution by saying: "Your Excellency Felix, since we are enjoying lasting peace because of you, and since reforms for this nation are being brought about through your foresight, 


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But so as not to detain you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 


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For we have found this man a perfect pest and an agitator among all Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes <n>{The Gk. Nazoraios may be a word play between Heb. netser, meaning branch (see Isa 11:1), and the name Nazareth.}</n> 


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and even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him. <n>{Other mss. read arrested him, and we wanted to try him under our law.}</n> 


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<n>{ But Tribune Lysias came along and took him out of our hands with much force, ordering his accusers to come before you.}</n> 


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By examining him for yourself, you will be able to find out from him everything of which we accuse him." 


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The Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. The Jews}</n> supported his accusations by asserting that these things were true. 


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When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he replied: "Since I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I am pleased to present my defense. 


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They never found me debating with anyone in the Temple or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or throughout the city, 


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However, I admit to you that in accordance with the Way, which they call a heresy, <n>{Or sect}</n> I worship the God of our ancestors and believe in everything written in the Law and the Prophets. 


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


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After many years, I have come back to my people to bring gifts for the poor and to offer sacrifices. 


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They found me in the Temple doing these things just as I had completed the purification ceremony. No crowd or noisy mob was present. 


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But some Jews from Asia were there, and they should be here before you to accuse me if they have anything against me. 


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Otherwise, these men themselves should tell what wrong they found when I stood before the Council <n>{Or Sanhedrin}</n> 


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unless it is for the one thing I shouted as I stood among them: «It is for the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.»" 


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Felix was rather well informed about the Way, and so he adjourned the trial with the comment, "When Tribune Lysias arrives, I will decide your case." 


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He ordered the centurion to guard Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> but to let him have some freedom and not to keep any of his friends from caring for his needs. 


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Some days later, Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Jesus <n>{Other mss. lack Jesus}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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As Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> talked about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid and said, "For the present you may go. When I get a chance, I will send for you again." 


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At the same time he was hoping to receive a bribe from Paul, and so he would send for him frequently to talk with him. 


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After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. Since Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison. 


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<n>{Paul Appeals to the Emperor}</n> d Three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 


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and asking Festus <n>{Lit. him}</n> to have Paul <n>{Lit. as a favor against him to have him}</n> brought to Jerusalem as a favor. They were laying an ambush to kill him on the road. 


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Festus replied that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself would be going there soon. 


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"Therefore," he said, "have your authorities come down with me and present their charges against him there, if there is anything wrong with the man." 


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Festus <n>{Lit. He}</n> stayed with them no more than eight or ten days and then went down to Caesarea. The next day, he sat on the judge's seat and ordered Paul brought in. 


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When Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> arrived, the Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and began bringing a number of serious charges against him that they couldn't prove. 


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Paul said in his defense, "I have done nothing wrong against the Law of the Jews, or of the Temple, or of the emperor." 


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Then Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> a favor, asked Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried there before me on these charges?" 


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But Paul said, "I am standing before the emperor's judgment seat where I ought to be tried. I haven't done anything wrong to the Jewish leaders, <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> as you know very well. 


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If I am guilty and have done something that deserves death, I am willing to die. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can hand me over to them as a favor. I appeal to the emperor!" 


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Festus talked it over with the council and then answered, "To the emperor you have appealed; to the emperor you will go!" 


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<n>{King Agrippa Meets Paul}</n> d After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to welcome Festus. 


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Since they were staying there for several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. He said, "There is a man here who was left in prison by Felix. 


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When I went to Jerusalem, the high priests and the Jewish elders informed me about him and asked me to condemn him. 


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I answered them that it was not the Roman custom to sentence a man to be punished until the accused met his accusers face to face and had an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. 


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"So they came here with me, and the next day without any delay I sat down in the judge's seat and ordered the man to be brought in. 


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When his accusers stood up, they didn't accuse him of any of the crimes <n>{Other mss. read of anything}</n> I was expecting. 


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Instead, they had several arguments with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but Paul kept asserting he was alive. 


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I was puzzled how I should investigate such matters, so I asked if he would like to go to Jerusalem and be tried there for these things. 


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But Paul appealed his case and asked to be held in prison until the decision of his Majesty. So I ordered him to be held in custody until I could send him to the emperor." 


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The next day, Agrippa and Bernice arrived with much fanfare and went into the auditorium along with the tribunes and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 


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


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I find that he has not done anything deserving of death. But since he has appealed to his Majesty, I have decided to send him. 


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I have nothing reliable to write our Sovereign about him, so I have brought him to all of you, and especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I will have something to write after he is cross-examined. 


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<n>{Paul Presents His Case to Agrippa}</n> d Then Agrippa told Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. 


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"I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, that I can defend myself today against all the accusations of the Jewish leaders, <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> 


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since you are especially familiar with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you, therefore, to listen patiently to me. 


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All the Jews know how I lived from the earliest days of my youth with my own people and in Jerusalem. 


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They have known for a long time, if they would but testify to it, that I lived as a Pharisee, adhering to the standards of our strictest religious party. 


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Our twelve tribes, worshiping day and night with intense devotion, hope to attain it. It is because of this hope, O King, that I am accused by the Jews. 


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Indeed, I myself thought it my duty to take extreme measures against the name of Jesus from Nazareth. <n>{Or Jesus the Nazarene ; the Gk. Nazoraios may be a word play between Heb. netser, meaning branch (see Isa 11:1), and the name Nazareth.}</n> 


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That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the high priests and locked many of the saints in prison. And when I cast my vote against them, they were put to death. 


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I would even punish them frequently in every synagogue and try to make them blaspheme. Raging furiously against them, I would hunt them down even in distant cities. 


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"That is how I happened to be traveling to Damascus with authority based on a commission from the high priests. 


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On the road at noon, O King, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun. It flashed around me and those who were traveling with me. 


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"All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in the Hebrew language, «Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It is hurting you to keep on kicking against the cattle prods.'<n>{Quoted in The Bacchae by Euripides, although Aeschylus in Prometheus Bound used almost identical language.}</n> 


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"I asked, «Who are you, Lord? '<n>{Or Sir}</n> "The Lord answered, «I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 


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But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for the very purpose of appointing you to be my servant and witness of what you have seen and of what I will show you. 


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You will help them understand <n>{Lit. will open their eyes}</n> and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.» 


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Instead, I first told the people in Damascus and Jerusalem, then all the people in Judea and after that the gentiles to repent, turn to God, and perform deeds that are consistent with such repentance. 


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For this reason the Jewish leaders <n>{I.e. Judean leaders; lit. the Jews}</n> grabbed me in the Temple and kept trying to kill me. 


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I have had help from God to this day, and so I stand here to testify to both the powerful and the lowly alike, stating only what the prophets and Moses said would happen 


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that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and would bring light both to our people and to the gentiles." 


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As he continued his defense, Festus shouted, "You're out of your mind, Paul! Too much education is driving you crazy!" 


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But Paul said, "I'm not out of my mind, Your Excellency Festus. I'm reporting what is absolutely true. 


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Indeed, the king knows about these things, and I can speak to him freely. For I am certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this wasn't done in a corner. 


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Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I wish to God that not only you but everyone listening to me today would become what I am except for these chains!" 


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As they were leaving, they began to say to each other, "This man hasn't been doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment." 


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<n>{Paul Sails for Rome}</n> d When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were transferred to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the emperor's division. 


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After boarding a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the ports on the coast of Asia, we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us. 


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The next day, we arrived at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to visit his friends there and receive any care he needed. 


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After putting out from there, we sailed on the sheltered side of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 


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We sailed slowly for a number of days and with difficulty arrived off Cnidus. Then, because the wind was against us, we sailed on the sheltered side of Crete off Cape Salome. 


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Much time had been lost, and because navigation had become dangerous and the day of fasting had already past, Paul began to warn those on the ship, <n>{Lit. warn them}</n> 


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"Men, I see that during this voyage there will be hardship and a heavy loss not only of the cargo and ship, but also of our lives." 


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Since the harbor was not a good place to spend the winter, most of the men favored putting out to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix and spend the winter there. It is a Cretian harbor that faces southwest and northwest. 


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When a gentle breeze began to blow from the south, they thought they could make it to Phoenix, <n>{Lit. could achieve their purpose}</n> so they hoisted anchor and began sailing along the shore of Crete. 


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But it was not long before a violent wind (called a northeaster) swept down from the island. <n>{Lit. from it}</n> 


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As we drifted to the sheltered side of a small island called Cauda, <n>{Other mss. read Clauda}</n> we barely managed to secure the ship's lifeboat. 


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The ship's crew <n>{Lit. They}</n> pulled it up on deck and used ropes to brace the ship. Fearing that they would hit the large sandbank near Libya, <n>{Lit. the Syrtis}</n> they lowered the sail and drifted along. 


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The next day, because we were being tossed so violently by the storm, they began to throw the cargo overboard. 


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For a number of days neither the sun nor the stars were to be seen, and the storm continued to rage until at last all hope of our being saved vanished. 


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After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood among his shipmates <n>{Lit. among them}</n> and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete. You would have avoided this hardship and damage. 


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But now I urge you to have courage because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss <n>{The Gk. lacks loss}</n> of the ship. 


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and said, «Stop being afraid, Paul! You must stand before the emperor. Indeed, God has given to you the lives of <n>{The Gk. lacks the lives of}</n> everyone who is sailing with you.'


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<n>{The Shipwreck}</n> d It was the fourteenth night, and we were drifting through the Adriatic Sea when about midnight the sailors suspected that land was near. 


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After taking soundings, they found the depth to be twenty fathoms. A little later, they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms. 


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Fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and began praying for daylight to come. 


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Meanwhile, the sailors had begun trying to escape from the ship. They lowered the lifeboat into the sea and pretended that they were going to lay out the anchors from the bow. 


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Right up to daybreak Paul kept urging all of them to eat something. He said, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, not eating anything. 


text:
So I urge you to eat something, for it will help you survive, since none of you will lose so much as <n>{The Gk. lacks so much as}</n> a hair from his head." 


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After he said this, he took some bread, thanked God in front of everyone, broke it, and began to eat. 


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After they had eaten all they wanted, they began to lighten the ship by dumping its cargo of <n>{Lit. dumping the}</n> wheat into the sea. 


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When day came, they didn't recognize the land, but they could see a bay with a beach on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if possible. 


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So they cut the anchors free and left them in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes that held the steering oars, raised the foresail to the wind, and headed for the beach. 


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But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck and couldn't be moved, while the stern was broken to pieces by the force of the waves. 


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but the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 


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The rest were to follow, some on planks and others on various pieces of the ship. In this way everyone got to shore safely. 


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<n>{Paul on the Island of Malta}</n> d When we were safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 


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The people who lived there were unusually kind to us. It had started to rain and was cold, so they started a bonfire and invited us to join them <n>{The Gk. lacks to join them}</n> around it. 


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Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put it on the fire. A poisonous snake was forced out by the heat and attached itself to Paul's <n>{Lit. his}</n> hand. 


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When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, "This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice <n>{I.e. a Roman god whom they supposed punished wrongdoers}</n> won't let him live." 


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They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 


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The governor of the island, whose name was Publius, owned estates in that part of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us with great hospitality for three days. 


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The father of Publius happened to be sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, and healed him by placing his hands on him. 


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The islanders <n>{Lit. They}</n> honored us in many ways, and when we were about to sail again, <n>{The Gk. lacks again}</n> they supplied us with everything we needed. 


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<n>{Paul Sails from Malta to Rome}</n> d Three months later, we continued our sailing onboard an Alexandrian ship that had spent the winter at the island. It had the Twin Brothers <n>{Lit. the Dioscuri ; i.e. Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus}</n> as its figurehead. 


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Then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. A day later, a south wind began to blow, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 


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There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. After this, we arrived in Rome. 


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The brothers there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and felt encouraged. 


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<n>{Paul in Rome}</n> d Three days later, Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> called the leaders of the Jews together. When they assembled, he told them, "Brothers, although I haven't done anything against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 


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They examined me and wanted to let me go because there was no reason for me to receive <n>{The Gk. lacks me to receive}</n> the death penalty in my case. 


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But the Jews objected and forced me to appeal to the emperor, even though I have no countercharge to bring against my own people. 


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That's why I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I'm wearing this chain." 


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The Jewish leaders <n>{Lit. They}</n> told him, "We haven't received any letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or mentioned anything bad about you. 


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However, we would like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere." 


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So they set a day to meet with Paul <n>{Lit. him}</n> and came out in large numbers to see him where he was staying. From morning until evening he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 


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They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: "The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah! 


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He said, «Go to this people and say, "You will listen and listen but never understand, and you will look and look but never see! 


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For this people's minds <n>{Lit. heart}</n> have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them."'<n>{Isa 6:9-10}</n> 


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You must understand that this message about <n>{The Gk. lacks message about}</n> God's salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen." <n>{Other mss. read will listen.}</n> 


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For two whole years Paul <n>{Lit. he}</n> lived in his own rented place and welcomed everyone who came to him. 


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He continued to preach about the kingdom of God and to teach boldly and freely about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to the}</n> <n>{ Romans}</n> d <n>{Greetings from Paul}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ ; o ther mss. read of the Messiah Jesus}</n> called to be an apostle and set apart for God's gospel, 


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and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit <n>{Or Spirit}</n> of holiness Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Lord. 


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Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about faithful obedience among all the gentiles for the sake of his name. 


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To: Everyone in Rome, <n>{Other mss. lack in Rome}</n> loved by God and called to be holy. <n>{Or saints}</n> May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be yours! 


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<n>{Paul's Prayer and Desire to Visit Rome}</n> d First of all, I thank my God through Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> for all of you, because the news about your faith is being reported throughout the world. 


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For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel about his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you 


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in my prayers at all times, asking that somehow by God's will I may at last succeed in coming to you. 


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I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now), so that I might reap a harvest among you, just as I have among the rest of the gentiles. 


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Both to Greeks and to barbarians, <n>{I.e. uncultured people}</n> both to wise and to foolish people, I am a debtor. 


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That is why I am so eager to proclaim the gospel to you who live in Rome, <n>{Other mss. lack who live in Rome}</n> too. 


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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, <n>{Other mss. read gospel of the Messiah}</n> because it is God's power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well. 


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For in the gospel <n>{Lit. in it}</n> God's righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The righteous will live by faith." <n>{Hab 2:4}</n> 


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<n>{God's Wrath against Sinful Humanity}</n> d For God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of those who in their wickedness suppress the truth. 


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For since the creation of the world God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> invisible attributes his eternal power and divine nature have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people <n>{Lit. they}</n> are without excuse. 


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For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, <n>{Lit. they became worthless in their thoughts}</n> and their senseless hearts were darkened. 


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and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 


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For this reason, God delivered them to sexual impurity as they followed the lusts <n>{Lit. to impurity in the lusts}</n> of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another. 


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They exchanged God's truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 


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For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. 


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In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion. <n>{Or deviation}</n> 


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Furthermore, because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done. 


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They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, 


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slanderers, God-haters, haughty, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to their parents, 


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Although they know God's just requirement that those who practice such things deserve to die they not only do these things but even applaud others who practice them. 


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<n>{God will Judge Everyone}</n> d Therefore, you have no excuse every one of you who judges. For when you pass judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, practice the very same things. 


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Now we know that God's judgment against those who act like this is based on <n>{Lit. is according to the}</n> truth. 


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So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on those who practice these things and then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 


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Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God's kindness that is leading you to repent? 


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But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are reserving wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 


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but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. 


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There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. 


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But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well, 


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For all who have sinned apart from the Law will also perish apart from the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law. 


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For it is not merely those who hear the Law who are righteous in God's sight. No, it is those who follow the Law, who will be justified. 


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For whenever gentiles, who do not possess the Law, do instinctively 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 in their hearts, a fact to which their own consciences testify, and their thoughts will either accuse or excuse them 


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on that day when God, through Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> will judge people's secrets according to my gospel. 


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an instructor of ignorant people, and a teacher of infants because you have the full content of knowledge and truth in the Law 


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As it is written, "God's name is being blasphemed among the gentiles because of you." <n>{Isa 52:5}</n> 


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For circumcision is valuable if you observe the Law, but if you break the Law, your having been circumcised has no more value than if you were uncircumcised. 


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So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the requirements of the Law, his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision, won't it? 


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The man who is uncircumcised physically but who keeps the Law will condemn you who break the Law, even though you have the written Law <n>{Lit. what is written}</n> and circumcision. 


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For a person is not a Jew because of his appearance, nor is circumcision something just external and physical. 


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No, a person is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, brought about by the Spirit, not by a written law. <n>{Lit. what is written}</n> That person's praise will come from God, not from people. 


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<n>{Everyone is a Sinner}</n> d What advantage, then, does the Jew have, or what value is there in circumcision? 


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There are all kinds of advantages! First of all, the Jews <n>{Lit. they}</n> have been entrusted with the utterances of God. 


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What if some of the Jews <n>{Lit. of them}</n> were unfaithful? Their unfaithfulness cannot cancel God's faithfulness, can it? 


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Of course not! God is true, even if everyone else is a liar. As it is written, "You are right when you speak, <n>{Lit. are justified in your words}</n> and win your case when you go into court." <n>{Ps 51:4}</n> 


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But if our unrighteousness serves to confirm God's righteousness, what can we say? God is not unrighteous when he vents his wrath on us, is he? (I am talking in human terms.) 


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For <n>{Other mss. read But}</n> if through my falsehood God's truthfulness glorifies him even more, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 


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Or can we say as some people slander us by claiming that we say"Let's do evil that good may result" ? They deserve to be condemned! 


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What, then, does this mean? <n>{The Gk. lacks does this mean}</n> Are we Jews <n>{The Gk. lacks Jews}</n> any better off? Not at all! For we have already accused everyone, both Jews and Greeks, of being under the power of <n>{The Gk. lacks the power of}</n> sin. 


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All have turned away. They have become completely worthless. No one shows kindness, not even one person! <n>{Ps 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Eccl 7:20}</n> 


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Their throats are open graves. With their tongues they deceive. <n>{Ps 5:9}</n> The venom of poisonous snakes is under their lips. <n>{Ps 140:3}</n> 


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Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 


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Therefore, God <n>{The Gk. lacks God}</n> will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin. 


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<n>{God Gives Us Righteousness through Faith}</n> d But now, apart from the Law, God's righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets 


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God's righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus <n>{Or through faith in Jesus}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people, <n>{The Gk. lacks among people}</n> 


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By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, 


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whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah's <n>{Lit. by his}</n> blood would occur through faith. He did this <n>{The Gk. lacks He did this}</n> to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past. 


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He wanted <n>{The Gk. lacks He wanted}</n> to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus. <n>{Or faith in Jesus}</n> 


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What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith. 


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For <n>{Other mss. read Therefore}</n> we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the actions prescribed by the Law. 


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Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the gentiles, too? Yes, of the gentiles, too, 


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since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith. 


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For if Abraham was justified by actions, he would have had something to boast about though not before God. 


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For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." <n>{Gen 15:6}</n> 


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However, to someone who does not work, but simply believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. 


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Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from actions: 


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Now does this blessedness come to the circumcised alone, or also to the uncircumcised? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness." <n>{Gen 15:6}</n> 


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Under what circumstances was it credited? Was he circumcised or uncircumcised? He had not yet been circumcised, but was uncircumcised. 


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Afterward he received the mark of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. Therefore, he is the ancestor of all who believe while uncircumcised, in order that righteousness may be credited to them. 


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He is also the ancestor of the circumcised those who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 


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<n>{The Promise Comes through Faith}</n> d For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the Law, but through the righteousness produced by faith. 


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For if those who were given the Law <n>{Lit. those of the law}</n> are the heirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless, 


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Therefore, the promise <n>{Lit. it}</n> is based on faith, so that it may be a matter of grace and may be guaranteed for all of Abraham's <n>{Lit. his}</n> descendants not only for those who were given the Law, <n>{Lit. those of the law}</n> but also for those who share the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. 


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As it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations." <n>{Gen 17:5}</n> Abraham <n>{Lit. He}</n> acted in faith when he stood in the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don't yet exist. 


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Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," <n>{Gen 17:5}</n> just as he had been told: <n>{Lit. according to what was said}</n> "This is how many descendants you will have." <n>{Gen 15:5}</n> 


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His faith did not weaken when he thought about his own body (which was already <n>{Other mss. lack already}</n> as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah's inability to have children, 


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nor did he doubt God's promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, his faith became stronger and he gave glory to God, 


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but also for us. Our faith will be regarded in the same way, <n>{Lit. It will be regarded}</n> if we believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 


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<n>{We Enjoy Peace with God through Jesus}</n> d Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have <n>{Other mss. read let's have}</n> peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
Through him we have also obtained <n>{Or let's also obtain}</n> access by faith <n>{Other mss. lack by faith}</n> into this grace by which we have been established, and we boast <n>{Or let's boast}</n> because of our hope in God's glory. 


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Not only that, but we also boast <n>{Or let's also boast}</n> in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 


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Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 


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For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, <n>{Or weak}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died for the ungodly. 


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For it is rare for anyone to die for a righteous person, though somebody might be brave enough to die for a good person. 


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But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died for us while we were still sinners. 


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Now that we have been justified by his blood, how much more will we be saved from wrath through him! 


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For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life! 


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Not only that, but we also continue to boast about God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> through whom we have now been reconciled. 


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<n>{Death in Adam, Life in the Messiah}</n> d Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death resulted from sin, therefore everyone dies, because everyone has sinned. 


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Certainly sin was in the world before the Law was given, <n>{The Gk. lacks was given}</n> but no record of sin is kept when there is no Law. 


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Nevertheless, death ruled from the time of <n>{The Gk. lacks the time of}</n> Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the same way Adam did when he disobeyed. <n>{Lit. in the likeness of Adam's disobedience}</n> He is a foreshadowing of the one who would come. 


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But God's free gift <n>{Lit. But the free gift}</n> is not like Adam's offense. <n>{Lit. like the offense}</n> For if many people died as the result of one man's offense, how much more have God's grace and the free gift given through the kindness of one man, Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> been showered on many people! 


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Nor can the free gift be compared to what came through the man who sinned. <n>{Lit. nor is the gift like the man who sinned}</n> For the sentence that followed one man's offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift brought justification, even after many offenses. 


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For if, through one man, death ruled because of that man's offense, how much more will those who receive such overflowing grace and the gift of righteousness rule in life because of one man, Jesus the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Consequently, just as one offense resulted in condemnation for everyone, so one act of righteousness results in justification and life for everyone. 


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For just as through one man's disobedience many people were made sinners, so also through one man's obedience many people will be made righteous. 


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Now the Law crept in so that the offense would increase. But where sin increased, grace increased even more, 


text:
so that, just as sin ruled by bringing death, <n>{Lit. ruled in death}</n> so also grace might rule by bringing justification <n>{Lit. through justification}</n> that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Lord. 


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<n>{No Longer Sin's Slaves, but God's Slaves}</n> d What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 


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Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus were baptized into his death? 


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Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> was raised from the dead by the Father's glory, we too may live an entirely new life. 


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For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 


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We know that our old natures were crucified with him so that our sin-laden bodies might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. 


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Now if we have died with the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> we believe that we will also live with him, 


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for we know that the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who was raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 


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For when he died, he died once and for all as far as sin is concerned. But now that he is alive, he lives for God. 


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In the same way, you too must continually consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. <n>{Other mss. read the Messiah Jesus our Lord}</n> 


text:
Stop offering <n>{Or Don't offer}</n> the parts of your body <n>{Lit. your members}</n> to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life and the parts of your body <n>{Lit. your members}</n> as instruments of righteousness to God. 


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What, then, does this mean? <n>{The Gk. lacks does this mean}</n> Should we go on sinning because we are not under Law but under grace? Of course not! 


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Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 


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But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! 


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I am speaking in simple <n>{Lit. human}</n> terms because of the frailty of your human nature. <n>{Lit. your flesh}</n> Just as you once offered the parts of your body <n>{Lit. your members}</n> as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater disobedience, so now, in the same way, you must offer the parts of your body <n>{Lit. your members}</n> as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification. 


text:
What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death. 


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But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God's slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life. 


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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus our Lord. 


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<n>{Now We are Released from the Law}</n> d Don't you realize, brothers for I am speaking to people who know the Law that the Law can press its claims over a person only as long as he is alive? 


text:
For a married woman is bound by the Law to her husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the Law concerning her husband. 


text:
So while her husband is living, she will be called an adulterer if she lives with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from this Law, so that she is not an adulterer if she marries another man. 


text:
In the same way, my brothers, through the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> body you also died as far as the Law is concerned, so that you may belong to another person, the one who was raised from the dead, and may bear fruit for God. 


text:
For while we were living according to our human nature, <n>{Lit. our flesh}</n> sinful passions were at work in our bodies <n>{Lit. members}</n> by means of the Law, to bear fruit resulting in death. 


text:
But now we have been released from the Law by dying to what enslaved us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit, not under the old writings. 


text:
<n>{The Law Shows Us What Sin is}</n> d What should we say, then? Is the Law sinful? Of course not! In fact, I wouldn't have become aware of sin if it had not been for the Law. I wouldn't have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said, "You must not covet." <n>{Exod 20:17}</n> 


text:
But sin seized the opportunity provided by this commandment and produced in me all kinds of sinful desires, since apart from the Law, sin is dead. 


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At one time I was alive without any connection to <n>{The Gk. lacks any connection to}</n> the Law. <n>{Or instruction}</n> But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life, 


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<n>{The Problem of the Sin that Lives in Us}</n> d Now, did something good bring me death? Of course not! But in order that sin might be recognized as being sin, it used something good to cause my death, so that through the rule, sin might become more exposed as being <n>{The Gk. lacks exposed as being}</n> sinful than ever before. 


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For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am merely human, <n>{Lit. am flesh}</n> sold as a slave to sin. <n>{Lit. sold under sin}</n> 


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I don't understand what I am doing. For I don't practice what I want to do, but instead do what I hate. 


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For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but I cannot carry it out. 


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But if I do what I don't want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it, but it is the sin that is living in me. 


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So I find this to be a principle: <n>{Lit. law}</n> when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. 


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but I see in my body <n>{Lit. in my members}</n> a different principle <n>{Lit. law}</n> waging war with the Law in my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that exists in my body. <n>{Lit. in my members}</n> 


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What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is infected by <n>{Lit. body of death}</n> death? 


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Thank God through Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Lord, because with my mind I myself can serve the Law of God, even while with my human nature <n>{Lit. my flesh}</n> I serve the law of sin. 


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<n>{The Spirit Gives Life}</n> d Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. <n>{Other mss. read Jesus, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit}</n> 


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For the Spirit's law of life in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus has set me <n>{Other mss. read you}</n> free from the Law of sin and death. 


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For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did. By sending his own Son in the form of humanity, <n>{Lit. of the flesh}</n> he condemned sin by being incarnate, 


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so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to human nature 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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To focus our minds on the human nature leads to death, but to focus our minds on the Spirit leads to life and peace. 


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That is why the mind that focuses on human nature is hostile toward God. It refuses to submit to the authority of God's Law because it is powerless to do so. 


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You, however, are not under the control of the human nature but under the control of the Spirit, since God's Spirit lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> he does not belong to him. 


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But if the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is in you, your bodies are dead due to sin, but the spirit <n>{Or Spirit}</n> is alive due to righteousness. 


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And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you. 


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Consequently, brothers, we are not with respect to human nature, that is under an obligation to live according to human nature. 


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For if you live according to human nature, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you continually put to death the activities of the body, you will live. 


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For you have not received a spirit of slavery that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba! <n>{ Abba is Aram. for Father.}</n> Father!" 


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Now if we are children, we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 


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<n>{God's Spirit Helps Us}</n> d For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us. 


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because the creation has become subject to futility, though not by anything it did. <n>{Lit. by its subjecting}</n> The one who subjected it did so in the certainty <n>{Lit. hope}</n> 


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that the creation itself would also be set free from corrupting bondage in order to share the glorious freedom of God's children. 


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For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. 


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However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 


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For we were saved with this hope in mind. <n>{The Gk. lacks in mind}</n> Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen? 


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In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, since we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us <n>{Other mss. lack for us}</n> with groans too deep for words, 


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and the one who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, for the Spirit <n>{Lit. he}</n> intercedes for the saints according to God's will. <n>{Lit. according to God}</n> 


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And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together <n>{Other mss. read that God works all things together for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purpose}</n> for good. 


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For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son <n>{Lit. that he}</n> might be the firstborn among many brothers. 


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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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<n>{Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love}</n> d What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 


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The one who did not spare his own Son, but offered him as a sacrifice <n>{The Gk. lacks as a sacrifice}</n> for all of us, surely will give us all things, along with his Son, <n>{Lit. with him}</n> won't he? 


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Who is the one to condemn? It is the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus who is interceding on our behalf. He died, and more importantly, has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God. 


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Who will separate us from the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent death <n>{Lit. a sword}</n> do this? <n>{The Gk. lacks do this}</n> 


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As it is written, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are thought of as sheep headed for slaughter." <n>{Ps 44:22}</n> 


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For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 


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nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is ours <n>{The Gk. lacks ours}</n> in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, our Lord. 


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<n>{Paul's Concern for the Jewish People}</n> d I am telling the truth because I belong to <n>{Lit. truth in}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> I am not lying, and my conscience confirms it by means of the Holy Spirit. 


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for I could wish that I myself were condemned <n>{Or accursed}</n> and cut off from the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> for the sake of my brothers, my own people, <n>{Lit. own relatives according to the flesh}</n> 


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who are Israelis. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, <n>{Other mss. read the covenant}</n> the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises. 


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To the Israelis <n>{Lit. To them}</n> belong the patriarchs, and from them, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> descended, <n>{Lit. Messiah according to the flesh}</n> who is God over all, the one who is forever blessed. Amen. 


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and not all of Abraham's descendants are his true descendants. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." <n>{Gen 21:12}</n> 


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That is, it is not merely the children born through natural descent who were regarded as God's children, but it is the children born through the promise who were regarded as descendants. 


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For this is the language of the promise: "At this time I will return, and Sarah will have a son." <n>{Gen 18:10, 14}</n> 


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Yet before their children <n>{Lit. they}</n> had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's plan of election might continue to operate 


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according to his calling and not by actions), Rebecca <n>{Lit. she}</n> was told, "The older child will serve the younger one." <n>{Gen 25:23}</n> 


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For he says to Moses, "I will be merciful to the person I want to be merciful to, and I will be kind to the person I want to be kind to." <n>{Exod 33:19}</n> 


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Therefore, God's choice <n>{Lit. it}</n> does not depend on a person's will or effort, but on God himself, who shows mercy. 


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For the Scripture says about Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, to demonstrate my power through you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." <n>{Exod 9:16}</n> 


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Therefore, God <n>{Lit. he}</n> has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses. 


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<n>{God Chose People who are Not Jewish}</n> d You may ask me, "Then why does God <n>{Lit. he}</n> still find fault with anybody? <n>{The Gk. lacks with anybody}</n> For who can resist his will?" 


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On the contrary, who are you mere man that you are to talk back to God? Can an object that was molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this?" 


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A potter has the right to do what he wants to with his clay, doesn't he? He can make something for a special occasion or something for ordinary use from the same lump of clay. 


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Now if God wants to demonstrate his wrath and reveal his power, can't he be extremely patient with the objects of his wrath that are made for destruction? 


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Can't he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory 


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As the Scripture <n>{Lit. As it}</n> says in Hosea, "Those who are not my people I will call my people, and the one who was not loved I will call my loved one. <n>{Hos 2:23}</n> 


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In the very place where it was told them, «You are not my people,'they will be called children of the living God." <n>{Hos 1:10}</n> 


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Isaiah also calls out concerning Israel, "Although the descendants of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, only a few will be saved. 


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For the Lord will carry out his plan decisively, bringing it to completion on the earth." <n>{Isa 10:22-23}</n> 


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It is just as Isaiah predicted: "If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom and would have been compared to Gomorrah." <n>{Isa 1:9}</n> 


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What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith. 


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Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble. 


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As it is written, "Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble a large rock that will make them fall and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed." <n>{Isa 28:16}</n> 


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<n>{The Person who Believes will be Saved}</n> d Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God about the Jews <n>{Lit. on behalf of them}</n> is that they would be saved. 


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For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. 


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For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God's means to attain <n>{The Gk. lacks means to attain}</n> righteousness. 


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For the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is the culmination <n>{Or end}</n> of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes. 


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For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: "The person who obeys these things will find life by them." <n>{Lev 18:5}</n> 


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But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, «Who will go up to heaven? '(that is, to bring the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> down), 


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or «Who will go down into the depths? '(that is, to bring the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> back from the dead)." 


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But what does it say? "The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart." <n>{Deut 9:4; 30:12-14}</n> This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming: 


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If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 


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There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. 


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How, then, can people <n>{Lit. they}</n> call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching? 


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And how can people <n>{Lit. they}</n> preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are <n>{Lit. are the feet of}</n> those who bring the good news!" <n>{Isa 52:7}</n> 


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But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed our message?" <n>{Isa 53:1}</n> 


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Consequently, faith results from listening, and listening results through the word of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read of God}</n> 


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But I ask, "Didn't they hear?" Certainly they did! In fact, "Their voice has gone out into the whole world, and their words to the ends of the earth." <n>{Ps 19:4}</n> 


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Again I ask, "Did Israel not understand?" Moses was the first to say, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that doesn't understand." <n>{Deut 32:21}</n> 


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And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who were not looking for me; I was revealed to those who were not asking for me." <n>{Isa 65:1}</n> 


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But about Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and rebellious people." <n>{Isa 65:2 (LXX)}</n> 


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<n>{God's Love for His People}</n> d So I ask, "God has not rejected his people, has he?" Of course not! I am an Israeli myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 


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God has not rejected his people whom he chose <n>{10:2 Lit. knew}</n> long ago. Do you not know what the Scripture says in the story about Elijah, <n>{The Gk. lacks the story about}</n> when he pleads with God against Israel? 


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"Lord, they have killed your prophets and demolished your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life." <n>{1 Kings 19:10, 14}</n> 


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But what was the divine reply to him? "I have reserved for myself 7,000 people who have not knelt to worship Baal." <n>{1 Kings 19:18}</n> 


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But if this is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of actions. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. 


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What, then, does this mean? <n>{The Gk. lacks does this mean}</n> It means that Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking, but the selected group obtained it while the rest were hardened. 


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As it is written, "To this day God has put them into <n>{Lit. has given them a spirit of}</n> deep sleep. Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear." <n>{Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10}</n> 


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And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a punishment for them. 


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Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent." <n>{Ps 69:22-23; 35:8}</n> 


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<n>{The Salvation of the Gentiles}</n> d And so I ask, "They have not stumbled so as to fall, have they?" Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to the gentiles to make the Jews <n>{Lit. them}</n> jealous. 


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Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their fall means riches for the gentiles, how much more will their full participation mean! 


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For if their rejection results in reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance bring but life from the dead? 


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If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch. If the root is holy, so are the branches. 


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Now if some of the branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, 


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do not boast about being better than <n>{The Gk. lacks being better than}</n> the other <n>{The Gk. lacks other}</n> branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 


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That's right! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you remain only because of faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid! <n>{Or be reverent}</n> 


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Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God's kindness toward you if you continue receiving his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. 


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If the Jews <n>{Lit. they}</n> do not persist in their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in. 


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After all, if you were cut off from what is naturally a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier it will be for these natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree! 


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<n>{The Restoration of Israel}</n> d For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith. <n>{The Gk. lacks to faith}</n> 


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In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. 


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As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake, but as far as election is concerned, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors. 


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For just as you disobeyed God in the past but now have received his mercy because of their disobedience, 


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so they, too, have now disobeyed. As a result, they may <n>{Other mss. read may now}</n> receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you. 


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For God has locked all people in the prison of their own disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. 


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<n>{In Praise of God's Ways}</n> d O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! 


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<n>{Dedicate Your Lives to God}</n> d I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. <n>{Lit. to God, your reasonable worship}</n> 


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Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is what is proper, <n>{Or good}</n> pleasing, and perfect. 


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For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you. 


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In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and individual parts connected to each other. 


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We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us. So if your gift is prophecy, use your gift <n>{Lit. If prophecy}</n> in proportion to your faith. 


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If your gift is serving, devote yourself to serving others. <n>{Lit. If serving, in serving}</n> If it is teaching, devote yourself to teaching others. <n>{Lit. If teaching, in teaching}</n> 


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If it is encouraging, devote yourself to encouraging others. <n>{Lit. If encouraging, in encouragement}</n> If it is sharing, share generously. <n>{Lit. The one who shares, with generosity}</n> If it is leading, lead enthusiastically. <n>{Lit. The one who leads, with enthusiasm}</n> If it is helping, help cheerfully. <n>{Lit. The one who helps, with cheerfulness}</n> 


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Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord. <n>{Other mss. read the time}</n> 


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Live in harmony with each other. Do not be arrogant, but associate with humble people. Do not think that you are wiser than you really are. 


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Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but <n>{The Gk. lacks but}</n> focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. 


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Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's <n>{The Gk. lacks God's}</n> wrath. For it is written, "Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord." <n>{Deut 32:35}</n> 


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But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head." <n>{Prov 25:21-22}</n> 


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<n>{Obey Your Government}</n> d Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except by God's permission. <n>{Lit. except by God}</n> The existing authorities have been established by God, 


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so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 


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For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval. 


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For they are God's servants, working for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment <n>{Lit. wrath}</n> to anyone who does wrong. 


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Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, <n>{The Gk. lacks to the authorities}</n> not only for the sake of God's <n>{The Gk. lacks God's}</n> punishment, <n>{Lit. wrath}</n> but also for the sake of your own conscience. 


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This is also why you pay taxes. For rulers <n>{Lit. they}</n> are God's servants faithfully devoting themselves to their work. <n>{Lit. to this very thing}</n> 


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Pay everyone whatever you owe them taxes to whom taxes are due, tolls to whom tolls are due, fear <n>{Or respect}</n> to whom fear <n>{Or respect}</n> is due, honor to whom honor is due. 


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<n>{Love One Another}</n> d Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law. 


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For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not covet," <n>{Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21}</n> and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: "You must love your neighbor as yourself." <n>{Lev 19:18}</n> 


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Love never does anything that is harmful to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the Law. 


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<n>{Live in the Light of the Messiah's Return}</n> d This is necessary because you know the times it's already time for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers. 


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The night is almost over, and the day is near. Let's therefore put aside the actions of darkness and put on the armor of light. 


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Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. <n>{Lit. as in the day}</n> No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy! 


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Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and do not obey your flesh and its desires. 


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<n>{How to Treat Weak Believers}</n> d Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. 


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One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak <n>{Or ill}</n> person eats only <n>{The Gk. lacks only}</n> vegetables. 


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The person who eats any kind of food <n>{The Gk. lacks any kind of food}</n> must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, <n>{The Gk. lacks them}</n> and the person who does not eat certain foods <n>{The Gk. lacks certain foods}</n> must not criticize the person who eats them, <n>{The Gk. lacks them}</n> for God has accepted him. 


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Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord and stand he will, because the Lord <n>{Other mss. read because God}</n> makes him stand. 


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One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind: 


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The one who observes a special day, <n>{Lit. the day}</n> observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God. 


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If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 


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For this reason the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living. 


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Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God. <n>{Other mss. read of the Messiah}</n> 


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For it is written, "As certainly as I live, declares the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise <n>{Or confess}</n> God." <n>{Isa 49:18; 45:23}</n> 


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<n>{Acting in Love}</n> d Therefore, let's no longer criticize <n>{Or let's not criticize}</n> each other. Instead, make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 


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I know and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean. 


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For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died by what you eat. 


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For God's kingdom does not consist of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy produced by the Holy Spirit. 


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For the person who serves the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. 


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Therefore, let's keep on pursuing those things that bring peace and that lead to building up one another. 


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Do not destroy God's action for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make another person stumble because of what you eat. 


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The right thing to do is to avoid eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that makes your brother stumble, upset, or weak. <n>{Other mss. lack upset, or weak}</n> 


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As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves! 


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But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin. 


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<n>{Please Others, Not Yourselves}</n> d Now we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves. 


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For even the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> did not please himself. Instead, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." <n>{Ps 69:9}</n> 


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For everything that was written long ago was written to instruct us, so that we might have hope through the endurance and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. <n>{Lit. of the Scriptures}</n> 


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Now may God, the source of endurance and encouragement, allow you to live in harmony with each other as you follow the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, <n>{Lit. according to the Messiah Jesus}</n> 


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so that with one mind and one voice you might glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Therefore, accept one another, just as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> accepted you, <n>{Other mss. read us}</n> for the glory of God. 


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For I tell you that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God's truth in order to confirm the promises given to our ancestors, 


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so that the gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "That is why I will praise <n>{Or confess}</n> you among the gentiles; I will sing praises to your name." <n>{Ps 18:49}</n> 


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And again, "Praise the Lord, all you gentiles! Let all the nations <n>{Lit. all peoples}</n> praise him." <n>{Ps 117:1}</n> 


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And again, Isaiah says, "There will be a Root <n>{I.e. Descendant}</n> from Jesse. He will rise up to rule the gentiles, and the gentiles will hope in him." <n>{Isa 11:10}</n> 


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Now may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 


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<n>{Paul's Desire to Take the Gospel to the Whole World}</n> d I myself am convinced, <n>{Lit. convinced about you}</n> my brothers, that you yourselves are filled with goodness and full of all the knowledge you need to be able to instruct each other. 


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However, on some points I have written to you rather boldly, both as a reminder to you and because of the grace given me by God 


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to be a minister of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus to the gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering brought by gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 


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Therefore, in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus I have the right to boast about my work for God. 


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For I am bold enough to tell you only about what the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has accomplished through me in bringing gentiles to obedience. By my words and actions, 


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by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of God's Spirit, <n>{Other mss. read of the Holy Spirit}</n> I have fully proclaimed the gospel of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> from Jerusalem as far as Illyricum. 


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My one ambition is to proclaim the gospel where the name of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is not known, so I don't <n>{Lit. known, lest I}</n> build on someone else's foundation. 


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Rather, as it is written, "Those who were never told about him will see, and those who have never heard will understand." <n>{Isa 52:15}</n> 


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But now, having no further opportunities in these regions, I want to come to you, as I've desired to do for many years. 


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Now that I am on my way to Spain, I hope to see you when I come your way and, after I have enjoyed your company for a while, to be sent on by you. 


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because the believers in <n>{The Gk. lacks the believers in}</n> Macedonia and Achaia have been eager to share their resources with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 


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Yes, they were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be of service to them in material things. 


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So when I have completed this task and have put my seal on this contribution of theirs, I will visit you on my way to Spain. 


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And I know that when I come to you I will come with the full blessing of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read the gospel of the Messiah}</n> 


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Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and by the love that the Spirit produces, to join me in my struggle, earnestly praying to God for me 


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that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 


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<n>{Doxology}</n> d Now may the God who grants <n>{Lit. God of peace}</n> peace be with all of you! Amen. 


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<n>{Personal Greetings}</n> d Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess <n>{Or servant}</n> in the church at Cenchrea. 


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Welcome her in the Lord as is appropriate for saints, and provide her with anything she may need from you, for she has assisted many people, including me. 


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Greet Prisca <n>{I.e. Priscilla}</n> and Aquila, who work with me for the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, 


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and who risked their necks for my life. I am thankful to them, and so are all the churches among the gentiles. 


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Greet also the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert <n>{Lit. who was the first fruits}</n> to the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> in Asia. 


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Greet Andronicus and Junia, <n>{Or Junias}</n> my fellow Jews who are in prison with me and are prominent among the apostles. They belonged to the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> before I did. 


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Greet Apelles, who has been approved by the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 


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Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has toiled diligently for the Lord. 


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Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints who are with them. 


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Greet one another with a holy kiss. <n>{People customarily greeted their friends with a kiss on the cheek.}</n> All the churches of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> greet you. 


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<n>{Final Warning}</n> d Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements that oppose the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them, 


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because such people are not serving the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Lord, but their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. 


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For your obedience has become known to everyone, and I am full of joy for you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 


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The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with all of you! <n>{Other mss. lack May the grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with all of you!}</n> 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow Jews. 


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Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you. 


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May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with all of you! <n>{Other mss. lack this vs.}</n> 


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<n>{Final Doxology}</n> d Now to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago 


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but now has been made known through the prophets to all the gentiles, in keeping with the decree of the eternal God to bring them to the obedience that springs from faith 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ First Corinthians}</n> d <n>{Paul Greets the Church in Corinth}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, called to be an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus <n>{Other mss. read Jesus the Messiah}</n> by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes. 


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To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus and called to be holy, <n>{Or to be saints}</n> together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> their Lord <n>{Lit. theirs}</n> and ours. 


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May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be yours! 


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<n>{You are Rich}</n> d I always thank my <n>{Other mss. lack my}</n> God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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Therefore, you don't lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> to be revealed. 


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He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Lord. 


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<n>{Divisions in the Church}</n> d Brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> I urge all of you to be in agreement <n>{Lit. to say the same thing}</n> and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions. 


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My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you. 


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This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> or "I belong to the Messiah." <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Is the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you? 


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I thank God <n>{Other mss. read I thank my God ; still other mss. read I am thankful}</n> that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 


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(Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanas. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) 


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For the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> won't be emptied of its power. 


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<n>{The Messiah is God's Power and Wisdom}</n> d For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved. 


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For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject." <n>{Isa 29:14}</n> 


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Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn't he? 


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For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, <n>{The Gk. lacks God}</n> God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. 


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but we preach the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, 


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but to those who are called, <n>{Or chosen}</n> both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is God's power and God's wisdom. 


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For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, <n>{Lit. than men}</n> and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. <n>{Lit. than men}</n> 


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Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, <n>{Lit. according to the flesh}</n> not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 


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But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed. God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. 


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And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, 


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It is because of God <n>{Lit. him}</n> that you are in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. 


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<n>{Preaching in the Power of God}</n> d When I came to you, brothers, I didn't come and tell you about God's secret <n>{Other mss. read testimony}</n> with rhetorical language or wisdom. 


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For while I was with you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and him crucified. 


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My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit's power, 


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<n>{God's Spirit Reveals Everything}</n> d However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of <n>{The Gk. lacks a message of}</n> wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene. 


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Instead, we speak about God's wisdom in a hidden secret, which God destined before the world began <n>{The Gk. lacks began}</n> for our glory. 


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None of the rulers of this world understood it, because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 


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But as it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." <n>{Isa 64:4}</n> 


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But <n>{Other mss. read For}</n> God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God. 


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Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God's Spirit. 


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Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God. 


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We don't speak about these things with words taught us by human wisdom, but with words <n>{Lit. in things}</n> taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual things to spiritual people. <n>{Or in spiritual words}</n> 


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A person who isn't spiritual doesn't accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can't understand them because they are spiritually evaluated. 


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For "Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can advise him?" <n>{Isa 40:13}</n> However, we have the mind of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{Spiritual Immaturity}</n> d Brothers, I couldn't talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as mere infants in the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you weren't ready for it. And you're still not ready! 


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That's because you are still worldly. As long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, you are worldly and living by human standards, aren't you? 


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For when one person says, "I follow Paul," and another person says, "I follow to Apollos," you're following <n>{The Gk. lacks following}</n> your own human nature, aren't you? 


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Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They're merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task. 


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So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is significant, but God, who keeps everything growing, is the one who matters. 


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The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and each will receive a reward for his own action. 


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<n>{The Messiah is Our Foundation}</n> d As an expert builder using the grace that God gave me, I laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each person must be careful how he builds on it. 


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After all, no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is already laid, and that is Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Whether a person builds on this foundation with gold, silver, expensive stones, wood, hay, or straw, 


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the workmanship of each person will become evident, for the day of judgment <n>{The Gk. lacks of judgment}</n> will show what it is, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's action. 


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If what a person has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. <n>{Or receive wages}</n> 


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If his work is burned up, he will suffer loss. However, he himself will be saved, but it will be like going through fire. 


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If anyone destroys God's sanctuary, God will destroy him, for God's sanctuary is holy. And you are that sanctuary! 


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<n>{True Wisdom}</n> d Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of <n>{The Gk. lacks the ways of}</n> this world, he must become a fool to become really wise. 


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For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God's sight. For it is written, "He catches the wise with their own trickery," <n>{Job 5:13}</n> 


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whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> the world, life, death, the present, or the future everything belongs to you, 


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but you belong to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> belongs to God. 


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<n>{Faithful Servants of the Messiah}</n> d Think of us as servants of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and as servant managers entrusted with God's secrets. 


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Now it is required of servant managers that each one should prove to be trustworthy. <n>{Or should be found faithful}</n> 


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It is a very small thing to me that I should be examined by you or by any human court. In fact, I don't even evaluate myself. 


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For my conscience is clear, <n>{Lit. I don't know of anything against myself}</n> but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who examines me. 


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Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God. 


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<n>{Fools for the Messiah's Sake}</n> d Brothers, I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what the Scriptures say. <n>{Lit. what is written}</n> Then you will stop boasting about one person at the expense of another. 


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For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it? 


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You already have all you want! You have already become rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you really were kings so that we could be kings with you! 


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For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display in last place, like men condemned to death. We have become a spectacle for the world, for angels, and for people to stare at. 


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We are fools for the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. 


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We wear ourselves out from working with our own hands. When insulted, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. 


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When slandered, we answer with kind words. Even now we have become the filth of the world, the scum of the universe. 


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<n>{Fatherly Advice}</n> d I'm not writing this to make you feel ashamed, but to warn you as my dear children. 


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You may have 10,000 mentors who work for the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> but not many fathers. For in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 


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That's why I sent Timothy to you. He is my dear and dependable son in the Lord and will help you remember how I live for the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus as I teach everywhere in every church. 


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Some of you have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to evaluate <n>{The Gk. lacks evaluate}</n> you. 


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But I will come to you soon if it's the Lord's will. Then I'll discover not only what these arrogant people are saying but also what power they have, 


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<n>{Disciplining for Sexual Immorality}</n> d It is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, and of a kind that is not found even among the gentiles. A man is actually living with his father's wife! 


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And you are being arrogant instead of being filled with grief and seeing to it that the man who did this is removed from among you. 


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Even though I am away from you physically, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as though I were present with you. 


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In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are gathered together (and I am there in spirit), and the power of our Lord Jesus is there, too, 


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turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, <n>{Or flesh}</n> so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord. <n>{Other mss. read Lord Jesus ; still other mss. read our Lord Jesus, the Messiah}</n> 


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Your boasting is not good. You know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough, don't you? 


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Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough, since you are to be free from yeast. For the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> our Passover, has been sacrificed. 


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So let's keep celebrating the festival, neither with old yeast nor with yeast that is evil and wicked, but with yeast-free bread that is both sincere and true. 


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not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, greedy, robbers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 


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But now I am writing to you to stop associating with any so-called brother if he is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunk, or a robber. You must even stop eating with someone like that. 


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After all, is it my business to judge outsiders? You are to judge those who are in the community, aren't you? 


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<n>{Morality in Legal Matters}</n> d When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints? 


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You know that the saints will rule the world, don't you? And if the world is going to be ruled by you, can't you handle insignificant cases? 


text:
So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church? 


text:
I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers? <n>{Lit. between his brother}</n> 


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Instead, one brother goes to court against another brother, and before unbelieving judges, <n>{The Gk. lacks judges}</n> at that! 


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The very fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves is already a defeat for you. Why not rather just accept the wrong? Why not rather be cheated? 


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You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don't you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 


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That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and by the Spirit of our God. 


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<n>{Morality in Sexual Matters}</n> d Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me. 


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Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, but God will make them both unnecessary. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 


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You know that your bodies belong to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> don't you? Should I take what belongs to the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and unite them with a prostitute? Certainly not! 


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You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don't you? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." <n>{Gen 2:24}</n> 


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Keep on running away from sexual immorality. Any other <n>{The Gk. lacks other}</n> sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the person who sins sexually sins against his own body. 


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You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves, 


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<n>{Concerning Marriage}</n> d Now about what you asked: "Is it advisable for a man not to marry?" <n>{Lit. to touch a woman}</n> 


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Because sexual immorality is so rampant, <n>{Lit. because of instances of sexual immorality}</n> every man should have his own wife, and every woman should have her own husband. 


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A husband should fulfill his obligation to his wife, and a wife should do the same for her husband. 


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A wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband doesn't have authority over his own body, but his wife does. 


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Do not withhold yourselves from each other unless you agree to do so just for a set time, in order to devote yourselves to prayer. <n>{Other mss. read to fasting and prayer}</n> Then you should come together again so that Satan does not tempt you through your lack of self-control. 


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I would like everyone to be unmarried, <n>{The Gk. lacks unmarried}</n> like I am. However, each person has a special gift from God, one this and another that. 


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However, if they cannot control themselves, they should get married, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. <n>{The Gk. lacks with passion}</n> 


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To married people I give this command (not really I, but the Lord): A wife must not leave her husband. 


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But if she does leave him, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. Likewise, a husband must not abandon <n>{Or divorce}</n> his wife. 


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I (not the Lord) say to the rest of you: If a brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to live with him, he must not abandon <n>{Or divorce}</n> her. 


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And if a woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he is willing to live with her, she must not abandon <n>{Or divorce}</n> him. 


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For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband. <n>{Other mss. read brother}</n> Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 


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But if the unbelieving partner <n>{The Gk. lacks partner}</n> leaves, let him go. In such cases the brother or sister is not under obligation. God has called you <n>{Other mss. read us}</n> to live in peace. 


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<n>{Live according to God's Call}</n> d Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 


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Was anyone circumcised when he was called? He should not try to change that. Was anyone uncircumcised when he was called? He should not get circumcised. 


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Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but obeying God's commandments is everything. <n>{The Gk. lacks is everything}</n> 


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Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that bother you. Of course, if you have a chance to become free, take advantage of the opportunity. 


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For the slave who has been called to belong to the Lord is the Lord's free person. In the same way, the free person who has been called is the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> slave. 


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Brothers, everyone should stay in the same condition <n>{Lit. the calling}</n> in which he was called by God. 


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<n>{Concerning Virgins}</n> d Now concerning virgins, although I do not have any command from the Lord, I will give you my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 


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Have you become committed <n>{Lit. you been bound}</n> to a wife? Stop trying to get released from your commitment. <n>{The Gk. lacks from your commitment}</n> Have you been freed from your commitment to <n>{The Gk. lacks from your commitment}</n> a wife? Stop looking for one. <n>{Lit. for a wife}</n> 


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But if you do get married, you have not sinned. And if a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. However, these people will experience trouble in this life, <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> and I want to spare you from that. 


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This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none, 


text:
and those who mourn as though they did not mourn, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not own a thing, 


text:
and those who use the things in the world as though they were not dependent on them. For the world in its present form is passing away. 


text:
I want you to be free from concerns. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, that is, about how he can please the Lord. 


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But a married man is concerned about things of this world, that is, about how he can please his wife, 


text:
and so his attention is divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, that is, about how she can please her husband. 


text:
I'm saying this for your benefit, not to put a noose around your necks, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord. 


text:
If a man thinks he is not behaving properly toward his virgin, <n>{I.e. virgin fiance, but possibly virgin daughter}</n> and if his passion is so strong that he feels he ought to marry her, let him do what he wants; he isn't sinning. Let them get married. 


text:
However, if a man stands firm in his resolve, feels no necessity, and has made up his mind to keep her a virgin, he will be acting appropriately. 


text:
So then the man who marries the virgin acts appropriately, but the man who refrains from marriage does even better. 


text:
A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only in the Lord. 


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However, in my opinion she will be happier <n>{Or more blessed}</n> if she stays as she is. And in saying this, <n>{The Gk. lacks in saying this}</n> I think that I, too, have God's Spirit. 


text:
<n>{Concerning Food Offered to Idols}</n> d Now concerning food offered to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 


text:
If anyone thinks he really <n>{The Gk. lacks really}</n> knows something, he has not yet learned it as he ought to know it. 


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Now concerning eating food offered to idols: We know that no idol is real in this world and that there is only one God. 


text:
For even if there are "gods" in heaven and on earth (as indeed there are many so-called "gods" and "lords" ), 


text:
yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> through whom everything came into being and through whom we live. 


text:
But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak. 


text:
However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, <n>{The Gk. lacks food that has been offered to an idol}</n> and no better off if we do. 


text:
But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak. 


text:
For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol's temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won't he? 


text:
In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died is ruined by your knowledge. 


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When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Therefore, if food that I eat <n>{The Gk. lacks that I eat}</n> causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling. 


text:
<n>{The Rights of an Apostle}</n> d I am free, am I not? I am an apostle, am I not? I have seen Jesus our Lord, haven't I? You are the result of <n>{The Gk. lacks the result of}</n> my work in the Lord, aren't you? 


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If I am not an apostle to other people, surely I am one to you, for you are the evidence of my apostolic authority from the Lord. 


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We have the right to take a believing wife with us like the other apostles, the Lord's brothers, and Cephas, <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> don't we? 


text:
Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its grapes? Or who takes care of a flock and does not drink any of its milk? 


text:
For in the Law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." <n>{Deut 25:4}</n> God is not only concerned about oxen, is he? 


text:
Isn't he really speaking for our benefit? Yes, this was written for our benefit, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 


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If others enjoy this right over you, don't we have a stronger claim? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we tolerate everything in order not to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
You know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who serve at the altar get their share of its offerings, don't you? 


text:
In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who proclaim the gospel should make their living from the gospel. 


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But I have not used any of these rights, and I'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for <n>{The Gk. lacks reason for}</n> boasting. 


text:
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for this obligation has been entrusted to me. How terrible it would be for me if I didn't preach the gospel! 


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For if I preach voluntarily, I get a reward, but if I am unwilling to do it, I am still entrusted with that obligation. 


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What, then, is my reward? It is <n>{The Gk. lacks It is}</n> to be able to preach the gospel free of charge, and so I never resort to demanding my rights when I'm preaching <n>{Lit. rights in}</n> the gospel. 


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Although I am free from everyone's expectations, I have made myself a servant to all of them to win more people. 


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To the Jews I became like a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the Law I became like a man under the Law, in order to win those under the Law (although I myself am not under the Law). 


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To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God's Law, but I'm subject to the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> law. 


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To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. 


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You know that in a race all the runners run but only one wins the prize, don't you? You must run in such a way that you may be victorious. 


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Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize that <n>{The Gk. lacks run to win a prize that}</n> never fades. 


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That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind. That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing. 


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No, I keep on disciplining my body, making it serve me so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified. 


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<n>{Warnings about Idolatry}</n> d Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the fact that all of our ancestors who left Egypt <n>{The Gk. lacks who left Egypt}</n> were under the cloud. They all went through the sea, 


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and drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that went with them. That rock was the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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But God wasn't pleased with most of those people, <n>{Lit. of them}</n> and so they were struck down in the wilderness. 


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Now their experiences serve as examples for us so that we won't set our hearts on evil as they did. 


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Let's stop being idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play." <n>{Exod 32:6}</n> 


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Let's stop putting the Lord <n>{Other mss. read Messiah}</n> to the test, as some of them were doing, and were destroyed by snakes. 


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These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down as a warning for us in whom the culmination of the ages has been attained. 


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No temptation has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it. 


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The cup of blessing that we bless is our fellowship in the blood of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> isn't it? The bread that we break is our fellowship in the body of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> isn't it? 


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Look at the Israelis from a human point of view. <n>{Lit. Israel according to the flesh}</n> Those who eat the sacrifices share in what is on the altar, don't they? 


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Am I suggesting that an offering made to idols means anything, or that an idol itself means anything? 


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Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. 


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You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot dine with the Lord and dine with demons, 


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<n>{All to the Glory of God}</n> d Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible, but not everything builds up. 


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Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question about it on the grounds of conscience, 


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If an unbeliever invites you to his house and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you, raising no question on the grounds of conscience. 


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However, if someone says to you, "This was offered as a sacrifice," don't eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience. 


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I mean, of course, his conscience, not yours. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else's conscience? 


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just as I myself try to please everybody in every way. I don't look out for my own benefit, but rather for the benefit of many people, so that they might be saved. 


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I praise you for remembering everything I told you <n>{The Gk. lacks told you}</n> and for holding to the traditions <n>{I.e. Jewish traditions}</n> that I passed on to you. 


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<n>{Advice about Head Coverings}</n> d Now I want you to realize that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is the head of every man, and man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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and every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, which is the same as having her head shaved. 


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So if a woman does not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. If it is a disgrace for a woman to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her own head. 


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A man should not cover his head, because he exists as God's image and glory. But the woman is man's glory. 


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Decide for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? <n>{Or It is proper . . . uncovered, isn't it?}</n> 


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Nature itself teaches you neither that it is disgraceful for a man to have long <n>{The Gk. lacks long}</n> hair 


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But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God's churches. 


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<n>{Concerning the Lord's Supper}</n> <n>{ (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20)}</n> d Now I am not praising you in giving you the following instructions. When you gather, it is not for the better but for the worse. 


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For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it. 


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For as you eat, each of you rushes to eat his own supper, and one person goes hungry while another gets drunk. 


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You have homes in which to eat and drink, don't you? Or do you despise God's church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this! 


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For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, 


text:
gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, "This is my body that is <n>{Other mss. read that is broken ; still other mss. read that is given}</n> for you. Keep doing this in memory of me." 


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He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me." 


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For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 


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Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks from the cup in an unworthy manner will be held responsible for the Lord's body and blood. 


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because whoever eats and drinks <n>{Other mss. read drinks in an unworthy manner}</n> without recognizing the body, <n>{Other mss. read the Lord's body}</n> eats and drinks judgment on himself. 


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That's why so many of you are weak and sick and a considerable number are dying. <n>{Lit. are falling asleep}</n> 


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Now, while we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so we won't <n>{Lit. disciplined lest we}</n> be condemned along with the world. 


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If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather it may not bring judgment on you. And when I come I will give instructions concerning the other matters. 


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<n>{Concerning Spiritual Gifts}</n> d Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant. 


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You know that when you were unbelievers, <n>{Or pagans}</n> you were enticed and led astray to worship <n>{The Gk. lacks worship}</n> idols that couldn't even speak. 


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For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God's Spirit can say, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. 


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To one has been given a message of wisdom by the Spirit; to another the ability to speak with knowledge according to the same Spirit; 


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to another miraculous results; to another prophecy; to another the ability to distinguish between spirits; to another various kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. 


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<n>{The Unity and Diversity of Spiritual Gifts}</n> d For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, form a single body, so it is with the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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For by <n>{Or in}</n> one Spirit all of us Jews and Greeks, slaves and free were baptized into one body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit. 


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If the foot says, "Since I'm not a hand, I'm not part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 


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And if the ear says, "Since I'm not an eye, I'm not part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 


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If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body <n>{The Gk. lacks body}</n> were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 


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But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan. <n>{Lit. will}</n> 


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and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable are treated with special honor, and we make our less attractive parts more attractive. 


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However, our attractive parts don't need this. But God has put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it, 


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so that there might be no disharmony in the body, but that its parts should have the same concern for each other. 


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If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is praised, every part rejoices with it. 


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God has appointed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who help others, administrators, and those who speak <n>{The Gk. lacks those who speak}</n> various kinds of languages. 


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Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they? 


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Not all have the gift of healing, do they? Not all speak in foreign <n>{The Gk. lacks foreign ; and so through 14:39}</n> languages, do they? Not all interpret, do they? 


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Keep on desiring <n>{Or You are desiring}</n> the better gifts. And now I will show you the best way of all. 


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<n>{The Supremacy of Love}</n> d If I speak in the languages of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal. 


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If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. 


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Even if I give away everything that I have and sacrifice myself, <n>{Other mss. read sacrifice my body to be burned ; or myself so that I may boast}</n> but have no love, I gain nothing. 


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Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride. Nor is she conceited, 


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and she is never rude; she never thinks just of herself or ever gets annoyed. She never is resentful; 


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is never glad with sin; she's always glad to side with truth, and pleased that truth will win. <n>{The Gk. lacks shall win}</n> 


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She bears up under everything; believes the best in all; there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fall. 


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Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. 


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But when what is complete <n>{Or perfect}</n> comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with. 


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When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. 


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Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, but then we will be face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 


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<n>{Prophecy and Languages}</n> d Keep on pursuing love, and keep on desiring spiritual gifts, especially the ability to prophesy. 


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For the person who speaks in a foreign <n>{The Gk. lacks foreign ; and so throughout 14:39}</n> language is not actually speaking to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands him, because he is talking about secrets by the Spirit. <n>{Or with his spirit}</n> 


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The person who speaks in a foreign language builds himself up, but the person who prophesies builds up the church. 


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Now I wish that all of you could speak in foreign languages, but especially that you could prophesy. The person who prophesies is more important than the person who speaks in a foreign language, unless he interprets it so that the church may be built up. 


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Indeed, brothers, if I come to you speaking in foreign languages, what good will I be to you unless I speak to you in some revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or teaching? 


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In the same way, lifeless instruments like the flute or harp produce sounds. But if there's no difference in the notes, how can a person tell what tune is being played? 


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In the same way, unless you speak an intelligible message with your language, how will anyone know what is being said? You'll be talking into the air! 


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There are, I suppose, many different languages <n>{Or sounds}</n> in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 


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If I don't know the meaning of the language, <n>{Or sound}</n> I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 


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In the same way, since you're so desirous of spiritual gifts, you must keep on desiring them for building up the church. 


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Therefore, the person who speaks in a foreign language should pray for the ability to interpret it. 


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What does this mean? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, but I will also sing psalms with my mind. 


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Otherwise, if you say a blessing with your spirit, how can an otherwise uneducated person <n>{Lit. the person who occupies the place of the uneducated}</n> say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you're saying? 


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But in church I would rather speak five words with my mind to instruct others than 10,000 words in a foreign language. 


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Brothers, stop being <n>{Or do not be}</n> childish in your thinking. Be like infants with respect to evil, but think like adults. 


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In the Law it is written, "By means of foreign languages and through the mouths of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," <n>{Isa 28:11-12}</n> declares the Lord. 


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Foreign languages, then, are meant to be a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is meant, not for unbelievers, but for believers. 


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Now if the whole church gathers in the same place and everyone is speaking in foreign languages, when uneducated people or unbelievers come in, they will say that you are out of your mind, won't they? 


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But if everyone is prophesying, when an unbeliever or an uneducated person comes in he will be convicted and examined by everything that's happening. <n>{The Gk. lacks that's happening}</n> 


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His secret, inner heart will become known, and so he will bow down to the ground and worship God, declaring, "God is truly among you!" 


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<n>{Maintain Order in the Church}</n> d What, then, does this mean, <n>{The Gk. lacks does this mean}</n> brothers? When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, foreign language, or interpretation. Everything must be done for upbuilding. 


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If anyone speaks in a foreign language, only two or three at the most should do so, one at a time, and somebody must interpret. 


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If an interpreter is not present, the speaker <n>{Lit. present, he}</n> should remain silent in the church and speak to himself and God. 


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For everyone can prophesy in turn, so that everyone can be instructed and everyone can be encouraged. 


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for God <n>{Lit. he}</n> is not a God of disorder but of peace. As <n>{14:33-34 Or peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 34 The}</n> in all the churches of the saints, 


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the women must keep silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak out, but must place themselves in submission, as the oral <n>{The Gk. lacks oral}</n> law also says. 


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If they want to learn anything, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is inappropriate for a woman to speak out in church. <n>{Other mss. place vv. 34 and 35 after v. 40.}</n> 


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Did God's word originate with you? Are you the only ones <n>{The Gk. is a pl. masc. pronoun}</n> it has reached? 


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If anyone thinks he is a prophet or a spiritual person, he must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. 


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But if anyone ignores this, he should be ignored. <n>{Other mss. read If he is ignorant of this, he should remain ignorant}</n> 


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Therefore, my brothers, desire the ability to prophesy, and do not prevent others from speaking in foreign languages. 


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<n>{The Resurrection of the Messiah}</n> d Now I'm making known to you, brothers, the gospel that I proclaimed to you, which you accepted, on which you have taken your stand, 


text:
and by which you are also being saved if you hold firmly to the message I proclaimed to you unless, of course, your faith was worthless. 


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For I passed on to you the most important points that <n>{Or to you as matters of great importance what}</n> I received: The Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 


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After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. <n>{Lit. have fallen asleep}</n> 


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For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God's church. 


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But by God's grace I am what I am, and his grace shown to me was not wasted. Instead, I worked harder than all the others not I, of course, but God's grace that was with me. 


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<n>{The Resurrection of the Dead}</n> d Now if we preach that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has been raised from the dead, how can some of you keep claiming there is no resurrection of the dead? 


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and if the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has not been raised, then our message means nothing and your <n>{Other mss. read our}</n> faith means nothing. 


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In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God because we testified on God's behalf that he raised the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> whom he did not raise if in fact it is true that the dead are not raised. 


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and if the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still imprisoned by your sins. 


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Yes, even those who have died <n>{Lit. have fallen asleep}</n> believing <n>{The Gk. lacks believing}</n> in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> are lost. 


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If we have set our hopes on the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people. 


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But at this moment the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest <n>{Lit. the first fruits}</n> of those who have died. <n>{Lit. have fallen asleep}</n> 


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However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ ; lit. Messiah the first fruits}</n> then those who belong to the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> when he comes. 


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Then the end will come, when after he has done away with every ruler and every authority and power, the Messiah <n>{Lit. power, when he}</n> hands over the kingdom to God the Father. 


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For he must rule until God <n>{Lit. he}</n> puts all the Messiah's <n>{Lit. his}</n> enemies under his feet. 


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for "God <n>{Lit. he}</n> has put everything under his feet." <n>{Ps 8:6}</n> Now when he says, "Everything has been put under him," this clearly excludes the one who put everything under him. 


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But when everything has been put under him, then the Son himself will also become subject to the one who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. 


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Otherwise, what will those people do who are being baptized because of those who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they being baptized because of them? 


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I face death every day! That is as certain, brothers, <n>{Other mss. lack brothers}</n> as it is that I am proud of you in the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus our Lord. 


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If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." <n>{Isa 22:13}</n> 


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Come back to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! For some of you I say this to your shame don't fully know God. 


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<n>{The Resurrection Body}</n> d But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?" 


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and what you plant is not the form that it will be, but a bare kernel, whether it is wheat or something else. 


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But God gives the plant <n>{The Gk. lacks the plant}</n> the form he wants it to have, and to each kind of seed its own form. 


text:
Not all flesh is the same. <n>{Lit. the same flesh}</n> Humans have one kind of flesh, <n>{The Gk. lacks of flesh}</n> animals in general have another, <n>{Lit. another kind of flesh}</n> birds have another, <n>{Lit. another kind of flesh}</n> and fish have still another. 


text:
There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another. 


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One kind of splendor belongs to the sun, another <n>{Lit. another kind of splendor}</n> to the moon, and still another <n>{Lit. another kind of splendor}</n> to the stars. In fact, one star differs from another star in splendor. 


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This is how it will be at the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is decaying, what is raised cannot decay. 


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The body <n>{Lit. It}</n> is planted in a state of dishonor but is raised in a state of splendor. It is planted in weakness but is raised in power. 


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It is planted a physical body but is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. <n>{The Gk. lacks body}</n> 


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This, indeed, is what is written: "The first man, Adam, became a living being." <n>{Gen 2:7}</n> The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 


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Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. 


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Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will <n>{Other mss. read we should}</n> also bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 


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Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies <n>{Lit. mean: Flesh and blood}</n> cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay. 


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Let me tell you a secret. Not all of us will die, <n>{Lit. will fall asleep}</n> but all of us will be changed 


text:
in a moment, faster than an eye can blink, at the sound of the last trumpet. Indeed, that trumpet <n>{Lit. it}</n> will sound, and then the dead will be raised never to decay, and we will be changed. 


text:
For what is decaying must be clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying must be clothed with what cannot die. 


text:
Now, when what is decaying is clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying is clothed with what cannot die, then the written word will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up by victory!" <n>{Isa 25:8}</n> 


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But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn't wasted. 


text:
<n>{Concerning the Collection for the Saints}</n> d Now concerning the collection for the saints, you should follow the directions I gave to the churches in Galatia. 


text:
After the Sabbath ends, <n>{Or On the first day of the week}</n> each of you should set aside and save something from your surplus in proportion to what you have, so that no collections will have to be made when I arrive. 


text:
<n>{Plans for Travel}</n> d I will visit you when I go through Macedonia for I intend to go through Macedonia 


text:
and will probably stay with you for a while <n>{The Gk. lacks for a while}</n> or even spend the winter with you. <n>{The Gk. lacks with you}</n> Then you can send me on my way, wherever I decide to go. 


text:
I do not want to visit with you now just in passing, because I hope to spend a longer time with you if the Lord permits. 


text:
If Timothy comes, see to it that he does not have anything to be afraid of while he is with you, for he is doing the Lord's work as I am. 


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Therefore, no one should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me, because I am expecting him along with the brothers. 


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Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other <n>{The Gk. lacks other}</n> brothers, but he was not inclined to do so just now. However, he will visit you <n>{The Gk. lacks you}</n> when the time is right. 


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<n>{Final Instructions}</n> d Remain alert. Keep standing firm in your faith. Keep on being courageous and strong. 


text:
Now I urge you, brothers for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts <n>{Lit. the first fruits}</n> in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints 


text:
I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus came here, because what was lacking they have supplied through you. 


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<n>{Final Greetings}</n> d The churches in Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca <n>{I.e. Priscilla}</n> and the church in their house greet you warmly in union with the Lord. 


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All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. <n>{People customarily greeted their friends with a kiss.}</n> 


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May my love remain <n>{Or My love is}</n> with all of you in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. <n>{Other mss. read Jesus. Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ Second Corinthians}</n> d <n>{Paul Greets the Church in Corinth}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To: God's church in Corinth, and to all the holy people <n>{Or the saints}</n> throughout Achaia. 


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<n>{The God of All Comfort}</n> d Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, 


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who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. 


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For as the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering. 


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Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort. 


text:
<n>{How God Rescued Paul}</n> d For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. 


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In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 


text:
He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again, 


text:
as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God <n>{The Gk. lacks God}</n> on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many. 


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<n>{Paul's Reason for Boasting}</n> d For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace especially toward you. 


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For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely, 


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just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our <n>{Other mss. read the}</n> Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours. 


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<n>{Why Paul's Visit Was Postponed}</n> d Because I was confident, I planned to come to you first so you might receive a double blessing. 


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I planned to leave you in order to go <n>{Lit. To go through you}</n> to Macedonia, and then come back to you from Macedonia, and let you send me on to Judea. 


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When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle <n>{Lit. according to the flesh}</n> that I can say "Yes" and "No" <n>{Lit. "Yes, yes" and "No, no"}</n> at the same time? 


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As certainly as God is faithful, we haven't talked to you with mixed messages like that. <n>{Lit. faithful, our word to you is not "Yes" and "No"}</n> 


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For God's Son, Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who was preached among you by us by me, Silvanus, and Timothy was not "Yes" and "No." But with him it is always "Yes." 


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For all God's promises are "Yes" in him. And so through him we can say "Amen," <n>{Lit. through him is the "Amen"}</n> to the glory of God. 


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Now the one who makes us and you as well secure in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and has anointed us is God, 


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I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 


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It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith. 


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<n>{Paul's Painful Visit}</n> d Now <n>{Other mss. read For}</n> I decided not to pay you another painful visit. 


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This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have. 


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I wrote to you out of great sorrow and anguish of heart along with many tears not to make you sad but to let you know how much love I have for you. 


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<n>{Forgive the Person who Sinned}</n> d But if anyone has caused grief, he didn't cause me any grief. To some extent I don't want to emphasize this too much it has affected <n>{The Gk. lacks much it has affected}</n> all of you. 


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When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven if there was anything to forgive I did <n>{The Gk. lacks I did}</n> in the presence of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> for your benefit, 


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<n>{Paul's Anxiety and Relief}</n> d When I went to Troas on behalf of the gospel of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> the Lord opened a door for me, 


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but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn't find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. 


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But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him. 


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To God we are the aroma of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. 


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To some people we are a deadly fragrance, <n>{Lit. a fragrance of death to death}</n> while to others we are a living fragrance. <n>{Lit. a fragrance of life to life}</n> Who is qualified for this? 


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At least we are not commercializing God's word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> name, <n>{The Gk. lacks name}</n> like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God. <n>{Lit. as from God and before God}</n> 


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<n>{Ministers of the New Covenant}</n> d Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? 


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You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> letter, produced by our service, 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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By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God, 


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who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text <n>{Lit. what is written}</n> brings death, but the Spirit gives life. 


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Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses'face (because the glory was fading away from it), 


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For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of justification has an overwhelming glory. 


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For if that which fades away came <n>{The Gk. lacks came}</n> through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory? 


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not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away. 


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However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is that veil removed. <n>{Lit. is it removed}</n> 


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As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit. 


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<n>{Treasure in Clay Jars}</n> d Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged. 


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Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God's word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience before God. 


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In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who is the image of God. 


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For we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> as Lord, and ourselves as merely your servants for Jesus'sake. 


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For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," <n>{Gen 1:3}</n> has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus <n>{Other mss. lack Jesus}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read of the Messiah Jesus}</n> 


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But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us. 


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We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies. 


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While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus'sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies. 


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Now since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with this Scripture: "I believed, and so I spoke," <n>{Ps 116:10}</n> we also believe and therefore speak. 


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We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to God <n>{The Gk. lacks to God}</n> together with you. 


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All this is for your sake so that, as his grace spreads, more and more people will give thanks and glorify God. 


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<n>{Life in an Earthly Tent}</n> d That's why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. 


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This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, 


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because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal. 


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We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human <n>{The Gk. lacks human}</n> hands. 


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So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life. 


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Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. 


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For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless. <n>{Or bad}</n> 


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<n>{The Messiah's Love Controls Us}</n> d Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. 


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We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character. <n>{Lit. rather than the heart}</n> 


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The love of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. 


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He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them. 


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So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. <n>{Lit. according to the flesh}</n> Even if we did think of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> from a human point of view, <n>{Lit. according to the flesh}</n> we don't think of him that way anymore. 


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Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and look! all things have become new! 


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All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 


text:
for through the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. 


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Therefore, we are the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> behalf: "Be reconciled to God!" 


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God <n>{Lit. He}</n> made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God's righteousness would be produced in us. <n>{Lit. that we might become God's righteousness in him}</n> 


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<n>{Workers with God}</n> d Since, then, we are working with God, <n>{Lit. working together}</n> we plead with you not to accept God's grace in vain. 


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For he says, "At the right time I heard you, and on a day of salvation I helped you." <n>{Isa 49:8}</n> Listen, now is really the "right time" ! Now is the "day of salvation" ! 


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<n>{We are God's Servants}</n> d We do not put an obstacle in anyone's way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry. 


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Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God's servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; 


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truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands; 


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through honor and dishonor; through ill repute and good repute; perceived <n>{The Gk. lacks perceived}</n> as deceivers and yet true, 


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as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet as you see very much alive, as punished and yet not killed, 


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as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything. 


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We have spoken frankly <n>{Lit. Our mouth is open}</n> to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open. 


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<n>{Relating with Unbelievers}</n> d Stop becoming <n>{Or Don't become}</n> unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? 


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What harmony exists between the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and Beliar, <n>{I.e. the devil}</n> or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? 


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What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we <n>{Other mss. read you (pl.)}</n> are the temple of the living God, just as God said: "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people." <n>{Lev 26:12; Ezek 37:27}</n> 


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Therefore, "Get away from them and separate yourselves from them," declares the Lord, "and don't touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you. 


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I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters," declares the Lord Almighty. <n>{Isa 52:11; Ezek 20:34, 41; 2 Sam 7:8, 14}</n> 


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<n>{Cleanse Yourselves in Holiness}</n> d Since we have these promises, dear friends, let's cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God. 


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<n>{Encouraged by the Corinthians}</n> d Make room for us in your hearts! <n>{The Gk. lacks in your hearts}</n> We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. 


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I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you 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 am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles. 


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For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears. 


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and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier. 


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If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 


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Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way. 


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For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death. 


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See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter. 


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So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God. 


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This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you. 


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For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true. 


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His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 


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<n>{The Collection for the Christians in Jerusalem}</n> d We want you to know, brothers, about God's grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia. 


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In spite of their terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and deep poverty have led them to be abundantly generous. 


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I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. 


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They begged us earnestly for the privilege <n>{Or for the grace}</n> of participating in this ministry to the saints. 


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We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God's will. 


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So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness <n>{Or this grace}</n> among you in the same way that he had started it. 


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Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness. <n>{Or this grace}</n> 


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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. 


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I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing to do something, but had already started to do it. 


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Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness <n>{Lit. matched as you contribute from what you have}</n> to complete it. 


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For if the eagerness is there, the gift <n>{Lit. it}</n> is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have. 


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At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair. 


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As it is written, "The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little." <n>{Exod 16:18}</n> 


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<n>{Titus and His Companions}</n> d But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have. 


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With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel. <n>{Lit. in the gospel}</n> 


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More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness <n>{Or this grace}</n> for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help. <n>{The Gk. lacks to help}</n> 


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We have also sent with them our brother whom we have often tested in many ways and found to be dedicated. At present he is more dedicated than ever because he has so much confidence in you. 


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As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries <n>{Or apostles}</n> from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you. 


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<n>{Why Giving is Important}</n> d I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints. 


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For I know how willing you are, and I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying <n>{The Gk. lacks saying}</n> that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has stimulated most of them. 


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Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter may not prove to be an idle boast, and so that you may stand ready, just as I said. 


text:
Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you in this undertaking. 


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Therefore, I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to visit you ahead of me, to make arrangements in advance for this gift you promised, and to have it ready as something given generously and not forced. 


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Remember <n>{Lit. Now}</n> this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 


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Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 


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Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work. 


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As it is written, "He scatters everywhere and gives to the poor; his righteousness lasts forever." <n>{Ps 112:9}</n> 


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Now he who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness. 


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In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us, 


text:
since this ministry you render is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, it is also overflowing with more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God. 


text:
Because your service in giving proves your love, <n>{The Gk. lacks your love}</n> you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> gospel demands, <n>{The Gk. lacks demands}</n> since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else. 


text:
And so in their prayers for you they will long for you because of God's exceptional grace that was shown to you. 


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<n>{Paul's Authority to Speak Forcefully}</n> d Now I myself, Paul, plead with you with the gentleness and kindness of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> I who am humble when I am face to face with you but forceful toward you when I am away! 


text:
I beg you that when I come I will not need to be courageous by daring to oppose some people who think that we are living according to the flesh. 


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Of course, we are living in the world, <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> but we do not wage war in a world-like <n>{Lit. fleshly}</n> way. 


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For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments 


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and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident that he belongs to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> so do we. 


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So if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave us to build you up and not to tear you down, I will not be ashamed of it. 


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For someone is saying, <n>{The Gk. lacks For someone is saying}</n> "His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible." 


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Someone like this should take note of the following: What we say by letter when we are absent is what we will do when present! 


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<n>{Paul's Reason for Boasting}</n> d We would not dare put ourselves in the same class with, or compare ourselves to, those who recommend themselves. Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are. 


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We will not boast about what cannot be evaluated. Instead, we will stay within the field that God assigned us, so as to reach even you. 


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For it is not as though we were overstepping our limits when we came to you. We were the first to reach you with the gospel of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows. 


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Then we can preach the gospel in the regions far beyond you without boasting about things already accomplished by someone else. 


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<n>{Paul Contrasts Himself with False Apostles}</n> d I wish you would tolerate a little of my foolishness. Yes, please tolerate me! 


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I am jealous of you with God's own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure <n>{Other mss. lack and pure}</n> devotion to the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen. 


text:
Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way. 


text:
Did I commit a sin when I humbled myself by proclaiming to you the gospel of God free of charge, so that you could be exalted? 


text:
When I was with you and needed something, I did not bother any of you, because our brothers who came from Macedonia supplied everything I needed. I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so. 


text:
As surely as the truth of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is in me, my boasting will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 


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But I will go on doing what I'm doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about. 


text:
Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doom <n>{Lit. end}</n> will match their deeds! 


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<n>{Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle}</n> d I will say it again: No one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, then treat me like a fool so that I can also boast a little. 


text:
You tolerate anyone who makes you his slaves, devours what you have, takes what is yours, orders you around, or slaps your face! 


text:
I am ashamed to admit it, but we have been too weak for that. Whatever anyone else dares to claim I am talking like a fool I can claim it, too. 


text:
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelis? So am I. Are they among Abraham's descendants? So am I. 


text:
Are they the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. 


text:
Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. 


text:
I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I've also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, 


text:
in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. 


text:
<n>{Paul's Thorn}</n> d I must boast, although it does not do any good. Let's talk about visions and revelations from the Lord. 


text:
I know a man who belongs to the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Fourteen years ago whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows that man was snatched away to the third heaven. 


text:
was snatched away to Paradise and heard things that cannot be expressed in words, things that no human being has a right even to mention. 


text:
However, if I did want to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I am not going to do it in order to keep anyone from thinking more of me than what he sees and hears about me. 


text:
To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn <n>{Or stake}</n> was given to me and placed in my body. <n>{Lit. was given to me in the flesh}</n> It was Satan's messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited. 


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but he has told me, "My grace is all you need, because my power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> power may rest on me. 


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That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. 


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<n>{Concern for the Corinthians}</n> d I have become a fool. You forced me to be one. Really, I should have been commended by you, for I am not in any way inferior to your "super-apostles," even if I am nothing. 


text:
The signs of an apostle were performed among you with utmost patience signs, wonders, and powerful actions. 


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How were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I did not bother you for help? Forgive me for this wrong! 


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Now I'm ready to visit you for a third time, and I will not bother you for help. I do not want your things, but rather you yourselves. Children should not have to support <n>{Lit. to save up for}</n> their parents, but parents their children. 


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I will be very glad to spend my money and myself for you. Do you love me less because I love you so much? 


text:
Granting that I have not been a burden to you, was I a clever schemer who trapped you by some trick? 


text:
I encouraged Titus to visit you, and I sent along with him the brother you know so well. Titus didn't take advantage of you, did he? We conducted ourselves with the same spirit, didn't we? We took the very same steps, didn't we? 


text:
Have you been thinking all along that we are trying to defend ourselves before you? We are speaking before God in the authority of <n>{The Gk. lacks the authority of}</n> the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and everything, dear friends, is meant to build you up. 


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I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct. 


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I am afraid that when I come my God may again humble me before you and that I may have to grieve over many who formerly lived in sin and have not repented of their impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity that they once practiced. 


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<n>{Final Warnings}</n> d This will be the third time I am coming to you. "Every accusation must be verified by two or three witnesses." <n>{Deut 19:15}</n> 


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I have already warned those who sinned previously and all the rest. Although I am absent now, I am warning them as I did on my second visit: If I come back, I will not spare you, 


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since you want proof that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is making his power felt among you. 


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Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God's power. We are weak with him, but by God's power we will live for you. 


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Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don't you, that Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test? 


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We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed. 


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For this reason I am writing this while I am away from you: When I come I do not want to be severe in using the authority the Lord gave me to build you up and not to tear you down. 


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<n>{Final Greetings and Benediction}</n> d Finally, brothers, goodbye. Keep on growing to maturity. Keep listening to my appeals. Continue agreeing with each other and living in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 


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May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you! 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to the}</n> <n>{ Galatians}</n> d <n>{Greetings from Paul}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul an apostle not sent <n>{The Gk. lacks sent}</n> from men or by a man, but by Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and God the Father, who raised him from the dead 


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He gave himself for our sins in order to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. 


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<n>{There is No Other Gospel}</n> d I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and, instead, are following <n>{Lit. Messiah for}</n> a different gospel, 


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not that another one really exists. To be sure, there are certain people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel about the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you <n>{Other mss. lack to you}</n> a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that person be condemned! 


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What we have told you in the past I am now telling you again: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that person be condemned! 


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Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> servant. <n>{Or slave}</n> 


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<n>{Jesus Himself Gave Paul His Message}</n> d For <n>{Other mss. read Now}</n> I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin. 


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For I did not receive it from a man, nor was I taught it, but it was revealed to me by Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism how I kept violently persecuting God's church and was trying to destroy it. 


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I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, because I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 


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to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being <n>{Lit. with flesh and blood}</n> at any time, 


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nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see <n>{The Gk. lacks see}</n> those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus. 


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Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 


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But the churches of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> that are in Judea did not yet know me personally. 


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The only thing they kept hearing was this: "The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!" 


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So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to <n>{The Gk. lacks what had happened to}</n> me. 


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<n>{How Paul Was Accepted by the Apostles in Jerusalem}</n> d Then fourteen years later, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me. 


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I went in response to a revelation, and in a private meeting with the reputed leaders, I explained to them the gospel that I'm proclaiming to the gentiles. I did this because I was afraid that <n>{Lit. Lest somehow}</n> I was running or had run my life's race <n>{The Gk. lacks my life's race}</n> for nothing. 


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However, false brothers were secretly brought in. They slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus so that they might enslave us. 


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But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you. 


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Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message. <n>{Lit. to me}</n> (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.) 


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In fact, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. 


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For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles. 


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So when James, Cephas, <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> and John (who were reputed to be leaders) <n>{Lit. pillars}</n> recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. 


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The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do. 


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<n>{Paul Confronts Cephas in Antioch}</n> d But when Cephas <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong. <n>{Or was self-condemned}</n> 


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Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men <n>{Lit. after they}</n> came, he withdrew from the gentiles <n>{The Gk. lacks from the gentiles}</n> and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. 


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The other Jews also joined him in this hypocritical behavior, to the extent that even Barnabas was caught up in their hypocrisy. 


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But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas <n>{I.e. Peter}</n> in front of everyone, "Though you are a Jew, you have been living like a gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you insist that the gentiles must live like Jews?" 


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<n>{Jews, Like Gentiles, are Saved by Faith}</n> d We ourselves are Jews by birth, and not gentile sinners, 


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yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires, <n>{Lit. by works of the law ; and so throughout this verse}</n> but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus <n>{Or by faith in Jesus}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> We, too, have believed in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of <n>{Or by faith in}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being <n>{Lit. no flesh}</n> will be justified by doing what the Law requires. 


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Now if we, while trying to be justified by the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> have been found to be sinners, does that mean that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is serving the interests of sin? Of course not! 


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For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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I no longer live, but the Messiah <n>{2:20Or Christ}</n> lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, <n>{Or by faith in the Son of God}</n> who loved me and gave himself for me. 


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I do not misapply God's grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> died for nothing. 


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<n>{Believers are Approved by God}</n> d You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified? 


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I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing <n>{Lit. Spirit through}</n> the actions of the Law or by believing what you heard? <n>{Lit. or through the hearing of faith}</n> 


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Does God <n>{Lit. he}</n> supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the actions <n>{Lit. you through the works}</n> of the Law or because you believe what you heard? <n>{Lit. you through the hearing of faith}</n> 


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In the same way, Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." <n>{Gen 15:6}</n> 


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Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles <n>{Or nations}</n> by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, "Through you all nations <n>{Or all the gentiles}</n> will be blessed." <n>{Gen 12:3}</n> 


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<n>{No One is Justified by the Law}</n> d Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!" <n>{Deut 27:26}</n> 


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Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because "The righteous will live by faith." <n>{Hab 2:4}</n> 


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But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, "The person who keeps the commandments <n>{Lit. who does them}</n> will have life in them." <n>{Lev 18:5}</n> 


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The Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, "A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!" <n>{Deut 21:23}</n> 


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This happened <n>{The Gk. lacks This happened}</n> in order that the blessing promised to <n>{Lit. the blessing of}</n> Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit <n>{Or the promise of the Spirit}</n> through faith. 


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Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life. <n>{Lit. I am speaking according to man}</n> Once a person's will has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. 


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Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant," <n>{Gen 12:7}</n> referring to one person, who is the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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This is what I mean: The Law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified. 


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For if the inheritance comes about through the Law, it no longer comes about through the promise. But it was through a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham. 


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<n>{The Purpose of the Law}</n> d Why, then, was the Law added? <n>{The Gk. lacks added}</n> Because of transgressions, until the descendant <n>{Lit. seed}</n> came about whom the promise pertained. It was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. 


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So is the Law in conflict with the promises of God? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could give us life, then certainly righteousness would come through the Law. 


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But the Scripture has captured everything by means of sin's net, so that what was promised by the faithfulness of <n>{Or by faith in}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> might be granted to those who believe. 


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Now before faith came about, we were held in custody and confined under the Law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. 


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And so the Law was our guardian until the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> came, so that we might be justified by faith. 


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<n>{You are God's Children}</n> d For all of you are God's children through faith in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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Indeed, all of you who were baptized into the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> have clothed yourselves with the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Because all of you are one in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, a person is no longer a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a male or a female. 


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And if you belong to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> then you are Abraham's descendants indeed, and heirs according to the promise. 


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Now what I am saying is this: As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. 


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Instead, he is placed under the care of <n>{The Gk. lacks the care of}</n> guardians and servant managers until the time set by the father. 


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It was the same way with us. While we were children, we were slaves to the basic principles of the world. <n>{Or the elemental spirits of the universe}</n> 


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Now because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our <n>{Other mss. read your}</n> hearts to cry out, "Abba! <n>{ Abba is Aram. for Father.}</n> Father!" 


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So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if you are a child, then you are also an heir because of what God did. 


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However, in the past, when you did not know God, you were slaves to things that are not really gods at all. <n>{Lit. gods by nature}</n> 


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But now that you know God, or rather have been known by God, how can you turn back again to those powerless and bankrupt basic principles? <n>{Or elemental spirits}</n> Why do you want to become their slaves all over again? 


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I am afraid for you! I don't want my work for you to have <n>{Lit. you, lest somehow my work for you has}</n> been wasted! 


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<n>{Paul's Concern for the Galatians}</n> d I beg you, brothers, to become like me, since I became like you. You did not do anything wrong to me. 


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You know that it was because I was ill <n>{Lit. because of a weakness of the flesh}</n> that I brought you the gospel the first time. 


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Even though my condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. On the contrary, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, or as if I were the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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What, then, happened to your positive attitude? <n>{Lit. your blessedness}</n> For I testify that if it had been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 


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These people who have been instructing you <n>{Lit. They}</n> are devoted to you, but not in a good way. They want you to avoid me so that you will be devoted to them. 


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My children, I am suffering birth pains for you again until the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is formed in you. 


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Indeed, I wish I were with you right now so that I could change the tone of my voice, because I am completely baffled by you! 


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<n>{You are Children of a Free Woman}</n> d Tell me, those of you who want to live under the Law: Are you really listening to what the Law says? 


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Now the slave woman's son was conceived through human means, while the free woman's son was conceived through divine <n>{The Gk. lacks divine}</n> promise. 


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This is being said as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. The one woman, Hagar, is from Mount Sinai, and her children are born into slavery. 


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Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery along with her children. 


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But the heavenly Jerusalem is the free woman, and she is our spiritual mother. <n>{Other mss. read the mother of us all}</n> 


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For it is written, "Rejoice, you childless woman, who cannot give birth to any children! Break into song and shout, you who feel no pains of childbirth! For the children of the deserted woman are more numerous than the children of the woman who has a husband." <n>{Isa 54:1}</n> 


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But just as then the son who was conceived according to the flesh persecuted the son who was conceived according to the Spirit, so it is now. 


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But what does the Scripture say? "Drive out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman must never share the inheritance with the son of the free woman." <n>{Gen 21:10}</n> 


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<n>{Live in the Freedom that the Messiah Provides}</n> d The Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has set us free so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. <n>{Lit. has set us free for freedom}</n> So keep on standing firm in it, and stop putting yourselves under the yoke of slavery again. 


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Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> will be of no benefit to you. 


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Again, I insist <n>{Or testify}</n> that everyone who allows himself to be circumcised is obligated to obey the entire Law. 


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Those of you who are trying to be justified by the Law have been cut off from the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> You have fallen away from grace. 


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for in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. What matters is faith <n>{Lit. But faith}</n> expressed through love. 


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I am confident <n>{Lit. confident about you}</n> in the Lord that you will take no other view of this. However, the one who is troubling you will suffer God's <n>{The Gk. lacks God's}</n> judgment, whoever he is. 


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As for me, brothers, if I am still preaching the necessity of <n>{The Gk lacks the necessity of}</n> circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 


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For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. 


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For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: "You must love your neighbor as yourself." <n>{Lev 19:18}</n> 


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For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do. 


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idolatry, witchcraft, <n>{Or sorcery}</n> hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, 


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envy, murder, <n>{Other mss. lack murder}</n> drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 


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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, <n>{Or faith}</n> 


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Now those who belong to the Messiah <n>{5:24Or Christ}</n> Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. 


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<n>{Help Each Other}</n> d Brothers, if a person is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should restore that person gently. Watch out for yourself so that you are not tempted as well. 


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Practice carrying each other's burdens. In this way you will fulfill the law of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Each person must examine his own actions, and then he can boast about his own accomplishments and not about someone else. 


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Stop being <n>{Or Do not be}</n> deceived; God is not to be ridiculed. A person harvests whatever he plants: 


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The person who sows through human means will harvest decay from human means, but the person who sows in the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. 


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Let's not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 


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So then, whenever we have the opportunity, let's practice doing good to everyone, especially to the family of faith. 


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<n>{A Final Warning against Circumcision}</n> d Look at how large these letters are because I am writing with my own hand! 


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These people who want to impress others by their external appearance <n>{Lit. their flesh}</n> are trying to force you to be circumcised, simply to avoid being persecuted for the cross of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Why, not even those who are circumcised obey the Law! They simply want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your external appearance. <n>{Lit. your flesh}</n> 


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But may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! 


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For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being <n>{The Gk. lacks what matters is being}</n> a new creation. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with your spirit, brothers! Amen. 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to the}</n> <n>{ Ephesians}</n> d <n>{Greetings from Paul}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus by God's will. To: His holy and faithful people <n>{Or to the saints and faithful}</n> in Ephesus <n>{Other mss. lack in Ephesus}</n> who are in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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<n>{The Many Blessings of Salvation}</n> d Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> He has blessed us in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, 


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just as he chose us in the Messiah <n>{Lit. in him}</n> before the creation of the universe <n>{Or world}</n> to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love 


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he predestined us for adoption to himself through Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> according to the pleasure of his will, 


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so that we would praise <n>{Lit. to the praise of}</n> his glorious grace that he gave us in the Beloved One. 


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In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> grace 


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when he made known to us the secret of his will. This was according to his plan that he set forth in the Messiah <n>{Lit. him}</n> 


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to usher in <n>{Or administer}</n> the fullness of the times and to bring together in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> all things in heaven and on earth. 


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In the Messiah <n>{Lit. him}</n> we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything that he wills to do, 


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so that we who had already fixed our hope on the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> might live for his praise and glory. 


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You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in the Messiah, <n>{Lit. in him}</n> you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 


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who is the guarantee of our inheritance until God redeems his own possession <n>{Lit. of the possession}</n> for his praise and glory. 


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<n>{Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians}</n> d Therefore, because I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love <n>{Other mss. lack your love}</n> for all the saints, 


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I pray <n>{The Gk. lacks I pray}</n> that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah <n>{Lit. knowing him}</n> fully. 


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Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence <n>{Or hope}</n> that is produced by God <n>{Lit. him}</n> having called you, <n>{The Gk. lacks you}</n> the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints, 


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and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength, 


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which he brought about in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm. 


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He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. 


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God <n>{Lit. He}</n> has put everything under the Messiah's <n>{Lit. under his}</n> feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of <n>{The Gk. lacks the good of}</n> the church, 


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which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way. <n>{Or who fills all in all}</n> 


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<n>{God Has Brought Us from Death to Life}</n> d You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins 


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that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient. <n>{Lit. the sons of disobedience}</n> 


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Indeed, all of us once behaved like <n>{Or lived among}</n> them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for <n>{Lit. were children of}</n> wrath, just like everyone else. 


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But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us <n>{Lit. love with which he loved us}</n> 


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even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with <n>{Other mss. read in}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> (by grace you have been saved), 


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raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, 


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so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God 


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and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting. <n>{Lit. works, lest anyone boast}</n> 


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For we are God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> masterpiece, <n>{Or workmanship}</n> created in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life. <n>{Lit. so that we might walk in them}</n> 


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<n>{All Believers are One in the Messiah}</n> d So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth <n>{Lit. in the flesh}</n> were called "the uncircumcised" by those who called themselves "the circumcised." They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 


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At that time you were without the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> excluded from citizenship in Israel, <n>{Or from the commonwealth of Israel}</n> and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God. 


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But now, in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality <n>{Lit. flesh}</n> he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them. <n>{Lit. the dividing wall of hostility}</n> 


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He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace, 


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and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. 


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For through him, both of us <n>{I.e. both Jews and gentiles}</n> have access to the Father by one Spirit. 


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That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, 


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having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus himself being the cornerstone. <n>{Or capstone}</n> 


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In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. 


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<n>{Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles}</n> d For this reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus for the sake of you gentiles. 


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Surely you have heard about the responsibility of administering God's grace that was given to me on your behalf, 


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and how this secret was made known to me through a revelation, just as I wrote about briefly in the past. 


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By reading this, you will be able to grasp my understanding of the secret about the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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which in previous generations was not made known to human beings <n>{Lit. the sons of men}</n> as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> holy apostles and prophets. This is that secret: <n>{The Gk. lacks This is that secret:}</n> 


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The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised <n>{Lit. of the promise}</n> by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus through the gospel. 


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I have become a servant of this gospel <n>{Lit. of it}</n> according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. 


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To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so that I might proclaim to the gentiles the immeasurable wealth of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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and help everyone see how this secret that has been at work was hidden for ages by God, who created all things. 


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He did this <n>{The Gk. lacks He did this}</n> so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm 


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in keeping with the eternal purpose that God <n>{Lit. he}</n> carried out through the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus our Lord, 


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in whom we have boldness and confident access through his faithfulness. <n>{Or through faith in him}</n> 


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So then, I ask you not to become discouraged because of my troubles on your behalf, which work toward your glory. 


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<n>{To Know the Messiah's Love}</n> d This is the reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. lack of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah}</n> 


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I pray <n>{The Gk. lacks I pray}</n> that he would give you, according to his glorious riches, strength in your inner being and power through his Spirit, 


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and that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> would make his home in your hearts through faith. Then, having been rooted and grounded in love, 


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that is, you will know the love of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> which transcends knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God. 


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Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among <n>{Or in}</n> us 


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to him be glory in the church and in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen. 


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<n>{The Messiah's Gifts to the Church}</n> d I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 


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demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. 


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Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> gift. 


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That is why God <n>{Lit. he}</n> says, "When he went up to the highest place, he led captives into captivity and gave gifts to people." <n>{Ps 68:18}</n> 


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Now what does this "he went up" mean except that he also had gone <n>{Other mss. read had first gone}</n> down into the lower parts of the earth? <n>{Or parts, that}</n> 


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The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that all things would be fulfilled. 


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And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers, 


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to equip <n>{Or perfect}</n> the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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until all of us are united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God's Son, and until we attain mature adulthood and the full standard of development in the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray. 


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Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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in whom the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body builds itself up in love. 


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<n>{The Old Life and the New}</n> d Therefore, I tell you and insist on <n>{Or testify}</n> in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts. <n>{Lit. in the worthlessness of their mind}</n> 


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They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 


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Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. 


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Regarding your former way of life, you were taught <n>{The Gk. lacks you were taught}</n> to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 


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and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God's image <n>{The Gk. lacks image}</n> in righteousness and true holiness. 


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Therefore, stripping off falsehood, "let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor," <n>{Zech 8:16}</n> for we belong to one another. 


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The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy. 


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Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment. <n>{Lit. up as the need may be}</n> This way you will administer grace to those who hear you. 


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Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. 


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And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you <n>{Other mss. read us}</n> in the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Live lovingly, just as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> also loved us <n>{Other mss. read you}</n> and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God. 


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Do not let sexual sin, impurity of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints. 


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For you know very well that no immoral or impure person, or anyone who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and of God. 


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<n>{Living in the Light}</n> d Do not let anyone deceive you with meaningless words, for it is because of these things that God becomes angry with those who disobey. <n>{Lit. with the sons of disobedience}</n> 


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for the fruit that the light <n>{Other mss. read fruit of the Spirit}</n> produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth. 


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and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. 


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For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people <n>{Lit. by them}</n> in secret. 


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for the light is making everything visible. That is why it says, "Wake up, sleeper! Arise from the dead, and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> will shine on you.»'<n>{The source of this quote is unknown.}</n> 


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Stop getting <n>{Or Do not get}</n> drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit. 


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Then you will recite to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; you will sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts; 


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you will consistently give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah; <n>{5:20Or Christ}</n> 


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and you will submit to one another out of reverence for <n>{Or another in the fear of}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{Wives and Husbands}</n> d Wives, submit yourselves <n>{Other mss. lack submit yourselves}</n> to your husbands as to the Lord. 


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For the husband is the head of his wife as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is the head of the church. It is he who is the Savior of the body. 


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Indeed, just as the church is submissive to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> so wives must be submissive <n>{The Gk. lacks must be submissive}</n> to their husbands in everything. 


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Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> loved the church and gave himself for it, 


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and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault. 


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In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love <n>{The Gk. lacks they love}</n> their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 


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For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> does <n>{The Gk. lacks does}</n> the church. 


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For we are parts of his body of his flesh and of his bones. <n>{Other mss. lack of his flesh and of his bones}</n> 


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"That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh." <n>{Gen 2:24}</n> 


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But each individual man among you must love his wife as he loves <n>{The Gk. lacks he loves}</n> himself; and may the wife fear her husband. 


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<n>{Advice for Children and Parents}</n> d Children, obey your parents in the Lord, <n>{Other mss. lack in the Lord}</n> for this is the right thing to do. 


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"Honor your father and mother" <n>{Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16}</n> (This is a very important commandment with a promise.) 


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"that it may go well for you, and that you may have a long life on the earth." <n>{Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16}</n> 


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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up by training <n>{Or discipline}</n> and instructing them about the Lord. 


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<n>{Advice for Slaves and Masters}</n> d Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear, trembling, and sincerity, as when you obey <n>{Lit. as to}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Do not do this only while you're being watched in order to please them, but be like slaves of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who are determined to obey God's will. 


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Serve willingly, as if you were serving the Lord and not merely people, <n>{Lit. as to the Lord and not people}</n> 


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because you know that everyone will receive a reward from the Lord for whatever good he has done, whether he is a slave or free. 


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Masters, treat your slaves <n>{Lit. treat them}</n> the same way. Do not threaten them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. 


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<n>{Putting on the Whole Armor of God}</n> d Finally, be strong in the Lord, relying on his mighty strength. 


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Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the devil's strategies. <n>{Or schemes}</n> 


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For our <n>{Other mss. read your}</n> struggle is not against human opponents, <n>{Lit. against flesh and blood}</n> but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, <n>{Lit. powers of this darkness}</n> and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. 


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For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm. 


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Stand firm, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 


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and being firm-footed in the gospel of peace. <n>{Or wear on your feet readiness for the gospel of peace}</n> 


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In addition to having clothed yourselves with these things, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 


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Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and request. Likewise, be alert with your most diligent efforts and pray for all the saints. 


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Pray <n>{The Gk. lacks Pray}</n> also for me, so that, when I begin to speak, the right words will come to me. Then I will boldly make known the secret of the gospel, 


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for whose sake I am an ambassador in chains, desiring to declare the gospel <n>{Lit. declare it}</n> as boldly as I should. <n>{Lit. as I should speak}</n> 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d So that you may know what has happened to me and how I am doing, Tychicus, our dear brother and a faithful minister in service to the Lord, will tell you everything. 


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I am sending him to you for this very reason, so that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts. 


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May peace and love, with faith, be with the brothers, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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May grace be with all who sincerely love the Lord Jesus, the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read Messiah! Amen.}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to the}</n> <n>{ Philippians}</n> d <n>{Greetings from Paul and Timothy}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul and Timothy, servants of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. To: All the holy ones <n>{Or saints}</n> in Philippi, along with their overseers <n>{Or bishops}</n> and ministers, <n>{Or deacons}</n> who are in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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<n>{Paul's Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians}</n> d I thank my God every time I remember you, <n>{Or every time you remember me}</n> 


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I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among <n>{Or in}</n> you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you're constantly on my mind. <n>{Lit. because I have you in my heart ; or you have me in your heart}</n> Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege. <n>{Or grace}</n> 


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For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion that the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus provides. 


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And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight, 


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so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> returns, 


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having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> so that God will be glorified and praised. 


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<n>{The Priority of the Gospel in Everything}</n> d Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually caused the gospel to advance. 


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As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison for preaching about <n>{The Gk. lacks preaching about}</n> the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God's word more boldly and courageously than ever before. 


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Some are preaching the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> because of jealousy and dissension, while others do so <n>{The Gk. lacks do so}</n> because of their good will. 


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The latter are motivated <n>{The Gk. lacks are motivated}</n> by love, because they know that I have been appointed to defend the gospel. 


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The former proclaim the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> because they are selfishly ambitious and insincere, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment. 


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But so what? Just this that in every way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is being proclaimed. Because of this, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice. 


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I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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I rejoice because I eagerly expect and hope that I will have nothing to be ashamed of, because through my <n>{Lit. with all}</n> boldness the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> will be exalted through me, <n>{Lit. exalted in my body}</n> now as always, whether I live or die. <n>{Lit. by life or by death}</n> 


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Indeed, I cannot decide between the two. I have the desire to leave this life and be with the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> for that is far better. 


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Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you, so you will mature in the faith and know joy in it. 


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Then your rejoicing in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus will increase along with mine <n>{Lit. in me}</n> when I visit with you again. 


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<n>{Standing Firm in One Spirit}</n> d The only thing that matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 


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and that you are not intimidated by your opponents in any way. This is evidence that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved and all because of <n>{Lit. and that from}</n> God. 


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For you have been given the privilege <n>{Lit. it has been given you}</n> for the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sake not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. 


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You have the same struggle that you saw in me and now hear that I am still having. <n>{Lit. hear in me}</n> 


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<n>{Unity through Humility}</n> d Therefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy, 


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then fill me with joy by having the same attitude, sharing the same love, being united in spirit, and keeping one purpose in mind. 


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Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves. 


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Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about <n>{The Gk. lacks be concerned about}</n> the interests of others. 


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Have the same attitude among yourselves <n>{Or Have this mind in you}</n> that was also in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus: <n>{Verses 6-11 probably represent an early Christian hymn.}</n> 


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Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant's form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be, 


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And so, when Jesus'name is called, the knees of everyone should fall, <n>{Or every knee should bend}</n> wherever they're residing. <n>{Lit. in heaven, on earth, and under the earth}</n> 


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Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is Lord, while God the Father praising. 


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<n>{Blameless Living}</n> d And so, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I am absent, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 


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so that you may be blameless and innocent, God's children without any faults among a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world 


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as you hold firmly to the word of life. Then I will be proud when the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> returns <n>{Lit. will boast in the day of the Messiah}</n> that I did not run in vain or work hard in vain. 


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Yet even if I am being poured out like an offering as part of the sacrifice and service I offer <n>{The Gk. lacks I offer}</n> for your faith, I rejoice, and I share my joy with all of you. 


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<n>{News about Paul's Companions}</n> d Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I can be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 


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For all the others look after their own interests, not after those of Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Indeed, I am confident in the Lord that I will come to visit you <n>{The Gk. lacks to visit you}</n> soon. 


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Meanwhile, I thought it best to send Epaphroditus my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and minister to my need back to you. 


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For he has been longing for <n>{Other mss. read longing to see}</n> all of you and is troubled because you heard that he was sick. 


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Indeed, he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow on top of another. <n>{Lit. sorrow on sorrow}</n> 


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Therefore, I am especially eager to send him so that you may have the joy of seeing him again, and so that I may feel relieved. 


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because he came close to death for the work of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read Lord}</n> by risking his life to complete what remained unfinished in your service to me. 


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<n>{Warning against Pride}</n> d So then, <n>{Or Furthermore}</n> my brothers, keep on rejoicing in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you; indeed, it is for your safety. 


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Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilators! <n>{Lit. the mutilation ; Lit. katatome (a cutting off)}</n> 


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For it is we who are the circumcision <n>{Lit. peritome (a cutting around)}</n> we who worship in the Spirit of God <n>{Other mss. read worship God in the Spirit}</n> and find our joy in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. We have not placed any confidence in the flesh, 


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although I could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he can place confidence in the flesh, I have more reason to think so. <n>{Lit. I more}</n> 


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Having been circumcised on the eighth day, I am of the nation of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As far as the Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee. 


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As for my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As far as righteousness in the Law is concerned, I was blameless. 


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But whatever things were assets to me, these I now consider a loss for the sake of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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What is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is far more valuable, knowing the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, my Lord. It is because of him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish <n>{Or dung}</n> in order to gain the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes through the faithfulness <n>{Or through faith in}</n> of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> the righteousness that comes from God and that depends on faith. 


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I want to know the Messiah <n>{Lit. To know him}</n> what his resurrection power is like and what it means to share in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 


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<n>{Pursuing the Goal}</n> d It's not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet. <n>{Other mss. omit yet}</n> But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 


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I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize <n>{Lit. the goal for the prize}</n> of God's heavenly call in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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Therefore, those of us who are mature <n>{Or perfect}</n> should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will show you how to think. <n>{Lit. show you this}</n> 


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<n>{True and False Teachers}</n> d Join together in imitating me, brothers, and pay close attention to those who live by the example we have set for you. <n>{Lit. the example you have in us}</n> 


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For I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Their destiny is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on worldly things. 


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Our citizenship, however, is in heaven, and it is from there that we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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He will change our unassuming bodies and make them like his glorious body through the power that enables him to bring everything under his authority. 


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<n>{Closing Exhortations}</n> d Therefore, my dear brothers whom I long for, my joy and my victor's crown, this is how you must stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. 


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Yes, I also ask you, my true partner, <n>{Or my loyal Syzygus}</n> to help these women. They have worked hard with me to advance <n>{The Gk. lacks to advance}</n> the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. 


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Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving. 


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Then God's peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy keep thinking about these things. 


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Likewise, keep practicing these things: what you have learned, received, heard, and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. 


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<n>{The Philippians'Gifts}</n> d Now I rejoice in the Lord greatly, because once again you have shown your concern for me. Of course, you were concerned for me but you did not have an opportunity to show it. <n>{The Gk. lacks to show it}</n> 


text:
I am not saying this because I am in any need, for I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in. 


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I know how to be humble, and I know how to prosper. In each and every situation I have learned the secret of being full and of going hungry, of having too much and of having too little. 


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You Philippians also know that in the early days <n>{Lit. in the beginning}</n> of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in the matter of giving and receiving except for you. 


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It is not that I am looking for a gift. No, I want to see that you receive the fruit that increases to your benefit. 


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I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 


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And my God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Greet every saint who is in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. The brothers who are with me send their greetings to you. 


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May the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with your spirit! Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to the}</n> <n>{ Colossians}</n> d <n>{Greetings from Paul}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. 


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To: The holy <n>{Or to the saints}</n> and faithful brothers in Colossae who are in union with the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> May grace and peace from God our Father <n>{Other mss. read from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah}</n> be yours! 


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<n>{Paul's Prayer for the Colossians}</n> d We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> praying always for you, 


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because we have heard about your faith in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints, 


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based on the hope laid up for you in heaven. Some time ago you heard about this hope <n>{Lit. about it}</n> through the word of truth, the gospel 


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that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and spreading all over the world, so it has been doing <n>{The Gk. lacks it has been doing}</n> among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. 


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You learned about this gospel <n>{Lit. Just as you learned}</n> from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> on your <n>{Other mss. read our}</n> behalf. 


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<n>{The Messiah is Above All}</n> d For this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 


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so that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him <n>{Lit. to all pleasing}</n> as you bear fruit while doing all kinds of good things and growing in the full knowledge of God. 


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You are being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you might patiently endure everything with joy 


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and might thank the Father, who has enabled us <n>{Other mss. read you}</n> to share in the saints'inheritance in the light. 


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God <n>{Lit. He}</n> has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves, 


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<n>{The Centrality of Jesus}</n> d The Son <n>{Lit. He}</n> is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 


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For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, <n>{Lit. thrones}</n> lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. 


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He is also the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself might have first place in everything. 


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For God <n>{Lit. he}</n> was pleased to have all of his divine essence <n>{Lit. all of the fullness}</n> inhabit him. 


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Through the Son, <n>{Lit. Through him}</n> God <n>{Lit. he}</n> also reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, thereby making peace through the blood of his cross. 


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he has now reconciled by the death of his physical body, so that he may present you holy, blameless, and without fault before him. 


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However, you must remain firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without being moved from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. <n>{Or minister}</n> 


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<n>{Paul's Service in the Church}</n> d Now I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church. 


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I became its servant <n>{Or minister}</n> as God commissioned me to work for you, so that I may complete my ministry of <n>{The Gk. lacks the ministry of}</n> the word of God. 


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This secret was hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints, 


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to whom God wanted to make known the glorious riches of this secret among the gentiles which is the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> in you, our glorious hope. 


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It is he whom we proclaim as we admonish and wisely teach everyone, so that we may present everyone mature <n>{Or complete}</n> in the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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For I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have never seen me face to face. <n>{Lit. my face in the flesh}</n> 


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Because they are united in love, I pray <n>{The Gk. lacks I pray}</n> that their hearts may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of the full knowledge of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who is <n>{The Gk. lacks who is}</n> the mystery of God. 


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For although I am physically absent, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how stable you are and how firm your faith in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is. 


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<n>{Fullness of Life}</n> d So then, just as you have received the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus the Lord, continue to live dependent on him. 


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For you have been rooted in him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, while you continue to be thankful. 


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See to it that no one enslaves you through philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world, <n>{Or the elemental spirits of the universe}</n> and not according to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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In union with him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without human <n>{The Gk. lacks human}</n> hands by stripping off the corrupt nature by the circumcision performed by the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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When you were buried with the Messiah <n>{Lit. with him}</n> in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 


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Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God <n>{Lit. he}</n> made you alive with him when he forgave us all of our offenses, 


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having erased the charges that were brought against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took those charges away when he nailed them to the cross. 


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And when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross. <n>{Lit. in it}</n> 


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Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days. <n>{Lit. or Sabbaths}</n> 


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These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality <n>{Or substance}</n> belongs to the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels cheat you out of the prize by rejoicing about what he has seen. <n>{Other mss. read what he has not seen}</n> Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind. 


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He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it. 


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<n>{The New Life in the Messiah}</n> d If you have died with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> to the basic principles of the world, <n>{Or the elemental spirits of the universe}</n> why are you submitting to its decrees as though you still lived in the world? 


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All of these things will be destroyed as they are used, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 


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These things have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion, humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they have no value against self-indulgence. 


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<n>{Keep Focusing on the Messiah}</n> d Therefore, if you have been raised with the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> keep focusing on the things that are above, where the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is seated at the right hand of God. 


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When the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who is <n>{The Gk. lacks who is}</n> your <n>{Other mss. read our}</n> life, is revealed, then you, too, will be revealed with him in glory. 


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So put to death your worldly impulses: <n>{Lit. the parts that are on the earth}</n> sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 


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It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. <n>{Lit. on the sons of disobedience}</n> 


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and have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is being renewed in full knowledge, consistent with the image of the one who created it. 


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In him <n>{Lit. it, 11 where}</n> there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, <n>{I.e. uncivilized person}</n> slave, or free person. Instead, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> is all and in all. 


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Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, <n>{Or gentleness}</n> and patience. 


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Be tolerant of one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord <n>{Other mss. read the Messiah}</n> has forgiven you, you also should forgive. <n>{Lit. so you also}</n> 


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Above all, clothe yourselves with <n>{The Gk. lacks clothe yourselves with}</n> love, which ties everything together in unity. 


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Let the peace of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful. 


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Let the word of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read of God ; still other mss. read of the Lord}</n> inhabit you richly with wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and singing to God with thankfulness in your hearts. 


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And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 


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<n>{Family Duties}</n> d Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is appropriate for those who belong to the Lord. 


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Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched in order to please them, but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord. 


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Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it <n>{The Gk. lacks though you were doing it}</n> for the Lord and not merely for people. 


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You know that it is from the Lord that you will receive the inheritance as a reward. It is the Lord Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> whom you are serving! 


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Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 


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<n>{Closing Exhortations}</n> d Devote yourselves to prayer. Be alert <n>{Lit. Be alert in it}</n> and thankful when you pray. 


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At the same time also pray for us that God would open before us a door for the word so that we may tell the secret about the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> for which I have been imprisoned. 


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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. 


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<n>{Greetings from Paul and His Fellow Workers}</n> d Tychicus will tell you everything that has happened to me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 


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He is coming with Onesimus, that faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. 


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Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him. 


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Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision who are fellow workers for the kingdom of God. They have been an encouragement to me. 


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Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant <n>{Or slave}</n> of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, sends you his greetings. He is always wrestling in his prayers for you, so that you may stand mature, <n>{Or complete}</n> completely convinced of the entire will of God. 


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For I can testify on his behalf that he has a deep concern for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 


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Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, especially to Nympha and the church that is in her house. 


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When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and be sure to read the one from Laodicea. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d This greeting is written with my own signature <n>{Lit. hand}</n> "Paul." Remember that I remain imprisoned. May grace be with you! Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ First Thessalonians}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, Silvanus, <n>{I.e. Silas}</n> and Timothy. To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. lack from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah}</n> be yours! 


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<n>{Paul's Prayer for the Thessalonians}</n> d We always thank God for all of you when we mention you in our prayers. 


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In the presence of our God and Father, we constantly remember how your faith is active, <n>{Lit. your work of faith}</n> your love is hard at work, <n>{Lit. your labor of love}</n> and your hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah <n>{1: Or Christ}</n> is enduring. <n>{Lit. the endurance of hope of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah}</n> 


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for the gospel we brought <n>{Lit. our gospel}</n> did not come to you in words only, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Indeed, <n>{Lit. Just as}</n> you know what kind of people we proved to be while we were with you, acting on your behalf. 


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You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of a great deal of suffering, you welcomed the word with the joy that the Holy Spirit produces. <n>{Or the joy of the Holy Spirit}</n> 


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From you the word of the Lord has spread out not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place where your faith in God has become known. As a result, we do not need to say anything about it. 


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For people <n>{Lit. they}</n> keep telling us what kind of welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve a living and true God 


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and to wait for his Son whom he raised from the dead to come back <n>{The Gk. lacks to come back}</n> from heaven. This Jesus is the one who rescues us from the coming wrath. 


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<n>{Paul Recalls His Visit to the Thessalonians}</n> d For you yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a waste of time. 


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As you know, we suffered persecution and were mistreated in Philippi. Yet we were encouraged by our God to tell you his <n>{Lit. God's}</n> gospel in spite of strong opposition. 


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For our appeal to you <n>{The Gk. lacks to you}</n> does not spring from deceit, impure motives, or trickery. 


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Rather, because we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, we speak as we do, not trying to please people but God, who tests our motives. 


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As you know, we did not come with flattering words or with a scheme to make money. God is our witness! 


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even though as apostles of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> we might have made such demands. Instead, we were gentle <n>{Other mss. read infants}</n> among you, like a nursing mother tenderly caring for her own children. 


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We cared so deeply for you that we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but our very lives. That is how dear you were to us. 


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Brothers, you remember our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not become a burden to any of you while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you. 


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You and God are witnesses of how pure, honest, and blameless our conduct was among you who believe. 


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You know very well that we treated each of you the way a father treats <n>{The Gk. lacks treats}</n> his children. 


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We comforted and encouraged you, urging you to live in a manner worthy of God, who calls <n>{Other mss. read called}</n> you into his kingdom and glory. 


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<n>{How the Thessalonians Welcomed the Gospel}</n> d Here is another reason why we constantly give thanks to God: When you received God's word, which you heard from us, you did not accept it as the word of humans but for what it really is the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 


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For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from the people of your own country as they did from those Jews 


text:
who killed the Lord Jesus and the <n>{Other mss. read their own}</n> prophets, who have persecuted us, and who please neither God nor any group of people, 


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as they try to keep us from telling the gentiles how they can be saved. As a result, they are constantly adding to the number of sins they have committed. <n>{The Gk. lacks they have committed}</n> However, wrath has overtaken them at last! 


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<n>{Timothy's Report to Paul}</n> d Brothers, although we have been separated from you for a little while in person but not in heart we eagerly desire to see you again face to face. 


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That is why we wanted to come to you. Certainly I, Paul, wanted to come <n>{The Gk. lacks wanted to come}</n> time and again, but Satan blocked our way. 


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After all, who is our hope, joy, or reason for <n>{Lit. or crown of}</n> rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? It is you, isn't it? 


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and send Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in the gospel of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. lack of the Messiah}</n> to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 


text:
so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions, for which you are aware that we were destined. 


text:
In fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to suffer persecution. And as you know, that is what happened. 


text:
But when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy <n>{The Gk lacks Timothy}</n> to find out about your faith. I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and that our work had been a waste of time. 


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<n>{Paul Rejoices about the Thessalonians}</n> d But Timothy has just now returned from visiting <n>{The Gk. lacks visiting}</n> you and has told us the good news about your faith and love. He also told us that you always have fond memories of us and want to see us, just as we want to see you. 


text:
That's why, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you by your faith. 


text:
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we have in God's presence because of you? 


text:
We pray very hard night and day that we may see you again face to face, so that we may equip you with <n>{The Gk. lacks you with}</n> whatever is lacking in your faith. 


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May the Lord greatly increase your love <n>{Lit. cause you to increase and abound in love}</n> for each other and for all people, just as we love you. <n>{Lit. as we for you}</n> 


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Then your hearts will be strong, blameless, and holy in the presence of God, who is our Father, when our Lord Jesus appears with all his saints. <n>{Or holy ones ; other mss. read saints. Amen}</n> 


text:
<n>{Instructions on the Way Christians Should Live}</n> d Now then, brothers, you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, as in fact you are doing. We ask and encourage you in the Lord to do so even more. 


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Each of you must know how to control his own body <n>{Lit. vessel}</n> in a holy and honorable manner, 


text:
Furthermore, you must never take advantage of or exploit a brother in this regard, because the Lord avenges all these things, just as we already told you and warned you. 


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Therefore, whoever rejects this instruction <n>{The Gk. lacks instruction}</n> is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 


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Now you do not need anyone to write to you about brotherly love, since you have been taught by God to love each other. 


text:
In fact, you are showing love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia, but we urge you, brothers, to keep on doing this even more. 


text:
Also, make it your goal to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you, 


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<n>{Comfort about Christians who Have Died}</n> d But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve like other people who have no hope. 


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For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus God will bring those who have died with him. 


text:
For we declare to you what the Lord has told us to say: <n>{Lit. you by the word of the Lord:}</n> We who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died. 


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With a shout of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of God's trumpet, the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and the dead who belong to the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> will rise first. 


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Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 


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<n>{Be Ready for the Day of the Lord}</n> d Now you do not need to have anything written to you about times and dates, brothers, 


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When people <n>{Lit. they}</n> say, "There is peace and security," destruction will strike them as suddenly as labor pains come <n>{The Gk. lacks come}</n> to a pregnant woman, and they will not be able to escape. 


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However, brothers, you are not in the darkness, in order that the Day of the Lord <n>{The Gk. lacks of the Lord}</n> might surprise you like a thief. 


text:
For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. 


text:
But since we belong to the day, let's be sober. We must put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 


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For God has not destined us to receive <n>{The Gk. lacks receive}</n> wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{Paul Gives Final Instructions to the Church}</n> d Brothers, we ask you to show your appreciation for those who work among you, set an example for you in the Lord, and instruct <n>{Or admonish}</n> you. 


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We urge you, brothers, to admonish <n>{Or instruct}</n> those who are idle, <n>{Or disorderly}</n> cheer up those who are discouraged, and help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 


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Make sure that no one pays back evil for evil. Instead, always pursue what is good for each other and for everyone else. 


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In everything be thankful, because this is God's will for you in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d May the God of peace himself make you holy in every way. And may your whole being spirit, soul, and body remain blameless when our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> appears. 


text:
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will continue to be faithful. <n>{The Gk. lacks faithful}</n> 


text:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with you! Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ Second Thessalonians}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, Silvanus, <n>{I.e. Silas}</n> and Timothy. To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


text:
<n>{Endurance in Affliction}</n> d Brothers, at all times we are obligated to thank God for you. It is right to do this <n>{Lit. As is right}</n> because your faith is growing all the time and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 


text:
As a result, we rejoice about you among God's churches about your endurance and faith through all the persecutions and afflictions you are experiencing. 


text:
This is evidence of God's righteous judgment and is intended to make you worthy of God's kingdom, for which you are suffering. 


text:
and to give us who are afflicted relief when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 


text:
in blazing fire. He will take revenge on those who do not know God and on those who refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 


text:
Such people will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction by being separated from the Lord's presence and from his glorious power, 


text:
when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be regarded with wonder on that day by all who have believed including you because you believed our testimony. 


text:
With this in mind, we always pray for you, asking <n>{The Gk. lacks asking}</n> that our God might make you worthy of his calling and that through his power he might help you accomplish every good desire and faithful action. 


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That way the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by him, according to the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{The Lawless One}</n> d Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and our gathering together to him, 


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not to be so quickly upset <n>{Lit. shaken in mind}</n> or alarmed when someone claims that we said, <n>{Lit. as though by us}</n> either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come. 


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Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion <n>{Or apostasy}</n> takes place first and the man of sin, <n>{Other mss. read man of lawlessness}</n> who is destined for destruction, <n>{Lit. the son of destruction}</n> is revealed. 


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He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary <n>{Or temple}</n> of God and himself declares that he is God. 


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For the secret of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the person now holding it back gets out of the way. 


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Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord <n>{Some MSS read Lord Jesus}</n> will destroy with the breath of his mouth, rendering him powerless by the manifestation of his coming. 


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The coming of the lawless one <n>{Lit. His coming}</n> will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind <n>{Lit. In every kind}</n> of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, 


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and every type of evil to deceive <n>{Lit. every evil deception}</n> those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. <n>{Lit. so that they might be saved}</n> 


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Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. 


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At all times we are obligated to thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you to be the first fruits <n>{Other mss. read from the beginning}</n> for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through faith in the truth. 


text:
With this purpose in mind, he called you through our proclamation of the <n>{The Gk. lacks proclamation of the}</n> gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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So then, brothers, stand firm, and cling to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth <n>{Lit. by word}</n> or by our letter. 


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May our Lord Jesus, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> himself, and may God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort <n>{Or encouragement}</n> and good hope, 


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<n>{An Example to Follow}</n> d Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly, and that it may be honored the way it is among you. 


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Also pray <n>{The Gk. lacks pray}</n> that we may be rescued from worthless and evil people, since not everyone holds to the faith. <n>{Or has faith}</n> 


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We have confidence in the Lord <n>{Lit. in the Lord concerning you}</n> that you are doing and will continue to do what we command. 


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May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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In the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is living in idleness <n>{Or is leading a disorderly life}</n> and not living <n>{The Gk. lacks living}</n> according to the tradition that they received <n>{Other mss. read you received}</n> from us. 


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For you yourselves know what you must do to imitate us. We never lived in idleness <n>{Or We did not lead a disorderly life}</n> among you. 


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We did not eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, with toil and labor we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you. 


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It is not as though we did not have that right, but we wanted <n>{The Gk. lacks we wanted}</n> to give you an example to follow. 


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We hear that some of you are living in idleness. <n>{Or living disorderly lives}</n> You are not busy working <n>{Lit. ergazomenous (working)}</n> you are busy interfering <n>{Lit. periergazomenous (uselessly working)}</n> in other people's lives! 


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We order and encourage such people by the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 


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If anyone does not obey what we say <n>{Lit. our word}</n> in this letter, take note of him. Have nothing to do with him so that he will feel ashamed. 


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Now may the Lord of peace give you his peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all of you. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d I, Paul, am writing 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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May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be with all of you. Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ First Timothy}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, our hope. 


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To: Timothy, my genuine child in the faith. May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, our Lord, be yours! 


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<n>{A Warning against False Teachers}</n> d When I was on my way to Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain people to stop teaching false doctrine 


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and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These things promote controversies rather than God's ongoing purpose, which involves faith. 


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The goal of this instruction is love that flows from a pure heart, from a clear conscience, and from a sincere faith. 


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They want to be teachers of the Law, yet they do not understand either what they are talking about or the things about which they speak so confidently. 


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that is, if he understands that the Law is not intended for righteous <n>{Or innocent}</n> people but for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who are unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people, 


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for those involved in sexual immorality, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, <n>{Or slave traders}</n> for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else goes against the healthy teaching 


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I thank the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service. 


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In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent <n>{Or an arrogant}</n> man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief, 


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and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me, <n>{The Gk. lacks toward me}</n> along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance: <n>{This formula accompanied early Christian sayings on which full reliance could be placed.}</n> To this world Messiah <n>{Or Christ ; lit. Messiah Jesus}</n> came, sinful people to reclaim. <n>{Or save}</n> I am the worst of them. 


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But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner, <n>{The Gk. lacks sinner}</n> the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. 


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Now to the King Eternal the immortal, invisible, and only God be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen. 


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<n>{Guidelines for Behavior in the Church}</n> d Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight 


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with faith and a good conscience. By ignoring their consciences, <n>{Lit. By ignoring it}</n> some people have destroyed their faith like a wrecked ship. 


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These include Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme. 


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<n>{Prayer and Submission to Authority}</n> d First of all, then, I urge you to offer to God <n>{The Gk. lacks to God}</n> petitions, prayers, intercessions, and expressions of thanks for all people, 


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for kings, and for everyone who has authority, so that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life with all godliness and dignity. <n>{Or seriousness}</n> 


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There is one God. There is also one mediator between God and human beings a human, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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For this reason I was appointed to be an announcer, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the gentiles. (I am telling you the truth. <n>{Other mss. read the truth in the Messiah}</n> I am not lying.) 


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<n>{Instructions to Men and Women}</n> d Therefore, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without being angry or argumentative. 


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Women, for their part, should display their beauty by dressing modestly and decently in appropriate clothes, not with elaborate hairstyles or by wearing gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 


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Moreover, in the area of teaching, I am not allowing a woman to instigate conflict toward a man. Instead, she is to remain calm. 


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However, women <n>{Lit. she}</n> will be saved through childbearing, <n>{Or through the birth of the Child ; i.e. through the redemptive work of the incarnation}</n> if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, along with good judgment. <n>{Or modesty}</n> 


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<n>{Qualifications for Leaders in the Church}</n> d This is a trustworthy saying: <n>{This formula accompanied early Christian sayings on which full reliance could be placed.}</n> The one who would an elder be, a noble task desires he. 


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Therefore, an elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, <n>{Or devoted to his wife ; lit. a man of one woman}</n> stable, sensible, respectable, hospitable to strangers, and teachable. <n>{Or able to teach}</n> 


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He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but instead be gentle. He must not be argumentative or love money. 


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He must manage his own family well and have children who are submissive and respectful in every way. 


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He must not be a recent convert, so that he won't become arrogant and fall into the devil's condemnation. 


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He must be well thought of by outsiders, so he doesn't <n>{Lit. outsiders, lest he}</n> fall into disgrace and the trap set for him by <n>{Lit. the trap of}</n> the devil. 


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Ministers, <n>{Or Deacons}</n> too, must be serious. They must not be two-faced, <n>{Lit. double-worded}</n> addicted to wine, or greedy for money. 


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But they must first be tested. Then, if they prove to be blameless, they may become ministers. <n>{Or deacons}</n> 


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Their wives <n>{Or Women}</n> must also be serious. They must not be gossips, but instead be stable and trustworthy in everything. 


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Ministers <n>{Or Deacons}</n> must be husbands of one wife <n>{Or devoted to their wives ; lit. men of one woman}</n> and must manage their children and their families well. 


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Those ministers <n>{Or deacons}</n> who serve well gain an excellent reputation for themselves and will have great assurance by their faith in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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in case I am delayed, so that you may know how to behave in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 


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By common confession, the secret of our godly worship is great: <n>{What follows probably represents an early Christian hymn or creed.}</n> In flesh was he <n>{Other mss. read God}</n> revealed to sight, kept righteous by the Spirit's might, adored by angels singing. <n>{Lit. he was seen by angels}</n> To nations was he manifest, believing souls found peace and rest, <n>{Lit. he was believed in the world}</n> our Lord in heaven reigning! <n>{Lit. he was taken up in glory}</n> 


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<n>{A Prophecy about the Future}</n> d Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons, 


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They will try to stop people from marrying and from eating certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 


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For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 


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<n>{How to be a Good Servant of the Messiah Jesus}</n> d If you continue to point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the healthy teaching that you have followed closely. 


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Do not have anything to do with godless myths and fables of old women. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 


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Physical exercise is of limited value, but Godliness is very dear, a pledge of life, both there and here. 


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This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance. <n>{This formula accompanied early Christian sayings on which full reliance could be placed.}</n> 


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To this end we work hard and struggle, <n>{Other mss. read suffer abuse}</n> because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, that is, of those who believe. 


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Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, <n>{Or faith}</n> and purity. 


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Until I arrive, give your full concentration to the public reading of Scripture, <n>{Lit. on the reading}</n> to exhorting, and to teaching. 


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Do not neglect <n>{Or Stop neglecting}</n> the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy when the elders laid their hands on you. 


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Pay close attention to your life and your teaching. Persevere in these things, because if you do so, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. 


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<n>{Treatment of Widows}</n> d Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat <n>{The Gk. lacks Treat}</n> younger men like brothers, 


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Honor widows who have no other family members to care for them. <n>{Lit. who are really widows}</n> 


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But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing in God's sight. 


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A woman who has no other family members to care for her <n>{Lit. who is really a widow}</n> and who is left all alone has placed her hope in God and devotes herself to petitions and prayers night and day. 


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If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 


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A widow may be put on the widows'<n>{The Gk. lacks widows'}</n> list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband. <n>{Or devoted to her husband ; lit. a woman of one man}</n> 


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She must be well known for her good actions as a woman who has raised children, welcomed strangers, washed the saints'feet, helped the suffering, and devoted herself to doing good in every way. 


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But do not include younger widows on your list. <n>{The Gk. lacks on your list}</n> For whenever their natural desires cause them to lose their devotion to the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> they want to remarry. 


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They receive condemnation because they have set aside their prior commitment to the Messiah. <n>{The Gk. lacks to the Messiah}</n> 


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At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people's lives, saying things they should not say. 


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Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. 


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If any woman <n>{Other mss. read man or woman}</n> is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. The church should not be burdened, so it can help those widows who have no other family members to care for them. <n>{Lit. who are really widows}</n> 


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<n>{Elders and Their Duties}</n> d Elders who handle their duties <n>{Or who rule}</n> well should be considered worthy of double compensation, <n>{Or honor}</n> especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 


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For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain," <n>{Deut 25:4}</n> and, "A worker deserves his pay." <n>{Luke 10:7}</n> 


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Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported "by two or three witnesses." <n>{Deut 17:6; 19:15}</n> 


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As for those who keep on sinning, rebuke them in front of everyone so that the rest will also be afraid. 


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With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. 


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Do not ordain <n>{Lit. lay hands on}</n> anyone hastily. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 


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Stop drinking only water, but use a little wine for your stomach because of your frequent illnesses. 


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The sins of some people are obvious, leading them to judgment. The sins <n>{Lit. Those}</n> of others follow them there. 


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<n>{Duties of Servants and Masters}</n> d All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their own masters as deserving of the highest respect, <n>{Or of full honor}</n> so that the name of God and our teaching may not be discredited. <n>{Or slandered}</n> 


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


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<n>{Rules for Godly Living}</n> d If anyone teaches false doctrine and refuses to agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and godly teaching, 


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he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions, 


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and incessant conflict between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth. They think that godliness is a way to make a profit. <n>{Other mss. read make a profit. Stay away from such people.}</n> 


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But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. 


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For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused <n>{Lit. pierced}</n> themselves a lot of pain. 


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<n>{Advice for Timothy}</n> d But you, man of God, must flee from all these things. Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, <n>{Or faith}</n> love, endurance, and gentleness. 


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Fight the good fight for the faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses. 


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Since you are <n>{The Gk. lacks Since you are}</n> in the presence of God, who gives life to everything, and in the presence of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, I solemnly charge you 


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to keep these commands stainlessly and blamelessly until the appearance of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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At the right time, he will make him known. God <n>{Lit. He}</n> is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 


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He alone has endless life and lives in inaccessible light. No one has ever seen him, nor can anyone see him. Honor and eternal power belong to him! Amen. 


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<n>{Advice for the Wealthy}</n> d Tell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence <n>{The Gk. lacks let them place their confidence}</n> in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 


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By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future, so that they can keep their hold on the life that is real. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the pointless discussions and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul Called}</n> <n>{ Second Timothy}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, an apostle of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus by God's will in keeping with the promise of life that is in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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To: Timothy, my dear child. May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus our Lord be yours! 


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<n>{Paul's Advice for Timothy}</n> d I constantly thank my God whom I serve <n>{Or worship}</n> with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did when I remember you in my prayers night and day, 


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I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first existed in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that this faith <n>{Lit. it}</n> also exists in you. 


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For this reason, I am reminding you to fan into flames the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands. 


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For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline. <n>{Or good judgment}</n> 


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Therefore, never be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God's power, join me in suffering for the sake of the gospel. 


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He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus before time began. <n>{Lit. before the times of the ages}</n> 


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Now, however, that grace <n>{Lit. however, it}</n> has been revealed through the coming of our Savior the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, who has destroyed death and through the gospel has brought life and release from death into full view. 


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For the sake of this gospel <n>{Lit. For which}</n> I was appointed to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the gentiles. <n>{Other mss. lack of the gentiles}</n> 


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That is why I suffer as I do. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I'm convinced that he is able to protect what he has entrusted to me <n>{Or what I have entrusted to him}</n> until the day that he comes. <n>{Lit. until that day}</n> 


text:
Hold on to the pattern of healthy teachings that you have heard from me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, protect the good treasure that has been entrusted to you. 


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<n>{News about Paul's Helpers}</n> d You know that everyone in Asia has abandoned me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 


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May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, for he often took care of <n>{Or refreshed}</n> me and was not ashamed that I was a prisoner. 


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May the Lord grant that he finds mercy on the day he comes again. <n>{Lit. mercy from the Lord on that day}</n> You know very well how much he assisted me in Ephesus. 


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<n>{Remain Committed to the Messiah Jesus}</n> d As for you, my child, be strong by the grace that is in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


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What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. 


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No one serving in the military gets mixed up in civilian matters, for his aim is to please his commanding officer. 


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Meditate on <n>{Or Remember}</n> Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who was raised from the dead and is a descendant of David. This is the gospel I tell others. <n>{Lit. of David, according to my gospel}</n> 


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Because of it I am experiencing trouble, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. However, God's word is not chained. 


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For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive the salvation that is in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, along with eternal glory. 


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This saying is trustworthy: <n>{This formula accompanied early Christian sayings on which full reliance could be placed.}</n> In dying with the Messiah, <n>{Lit. him}</n> true life we gain. <n>{Lit. we will live with him}</n> 


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Our faith may fail, his never wanes That's who he is, he cannot change! <n>{Lit. he cannot deny himself}</n> 


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Remind others about these things, and warn them before God <n>{Other mss. read of the Lord}</n> not to argue over words. Arguing <n>{Lit. It}</n> does not do any good but only destroys those who are listening. 


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Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision. 


text:
They have abandoned the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place, and so they destroy the faith of others. 


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However, God's solid foundation still stands. It has this inscription on it: "The Lord knows those who belong to him," <n>{Num 16:5}</n> and "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from evil." <n>{Num 16:26}</n> 


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In a large house there are not only utensils made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some are for special use, while others are for ordinary use. 


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Therefore, if anyone stops associating with <n>{Lit. cleanses himself from}</n> these people, he will become a special utensil, set apart for the owner's use, prepared for every good action. 


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Flee from youthful passions. Instead, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, <n>{Or faith}</n> love, and peace together with those who call on the Lord with a pure heart. 


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Do not have anything to do with foolish and stupid discussions, because you know they breed arguments. 


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A servant <n>{Or slave}</n> of the Lord must not argue. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, teachable, <n>{Or able to teach}</n> willing to suffer wrong, 


text:
and gentle when refuting opponents. After all, maybe God will allow them to repent and to come to a full knowledge of the truth, 


text:
so that they might escape from the devil's snare, even though they've been held captive by him to do his will. 


text:
<n>{What People will be Like in the Last Days}</n> d You must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come. 


text:
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 


text:
For some of these men go into homes and deceive foolish women who are burdened with sins and swayed by all kinds of desires. 


text:
Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and their faith is a counterfeit. 


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But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those two men, <n>{The Gk. lacks two men}</n> their stupidity will be plain to everyone. 


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<n>{Continue to Teach the Truth}</n> d But you have observed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 


text:
and how I was persecuted and suffered in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 


text:
Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in union with the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus will be persecuted. 


text:
But evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse as they deceive others and are themselves deceived. 


text:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and found to be true, because you know from whom you learned it. 


text:
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus. 


text:
All Scripture is God-breathed <n>{Or inspired by God}</n> and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 


text:
<n>{Complete the Task Entrusted to You}</n> d In the presence of God and the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus, who is going to judge those who are living and those who are dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly appeal to you 


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to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this <n>{The Gk. lacks to do this}</n> whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach. 


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For the time will come when people will not tolerate healthy doctrine, but with itching ears will surround themselves with teachers who cater to their people's own desires. 


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But you must be clear-headed about everything. Endure suffering. Do the work of an evangelist. Devote yourself completely to your ministry. 


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The victor's crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on the day that he comes, <n>{Lit. on that day}</n> and not only to me but also to all who eagerly wait for his appearing. 


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because Demas, having fallen in love with this present world, has abandoned me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 


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When you come, bring the coat I left with Carpus in Troas, as well as the scrolls and especially the parchments. <n>{Parchments were writing materials made from animal skins.}</n> 


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At my first trial no one came to my defense. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be held against them! 


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However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles could hear it. I was rescued out of a lion's mouth. 


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The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack <n>{Lit. evil work}</n> and will take me safely to <n>{Or will preserve me for}</n> his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever and ever! Amen. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Greet Prisca <n>{I.e. Priscilla}</n> and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. 


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Do your best to come to me before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers. 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to}</n> <n>{ Titus}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, a servant of God, and also an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> to bring the faith to those chosen by God, along with full knowledge of the truth that leads to <n>{Lit. that is according to}</n> godliness, 


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which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world <n>{Or the ages}</n> began. 


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At the right time he revealed his message through the proclamation that was entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. 


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To: Titus, a genuine child in the faith that we share. May grace and peace <n>{Other mss. read grace, mercy, and peace}</n> from God the Father and the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus our Savior, be yours! 


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<n>{Qualifications for Leaders in the Church}</n> d The reason I left you in Crete was to complete what still needed to be done and to appoint elders in every city, as I myself commanded you. 


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An elder must be <n>{Lit. If anyone is}</n> blameless. He must be the husband of one wife <n>{Or devoted to his wife ; lit. a man of one woman}</n> and have children who are believers and who are not accused of having wild lifestyles or of being rebellious. 


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Because an overseer is God's servant manager, he must be blameless. He must not be arrogant or irritable. He must not drink too much, be a violent person, or make money in shameful ways. 


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Instead, he must be hospitable to strangers, must appreciate what is good, and be sensible, honest, moral, and self-controlled. 


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He must be devoted to the trustworthy message that agrees with what we teach, so that he may be able to encourage others with healthy doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 


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<n>{Guard What is True}</n> d For there are many people who are rebellious, especially those who are converts from Judaism. <n>{Lit. those of the circumcision}</n> They speak utter nonsense and deceive people. 


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They must be silenced, because they are the kind of people who ruin whole families by teaching what they should not teach in order to make money in a shameful way. 


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One of their very own prophets said, "Liars ever, men of Crete, savage brutes that live to eat." <n>{Epimenides (6 th to 5 th century BC)}</n> 


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That statement is true. For this reason, refute them sharply so that they may become healthy in the faith 


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Everything is clean to those who are clean, but nothing is clean to those who are corrupt and unbelieving. Indeed, their very way of thinking and their consciences have been corrupted. 


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They claim to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified to do anything good. 


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<n>{Guidelines for Christian Living}</n> d But as for you, teach what is consistent with healthy doctrine. 


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Likewise, older women are to show their reverence for God by their behavior. They are not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples <n>{Or teachers}</n> of goodness. 


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to be sensible and pure, to manage their households, to be kind, and to submit themselves to their husbands. Otherwise, the word of God may be discredited. <n>{Or blasphemed}</n> 


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Use wholesome speech that cannot be condemned. Then any opponent will be ashamed because he cannot say anything bad about us. 


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or steal from them. Instead, they are to show complete and perfect loyalty, so that in every way they may make the teaching about God our Savior more attractive. 


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It trains us to renounce ungodly living and worldly passions so that we might live sensible, honest, and godly lives in the present age 


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as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds. 


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These are the things you should teach. Encourage and refute with full authority. Do not let anyone look down on you. 


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<n>{Concentrate on Doing What is Good}</n> d Remind believers <n>{Lit. them}</n> to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, and to be ready to do any honorable kind of work. 


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They are not to insult <n>{Or slander}</n> anyone or be argumentative. Instead, they are to be gentle and perfectly courteous to everyone. 


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After all, we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and misled. We were slaves to many kinds of lusts and pleasures, spending our days in malice and jealousy. We were despised, and we hated one another. 


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«Twas not for deeds that we had done, but by his steadfast love <n>{Or his mercy}</n> alone, he saved us through a second birth, renewed us by the Spirit's <n>{Lit. the Holy Spirit's}</n> work, 


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And so, made heirs by his own grace, eternal life we now embrace. <n>{Lit. we have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life}</n> 


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This saying is trustworthy. <n>{This formula accompanied early Christian sayings on which full reliance could be placed.}</n> I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may devote themselves to good actions. These things are good and helpful to other people. 


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But avoid foolish controversies, arguments about genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the Law. These things are useless and worthless. 


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<n>{Final Instructions to Titus}</n> d As soon as I send Artemas to you, or perhaps Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 


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Do all you can to send Zenas the expert in the Law and Apollos on their way, and see that they have everything they need. 


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Our own people should also learn to make good deeds a priority when urgent needs arise, so they won't be unproductive. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d All who are with me send you greetings. Greet our fellow believers who love us. May grace be with all of you! Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter of Paul to}</n> <n>{ Philemon}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{1 The Gk. lacks From}</n> Paul, a prisoner of the Messiah <n>{1 Or Christ}</n> Jesus, and Timothy our brother. To: Philemon our dear friend <n>{1 Or our beloved Philemon}</n> and fellow worker, 


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May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{3 Or Christ}</n> be yours! <n>{3 The Gk. yours is pl.}</n> 


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<n>{Paul's Prayer for Philemon}</n> d I always thank my God when I mention you <n>{4 From verse 4 through verse 21, you and your are singular.}</n> in my prayers, 


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because I keep hearing about your love for all the saints and the faith that you have in the Lord Jesus. 


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I pray <n>{6 The Gk. lacks I pray}</n> that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every blessing that is ours <n>{6 Other mss. read yours (pl.)}</n> in the Messiah. <n>{6 Or Christ}</n> 


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For I have received considerable joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed, brother, through you. 


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<n>{Paul's Plea for Onesimus}</n> d For this reason, although in the Messiah <n>{8 Or Christ}</n> I have complete freedom to order you to do what is proper, 


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I prefer to make my appeal on the basis of love. I, Paul, as an old man and now a prisoner of the Messiah <n>{9 Or Christ}</n> Jesus, 


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Once he was useless to you, but now he is very useful <n>{11 The Gk. name Onesimus means useful}</n> both to you and to me. 


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As I send him back, it's like I'm coming along with him. <n>{12 Lit. back, it's with my innards}</n> 


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I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel. 


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Yet I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed might not be something forced, but voluntary. 


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Perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you could have him back forever, 


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no longer as a slave but better than a slave as a dear brother, especially to me, but even more so to you, both as a person and as a believer. <n>{16 Or both in the flesh and in the Lord}</n> 


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So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome <n>{17 The Gk. lacks you would welcome}</n> me. 


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I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. (I will not mention to you that you owe me your very life.) 


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Yes, brother, I desire this favor from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Messiah! <n>{20 Or Christ}</n> 


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Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you because I know that you will do even more than I ask. 


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Meanwhile, prepare a guest room for me, too, for I am hoping through your prayers to be returned to you. 


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<n>{Greetings from Paul's Fellow Workers}</n> d Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in the Messiah <n>{23 Or Christ}</n> Jesus, sends you <n>{23 The Gk. you is sing.}</n> greetings, 


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May the grace of our <n>{25 Other mss. read the}</n> Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{25 Or Christ}</n> be with your spirit! Amen. <n>{25 Other mss. lack Amen.}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter to the}</n> <n>{ Hebrews}</n> d <n>{God Has Spoken to Us}</n> d God, having spoken in former times in fragmentary and varied fashion to our forefathers by the prophets, 


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has in these last days spoken to us by a Son whom he appointed to be the heir of everything and through whom he also made the universe. 


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He is the reflection <n>{Or radiance}</n> of God's glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty 


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<n>{God's Son is Superior to the Angels}</n> d For to which of the angels did God <n>{Lit. he}</n> ever say, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father" ? <n>{Ps 2:7}</n> Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son" ? <n>{2 Sam 7:14}</n> 


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And again, when he brings <n>{Or And when he again brings}</n> his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." <n>{Deut 32:43 (LXX); Ps 97:7}</n> 


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Now about the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire." <n>{Ps 104:4}</n> 


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But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a righteous scepter. 


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You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That is why God, your God, anointed you rather than your companions with the oil of gladness." <n>{Ps 45:6-7}</n> 


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And, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 


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You will roll them up like a robe, and they will be changed like clothes. But you remain the same, and your life <n>{Lit. years}</n> will never end." <n>{Ps 102:25-27}</n> 


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But to which of the angels did he ever say, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" ? <n>{Ps 110:1}</n> 


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All of them are spirits on a divine mission, sent to serve those who are about to inherit salvation, aren't they? 


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<n>{We Must Not Neglect Our Salvation}</n> d For this reason we must pay closer attention to the things we have heard, or we may drift away, 


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because if the message spoken by angels was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience received its just punishment, 


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how will we escape if we neglect a salvation as great as this? It was first proclaimed by the Lord himself, and then it was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 


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while God added his testimony through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. 


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<n>{Jesus is the Source of Our Salvation}</n> d For he did not put the coming world we are talking about under the control of angels. 


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Instead, someone has declared somewhere, "What is man that you should remember him, or the son of man that you should care for him? 


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and put everything under his feet." <n>{Ps 8:5-7 (LXX)}</n> Now when God <n>{Lit. he}</n> put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time we do not yet see everything put under him. 


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But we do see someone who was made a little lower than the angels. He is Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of <n>{Other mss. read so that apart from}</n> God he might experience <n>{Lit. taste}</n> death for everyone. 


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It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering as part of his plan to glorify many children, 


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because both the one who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified all have the same Father. <n>{Lit. are all of one}</n> That is why Jesus <n>{Lit. he}</n> is not ashamed to call them brothers 


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when he says, "I will announce your name to my brothers. I will praise you within the congregation." <n>{Ps 22:22}</n> 


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And again, "I will trust him." <n>{Isa 8:17 (LXX)}</n> And again, "I am here with the children God has given me." <n>{Isa 8:18}</n> 


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Therefore, since the children have flesh and blood, he himself also shared the same things, so that by his death he might destroy the one who has the power of death (that is, the devil) 


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thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people's sins. 


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<n>{The Messiah is Superior to Moses}</n> d Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 


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He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> household, 


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because he is worthy of greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 


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Moses was faithful in all God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> household as a servant who was to testify to what would be said later, 


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but the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> was faithful <n>{The Gk. lacks was faithful}</n> as the Son in charge of God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> household, and we are his household if we hold on to our courage and the hope in which we rejoice. <n>{Lit. the boast of our hope}</n> 


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<n>{A Rest for the People of God}</n> d Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, 


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do not harden your hearts as they did when they provoked me during the time of testing in the wilderness. 


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for 40 years. That is why I was indignant with that generation and said, «They are always going astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.'


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See to it, my brothers, that no evil, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the living God. 


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Instead, continue to encourage one another every day, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, 


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because we are the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> partners only if we hold on to our original confidence to the end. <n>{Other mss. lack to the end}</n> 


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As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did when they provoked me." <n>{Ps 95:7-8}</n> 


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Now who heard him and provoked him? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led <n>{The Gk. lacks led}</n> by Moses? 


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And with whom was he angry for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned and whose bodies fell dead in the wilderness? 


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And to whom did he swear that they would never enter his rest? It was to those who disobeyed him, was it not? 


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<n>{We Must Enter the Rest}</n> d Therefore, as long as the promise of entering his rest remains valid, let us be afraid! Otherwise, some of you will fail <n>{Lit. afraid lest someone among you fails}</n> to reach it, 


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because we have had the good news told to us as well as to them. But the message they heard did not help them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened to it. 


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We who have believed are entering that rest, just as he has said, "So in my anger I swore a solemn oath that they would never enter my rest," <n>{Ps 95:11}</n> even though his actions had been finished since the creation <n>{Lit. foundation ; or beginning}</n> of the world. 


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Somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day as follows: "On the seventh day God rested from all his actions," <n>{Gen 2:2}</n> 


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and again in this passage, <n>{The Gk. lacks passage}</n> "They will never enter my rest." <n>{Ps 95:11}</n> 


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Therefore, since it is still true that some will enter it, and since those who once heard the good news failed to enter it because of their disobedience, 


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he again fixes a definite day"Today" saying long afterward through David, as already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." <n>{Ps 95:7-8}</n> 


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For if Joshua <n>{The Gk. name Jesus appears to be a word play on the Heb. name Joshua .}</n> had given them rest, he would not have spoken later about another day. 


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because the one who enters God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> rest has himself rested from his own actions, just as God did <n>{The Gk. lacks did}</n> from his. 


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Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fail by following their example of disobedience. 


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For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart. 


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No creature can hide from him, but everyone is exposed and helpless before the eyes of the one to whom we must give a word of explanation. 


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<n>{Our Compassionate High Priest}</n> d Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us live our lives consistent with <n>{Lit. us hold tightly to}</n> our confession of faith. <n>{The Heb. lacks of faith}</n> 


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For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned. 


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So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. 


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<n>{Qualifications for the Priesthood}</n> d For every high priest selected from among men is appointed to officiate on their behalf <n>{Lit. on behalf of men}</n> in matters relating to God, that is, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 


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He can deal gently with people who are ignorant and easily deceived, since he himself is subject to weakness. 


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For that reason he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 


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<n>{The Messiah's Qualifications as High Priest}</n> d In the same way, the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> did not take upon himself the glory of being a high priest. No, it was God who said <n>{Lit. He said}</n> to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." <n>{Ps 2:7}</n> 


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As he also says in another place, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." <n>{Ps 110:4}</n> 


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As a mortal man, <n>{Lit. During the days of his flesh}</n> he offered up prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his devotion to God. 


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<n>{You Still Need Someone to Teach You}</n> d We have much to say about this, <n>{Or about him}</n> but it is difficult to explain because you have become too lazy to understand. 


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In fact, though by now you should be teachers, you still need someone to teach you the basic truths of God's word. <n>{Or oracles}</n> You have become people who need milk instead of solid food. 


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For everyone who lives on milk is still a baby and does not yet know the difference between right and wrong. <n>{Lit. and is inexperienced in the message of righteousness}</n> 


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But solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. 


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<n>{The Peril of Immaturity}</n> d Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teachings about the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> let us continue to be carried along to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead actions, faith toward God, 


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instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 


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For it is impossible to keep on restoring to repentance time and again people who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have become partners with the Holy Spirit, 


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and who have fallen away, as long as they continue to crucify the Son of God to their own detriment by exposing him to public ridicule. 


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For when the ground soaks up rain that often falls on it and continues producing vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated, it receives a blessing from God. 


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However, if it continues to produce thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed, and in the end will be burned. 


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<n>{Be Diligent}</n> d Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case, things that point to salvation. 


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For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love you have shown him <n>{Lit. shown for his name}</n> as you have ministered to the saints and continue to minister to them. 


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But we want each of you to continue to be diligent to the very end, in order to give full assurance to your hope. 


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Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are inheriting the promises through faith and patience. 


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<n>{God's Promise is Reliable}</n> d For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore an oath by himself, since he had no one greater to swear by. 


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For people swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all argument. 


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In the same way, when God wanted to make the unchangeable character of his purpose perfectly clear to the heirs of his promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 


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so that by these two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to prove false, we who have taken refuge in him might be encouraged to seize the hope set before us. 


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That hope, <n>{The Gk. lacks hope}</n> firm and secure like an anchor for our souls, reaches behind the curtain 


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where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone on our behalf, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 


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<n>{The Messiah is Superior to Melchizedek}</n> d Now this man Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham and blessed him when he was returning from defeating the kings. 


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Abraham gave Melchizedek <n>{Lit. him}</n> a tenth of everything. <n>{Gen 14:18-20}</n> In the first place, his name means "king of righteousness," and then he is also king of Salem, that is, "king of peace." 


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He has no father, mother, or genealogy, no birth date recorded for him, nor a date of death. <n>{Lit. had neither beginning of days nor end of life}</n> Like the Son of God, he continues to be a priest forever. 


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Just look at how great this man was! Even Abraham the patriarch himself gave him a tenth of what he had captured! 


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The descendants of Levi who accept the priesthood have a commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their own brothers, even though they are also descendants of Abraham. 


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But this man, whose descent is not traced from them, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the man who had received the promises. 


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Mortal men collect tithes, but we are informed by Scripture <n>{The Gk. lacks by Scripture}</n> that <n>{Or it is declared that}</n> Melchizedek <n>{Lit. he}</n> keeps on living. 


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Now if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood for on this basis the people received the Law what further need would there be to speak of appointing another kind of priest according to the order of Melchizedek, not one according to the order of Aaron? 


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For the person we are talking about belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served <n>{Lit. from which no one has served}</n> at the altar. 


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Furthermore, it is obvious that our Lord was a descendant of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests coming from that tribe. 


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who was appointed to be a priest, <n>{The Gk. lacks to be a priest}</n> not on the basis of a genealogical registry, but rather on the power of an indestructible life. 


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For it is declared about him, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." <n>{Ps 110:4}</n> 


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but Jesus <n>{Lit. he}</n> became a priest <n>{The Gk. lacks became a priest}</n> with an oath when God <n>{Lit. he}</n> told him, "The Lord has taken an oath and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever." <n>{Ps 110:4}</n> 


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Therefore, because he always lives to intercede for them, he is able to save completely <n>{Or thoroughly}</n> those who come to God through him. 


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We need such a high priest one who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 


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He has no need to offer sacrifices every day like high priests do, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he sacrificed himself. 


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For the Law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promised oath, which came after the Law, results in a Son who is eternally perfect. 


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<n>{The Messiah Has a Better Ministry}</n> d Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we do have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven 


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For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, this high priest <n>{Lit. this one}</n> had to offer something, too. 


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Now if he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, because other men offer the gifts prescribed by the Law. 


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They serve in a sanctuary that is a copy, a shadow of the heavenly one. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tent: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain." <n>{Exod 25:40}</n> 


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However, Jesus <n>{Lit. he}</n> has now obtained a more superior ministry, since the covenant he mediates is founded on better promises. 


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<n>{The New Covenant is Better than the Old}</n> d If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one, 


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but God <n>{Lit. he}</n> found something wrong with his people <n>{Lit. with them}</n> when he said, "Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 


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It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant, I ignored them, declares the Lord. 


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For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 


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Never again will everyone teach his neighbor or his brother by saying, «Know the Lord,'because all of them will know me, from the least important to the most important. 


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For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds, and I will never again remember their sins." <n>{Jer 31:31-34}</n> 


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In speaking of a "new" covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. 


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<n>{The Earthly Sanctuary and Its Ritual}</n> d Now even the first covenant <n>{The Gk. lacks covenant}</n> had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary. 


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For a tent was set up, and in the first part were the lamp stand, the table, and the bread of the Presence. <n>{Lit. the presentation of the bread}</n> This was called the Holy Place. 


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which had the gold altar for incense and the Ark of the Covenant completely covered with gold. In it were the gold jar holding the manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the Tablets of the Covenant. 


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Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of atonement. (We cannot discuss these things in detail now.) 


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When everything had been arranged like this, the priests always went into the first part of the tent to perform their duties. 


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But only the high priest went <n>{The Gk. lacks went}</n> into the second part, and then only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins committed by the people in ignorance. 


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The Holy Spirit was indicating by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first part of the tent was still standing. 


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This illustration for today indicates that the gifts and sacrifices being offered could not clear the conscience of a worshiper, 


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since they deal only with food, drink, and various washings, which are required for the body until the time when things would be set right. 


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<n>{The Messiah Has Offered a Superior Sacrifice}</n> d But when the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> came as a high priest of the good things that have come, <n>{Other mss. read that are to come}</n> he went <n>{The Gk. lacks went}</n> through the greater and more perfect tent that was not made by human <n>{The Gk. lacks human}</n> hands and that is not a part of this creation. 


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Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he went into the Most Holy Place once for all and secured our eternal redemption. 


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For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are unclean purifies them physically, 


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how much more will the blood of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who through the eternal Spirit <n>{Other mss. read through the Holy Spirit}</n> offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our <n>{Other mss. read your}</n> consciences from dead actions so that we may serve the living God! 


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<n>{The Messiah is the Mediator of a New Covenant}</n> d This is why the Messiah <n>{Lit. why he}</n> is the mediator of a new covenant; so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance promised them, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the offenses committed under the first covenant. 


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For a will is in force only when somebody has died, since it never takes effect as long as the one who made it is alive. 


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For after every commandment in the Law had been spoken to all the people by Moses, he took the blood of calves and goats, <n>{Other mss. lack and goats}</n> together with some water, scarlet wool, and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people, 


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In fact, under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of the blood there is no forgiveness. 


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<n>{The Messiah's Perfect Sacrifice}</n> d Thus it was necessary for these earthly <n>{The Gk. lacks earthly}</n> copies of the things in heaven to be cleansed by these sacrifices, <n>{Lit. by these things}</n> but the heavenly things themselves are made clean <n>{The Gk. lacks are made clean}</n> with better sacrifices than these. 


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For the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> did not go into a sanctuary made by human <n>{The Gk. lacks human}</n> hands that is merely a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, to appear now in God's presence on our behalf. 


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Nor did he go into heaven <n>{The Gk. lacks did he go into heaven}</n> to sacrifice himself again and again, the way the high priest goes into the Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 


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Then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the creation of the world. But now, at the end of the ages, he has appeared once for all to remove sin by his sacrifice. 


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Indeed, just as people are destined to die once and after that to be judged, <n>{Lit. after that the judgment}</n> 


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so the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. And he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, <n>{Lit. a second time without sin}</n> but to bring salvation to those who eagerly wait for him. 


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<n>{The Law is a Reflection}</n> d For the Law, being only <n>{The Gk. lacks only}</n> a reflection <n>{Or shadow}</n> of the blessings to come and not their substance, can never make perfect those who come near by the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. 


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Otherwise, would they not have stopped offering them, because the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer be aware of any sins? 


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<n>{The Messiah Offered One Sacrifice}</n> d For this reason, the Scriptures <n>{The Gk. lacks the Scriptures}</n> say, when the Messiah <n>{Lit. when he}</n> was about to come into the world: "You did not want sacrifices and offerings, but you prepared a body for me. 


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Then I said, «See, I have come to do your will, O God'In the volume of the scroll this is written about me." <n>{Ps 40:6-8}</n> 


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In this passage he says, "You never wanted or took delight in sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings," <n>{Ps 40:6}</n> which are offered according to the Law. 


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Then he says, "See, I have come to do your will." <n>{Ps 40:7}</n> He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 


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By God's will we have been sanctified once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Day after day every priest stands and repeatedly offers the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 


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But when this priest <n>{Lit. this one}</n> had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God." <n>{Ps 110:1}</n> 


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"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and will write them on their minds, 


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Now where there is forgiveness of these sins, <n>{Lit. of these things}</n> there is no longer any offering for sin. 


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<n>{How We Should Live}</n> d Therefore, my brothers, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 


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let us continue to come near with sincere hearts in the full assurance that faith provides, because our hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 


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Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful. 


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not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord <n>{The Gk. lacks of the Lord}</n> coming nearer. 


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For if we choose to go on sinning after we have learned the full truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 


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but only a terrifying prospect of judgment and a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. <n>{The Gk. lacks of God}</n> 


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Anyone who violates the Law of Moses dies without mercy "on the testimony of two or three witnesses." <n>{Deut 17:6}</n> 


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How much more severe a punishment do you think that person deserves who tramples on God's Son, treats as common the blood of the covenant by which it <n>{Or he}</n> was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace? 


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For we know the one who said, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay them back," <n>{Deut 32:35}</n> and again, "The Lord will judge his people." <n>{Deut 32:36; Ps 135:14}</n> 


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But you must continue to remember those earlier days, how after you were enlightened you endured a hard and painful struggle. 


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At times you were made a public spectacle by means of insults and persecutions, while at other times you associated with people who were treated this way. 


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For you sympathized <n>{Or suffered}</n> with the prisoners and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, because you know that you have a better and more permanent possession. 


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For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will you can receive what he has promised. 


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but my righteous one will live by faith, and if he turns back, my soul will take no pleasure in him." <n>{Isa 26:20 (LXX); Hab 2:3-4 (LXX)}</n> 


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Now, we do not belong to those who turn back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. 


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<n>{The Meaning of Faith}</n> d Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about <n>{The Gk. lacks will come about}</n> and the certainty that what we cannot see exists. <n>{The Gk. lacks exist}</n> 


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By faith we understand that time was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are invisible. 


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By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, <n>{The Gk. lacks did}</n> and by faith <n>{Lit. it}</n> he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith <n>{Lit. it}</n> he continues to speak, even though he is dead. 


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By faith Enoch was taken away without experiencing death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he won approval as one who pleased God. 


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Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him. 


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By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, reverently prepared an ark to save his family, and by faith <n>{Lit. it}</n> he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith. 


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By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 


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By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise, 


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because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 


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By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful. 


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Abraham <n>{Lit. He}</n> was as good as dead, yet from this one man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 


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All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. 


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If they had been thinking about what they had left behind, they would have had an opportunity to go back. 


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Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them. 


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By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son <n>{Lit. unique one}</n> in sacrifice, 


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about whom it had been said, "It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you." <n>{Gen 21:12}</n> 


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Abraham <n>{Lit. He}</n> was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac <n>{Lit. him}</n> back in this way. 


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By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons "and worshipped while leaning <n>{The Gk. lacks while leaning}</n> on the top of his staff." 


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By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelis and gave them instructions about burying <n>{The Gk. lacks burying}</n> his bones. 


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By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after he was born, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and were not afraid of the king's order. 


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because he preferred being mistreated with God's people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. 


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He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 


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By faith he left Egypt, without being afraid of the king's anger, and he persevered because he saw the one who is invisible. 


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By faith he established the Passover and the sprinkling of blood to keep the destroyer of the firstborn from touching the people. <n>{Lit. them}</n> 


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By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it were dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were drowned. 


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By faith Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had welcomed the spies with a greeting of <n>{The Gk. lacks a greeting of}</n> peace. 


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And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 


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Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions, 


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put out raging fires, escaped death by <n>{Lit. by the edge of}</n> the sword, found strength in weakness, became powerful in battle, and routed foreign armies. 


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Women received their dead raised back to life. Other people were brutally tortured, but refused to be ransomed, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 


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They were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins. They were needy, oppressed, and mistreated. 


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The world wasn't worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and from caves to holes in the ground. 


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<n>{We Must Look Off to Jesus}</n> d Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles <n>{Other mss. read distracts}</n> us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us, 


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fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of <n>{Or instead}</n> the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 


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<n>{The Father Disciplines Us}</n> d Think about the one who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not become tired and give up. 


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In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your <n>{The Gk. lacks the point of shedding your}</n> blood. 


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You have forgotten the encouragement that is addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline or give up when you are corrected by him. 


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For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he punishes <n>{Or whips}</n> every son he accepts." <n>{Prov 3:11-12}</n> 


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What you endure disciplines you: God is treating you as sons. Is there a son whom his father does not discipline? 


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Now if you are without any discipline, in which all sons share, then you are illegitimate and not God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> sons. 


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Furthermore, we had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. We should submit even more to the Father of our spirits and live, shouldn't we? 


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For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but God <n>{Lit. he}</n> does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. 


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No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. 


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and straighten the paths of your life, <n>{Lit. feet}</n> so that your lameness may not become worse, but instead may be healed. 


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See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up and causes you trouble, or many of you will become defiled. 


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For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he could not find any opportunity to repent, even though he begged to repent <n>{Lit. begged for it}</n> with tears. 


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You have not come to something <n>{Other mss. read to a mountain}</n> that can be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, to gloom, 


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to a trumpet's blast, or to a voice that made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. 


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For they could not endure the command that was given: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." <n>{Exod 19:12-13}</n> 


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Indeed, the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." <n>{Deut 9:19}</n> 


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Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to tens of thousands of angels joyfully gathered together, 


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to the assembly <n>{Or church}</n> of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to a judge who is the God of all, to the spirits of righteous people who have been made perfect, 


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to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than Abel's. 


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See to it that you do not ignore the one who is speaking. For if the hearers <n>{Lit. if they}</n> did not escape when they ignored the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape <n>{The Gk. lacks escape}</n> if we turn away from the one who is from heaven! 


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At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven." <n>{Hag 2:6}</n> 


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The expression "once more" <n>{Hag 2:6}</n> signifies the removal of what can be shaken, that is, what he has made, so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 


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Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God in reverence and fear in a way that pleases him. 


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Stop neglecting to show hospitality to strangers, for by showing hospitality <n>{Lit. by this}</n> some have had angels as their guests without being aware of it. 


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Continue to remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them, as well as those who are mistreated, since they also are only mortal. <n>{Lit. are in the body}</n> 


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Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery. 


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Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for God <n>{Lit. he}</n> has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you." <n>{Deut 31:6}</n> 


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Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" <n>{Ps 118:6}</n> 


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Remember your leaders, those who have spoken God's word to you. Think about the impact of their lives, and imitate their faith. 


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Stop being <n>{Or Do not be}</n> carried away by all kinds of unusual teachings, for it is good that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by food laws <n>{Lit. by foods}</n> that have never helped those who follow them. 


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For the bodies of animals, whose blood is taken into the sanctuary by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 


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That is why Jesus, in order to sanctify the people by his own blood, also suffered outside the city gate. 


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Therefore, through him let us always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess his name. 


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Continue to follow and be submissive to your leaders, since they are watching over your souls as those who will have to give a word of explanation. By doing this, you will be letting them carry out their duties joyfully, and not with grief, for that would be harmful for you. 


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Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 


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Now may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, 


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equip you with everything good <n>{Other mss. read for every good work}</n> to do his will, accomplishing in us <n>{Other mss. read you}</n> what pleases him through Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> To him be glory forever and ever! <n>{Other mss. lack and ever}</n> Amen. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d I urge you, brothers, to listen patiently to my encouraging message, <n>{Or word of exhortation}</n> for I have written you a short letter. <n>{Lit. written you briefly}</n> 


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You should know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he comes soon, he will be with me when I see you. 


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<n>{ The Letter of}</n> <n>{ James}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> To: The twelve tribes in the Dispersion. <n>{I.e. the Jewish communities outside the land of Israel}</n> Greetings. 


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<n>{Responding Wisely to Life}</n> d Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, 


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But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 


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Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him. 


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But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 


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For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass. The flower in it drops off, and its beauty is gone. That is how the rich person will fade away in his pursuits. 


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<n>{Trial and Temptation}</n> d How blessed is the man who endures temptation! When he has passed the test, he will receive the victor's crown of life that God <n>{Lit. he ; other mss. read God ; still other mss. read the Lord}</n> has promised to those who keep on loving him. 


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When someone is tempted, he should not say, "I am being tempted by God," because God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. 


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When that desire becomes pregnant, it gives birth to sin; and when that sin grows up, it gives birth to death. 


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Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, <n>{Lit. the Father of lights}</n> in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow. 


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In accordance with his will he made us his children by the word of truth, so that we might become the most important of his creatures. <n>{Lit. a kind of first fruits among his creatures}</n> 


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You must understand this, my dear brothers. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 


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Therefore, rid yourselves of everything impure and every expression of wickedness, and with a gentle spirit welcome the word planted in you that can save your souls. 


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Keep on being obedient to <n>{Or being doers of}</n> the word, and not merely being hearers who deceive themselves. 


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For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror 


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But the one who looks at the perfect law of freedom and remains committed to it thereby demonstrating that he is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of what that law <n>{Lit. what it}</n> requires will be blessed in what he does. 


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If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but instead deceives himself, <n>{Lit. deceives his own heart}</n> his religion is worthless. 


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A religion that is pure and stainless according to <n>{Lit. stainless in the sight of}</n> God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. 


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<n>{Do Not Show Partiality}</n> d My brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> be tainted by favoritism. 


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Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly, <n>{Or synagogue}</n> and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. 


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If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Please take this seat," but you say to the poor man, "Stand over there" or "Sit on the floor at my feet," <n>{Lit. Sit at my footstool}</n> 


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then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not? 


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Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not? 


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But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court? 


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Are not they the ones who blaspheme the noble Name <n>{I.e. God}</n> by which you have been called? 


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Nevertheless, you are doing the right thing if you obey the royal Law in keeping with the Scripture, "You must love your neighbor as yourself." <n>{Lev 19:18}</n> 


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For the one who said, "Never commit adultery," <n>{Exod 20:14; Deut 5:18}</n> also said, "Never murder." <n>{Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17}</n> Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law. 


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You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. 


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<n>{Faith is Shown by Actions}</n> d What good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it? 


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and one of you tells them, "Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily." If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? 


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But someone may say, "You have faith, and I have actions." Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions. 


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You believe that there is one God. That's fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear. 


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Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn't he? 


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You <n>{The Gk. you is singular}</n> see that his faith worked together with what he did, and by his actions his faith was made complete. 


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And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." <n>{Gen 15:6}</n> And so he was called God's friend. 


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You <n>{The Gk. you is plural}</n> observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone. 


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Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers <n>{Other mss. read spies}</n> and sent them away on a different road, wasn't she? 


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For just as the body without the spirit <n>{Or without breath}</n> is dead, so faith without actions is also dead. 


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<n>{Speak Wisely}</n> d Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach <n>{The Gk. lacks who teach}</n> will be judged more severely than others. <n>{The Gk. lacks than others}</n> 


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For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body. 


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Now if we put bits into horses'mouths to make them obey us, we can guide their whole bodies as well. 


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And look at ships! They are so big that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the helmsman directs. 


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In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it can boast of great achievements. A huge forest can be set on fire by a little flame. 


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The tongue is a fire, a world of evil. Placed among the parts of our bodies, the tongue contaminates the whole body and sets on fire the course of life, and is itself set on fire by hell. <n>{Gk. Gehenna ; a Gk. transliteration of the Heb. for Valley of Hinnom}</n> 


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My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, nor a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. 


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<n>{Live Wisely}</n> d Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his noble conduct that his actions are done humbly and wisely. 


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But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, stop boasting and slandering the truth. 


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However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, willing to yield, full of compassion and good deeds, <n>{Lit. fruit}</n> and without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 


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And a harvest of righteousness is grown from the seed of peace <n>{Lit. is grown in peace}</n> planted by peacemakers. 


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<n>{Stop Fighting with Each Other}</n> d Where do those fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your selfish desires that are at war in your bodies, don't they? 


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You want something but do not get it, so you commit murder. You covet something but cannot obtain it, so you quarrel and fight. You do not get things because you do not ask for them! 


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You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason for your own pleasure. 


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You adulterers! Don't you know that friendship with the world means hostility with God? So whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. 


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Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God <n>{Lit. he}</n> caused to live in us jealously yearns for us? <n>{Exod 20:5; Num 11:29}</n> 


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But he gives all the more grace. And so he says, "God opposes the arrogant but gives grace to the humble." <n>{Prov 3:34 (LXX)}</n> 


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Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 


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<n>{Do Not Criticize Each Other}</n> d Do not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge. 


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There is only one Lawgiver and Judge the one who can save and destroy. So who are you to judge your neighbor? 


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<n>{Do Not Boast about Future Plans}</n> d Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money." 


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You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 


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<n>{Advice for Rich People}</n> d Now listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you. 


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your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures in these last days. 


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Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 


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You have lived in luxury and pleasure on earth. You have fattened yourselves <n>{Lit. fattened your hearts}</n> for the day of slaughter. 


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You have condemned and murdered the one who is righteous, even though he did not rebel against you. 


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<n>{Be Patient}</n> d So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious crop from his land, being patient with it until it receives the fall and the spring rains. 


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Do not complain about each other, brothers, or you will be condemned. Look! The Judge is standing at the door! 


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As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord. 


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We consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard about Job's endurance and have seen the purpose of the Lord that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 


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<n>{Do Not Swear Oaths}</n> d Above all, brothers, do not swear oaths by heaven, by earth, or by any other object. <n>{Lit. oath}</n> Instead, let your "Yes" mean yes and your "No" mean no! Otherwise, <n>{Lit. no, lest}</n> you may fall under condemnation. 


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<n>{The Power of Prayer}</n> d Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying. Is anyone cheerful? He should keep reciting psalms. 


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Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 


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And the prayer offered in faith <n>{Lit. the prayer of faith}</n> will save the person who is sick. The Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. 


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Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 


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Elijah was a person just like us, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and rain never came to the land for three years and six months. 


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you may be sure that whoever brings a sinner back from his wrong path will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. 


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<n>{ The Letter Called}</n> <n>{ First Peter}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Peter, an apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> To: The exiles of the Dispersion <n>{I.e. the Jewish communities outside of Israel}</n> in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 


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the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying action of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and to be sprinkled with his blood. May grace and peace be yours in abundance! 


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<n>{Our Hope and Joy are in the Messiah}</n> d Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ}</n> Because of his great mercy he has granted us a new birth, resulting in an immortal hope through the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> from the dead 


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Through faith you are being protected by God's power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era. 


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You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, 


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so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> is revealed. 


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Though you have not seen <n>{Other mss. read known}</n> him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 


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Even the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, carefully researched and investigated this salvation. 


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They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> and the glories that would follow. 


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It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into. 


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<n>{Be Holy}</n> d Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> is revealed. 


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As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that used to influence you when you were ignorant. 


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If you call "Father" the one who judges everyone impartially according to what they have done, you must live in reverent fear as long as you are strangers in a strange land. 


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For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, 


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but with the precious blood of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> like that of a lamb without blemish or defect. 


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On the one hand, he was foreknown before the creation <n>{Or foundation}</n> of the world, but on the other hand, he was revealed at the end of time for your sake. 


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Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God. 


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<n>{Love One Another}</n> d Now that you have obeyed the truth <n>{Other mss. read the truth through the Spirit}</n> and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely, you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart. 


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For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish by the living and everlasting word of God. <n>{Or by the word of the living and everlasting God}</n> 


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For "All human life <n>{Lit. all flesh}</n> is like grass, and all its glory is like a flower in the grass. The grass dries up and the flower drops off, 


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but the word of the Lord lasts forever." <n>{Isa 40:6-8}</n> Now this word is the good news that was announced to you. 


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<n>{Live as God's Chosen People}</n> d Therefore, rid yourselves of every kind of evil and deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. 


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Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation. 


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As you come to him, the living stone who was rejected by people but was chosen and precious in God's sight, 


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you, too, as living stones, are building yourselves up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, so that you may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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This is why it says in Scripture: "Look! I am laying a chosen, precious cornerstone <n>{Or capstone}</n> in Zion. The one who believes in him will never be ashamed." <n>{Isa 28:16}</n> 


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Therefore he is precious to you who believe, but to those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, <n>{Or capstone}</n> 


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a stone they stumble over and a rock they trip on." <n>{Ps 118:22; Isa 8:14}</n> They keep on stumbling because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 


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But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds <n>{Or the excellence ; Cf. Isa 43:21}</n> of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 


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Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 


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<n>{Live as God's Servants}</n> d Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 


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Continue to live such upright lives among the gentiles that, when they slander you as practicers of evil, they may see your good actions and glorify God when he visits them. <n>{Lit. God on the day of visitation}</n> 


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For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk <n>{Lit. the ignorance}</n> of foolish people. 


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Live like free people, and do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil. Instead, be God's servants. 


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Honor everyone. Keep on loving the community of believers, <n>{Lit. the brotherhood}</n> fearing God, and honoring the king. 


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<n>{Suffer Patiently}</n> d You household servants must submit yourselves to your masters out of respect, not only to those who are kind and fair, but also to those who are unjust. 


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For it is a fine thing if, when moved by your conscience to please God, you suffer patiently when wronged. 


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What good does it do if, when you sin, you patiently receive punishment for it? But if you suffer for doing good and receive it patiently, you have God's approval. 


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This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because: The Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps. 


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"He never sinned, and he never told a lie." <n>{Lit. and no deceit was found in his mouth ; cf. Isa 53:9}</n> 


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When he was insulted, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he did not threaten. It was his habit to commit the matter to the one who judges fairly. 


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"He himself bore our sins" <n>{Isa 53:4,12}</n> in his body on the tree, so that we might die to those sins and live righteously. "By his wounds you have been healed." <n>{Isa 53:5}</n> 


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You were "like sheep that kept going astray," <n>{Isa 53:6}</n> but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. 


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<n>{Wives and Husbands}</n> d In a similar way, you wives must submit yourselves to your husbands so that, even if some of them refuse to obey the word, they may be won over without a word through your conduct as wives 


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Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. 


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Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly. <n>{Lit. which is of great value before God}</n> 


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After all, this is how holy women who set their hope on God used to make themselves beautiful in the past. They submitted themselves to their husbands, 


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just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters by doing good and by not letting anything terrify you. 


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In a similar way, you husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate partner. <n>{Lit. with the weaker vessel}</n> Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers. 


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<n>{When You are Wronged}</n> d Finally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. 


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Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing. 


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"For the person who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 


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For the Lord watches the righteous, <n>{Lit. the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous}</n> and he pays attention to their prayers. <n>{Lit. and his ears are attentive to their prayer}</n> But the Lord opposes those <n>{Lit. the face of the Lord is against}</n> who do wrong." <n>{Ps 34:12-16}</n> 


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But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. "Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset. 


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Instead, exalt <n>{Or set apart}</n> the Messiah" <n>{Or Christ ; cf. Isa 8:12}</n> as Lord in your lives. <n>{Lit. hearts}</n> Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to explain the hope you have. 


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But do this <n>{The Gk. lacks do this}</n> gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> will be ashamed of slandering you. 


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For the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> also suffered <n>{Other mss. read died}</n> for sins once for all, an innocent person for the guilty, so that he could bring you <n>{Other mss. read us}</n> to God. He was put to death in a mortal body but was brought to life by the Spirit, 


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who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah, when God waited patiently while the ark was being built. In it a few, that is, eight persons, were saved by water. 


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Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear <n>{Lit. clean}</n> conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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who has gone to heaven and is at the right hand of God, where angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to him. 


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<n>{Good Managers of God's Grace}</n> d Therefore, since the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> suffered in a mortal body, <n>{Other mss. read suffered for us ; still other mss. read suffered for you}</n> you, too, must arm yourselves with the same determination, because the person who has suffered in a mortal body has stopped sinning, 


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so that he can live the rest of his mortal life <n>{Lit. time}</n> guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God. 


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For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry. 


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They insult you now because they are surprised that you are no longer joining them in the same excesses of wild living. 


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Indeed, this is why the gospel was proclaimed even to those who have died, so that they could be judged in their mortal flesh like all humans and live in the spiritual realm like God. 


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As good servant managers of God's grace in its various forms, serve one another with the gift each of you has received. 


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Whoever speaks must speak God's words. <n>{Lit. If anyone speaks as the words of God}</n> Whoever serves must serve with the strength <n>{Lit. Whoever serves as with the strength}</n> that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen. 


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<n>{Suffering as a Christian}</n> d Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 


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Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 


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If you are insulted because of the name of the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> you are blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God is resting on you. <n>{Other mss. read on you. For their sake he is being blasphemed, but for your sake he is being glorified.}</n> 


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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 outcome for those who refuse to obey the gospel of God? 


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"If it is hard for the righteous person to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly and sinful person?" <n>{Prov 11:31 (LXX)}</n> 


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So then, those who suffer according to God's will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do what is good. 


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<n>{Be Shepherds of God's Flock}</n> d Therefore, as a fellow elder, a witness of the Messiah's <n>{Or Christ's}</n> sufferings, and one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you: 


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


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Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the victor's crown of glory that will never fade away. 


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<n>{Be Humble and Alert}</n> d In a similar way, you young people must submit to the elders. <n>{Or to those who are older}</n> All of you must clothe yourselves with humility for the sake of each other, because: "God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble." <n>{Prov 3:34 (LXX)}</n> 


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Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 


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


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Resist him and be firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 


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After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you by the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> Jesus <n>{Other mss. lack Jesus}</n> to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Through Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to testify that this is to be the true grace of God in which you are to stand firm! 


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Your sister church <n>{Lit. She who is}</n> in Babylon, chosen along with you, sends you greetings, as does Mark, whom I regard as a son. 


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Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace be to all of you who are in the Messiah! <n>{Or Christ ; other mss. read the Messiah Jesus! Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter Called}</n> <n>{ Second Peter}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: <n>{The Gk. lacks From}</n> Simeon <n>{Other mss. read Simon}</n> Peter, a servant <n>{Or slave}</n> and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> To: Those who have received faith that is as valuable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{We are Called to Holy Living}</n> d His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the full knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. 


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Through these he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, seeing that you have escaped the corruption that is in the world caused by evil desires. 


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For this very reason, you must make every effort to supplement your faith with moral character, your moral character with knowledge, 


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For if you possess these qualities, and if they continue to increase among you, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in attaining a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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For the person who lacks these qualities is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing that he has received from his past sins. 


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So then, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election certain, for if you keep on doing this you will never fail. 


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For in this way you will be generously granted entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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Therefore, I intend to keep on reminding you about these things, even though you already know them and are firmly established in the truth that you now have. 


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because I know that the removal of my bodily tent will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> has shown me. 


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<n>{Pay Attention to God's Word}</n> d When we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> we did not follow any clever myths. Rather, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 


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For he received honor and glory from God the Father when these words from the Majestic Glory were spoken about him: "This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him." 


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Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 


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First of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, 


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because no prophecy ever originated through a human decision. Instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 


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<n>{Warning against False Teachers}</n> d Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 


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Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned. <n>{Or blasphemed}</n> 


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In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. The ancient verdict against them is still in force, and their destruction is not delayed. <n>{Lit. asleep}</n> 


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For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but threw them into the lowest hell <n>{Gk. Tartarus ; a reference to the realm of the dead}</n> and imprisoned them in chains <n>{Other mss. read pits}</n> of deepest darkness, holding them for judgment; 


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and if he did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah, a righteous preacher, along with seven others when he brought the flood on the world of ungodly people; 


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and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them; 


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and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was greatly distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people 


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for as long as that righteous man lived among them, day after day he was being tortured in his righteous soul by what he saw and heard in their lawless actions 


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then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment, 


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especially those who satisfy their flesh by indulging in its passions and who despise authority. Being bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander glorious beings. 


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Yet even angels, although they are greater in strength and power, do not bring a slanderous accusation against them from the Lord. 


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These people, like irrational animals, are mere creatures of instinct that are born to be caught and killed. They insult what they don't understand, and like animals they, too, will be destroyed, 


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suffering harm as punishment for their wrongdoing. They take pleasure in wild parties in broad daylight. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures <n>{Other mss. read in their love feasts}</n> while they eat with you. 


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With eyes full of adultery, they cannot get enough of sin. They seduce unsteady souls and have had their hearts expertly trained in greed. They are doomed to a curse. <n>{Lit. children of a curse}</n> 


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They have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Bosor's <n>{Other mss. read Beor's}</n> son Balaam, who loved the reward he got for doing wrong. 


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But he was rebuked for his offense. A donkey that normally cannot talk spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's insanity. 


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These men are dried-up springs, mere clouds driven by a storm. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them. 


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By talking high-sounding nonsense and using sinful cravings of the flesh, they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. 


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Promising them freedom, they themselves are slaves to depravity, for a person is a slave to whatever conquers him. 


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For if, after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> they are again entangled and conquered by those corruptions, <n>{Lit. by them}</n> then their last condition is worse than their former one. 


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It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. 


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The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: "A dog returns to its vomit," <n>{Prov 26:11}</n> and "A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud." <n>{The source of this quotation appears to be the Syrian Story of Ahikar .}</n> 


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<n>{Be Ready for the Day of the Lord}</n> d Dear friends, this is now the second of two letters <n>{Lit. second letter}</n> I am writing to you, in which I have been trying to stimulate your pure minds by reminding you 


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to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken <n>{The Gk. lacks spoken}</n> through your apostles. 


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First of all you must understand this: In the last days mockers will come and, following their own desires, will ridicule us <n>{Jude 18}</n> 


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by saying, "What happened to the Messiah's <n>{Lit. to his}</n> promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, <n>{Lit. fell asleep}</n> everything continues as it did from the beginning of creation." 


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But they deliberately ignore the fact that long ago the heavens existed and the earth was formed by God's word out of water and with water, 


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Now by that same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire and are being kept for the day when ungodly people will be judged and destroyed. 


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Don't forget this fact, dear friends: With the Lord a single day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a single day. 


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The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants <n>{The Gk. lacks wants}</n> everyone to repent. 


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But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day <n>{Lit. On it}</n> the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed. 


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Since everything will be destroyed in this way, think of the kind of holy and godly people you ought to be 


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as you look forward to and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire. 


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But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. 


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So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to have the Lord <n>{Lit. have him}</n> find you at peace and without spot or fault. 


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Think of our Lord's patience as facilitating salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him. 


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He speaks about this subject in all his letters. Some things in them are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, leading to their own destruction, as they do the rest of the Scriptures. 


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And so, dear friends, since you already know these things, continually be on your guard not to be carried away by the deception of lawless people. Otherwise, you may <n>{Lit. people, lest you}</n> fall from your secure position. 


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Instead, continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> Glory belongs to him both now and on that eternal day! Amen. <n>{Other mss. lack Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter Called}</n> <n>{ First John}</n> d <n>{Jesus, the Word of Life}</n> d What existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and touched with our own hands this is the <n>{Lit. about the}</n> Word of life! 


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This life was revealed to us, and we have seen it and testify about it. We declare to you this eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. 


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What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{Or Christ}</n> 


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We are writing these things <n>{Other mss. read these things to you}</n> so that our <n>{Other mss. read your}</n> joy may be full. 


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<n>{Living in the Light}</n> d This is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness none at all! 


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If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. 


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But if we keep living in the light as he himself 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 say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we're not being truthful to ourselves. 


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If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 


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<n>{The Messiah is Our Advocate}</n> d My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus, the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> one who is righteous. 


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It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world's. 


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The person who says, "I have come to know him," but does not continually keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth has no place in that person. 


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But whoever continually keeps his commandments is the kind of person in whom God's love has truly been perfected. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: <n>{Lit. him}</n> 


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<n>{We Must Obey God's Commandments}</n> d Dear friends, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard. 


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On the other hand, I am writing to you a new commandment that is truly in him and in you. For the darkness is fading away, and the true light is already shining. 


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But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He 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 have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have overcome the evil one. 


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I have written to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, because you are strong and because God's word remains in you and you have overcome the evil one. 


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Stop loving <n>{Or Don't love}</n> the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father's love is not in him. 


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For everything that is in the world the desire for fleshly gratification, <n>{Lit. for the flesh}</n> the desire for possessions, <n>{Lit. of the eyes}</n> and worldly arrogance is not from the Father but is from the world. 


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<n>{Live in the Messiah}</n> d Little children, it is the last hour. Just as you heard that an antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 


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They left us, but they were not part of us, for if they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. Their leaving made it clear that none of them was really part of us. 


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You have an anointing from the Holy One and know all things. <n>{Other mss. read and all of you know}</n> 


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I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because lies don't come from truth. 


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Who is a liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? <n>{Or Christ}</n> The person who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 


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What you have heard from the beginning must abide in you. If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also abide in the Son and in the Father. 


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I have written <n>{Lit. written these things}</n> to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 


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The anointing you received from God <n>{Lit. him}</n> abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you this. <n>{The Gk. lacks this}</n> Instead, because God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not a lie, abide in him, as he taught you to do. <n>{The Gk. lacks to do}</n> 


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<n>{Abide in Him}</n> d Even now, little children, abide in him. Then, when he appears, we will have confidence and will not turn away from him in shame when he comes. 


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Since you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered by God. <n>{Lit. by him}</n> 


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<n>{We are God's Children}</n> d See what kind of love the Father has given us: We are called God's children and that is what we are! <n>{Other mss. lack And that is what we are!}</n> For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him, either. 


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Dear friends, we are now God's children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah <n>{Lit. he}</n> is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is. 


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And everyone who has this hope based on him keeps himself pure, just as the Messiah <n>{Lit. as he}</n> is pure. 


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You know that the Messiah <n>{Lit. that he}</n> was revealed to take away sins, <n>{Other mss. read our sins}</n> and there is not any sin in him. 


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No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn't seen him or known him. 


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Little children, don't let anyone deceive you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, just as the Messiah <n>{Lir. as he}</n> is righteous. 


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The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the devil has been doing. 


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No one who has been born from God practices sin, because God's <n>{Lit. his}</n> seed abides in him. Indeed, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born from God. 


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This is how God's children and the devil's children are distinguished. <n>{Lit. are revealed}</n> No person who fails to practice righteousness and to love his brother is from God. 


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<n>{Love One Another}</n> d This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 


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Do not be like Cain, <n>{Lit. Not like Cain}</n> who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because what he was doing was evil and his brother's actions <n>{The Gk. lacks actions}</n> were righteous. 


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We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love <n>{Other mss. read doesn't love his brother}</n> remains spiritually <n>{The Gk. lacks spiritually}</n> dead. 


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Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him. 


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This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah <n>{Lit. he}</n> gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 


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Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him? 


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Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love <n>{The Gk. lacks love}</n> also in action <n>{Or work}</n> and in truth. 


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This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves <n>{Lit. keep our hearts}</n> strong in his presence. 


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And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> and to love one another as he commanded us. 


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The person who keeps his commandments abides in God, <n>{Lit. in him}</n> and God abides in him. <n>{Lit. and he in him}</n> This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit. 


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<n>{Test What People Say}</n> d Dear friends, stop believing <n>{Or do not believe}</n> every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 


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This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has become human and remains so is from God. 


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But every spirit who does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist. You have heard that he is coming, and now he is already in the world. 


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Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 


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These people belong to the world. That is why they speak from the world's perspective, <n>{Lit. from the world}</n> and the world listens to them. 


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We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit. 


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<n>{God's Love Lives in Us}</n> d Dear friends, let us continually love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. 


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This is how God's love was revealed among us: God sent his unique Son into the world so that we might live through him. 


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This is love: not that we have loved <n>{Other mss. read we loved}</n> God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 


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No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 


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We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 


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We have come to know and rely on <n>{Lit. believe in}</n> the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 


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This is how love has been perfected among us: we will have confidence on the day of judgment because, during our time in this world, we are just like him. 


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There is no fear where love exists. <n>{Lit. in love}</n> Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. 


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We love <n>{Other mss. read love him ; still other mss. read love God}</n> because God <n>{Lit. he}</n> first loved us. 


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Whoever says, "I love God," but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen. 


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And this is the commandment that we have from him: the person who loves God must also love his brother. 


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<n>{Faith Overcomes the World}</n> d Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah <n>{Or Christ}</n> has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child. 


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For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments, and his commandments are not difficult, 


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because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. 


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This man, Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> is the one who came by water and blood not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth. 


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For there are three witnesses <n>{Other mss. read witnesses in heaven the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 8 And there are three witnesses on earth}</n> 


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If we accept human testimony, God's testimony is greater, because it is the testimony of God and because he has testified about his Son. 


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The person who believes in the Son of God believes this testimony personally. <n>{Lit. God has this testimony in himself}</n> The person who does not believe God <n>{Other mss. read the Son}</n> has made him a liar by not believing the testimony that he <n>{Lit. God}</n> has given about his Son. 


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The person who has the Son has this life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have this life. 


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<n>{Conclusion}</n> d I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 


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And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. 


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If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray that God <n>{Lit. he}</n> would give him life. This applies to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not telling you to pray about that. 


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We know that the person who has been born from God does not go on sinning. Rather, the Son <n>{Lit. the one who has been born}</n> of God protects them, and the evil one cannot harm them. 


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We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. <n>{Other mss. read the true one}</n> We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah, <n>{Or Christ}</n> who is the true God and eternal life. 


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<n>{ The Letter Called}</n> <n>{ Second John}</n> d <n>{Greetings from John}</n> d From: <n>{1 The Gk. lacks From}</n> The Elder To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I genuinely love, 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 <n>{3 Other mss. read the Lord Jesus}</n> the Messiah, <n>{3 Or Christ}</n> the Father's Son, in truth and love. 


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<n>{Living in the Truth}</n> d I was overjoyed to find some of your <n>{4 Lit. your (singular)}</n> children living truthfully, just as the Father has commanded us. 


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Dear lady, I am now requesting of you <n>{5 Lit. you (singular)}</n> that we all continue to love one another. It is not as though I am writing to give you <n>{5 Lit. you (singular)}</n> a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning. 


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And this is what demonstrates <n>{6 The Gk. lacks what demonstrates}</n> love: that we live according to God's <n>{6 Lit. his}</n> commandments. Just as you <n>{6 Lit. you (plural)}</n> have heard from the beginning what he commanded, you <n>{6 Lit. you (plural)}</n> must live by it. 


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<n>{Reject False Teachers}</n> d For many deceivers have gone out into the world. They refuse to acknowledge Jesus the Messiah <n>{7 Or Christ}</n> as having become human. Any such person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 


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See <n>{8 The Gk. verb is plural}</n> to it that you <n>{8 Lit. you (plural)}</n> don't destroy what we have <n>{8 Other mss. read you have}</n> worked for, but that you <n>{8 Lit. you (plural)}</n> receive your <n>{8 Lit. your (plural)}</n> full reward. 


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Everyone who does not remain true to the teaching of the Messiah, <n>{9 Or Christ}</n> but goes beyond it, does not have God. The person who remains true to the teaching of the Messiah <n>{9 Or Christ}</n> has both the Father and the Son. 


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If anyone comes to you <n>{10 Lit. you (plural)}</n> but does not present his teachings, <n>{10 Lit. this teaching}</n> do not receive <n>{10 The Gk. verb is plural}</n> him into your house or even welcome <n>{10 The Gk. verb is plural}</n> him, 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Although I have a great deal to write to you, <n>{12 Lit. you (plural)}</n> I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 


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The children of your <n>{13 Lit. you (singular)}</n> chosen sister greet you. <n>{13 Other mss. read you. Amen}</n> 


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<n>{ The Letter Called}</n> <n>{ Third John}</n> d <n>{Greetings from John}</n> d From: <n>{1 The Gk. lacks From}</n> The Elder To: My dear friend Gaius, whom I genuinely love. 


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<n>{Encouragement for Gaius}</n> d Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way and that you are healthy, just as your soul is healthy. 


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I was overjoyed when some brothers arrived and testified about your truthfulness and how you live according to the truth. 


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Dear friend, you are faithful in whatever you do for the brothers, especially when they are strangers. 


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They have testified before the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 


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After all, they went on their trip for the sake of the Name, <n>{7 I.e. God}</n> accepting no support from gentiles. 


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<n>{Criticism of Diotrephes}</n> d I wrote a letter <n>{9 Lit. wrote something}</n> to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge, will not recognize our authority. <n>{9 The Gk. lacks authority}</n> 


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For this reason, when I come I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with that, he refuses to receive the brothers. He even tries to stop those who want to accept them <n>{10 The Gk. lacks accept them}</n> and throws them out of the church. 


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<n>{Praise for Demetrius}</n> d Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The person who does what is good is from God. The person who does what is evil has never seen God. 


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Demetrius has received a good report from everyone, including the truth itself. We, too, can testify to this report, and you know that our testimony is true. 


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<n>{Final Greeting}</n> d Although I have a great deal to write to you, <n>{13 Lit. you (singular)}</n> I would rather not write with pen and ink. 


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Instead, I hope to see you <n>{13 Lit. you (singular)}</n> soon and speak face to face. May peace be with you! <n>{13 Lit. you (singular)}</n> Your friends greet you. <n>{13 Lit. you (singular)}</n> Greet <n>{13 The Gk. verb is singular}</n> each of our friends by name. 


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<n>{ The Letter of}</n> <n>{ Jude}</n> d <n>{Greetings}</n> d From: Jude, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, <n>{1 Or Christ}</n> and yet a brother of James. To: Those who have been called, who are loved <n>{1 Other mss. read sanctified}</n> by God the Father and kept safe by Jesus, the Messiah. <n>{1 Or Christ}</n> 


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<n>{Warning about False Teachers}</n> d Dear friends, although I was eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write to you and urge you to continue your vigorous defense of the faith that was passed down to the saints once and for all. 


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For some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. They were written about long ago as being deserving of this condemnation because they are ungodly. They turn the grace of our God into uncontrollable lust and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus the Messiah. <n>{4 Or Christ}</n> 


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Now I want to remind you, even though you are fully aware of these things, that the Lord who once saved his people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe. 


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He has also held in eternal chains those angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their assigned place. They are held in deepest darkness for judgment on the great day. <n>{6 I.e. the day of judgment}</n> 


