# verses

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All of us who are grown up in the faith should see things that way. Maybe you think differently about something. But God will make it clear to you.


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Brothers and sisters, join with others in following my example. Pay close attention to those who live in keeping with the pattern we gave you.


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I have told you those things many times before. Now I say it again with tears in my eyes. Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ.


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The only thing they have coming to them is death. Their stomach is their god. They brag about what they should be ashamed of. They think only about earthly things.


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But we are citizens of heaven. And we can hardly wait for a Savior from there. He is the Lord Jesus Christ.


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He has the power to bring everything under his control. By his power he will change our earthly bodies. They will become like his glorious body.


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My brothers and sisters, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord's strength. I love you and long for you. Dear friends, you are my joy and my crown.


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Here is what I'm asking Euodia and Syntyche to do. I want them to agree with each other because they belong to the Lord.


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My true companion, here is what I ask you to do. Help those women. They have served at my side. They have helped me spread the good news. So have Clement and the rest of those who have worked together with me. Their names are all written in the Book of Life.


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Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God's peace can never be completely understood.


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Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.


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Do what you have learned or received or heard from me. Follow my example. The God who gives peace will be with you.


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At last you are concerned about me again. That makes me very happy. We belong to the Lord. I know that you have been concerned. But you had no chance to show it.


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I'm not saying that because I need anything. I have learned to be content no matter what happens to me.


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I know what it's like not to have what I need. I also know what it's like to have more than I need. I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough.


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And you believers at Philippi know what happened when I left Macedonia. Not one church helped me in the matter of giving and receiving. You were the only one that did. That was in the early days when you first heard the good news.


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I have received my full pay, and even more than that. I have everything I need. That's because Epaphroditus brought me the gifts you sent. They are a sweet-smelling offering. They are a gift that God accepts. He is pleased with it.


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My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with his wonderful riches that come to you because you belong to Christ Jesus.


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Greet all of God's people. They belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings.


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All of God's people here send you greetings. Most of all, those who live in the palace of Caesar send you greetings.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing.


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We are sending this letter to you, our brothers and sisters in Colosse. You belong to Christ. You are holy and faithful. May God our Father give you grace and peace.


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We thank him because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus. We have also heard that you love all of God's people.


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Your faith and love are based on the hope you have. What you hope for is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about it. You were told about it when the message of truth was given to you. I'm talking about the good news


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that has come to you. All over the world the good news is bearing fruit and growing. It has been doing that among you since the day you heard it. That is when you understood God's grace in all its truth.


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You learned the good news from Epaphras. He is dear to us. He serves Christ together with us. He faithfully works for Christ and for us among you.


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That's why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We have been asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray that he will give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.


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We pray that you will lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We want you to grow to know God better.


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We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. Never give up. Be joyful


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as you give thanks to the Father. He has made you fit to share with all his people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light.


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He has saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.


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Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free. Because of him, all of our sins have been forgiven.


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Christ is the exact likeness of God, who can't be seen. He is first, and he is over all of creation.


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All things were created by him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can't be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. Everything was created by him and for him.


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And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything.


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God was pleased to bring all things back to himself because of what Christ has done. That includes all things on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ's blood, through his death on the cross.


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But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ's death has made you holy in God's sight. So now you don't have any flaw. You are free from blame.


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But you must keep your faith steady and firm. Don't move away from the hope that the good news holds out to you. It is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.


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I am happy because of what was suffered for you. And in my body I fill up my share in Christ's sufferings. I do it for his body, which is the church.


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That word contains the mystery that has been hidden for many ages. But now it has been made known to God's people.


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God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery. He has made it known among those who aren't Jews. And here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.


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We preach about him. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone. When we bring them to God, we want them to be perfect as people who belong to Christ.


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That's what I'm working for. I work hard with all of Christ's strength. His strength works powerfully in me.


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I want you to know how hard I am working for you. I'm concerned for those who are in Laodicea. I'm also concerned for everyone who has not met me in person.


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I want their hearts to be made cheerful and strong. I want them to be joined together in love. Then their understanding will be rich and complete. They will know the mystery of God. That mystery is Christ.


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So even though I am away from you in body, I am with you in spirit. I am glad to see that you are doing everything in good order. And I am happy that your faith in Christ is so strong.


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Have your roots in him. Build yourselves up in him. Grow strong in what you believe, just as you were taught. Be more thankful than ever before.


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Make sure no one captures you. They will try to capture you by using false reasoning that has no meaning. Their ideas depend on human teachings. They also depend on the basic things the people of this world believe. They don't depend on Christ.


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Because you belong to Christ, you have everything you need. He is the ruler over every power and authority.


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When you received Christ, you were also circumcised by putting away your sinful nature. Human hands didn't circumcise you. Christ did.


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When you were baptized, you were buried together with him. You were raised to life together with him by believing in God's power. God raised Jesus from the dead.


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At one time you were dead in your sins. Your sinful nature was not circumcised. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave us all of our sins.


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He wiped out the written Law with its rules. The Law was against us. It opposed us. He took it away and nailed it to the cross.


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He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross.


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So don't let anyone judge you because of what you eat or drink. Don't let anyone judge you about holy days. I'm talking about special feasts and New Moons and Sabbath days.


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Some people enjoy pretending they aren't proud. They worship angels. But don't let people like that hold you back from winning the prize. They tell you every little thing about what they have seen. Their minds are not guided by the Holy Spirit. So they are proud of their useless ideas.


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They aren't connected to the Head. But the whole body grows from the Head. The muscles and tendons hold the body together. And God causes it to grow.


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The people of the world believe certain basic things. You died with Christ as far as things like that are concerned. So why do you act as if you still belong to the world? Here are the rules you follow.


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Rules like that are all going to die out as time goes by. They are only based on human rules and teachings.


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It is true that those rules seem wise. Because of them, people give themselves over to their own kind of worship. They pretend they aren't proud. They treat their bodies very badly. But rules like that don't help. They don't stop people from chasing after sinful pleasures.


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You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God's right hand.


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So put to death anything that belongs to your earthly nature. Get rid of your sexual sins and unclean acts. Don't let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil longings. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods.


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But now here are the kinds of things you must get rid of. You must put away anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths.


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You have started living a new life. It is being made new so that what you know has the Creator's likeness.


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Here there is no Greek or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.


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You are God's chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don't be proud. Be gentle and patient.


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Put up with each other. Forgive the things you are holding against one another. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you.


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And over all of those good things put on love. Love holds them all together perfectly as if they were one.


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Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful.


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Let Christ's word live in you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct each other wisely. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing with thanks in your hearts to God.


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Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ.


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Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything. Don't do it just to please them when they are watching you. Obey them with an honest heart. Do it out of respect for the Lord.


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Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters.


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Work because you know that you will finally receive as a reward what the Lord wants you to have. You are serving the Lord Christ.


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Masters, give your slaves what is right and fair. Do it because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.


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Pray for us too. Pray that God will open a door for our message. Then we can preach the mystery of Christ. Because I preached it, I am being held by chains.


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Let the words you speak always be full of grace. Season them with salt. Then you will know how to answer everyone.


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Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother. He is a faithful worker. He serves the Lord together with us.


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I am sending him to you for one reason. I want you to know what is happening here. I want him to cheer you up and make your hearts strong.


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He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother. He is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.


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Aristarchus is in prison with me. He sends you his greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have been given directions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him.


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Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. They are the only Jews who work together with me for God's kingdom. They have been a comfort to me.


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Epaphras sends greetings. He is one of you. He serves Christ Jesus. He is always praying hard for you. He prays that you will stand firm in holding to all that God has in mind for us. He prays that you will continue to grow in your knowledge of what God wants you to do. He also prays that you will be completely sure about it.


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I am happy to tell you that he is working very hard for you. He is also working hard for everyone in Laodicea and Hierapolis.


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Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea. Also give my greetings to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.


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After this letter has been read to you, send it on. Be sure that it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And be sure that you read the letter from Laodicea.


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I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember that I am being held by chains. May grace be with you.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy join me in writing. We are sending this letter to you, the members of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be given to you.


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We never forget you when we pray to our God and Father. Your work is produced by your faith. Your service is the result of your love. Your strength to continue comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Our good news didn't come to you only in words. It came with power. It came with the Holy Spirit's help. He gave us complete faith in what we were preaching. You know how we lived among you for your good.


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We and the Lord were your examples. You followed us. You suffered terribly. Even so, you welcomed our message with the joy the Holy Spirit gives.


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The Lord's message rang out from you. That was true not only in Macedonia and Achaia. Your faith in God has also become known everywhere. So we don't have to say anything about it.


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The believers themselves report the kind of welcome you gave us. They tell about how you turned away from statues of gods to serve the living and true God.


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They tell about how you are waiting for his Son to come from heaven. God raised him from the dead. He is Jesus. He saves us from God's anger, and his anger is sure to come.


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You know what happened earlier in the city of Philippi. We suffered, and people treated us badly there. But God gave us the boldness to tell you his good news. We preached to you even though people opposed us strongly.


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In fact, it is just the opposite. God has accepted us to preach. He has trusted us with the good news. We aren't trying to please people. We want to please God. He puts our hearts to the test.


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As you know, we never praised you if we didn't mean it. We didn't put on a mask to cover up any sinful longing. God is our witness that this is true.


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We were not expecting people to praise us. We were not looking for praise from you or anyone else. As Christ's apostles, we could have caused you some expense.


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We loved you so much that we were happy to share with you God's good news. We were also happy to share our lives with you. You had become very special to us.


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Brothers and sisters, I am sure you remember how hard we worked. We labored night and day while we preached to you God's good news. We didn't want to cause you any expense.


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You are witnesses of how we lived among you believers. God is also a witness that we were holy and godly and without blame.


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We gave you hope and strength. We comforted you. We really wanted you to live in a way that is worthy of God. He chooses you to enter his glorious kingdom.


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We never stop thanking God for the way you received his word. You heard it from us. But you didn't accept it as a human word. You accepted it for what it really is. It is God's word. It is at work in you who believe.


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Brothers and sisters, you became like the members of God's churches in Judea. They are believers in Christ Jesus, just as you are. People in your own country made you suffer. You went through the same things the church members in Judea suffered from the Jews.


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The Jews who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets also forced us to leave. They do not please God. They are enemies of everyone.


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They try to keep us from speaking to those who aren't Jews. The Jews don't want them to be saved. In that way, the Jews always increase their sins to the limit. God's anger has come on them at last.


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Brothers and sisters, we were torn away from you for a short time. We were no longer with you in person, but we kept you in our thoughts. We really longed to see you. So we tried very hard to do so.


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What is our hope? What is our joy? When our Lord Jesus returns, what is the crown we will delight in? Isn't it you?


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We sent our brother Timothy to give you strength and hope in your faith. He works together with God in spreading the good news about Christ.


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We sent him so that no one would be upset by times of testing. You know very well that we have to go through them.


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In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that our enemies would make us suffer. As you know very well, it has turned out that way.


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That's the reason I sent someone to find out about your faith. I couldn't wait any longer. I was afraid that Satan might have tempted you in some way. Then our efforts would have been useless.


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But Timothy has come to us from you just now. He has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have happy memories of us. He has also said that you long to see us, just as we long to see you.


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Night and day we pray very hard that we will see you again. We want to give you what is missing in your faith.


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May the Lord make your love grow. May it be like a rising flood. May your love for one another increase. May it also increase for everyone else. May it be just like our love for you.


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May the Lord give you strength in your hearts. Then you will be holy and without blame in the sight of our God and Father. May that be true when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.


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Finally, brothers and sisters, we taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. In fact, that is how you are living. In the name of the Lord Jesus we ask and beg you to do it more and more.


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He wants all of you to learn to control your own bodies. You must live in a way that is holy. You must live with honor.


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None of you should sin against your brother by doing that. You should not take advantage of him. The Lord will punish everyone who commits those kinds of sins. We have already told you and warned you about that.


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So if you refuse to accept my teaching, you turn your back on God, not on people. God gives you his Holy Spirit.


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We don't need to write to you about love among believers. God himself has taught you to love each other.


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In fact, you do love all the brothers and sisters all around Macedonia. But we are asking you to love each other more and more.


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Do everything you can to live a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands, just as we told you to.


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Brothers and sisters, we want you to know what happens to those who die. We don't want you to be sad, as other people are. They don't have any hope.


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We believe that Jesus died and rose again. When he returns, many who believe in him will have died already. We believe that God will bring them back with Jesus.


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That agrees with what the Lord has said. When the Lord comes, many of us will still be alive. We tell you that we will certainly not go up before those who have died.


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The Lord himself will come down from heaven. We will hear a loud command. We will hear the voice of the leader of the angels. We will hear a blast from God's trumpet. Many who believe in Christ will have died already. They will rise first.


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After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them. We will be taken up in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with him forever.


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People will be saying that everything is peaceful and safe. Then suddenly they will be destroyed. It will happen like birth pains coming on a pregnant woman. None of the people will escape.


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Brothers and sisters, you are not in darkness. So that day should not surprise you as a thief would.


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All of you are children of the light. You are children of the day. We don't belong to the night. We don't belong to the darkness.


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So let us not be like the others. They are asleep. Instead, let us be wide awake and in full control of ourselves.


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But we belong to the day. So let us control ourselves. Let us put the armor of faith and love on our chest. Let us put on the hope of salvation like a helmet.


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God didn't choose us to receive his anger. He chose us to receive salvation because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.


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Jesus died for us. Some will be alive when he comes. Others will be dead. Either way, we will live together with him.


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So cheer each other up with the hope you have. Build each other up. In fact, that's what you are doing.


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Brothers and sisters, we ask you to have respect for the godly leaders who work hard among you. They have authority over you. They correct you.


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Brothers and sisters, we are asking you to warn those who don't want to work. Cheer up those who are shy. Help those who are weak. Put up with everyone.


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Make sure that nobody pays back one wrong act with another. Always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.


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God is the God who gives peace. May he make you holy through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept free from blame. May you be without blame from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy join me in writing. We are sending this letter to you, the members of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Brothers and sisters, we should always thank God for you. That is only right, because your faith is growing more and more. The love you all have for each other is increasing.


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So among God's churches we brag about the fact that you don't give up easily. We brag about your faith in all the suffering and testing you are going through.


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All of this proves that when God judges, he is fair. So you will be considered worthy to enter God's kingdom. You are suffering for his kingdom.


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He will help you who are troubled. And he will also help us. All of those things will happen when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come in blazing fire. He will come with the angels who are given the power to do what God wants.


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He will punish those who don't know God. He will punish those who don't obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.


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They will be destroyed forever. They will be shut out of heaven. They will never see the glory of the Lord's power.


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All of those things will happen when he comes. On that day his glory will be seen in his holy people. Everyone who has believed will be amazed when they see him. That includes you, because you believed the witness we gave you.


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Keeping this in mind, we never stop praying for you. Our God has chosen you. We pray that he will consider you worthy of his choice. We pray that by his power he will make every good thing you have planned come true. We pray that he will make perfect all that you have done by faith.


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We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus will receive glory through what you have done. We also pray that you will receive glory through what he has done. We pray all these things in keeping with the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Brothers and sisters, we want to ask you something. It has to do with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It concerns the time when we will go to be with him.


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What if you receive a prophecy, report or letter that is supposed to have come from us? What if it says that the day of the Lord has already come? If it does, we ask you not to become easily upset or alarmed.


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Don't let anyone trick you in any way. That day will not come until people rise up against God. It will not come until the man of sin appears. He is a marked man. He is sentenced to be destroyed.


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He will oppose everything that is called God. He will oppose everything that is worshiped. He will give himself power over everything. He will set himself up in God's temple. He will announce that he himself is God.


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Now you know what is holding the man of sin back. He is held back so that he can make his appearance at the right time.


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The secret power of sin is already at work. But the one who now holds that power back will keep doing it until he is taken out of the way.


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Then the man of sin will appear. The Lord Jesus will overthrow him with the breath of his mouth. The glorious brightness of Jesus' coming will destroy the man of sin.


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The coming of the man of sin will be Satan's work. His work will be seen in all kinds of fake miracles, signs and wonders.


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It will be seen in every kind of evil that fools people who are dying. They are dying because they refuse to love the truth. The truth would save them.


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Brothers and sisters, we should always thank God for you. The Lord loves you. God chose you from the beginning. He wanted you to be saved. Salvation comes through the Holy Spirit's work. He makes people holy. It also comes through believing the truth.


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He chose you to be saved by accepting the good news that we preach. And you will share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


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Brothers and sisters, stand firm. Hold on to what we taught you. We passed our teachings on to you by what we preached and wrote.


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Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loved us. By his grace God gave us comfort that will last forever. The hope he gave us is good. May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father


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Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us. Pray that the Lord's message will spread quickly. Pray that others will honor it just as you did.


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We trust in the Lord. So we are sure that you are doing the things we tell you to do. And we are sure that you will keep on doing them.


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Brothers and sisters, here is a command we give you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep away from every believer who doesn't want to work. Keep away from anyone who doesn't live up to the teaching you received from us.


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We didn't eat anyone's food without paying for it. In fact, it was just the opposite. We worked night and day. We worked very hard so that we wouldn't cause any expense to any of you.


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We worked, even though we have the right to receive help from you. We did it in order to be a model for you to follow.


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We hear that some people among you don't want to work. They aren't really busy. Instead, they are bothering others.


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We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we strongly command people like that to settle down. They have to earn the food they eat.


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Keep an eye on anyone who doesn't obey the directions in our letter. Watch that person closely. Have nothing to do with him. Then he will feel ashamed.


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May the Lord who gives peace give you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all of you.


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I, Paul, write this greeting in my own handwriting. That's how I prove that I am the author of all my letters. I always do it that way.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus, just as God our Savior commanded. Christ Jesus also commanded it. We have put our hope in him.


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Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.


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Stay there in Ephesus. That is what I told you to do when I went into Macedonia. I want you to command certain people not to teach things that aren't true.


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Command them not to spend their time on stories that aren't completely true. They must not waste time on family histories that never end. Things like that cause people to argue instead of doing God's work. His work is done by faith.


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Love is the purpose of my command. Love comes from a pure heart. It comes from a good sense of what is right and wrong. It comes from faith that is honest and true.


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Some have wandered away from those teachings. They would rather talk about things that have no meaning.


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They want to be teachers of the law. And they are very sure about that law. But they don't know what they are talking about.


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We also know that the law isn't made for godly people. It is made for those who break the law. It is for those who refuse to obey. It is for ungodly and sinful people. It is for those who aren't holy and who don't believe. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers. It is for murderers.


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It is for those who commit adultery. It is for those who have a twisted view of sex. It is for people who buy and sell slaves. It is for liars. It is for those who give witness to things that aren't true. And it is for anything else that is the opposite of true teaching.


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True teaching agrees with the glorious good news of the blessed God. He trusted me with that good news.


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I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me strength. I thank him that he considered me faithful. And I thank him for appointing me to serve him.


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I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn't a believer.


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Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus.


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Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.


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But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life.


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The eternal King will never die. He can't be seen. He is the only God. Give him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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My son Timothy, I give you these teachings. They are in keeping with the prophecies that were once made about you. By following them, you can fight the good fight.


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Then you will hold on to faith. You will hold on to a good sense of what is right and wrong. Some have not accepted these teachings. By doing that, they have destroyed their faith. They are like a ship that has sunk.


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Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them. I have handed them over to Satan. That will teach them not to speak evil things against God.


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Pray for kings. Pray for all who are in authority. Pray that we will live peaceful and quiet lives. And pray that we will be godly and holy.


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There is only one God. And there is only one go-between for God and human beings. He is the man Christ Jesus.


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He gave himself to pay for the sins of everyone. That was a witness given by God at just the right time.


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I was appointed to be a messenger and an apostle to preach the good news. I am telling the truth. I'm not lying. God appointed me to be a teacher of the true faith to those who aren't Jews.


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I want men everywhere to pray. I want them to lift up holy hands. I don't want them to be angry when they pray. I don't want them to argue.


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I also want women to dress simply. They should wear clothes that are right and proper. They shouldn't braid their hair. They shouldn't wear gold or pearls. They shouldn't spend too much on clothes.


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Instead, they should put on good works as if they were their clothes. That is proper for women who claim to worship God.


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Will women be saved by having children? Only if they keep on believing, loving, and leading a holy life in a proper way.


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Here is a saying you can trust. If anyone wants to be a leader in the church, he wants to do a good work for God and people.


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A leader must be free from blame. He must be faithful to his wife. In anything he does, he must not go too far. He must control himself. He must be worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home. He must be able to teach.


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He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue. He must not love money.


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He must manage his own family well. He must make sure that his children obey him and show him proper respect.


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Suppose someone doesn't know how to manage his own family. Then how can he take care of God's church?


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The leader must not be a new believer. If he is, he might become proud. Then he would be judged just like the devil.


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The leader must also be respected by those who are outside the church. Then he will not be put to shame. He will not fall into the devil's trap.


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Deacons also must be worthy of respect. They must be honest and true. They must not drink too much wine. They must not try to get money by cheating people.


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In the same way, their wives must be worthy of respect. They must not say things that harm others. In anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of trust in everything.


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Those who have served well earn the full respect of others. They also become more sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.


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Then if I have to put off my visit, you will know how you should act in God's family. The family of God is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth.


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There is no doubt that godliness is a great mystery. Jesus appeared in a body. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations. People in the world believed in him. He was taken up to heaven in glory.


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The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the last days some people will leave the faith. They will follow spirits that will fool them. They will believe things that demons will teach them.


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Teachings like those come from liars who pretend to be what they are not. Their sense of what is right and wrong has been burned as if with a hot iron.


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They do not allow people to get married. They order them not to eat certain foods. But God created those foods. So people who believe and know the truth should receive them and give thanks for them.


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Everything God created is good. You shouldn't turn anything down. Instead, you should thank God for it.


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Point these things out to the brothers and sisters. Then you will serve Christ Jesus well. You were brought up in the truths of the faith. You received good teaching. You followed it.


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Don't have anything to do with godless stories and silly tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.


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Training the body has some value. But being godly has value in every way. It promises help for the life you are now living and the life to come.


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We work hard for it. Here is the saying. We have put our hope in the living God. He is the Savior of all people. Most of all he is the Savior of those who believe.


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Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live. Also set an example in how you love and in what you believe. Show the believers how to be pure.


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Until I come, spend your time reading Scripture out loud to one another. Spend your time preaching and teaching.


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Don't fail to use the gift the Holy Spirit gave you. He gave it to you through a message from God. It was given when the elders placed their hands on you.


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Keep on doing those things. Give them your complete attention. Then everyone will see how you are coming along.


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Be careful of how you live and what you believe. Never give up. Then you will save yourself and those who hear you.


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Don't tell an older man off. Make an appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as if they were your brothers.


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Treat older women as if they were your mothers. Treat younger women as if they were your sisters. Be completely pure in the way you treat them.


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But suppose a widow has children or grandchildren. They should first learn to put their faith into practice. They should care for their own family. In that way they will pay back their parents and grandparents. That pleases God.


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The widow who really needs help and is left all alone puts her hope in God. Night and day she keeps on praying. Night and day she asks God for help.


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Everyone should provide for his own relatives. Most of all, everyone should take care of his own family. If he doesn't, he has left the faith. He is worse than someone who doesn't believe.


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No widow should be put on the list of widows unless she is more than 60 years old. She must also have been faithful to her husband.


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She must be well known for the good things she does. That includes bringing up children. It includes inviting guests into her home. It includes washing the feet of God's people. It includes helping those who are in trouble. A widow should spend her time doing all kinds of good things.


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Don't put younger widows on that kind of list. They might want pleasure more than they want Christ. Then they would want to get married again.


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Besides, they get into the habit of having nothing to do. They go around from house to house. They waste time. They talk about others. They bother people. They say things they shouldn't say.


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So here is the advice I give to younger widows. Get married. Have children. Take care of your own homes. Don't give the enemy the chance to tell lies about you.


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Suppose a woman is a believer and has widows in her family. She should help them. She shouldn't let the church pay the expenses. Then the church can help the widows who really need it.


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The elders who do the church's work well are worth twice as much honor. That is true in a special way of elders who preach and teach.


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Scripture says, "Do not stop the ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw."--(Deuteronomy 25:4) Scripture also says, "Workers are worthy of their pay."--(Luke 10:7)


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Elders who sin should be corrected in front of the other believers. That will be a warning to the others.


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I command you to follow those directions. I command you in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels. Treat everyone the same. Don't favor one person over another.


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Don't be too quick to place your hands on others to set them apart to serve God. Don't take part in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.


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Stop drinking only water. If your stomach is upset, drink a little wine. It can also help the other sicknesses you often have.


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The sins of some people are easy to see. They are already being judged. Others will be judged later.


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In the same way, good works are easy to see. But even good works that are hard to see can't stay hidden.


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All who are forced to serve as slaves should consider their masters worthy of full respect. Then people will not speak evil things against God's name and against what we teach.


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Some slaves have masters who are believers. They shouldn't show less respect for their masters just because they are believers. Instead, they should serve them even better. That's because those who benefit from their service are believers. They are loved by them. Teach the slaves those things. Try hard to get them to do them.


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Suppose someone teaches ideas that are false. He doesn't agree with the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't agree with godly teaching.


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People like that are proud. They don't understand anything. They like to argue more than they should. They can't agree about what words mean. All of that results in wanting what others have. It causes fighting, harmful talk, and evil distrust.


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It stirs up trouble all the time among people whose minds are twisted by sin. The truth they once had has been taken away from them. They think they can get rich by being godly.


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People who want to get rich are tempted. They fall into a trap. They are tripped up by wanting many foolish and harmful things. Those who live like that are dragged down by what they do. They are destroyed and die.


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Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows.


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But you are a man of God. Run away from all of those things. Try hard to do what is right and godly. Have faith, love and gentleness. Hold on to what you believe.


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Fight the good fight along with all other believers. Take hold of eternal life. You were chosen for it when you openly told others what you believe. Many witnesses heard you.


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God gives life to everything. Christ Jesus told the truth when he gave witness to Pontius Pilate. In the sight of God and Christ, I give you a command.


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Obey it until our Lord Jesus Christ appears. Obey it completely. Then no one can find fault with it or you.


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God will bring Jesus back at a time that pleases him. God is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the greatest King of all. He is the most powerful Lord of all.


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God is the only one who can't die. He lives in light that no one can get close to. No one has seen him. No one can see him. Give honor and power to him forever. Amen.


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Command people who are rich in this world not to be proud. Tell them not to put their hope in riches. Wealth is so uncertain. Command those who are rich to put their hope in God. He richly provides us with everything to enjoy.


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Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share.


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In that way they will put riches away for themselves. It will provide a firm basis for the next life. Then they will take hold of the life that really is life.


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Timothy, guard what God has trusted you with. Turn away from godless chatter. Stay away from opposing ideas that are falsely called knowledge.


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Some people believe them. By doing that they have wandered away from the faith. May God's grace be with you.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. He sent me to tell about the promise of life that is found in Christ Jesus.


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Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.


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I serve God, knowing that what I have done is right. That is how our people served him long ago. Night and day I thank God for you. Night and day I always remember you in my prayers.


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I remember your honest and true faith. It was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And I am certain that it is now alive in you also.


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That is why I remind you to help God's gift grow, just as a small spark grows into a fire. God put his gift in you when I placed my hands on you.


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God didn't give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves.


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So don't be ashamed to give witness about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, join with me as I suffer for the good news. God's power will help us do that.


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God has saved us. He has chosen us to live a holy life. It wasn't because of anything we have done. It was because of his own purpose and grace. Through Christ Jesus, God gave us that grace even before time began.


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It has now been made known through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has destroyed death. Because of the good news, he has brought life out into the light. That life never dies.


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That's why I'm suffering the way I am. But I'm not ashamed. I know the One I have believed in. I am sure he is able to take care of what I have given him. I can trust him with it until the day he returns as judge.


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Follow what you heard from me as the pattern of true teaching. Follow it with faith and love because you belong to Christ Jesus.


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Guard the truth of the good news that you were trusted with. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.


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You know that all the believers in Asia Minor have deserted me. They include Phygelus and Hermogenes.


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May the Lord show mercy to all who live in the house of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up. He was not ashamed that I was being held by chains.


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In fact, it was just the opposite. When he was in Rome, he looked everywhere for me. At last he found me.


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May Onesiphorus find mercy from the Lord on the day Jesus returns as judge. You know very well how many ways Onesiphorus helped me in Ephesus.


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You have heard me teach in front of many witnesses. Pass on to men you can trust the things you've heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others also.


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A soldier does not take part in things that don't have anything to do with the army. He wants to please his commanding officer.


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In the same way, anyone who takes part in a sport doesn't receive the winner's crown unless he plays by the rules.


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Remember Jesus Christ. He came from David's family line. He was raised from the dead. That is my good news.


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I am suffering for it. I have even been put in chains like someone who has committed a crime. But God's word is not held back by chains.


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So I put up with everything for the good of God's chosen people. Then they also can be saved. Christ Jesus saves them. He gives them glory that will last forever.


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If we don't give up, we will also rule with him. If we say we don't know him, he will also say he doesn't know us.


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Keep reminding the believers of those things. While God is watching, warn them not to argue about words. That doesn't have any value. It only destroys those who listen.


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Do your best to please God. Be a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed. Teach the message of truth correctly.


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Their teaching will spread like a deadly sickness. Hymenaeus and Philetus are two of those teachers.


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They have wandered away from the truth. They say that the time when people will rise from the dead has already come. They destroy the faith of some people.


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But God's solid foundation stands firm. Here is the message written on it. "The Lord knows who his own people are."--(Numbers 16:5) Also, "All who say they believe in the Lord must turn away from evil."


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In a large house there are things made out of gold and silver. But there are also things made out of wood and clay. Some have honorable purposes. Others do not.


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Suppose someone stays away from what is not honorable. Then the Master will be able to use him for honorable purposes. He will be made holy. He will be ready to do any good work.


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Run away from the evil things that young people long for. Try hard to do what is right. Have faith, love and peace. Do these things together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.


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Anyone who serves the Lord must not fight. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must not hold anything against anyone.


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He must gently teach those who oppose him. Maybe God will give a change of heart to those who are against you. That will lead them to know the truth.


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Maybe they will come to their senses. Maybe they will escape the devil's trap. He has taken them prisoner to do what he wanted.


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People will love themselves. They will love money. They will brag and be proud. They will tear others down. They will not obey their parents. They won't be thankful or holy.


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They won't love others. They won't forgive others. They will tell lies about people. They will be out of control. They will be wild. They will hate what is good.


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They will turn against their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think they are better than others. They will love what pleases them instead of loving God.


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They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God's power. Have nothing to do with those people.


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They are the kind who worm their way into the homes of silly women. They get control over them. Women like that are loaded down with sins. They give in to all kinds of evil longings.


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Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. In the same way, the teachers I'm talking about oppose the truth. Their minds are twisted. As far as the faith is concerned, God doesn't accept them.


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They won't get very far. Just like Jannes and Jambres, their foolish ways will be clear to everyone.


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But you know all about my teaching. You know how I live and what I live for. You know about my faith and love. You know how patient I am. You know I haven't given up.


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You know that I was treated badly. You know that I suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know how badly I have been treated. But the Lord saved me from all of my troubles.


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Evil people and pretenders will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them.


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But I want you to continue to follow what you have learned. Don't give up what you are sure of. You know the people you learned it from.


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You have known the Holy Scriptures ever since you were a little child. They are able to teach you how to be saved by believing in Christ Jesus.


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God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.


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I give you a command in the sight of God and Christ Jesus. Christ will judge the living and the dead. Because he and his kingdom are coming, here is the command I give you.


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Preach the word. Be ready to serve God in good times and bad. Correct people's mistakes. Warn them. Cheer them up with words of hope. Be very patient as you do these things. Teach them carefully.


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The time will come when people won't put up with true teaching. Instead, they will try to satisfy their own longings. They will gather a large number of teachers around them. The teachers will say what the people want to hear.


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The people will turn their ears away from the truth. They will turn to stories that aren't completely true.


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But I want you to keep your head no matter what happens. Don't give up when times are hard. Work to spread the good news. Do everything God has given you to do.


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Now there is a crown waiting for me. It is given to those who are right with God. The Lord, who judges fairly, will give it to me on the day he returns. He will not give it only to me. He will also give it to all those who are longing for him to return.


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Demas has deserted me. He has gone to Thessalonica. He left me because he loved this world. Crescens has gone to Galatia. Titus has gone to Dalmatia.


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When you come, bring my coat. I left it with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my scrolls. Most of all, bring the ones made out of animal skins.


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Remember Alexander, the one who works with metal? He did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will pay him back for what he has done.


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The first time I was put on trial, no one came to help me. Everyone deserted me. I hope they will be forgiven for it.


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The Lord stood at my side. He gave me the strength to preach the whole message. Then all those who weren't Jews heard it. I was saved from the lion's mouth.


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The Lord will save me from every evil attack. He will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Give him glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you. So do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. I serve God. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. God sent me to help his chosen people believe in Christ. I have been sent to help them understand the truth that leads to godly living.


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Faith and understanding rest on the hope of eternal life. Before time began, God promised to give that life. And he does not lie.


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At just the right time he made his word plain. He did it through the preaching that he trusted me with. God our Savior has commanded all those things.


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Titus, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.


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I left you on the island of Crete. There were some things that hadn't been finished. You needed to sort them out. You also had to appoint elders in every town. I told you how to do it.


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An elder must be without blame. He must be faithful to his wife. His children must be believers. They must not give anyone a reason to say that they are wild and don't obey.


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A church leader is trusted with God's work. That's why he must be without blame. He must not look after only his own interests. He must not get angry easily. He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must not try to get money by cheating people.


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Instead, he must welcome people into his home. He must love what is good. He must control his mind and feelings. He must do what is right. He must be holy. He must control what his body longs for.


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The message as it has been taught can be trusted. He must hold firmly to it. Then he will be able to use true teaching to comfort others and build them up. He will be able to prove that people who oppose it are wrong.


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Many people refuse to obey God. All they do is talk a lot. They try to fool others. No one does these things more than the circumcision group.


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They must be stopped. They are destroying entire families. They are teaching things they shouldn't. They do it to get money by cheating people.


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Even one of their own prophets has said, "People from Crete are always liars. They are evil beasts. They don't want to work. They live only to eat."


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What I have just said is true. So give them a strong warning. Then they will understand the faith correctly.


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They will pay no attention to Jewish stories that aren't completely true. They won't listen to the commands of those who turn away from the truth.


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To people who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who have twisted minds and don't believe, nothing is pure. In fact, their minds and their sense of what is right and wrong are twisted.


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They claim to know God. But their actions show they don't know him. They are hated by God. They refuse to obey him. They aren't fit to do anything good.


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Tell the older men that in anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of respect. They must control themselves. They must have true faith. They must love others. They must not give up.


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In the same way, teach the older women to lead a holy life. They must not tell lies about others. They must not let wine control them. Instead, they must teach what is good.


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The younger women must control themselves. They must be pure. They must take good care of their homes. They must be kind. They must follow the lead of their husbands. Then no one will be able to speak evil things against God's word.


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No one can question the truth. So teach what is true. Then those who oppose you will be ashamed. That's because they will have nothing bad to say about us.


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Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them.


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They must not steal from them. Instead, they must show that they can be trusted completely. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.


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It teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful longings. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today's world.


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That's how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in all his glory. He is our great God and Savior.


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He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to long to do what is good.


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Those are the things you should teach. Cheer people up and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don't let anyone look down on you.


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Tell them not to speak evil things against anyone. Remind them to live in peace. They must consider the needs of others. They must be kind and gentle toward all people.


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At one time we too acted like fools. We didn't obey God. We were tricked. We were controlled by all kinds of longings and pleasures. We were full of evil. We wanted what belongs to others. People hated us, and we hated one another.


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He saved us. It wasn't because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life.


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His grace made us right with God. So now we have received the hope of eternal life as God's children.


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You can trust that saying. Those things are important. Treat them that way. Then those who have trusted in God will be careful to commit themselves to doing what is good. Those things are excellent. They are for the good of everyone.


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But keep away from foolish disagreements. Don't argue about family histories. Don't make trouble. Don't fight about what the law teaches. Don't argue about things like that. It doesn't do any good. It doesn't help anyone.


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Warn anyone who tries to get believers to take sides and separate into their own little groups. Warn him more than once. After that, have nothing to do with him.


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I will send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Then do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. I've decided to spend the winter there.


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Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos. Send them on their way. See that they have everything they need.


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Our people must learn to commit themselves to doing what is good. Then they will be able to provide for the daily needs of others. If they do that, their lives won't turn out to be useless.


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Everyone who is with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. May God's grace be with you all.


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I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am a prisoner because of Christ Jesus. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing. Philemon, we are sending you this letter. You are our dear friend. You work together with us.


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We are also sending it to our sister Apphia and to Archippus. He is a soldier of Christ together with us. And we are sending it to the church that meets in your home.


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That's because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus. I hear about your love for all of God's people.


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I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ.


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Your love has given me great joy. It has cheered me up. My brother, you have renewed the hearts of God's people.


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Because of the authority Christ has given me, I could be bold. I could order you to do what you should do anyway.


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But I make my appeal to you on the basis of our love for each other. I, Paul, am an old man. I am now also a prisoner because of Christ Jesus.


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I make an appeal to you for my son Onesimus. He became a son to me while I was being held by chains.


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I would have liked to keep him with me. Then he could have taken your place in helping me while I'm being held by chains because of the good news.


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But I didn't want to do anything unless you agreed. Any favor you do must be done because you want to do it, not because you have to.


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Onesimus was separated from you for a little while. Maybe that was so you could have him back for good.


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You could have him back not as a slave. Instead, he would be better than a slave. He would be a dear brother. He is very dear to me. But he is even more dear to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.


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Do you think of me as a believer who works together with you? Then welcome Onesimus as you would welcome me.


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I'll pay it back. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I won't even mention that you owe me your very life.


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My brother, I wish I could receive some benefit from you because we both belong to the Lord. Renew my heart. We know that Christ is the one who really renews it.


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There is one more thing. Have a guest room ready for me. I hope I can return to all of you in answer to your prayers.


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In the past, God spoke to our people through the prophets. He spoke at many times. He spoke in different ways.


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But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one whom God appointed to receive all things. God made everything through him.


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The Son is the gleaming brightness of God's glory. He is the exact likeness of God's being. He uses his powerful word to hold all things together. He provided the way for people to be made pure from sin. Then he sat down at the right hand of the King, the Majesty in heaven.


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God never said to any of the angels, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." --(Psalm 2:7) Or, "I will be his Father. And he will be my Son." --(2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13)


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God's first and only Son is over all things. When God brings him into the world, he says, "Let all of God's angels worship him." --(Deuteronomy 32:43)


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Here is something else God says about the angels. "God makes his angels to be like winds. He makes those who serve him to be like flashes of lightning." --(Psalm 104:4)


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But here is what he says about the Son. "You are God. Your throne will last for ever and ever. Your kingdom will be ruled by what is right.


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You have loved what is right and hated what is evil. So your God has placed you above your companions. He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head." --(Psalm 45:6,7)


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He also says, "Lord, in the beginning you made the earth secure. You placed it on its foundations. The heavens are the work of your hands.


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You will roll them up like a robe. They will be changed as a person changes clothes. But you remain the same. Your years will never end." --(Psalm 102:25-27)


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God never said to an angel, "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your control." --(Psalm 110:1)


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Even the message God spoke through angels had to be obeyed. Every time people broke the Law, they were punished. Every time they didn't obey, they were punished.


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Then how will we escape if we don't pay attention to God's great salvation? The Lord first announced that salvation. Those who heard him gave us the message about it.


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God gave witness to it through signs and wonders. He gave witness through different kinds of miracles. He also gave witness through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He gave them out as it pleased him.


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God has not put angels in charge of the world that is going to come. We are talking about that world.


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There is a place where someone has given witness to it. He said, "What is a human being that you think about him? What is the son of man that you take care of him?


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You have put everything under his control." --(Psalm 8:4-6) So God has put everything under him. Everything is under his control. We do not now see everything under his control.


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But we do see Jesus already given a crown of glory and honor. He was made a little lower than the angels. He suffered death. By the grace of God, he tasted death for everyone. That is why he was given his crown.


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God has made everything. He has acted in exactly the right way. He is bringing his many sons and daughters to share in his glory. To do so, he has made the One who saved them perfect because of his sufferings.


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The One who makes people holy and the people he makes holy belong to the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.


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He says, "I will announce your name to my brothers and sisters. I will sing your praises among those who worship you." --(Psalm 22:22)


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Again he says, "I will put my trust in him." --(Isaiah 8:17) And again he says, "Here I am. Here are the children God has given me." --(Isaiah 8:18)


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Those children have bodies made out of flesh and blood. So Jesus became human like them in order to die for them. By doing that, he could destroy the one who rules over the kingdom of death. I'm talking about the devil.


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Jesus could set people free who were afraid of death. All their lives they were held as slaves by that fear.


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So he had to be made like his brothers in every way. Then he could serve God as a kind and faithful high priest. And then he could pay for the sins of the people by dying for them.


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Holy brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his people. So keep thinking about Jesus. He is our apostle. He is our high priest. We believe in him.


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Moses was faithful in everything he did in the house of God. In the same way, Jesus was faithful to the One who appointed him.


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The person who builds a house has greater honor than the house itself. In the same way, Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses.


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Moses was faithful as one who serves in the house of God. He gave witness to what God would say in days to come.


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But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. We are his house if we continue to come boldly to God. We must also hold on to the hope we take pride in.


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If you hear it, don't be stubborn. You were stubborn when you opposed me. You did that when you were put to the test in the desert.


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That is why I was angry with them. I said, 'Their hearts are always going down the wrong path. They have not known my ways.'


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So in my anger I took an oath. I said, 'They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.' " --(Psalm 95:7-11)


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Brothers and sisters, make sure that none of you has a sinful heart. Do not let an unbelieving heart turn you away from the living God.


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But build one another up every day. Do it as long as there is still time. Then none of you will become stubborn. You won't be fooled by sin's tricks.


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We belong to Christ if we hold firmly to the faith we had at first. But we must hold to it until the end.


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It has just been said, "Listen to his voice today. If you hear it, don't be stubborn. You were stubborn when you opposed me." --(Psalm 95:7,8)


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What people did God promise with an oath that they would never enjoy the rest he planned for them? Wasn't it those who didn't obey?


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God's promise of enjoying his rest still stands. So be careful that none of you fails to receive it.


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The good news was preached to our people long ago. It has also been preached to us. The message they heard didn't have any value for them. They didn't combine it with faith.


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Now we who have believed enjoy that rest. God said, "When I was angry I took an oath. I said, 'They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them.' " --(Psalm 95:11) Ever since God created the world, his work has been finished.


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Somewhere he spoke about the seventh day. He said, "On the seventh day God rested from all his work."--(Genesis 2:2)


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In the part of Scripture I talked about earlier God said, "They will never enjoy the rest I planned for them."--(Psalm 95:11)


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It is still true that some will enjoy that rest. But those who had the good news preached to them earlier didn't go in. That was because they didn't obey.


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So God again chose a certain day. He named it Today. He did that when he spoke through David a long time later. As it was said earlier, "Listen to his voice today. If you hear it, don't be stubborn." --(Psalm 95:7,8)


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So let us make every effort to enjoy that rest. Then no one will fall into sin by following the example of those who didn't obey God.


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The word of God is living and active. It is sharper than any sword that has two edges. It cuts deep enough to separate soul from spirit. It can separate joints from bones. It judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.


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Nothing God created is hidden from him. His eyes see everything. He will hold us accountable for everything we do.


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We have a great high priest. He has gone up into the heavens. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us hold firmly to what we say we believe.


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We have a high priest who can feel it when we are weak and hurting. We have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. But he did not sin.


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So let us boldly approach the throne of grace. Then we will receive mercy. We will find grace to help us when we need it.


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Every high priest is chosen from among men. He is appointed to act for them in everything that has to do with God. He offers gifts and sacrifices for their sins.


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He is able to deal gently with those who have gone down the wrong path without knowing it. He can do that because he himself is weak.


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That's why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins. He must also do it for the sins of the people.


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Even Christ did not take the glory of becoming a high priest for himself. God said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father." --(Psalm 2:7)


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Jesus prayed while he lived on earth. He made his appeal with loud cries and tears. He prayed to the One who could save him from death. God heard him because he truly honored God.


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By this time you should be teachers. But in fact, you need someone to teach you all over again. You need even the simple truths of God's word. You need milk, not solid food.


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Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby. That person does not want to learn about living a godly life.


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Solid food is for those who are grown up. They have trained themselves with a lot of practice. They can tell the difference between good and evil.


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So let us leave the simple teachings about Christ. Let us grow up as believers. Let us not start all over again with the basic teachings. They taught us that we need to turn away from doing things that lead to death. They taught us that we must have faith in God.


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They taught us about different kinds of baptism. They taught us about placing hands on people. They taught us that people will rise from the dead. They taught us that God will judge everyone. And they taught us that what he decides will last forever.


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What if some people fall away from the faith? It won't be possible to bring them back. It is true that they have seen the light. They have tasted the heavenly gift. They have shared in the Holy Spirit.


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But they have fallen away from the faith. So it won't be possible to bring them back. They won't be able to turn away from their sins. They are losing everything. That's because they are nailing the Son of God to the cross all over again. They are bringing shame on him in front of everyone.


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Some land drinks the rain that falls on it. It produces a crop that is useful to those who farm the land. That land receives God's blessing.


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But other land produces only thorns and weeds. That land isn't worth anything. It is in danger of coming under God's curse. In the end, it will be burned.


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Dear friends, we have to say these things. But we are sure of better things in your case. We are talking about the things that go along with being saved.


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God is fair. He will not forget what you have done. He will remember the love you have shown him. You showed it when you helped his people. And you show it when you keep on helping them.


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We don't want you to slow down. Instead, be like those who have faith and are patient. They will receive what God promised.


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When God made his promise to Abraham, he took an oath to keep it. But there was no one greater than himself to take an oath by. So he took his oath by making an appeal to himself.


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People take oaths by someone greater than themselves. An oath makes a promise certain. It puts an end to all arguing.


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So God took an oath when he made his promise. He wanted to make it very clear that his purpose does not change. He wanted those who would receive what was promised to know that.


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God took an oath so we would have good reason not to give up. We have run away from everything else to take hold of the hope offered to us in God's promise. So God gave his promise and his oath. Those two things can't change. He couldn't lie about them.


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Our hope is certain. It is something for the soul to hold on to. It is strong and secure. It goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain.


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That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of us. He has become a high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.


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Melchizedek was the king of Salem. He was the priest of God Most High. He met Abraham, who was returning from winning a battle over some kings. Melchizedek blessed him.


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Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means "king of what is right." Also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace."


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Melchizedek has no father or mother. He has no family line. His days have no beginning. His life has no end. He remains a priest forever, just like the Son of God.


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Now the law lays down a rule for the sons of Levi who become priests. They must collect a tenth from the people. They must collect it even from those who belong to the family line of Abraham.


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Melchizedek did not trace his family line from Levi. But he collected a tenth from Abraham. Melchizedek blessed the one who had received the promises.


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In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die. But in the other case, it is collected by the one who is said to be living.


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Suppose the Levites who were priests could have made people perfect. The law was given to the people so they could become perfect through the priests. Then why was there still a need for another priest to come? And why did he need to be like Melchizedek? Why wasn't he from Aaron's family line?


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Those things are said about one who is from a different tribe. No one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.


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It is clear that our Lord came from the family line of Judah. Moses said nothing about priests who were from that tribe.


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He has not become a priest because of a rule about his family line. He has become a priest because of his powerful life. His life can never be destroyed.


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The law didn't make anything perfect. Now a better hope has been given to us. That hope brings us near to God.


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But Jesus became a priest with an oath. God said to him, "The Lord has taken an oath and made a promise. He will not change his mind. He has said, 'You are a priest forever.' " --(Psalm 110:4)


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People now come to God through him. And he is able to save them completely and for all time. Jesus lives forever. He prays for them.


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A high priest like that meets our need. He is holy, pure and without blame. He isn't like other people. He does not sin. He is lifted high above the heavens.


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He isn't like the other high priests. They need to offer sacrifices day after day. First they bring offerings for their own sins. Then they do it for the sins of the people. But Jesus gave one sacrifice for the sins of the people. He gave it once and for all time. He did it by offering himself.


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The law appoints men who are weak to be high priests. But God's oath came after the law. The oath appointed the Son. He has been made perfect forever.


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Here is the point of what we are saying. We have a high priest like that. He sat down at the right hand of the throne of the King, the Majesty in heaven.


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Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. So that priest also had to have something to offer.


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What if he were on earth? Then he would not be a priest. There are already priests who offer the gifts required by the law.


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They serve at a sacred tent. But it is only a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. That's why God warned Moses when he was about to build the holy tent. God said, "Be sure to make everything just like the pattern I showed you on the mountain."--(Exodus 25:40)


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Jesus has been given a greater work to do for God. He is the go-between for the new covenant. That covenant is better than the old one. It is based on better promises.


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Suppose nothing had been wrong with that first covenant. Then no one would have looked for another covenant.


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But God found fault with the people. He said, "A new day is coming, says the Lord. I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel. I will also make it with the people of Judah.


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It will not be like the covenant I made with their people of long ago. That was when I took them by the hand. I led them out of Egypt. My new covenant will be different because they didn't remain faithful to my old covenant. So I turned away from them, says the Lord.


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This is the covenant I will make with Israel after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds. I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God. And they will be my people.


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A man will not teach his neighbor anymore. And he will not teach his friend anymore. He will not say, 'Know the Lord.' Everyone will know me. From the least important of them to the most important, all of them will know me.


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God called that covenant "new." So he has made the first one out of date. And what is out of date and getting older will soon disappear.


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A holy tent was set up. The lampstand was in the first room. So were the table and the holy bread. That was called the Holy Room.


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It had the golden altar for incense. It also had the wooden chest called the ark of the covenant. The ark was covered with gold. It held the gold jar of manna. It held Aaron's wooden staff that had budded. It also held the stone tablets. The words of the covenant were written on them.


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The cherubim were above the ark. God showed his glory there. The cherubim spread their wings over the place where sin was paid for. But we can't deal with those things more completely now.


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That's how everything was arranged in the holy tent. The priests entered it at regular times. They went into the outer room to do their work for God and others.


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But only the high priest went into the inner room. He went in only once a year. He never entered without taking blood with him. He offered the blood for himself. He also offered it for the sins the people had committed because they didn't know any better.


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Here is what the Holy Spirit was showing us. He was telling us that God had not yet clearly shown the way into the Most Holy Room. It would not be clearly shown as long as the first holy tent was still standing.


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That's an example for the present time. It shows us that the gifts and sacrifices they offered were not enough. They were not able to remove the worshiper's feelings of guilt.


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They deal only with food and drink and different kinds of special washings. They are rules that deal with things outside our bodies. People had to obey them only until the new covenant came.


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Christ came to be the high priest of the good things that are already here. When he came, he went through the greater and more perfect holy tent. The tent was not made by people. In other words, it is not a part of this creation.


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He did not enter by spilling the blood of goats and calves. He entered the Most Holy Room by spilling his own blood. He did it once and for all time. He paid the price to set us free from sin forever.


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The blood of goats and bulls is sprinkled on people. So are the ashes of a young cow. They are sprinkled on people the Law called unclean. The people are sprinkled to make them holy. That makes them clean on the outside.


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But Christ offered himself to God without any flaw. He did this through the power of the eternal Holy Spirit. So how much more will his blood wash from our minds our feelings of guilt for committing sin! Sin always leads to death. But now we can serve the living God.


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That's why Christ is the go-between of a new covenant. Now those God calls to himself will receive the eternal gift he promised. They will receive it now that Christ has died to save them. He died to set them free from the sins they committed under the first covenant.


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What happens in the case of a will? It is necessary to prove that the person who made the will has died.


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A will is in effect only when somebody has died. It never takes effect while the one who made it is still living.


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Moses first announced every commandment of the law to all the people. Then he took the blood of calves. He also took water, bright red wool and branches of a hyssop plant. He sprinkled the scroll. He also sprinkled all of the people.


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In the same way, he sprinkled the holy tent with blood. He also sprinkled everything that was used in worship there.


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In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be made clean with blood. Without the spilling of blood, no one can be forgiven.


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So the copies of the heavenly things had to be made pure with those sacrifices. But the heavenly things themselves had to be made pure with better sacrifices.


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Christ did not enter a sacred tent made by people. That tent was only a copy of the true one. He entered heaven itself. He did it to stand in front of God for us. He is there right now.


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The high priest enters the Most Holy Room every year. He enters with blood that is not his own. But Christ did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again.


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If he had, he would have had to suffer many times since the world was created. But now he has appeared once and for all time. He has come at the end of the ages to do away with sin. He has done that by offering himself.


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In the same way, Christ was offered up once. He took away the sins of many people. He will also come a second time. At that time he will not suffer for sin. Instead, he will come to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.


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The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming. It is not the real things themselves. The same sacrifices have to be offered over and over again. They must be offered year after year. That's why the law can never make perfect those who come near to worship.


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If it could, wouldn't the sacrifices have stopped being offered? The worshipers would have been made clean once and for all time. They would not have felt guilty for their sins anymore.


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So when Christ came into the world, he said, "You didn't want sacrifices and offerings. Instead, you prepared a body for me.


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Then I said, 'Here I am. It is written about me in the scroll. God, I have come to do what you want.' " --(Psalm 40:6-8)


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First Christ said, "You didn't want sacrifices and offerings. You didn't want burnt offerings and sin offerings. You weren't pleased with them." He said that even though the law required people to bring them.


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Then he said, "Here I am. I have come to do what you want." He did away with the first. He did it to put the second in place.


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We have been made holy by what God wanted. We have been made holy because Jesus Christ offered his body once and for all time.


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Day after day every priest stands and does his special duties. He offers the same sacrifices again and again. But they can never take away sins.


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Jesus our priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time. Then he sat down at the right hand of God.


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"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts. I will write my laws on their minds." --(Jeremiah 31:33)


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Then he adds, "I will not remember their sins anymore. I will not remember the evil things they have done." --(Jeremiah 31:34)


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Brothers and sisters, we are not afraid to enter the Most Holy Room. We enter boldly because of the blood of Jesus.


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His way is new because he lives. It has been opened for us through the curtain. I'm talking about his body.


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So let us come near to God with an honest and true heart. Let us come near with a faith that is sure and strong. Our hearts have been sprinkled. Our minds have been cleansed from a sense of guilt. Our bodies have been washed with pure water.


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Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return.


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What if we keep sinning on purpose? What if we do it even after we know the truth? Then there is no offering for our sins.


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What should be done to anyone who has hated the Son of God or has said no to him? What should be done to a person who treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that makes him holy? What should be done to someone who has made fun of the Holy Spirit who brings God's grace? Don't you think people like that should be punished more than anyone else?


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We know the One who said, "I am the One who judges people. I will pay them back."--(Deuteronomy 32:35) Scripture also says, "The Lord will judge his people."--(Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14)


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Remember those earlier days after you received the light. At that time you stood firm in a great struggle. You did it even in the face of suffering.


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Sometimes you were made fun of in front of others. You were treated badly. At other times you stood side by side with people who were being treated like that.


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You suffered together with people in prison. When your property was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew that God had given you better and more lasting things.


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The one who is in the right will live by faith. If he pulls back, I will not be pleased with him." --(Habakkuk 2:3,4)


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We have faith. So we understand that everything was made when God commanded it. That's why we believe that what we see was not made out of what could be seen.


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Abel had faith. So he offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. Because of his faith Abel was praised as a godly man. God said good things about his offerings. Because of his faith Abel still speaks. He speaks even though he is dead.


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Enoch had faith. So he was taken from this life. He didn't die. He just couldn't be found. God had taken him away. Before God took him, Enoch was praised as one who pleased God.


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Without faith it isn't possible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that he exists. And they must believe that he rewards those who look to him.


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Noah had faith. So he built an ark to save his family. He built it because of his great respect for God. God had warned him about things that could not yet be seen. Because of his faith he showed the world that it was guilty. Because of his faith he was considered right with God.


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Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn't know where he was going.


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Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. He was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did.


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Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built.


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Abraham had faith. So God made it possible for him to become a father. He became a father even though he was too old. Sarah also was too old to have children. But Abraham believed that the One who made the promise was faithful.


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Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the sand on the seashore. No one could count them.


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All those people were still living by faith when they died. They didn't receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth.


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Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted one in heaven. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.


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Abraham had faith. So he offered Isaac as a sacrifice. That happened when God put him to the test. Abraham had received the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son.


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God had said to him, "Your family line will continue through Isaac."--(Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up.


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Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph's sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God as he leaned on the top of his wooden staff.


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Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about their leaving Egypt. He gave directions about his bones. He did that toward the end of his life.


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Moses' parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king's command.


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Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. That happened after he had grown up.


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He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose that instead of enjoying sin's pleasures for a short time.


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He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. He considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to God's reward.


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Because of his faith he left Egypt. It wasn't because he was afraid of the king's anger. He didn't let anything stop him. He saw the One who can't be seen.


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Because of his faith he was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.


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The people had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.


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The people had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.


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Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That's why she wasn't killed with those who didn't obey God.


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What more can I say? I don't have time to tell about all the others. I don't have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don't have time to tell about David, Samuel and the prophets.


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Because of their faith they took over kingdoms. They ruled fairly. They received the blessings God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions.


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They put out great fires. They escaped being killed by the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became powerful in battle. They beat back armies from other countries.


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Women received their dead back. The dead were raised to life again. Others were made to suffer greatly. But they refused to be set free. They did that so that after death they would be raised to a better life.


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Some were killed with stones. They were sawed in two. They were put to death by the sword. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor. They were attacked. They were treated badly.


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The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains. They lived in caves. They lived in holes in the ground.


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All of those people were praised because they had faith. But none of them received what God had promised.


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A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. Let us keep on running the race marked out for us.


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Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the author of faith. He also makes it perfect. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


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He put up with attacks from sinners. So think about him. Then you won't get tired. You won't lose hope.


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You have forgotten that word of hope. It speaks to you as children. It says, "My son, think of the Lord's training as important. Do not lose hope when he corrects you.


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Put up with hard times. God uses them to train you. He is treating you as children. What children are not trained by their parents?


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God trains all of his children. But what if he doesn't train you? Then you are like children of people who weren't married to each other. You are not truly God's children.


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Besides, we have all had human parents who trained us. We respected them for it. How much more should we be trained by the Father of our spirits and live!


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Our parents trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He wants us to share in his holiness.


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No training seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it seems painful. But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace. It does that for those who have been trained by it.


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"Make level paths for your feet to walk on."--(Proverbs 4:26) Then those who have trouble walking won't be disabled. Instead, they will be healed.


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Try your best to live in peace with everyone. Try to be holy. Without holiness no one will see the Lord.


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Be sure that no one misses God's grace. See to it that a bitter plant doesn't grow up. If it does, it will cause trouble. And it will pollute many people.


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See to it that no one commits sexual sins. See to it that no one is godless like Esau. He sold the rights to what he would receive as the oldest son. He sold them for a single meal.


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As you know, after that he wanted to receive his father's blessing. But he was turned away. With tears he tried to get the blessing. But he couldn't get his father to change his mind.


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You haven't come to a mountain that can be touched. You haven't come to a mountain that is burning with fire. You haven't come to darkness, gloom and storm.


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You haven't come to a blast from God's trumpet. You haven't come to a voice speaking to you. When people heard that voice long ago, they begged it not to say anything more to them.


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What God commanded was too much for them. He said, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be killed with stones."--(Exodus 19:12,13)


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But you have come to Mount Zion. You have come to the Jerusalem in heaven. It is the city of the living God. You have come to a joyful gathering of angels. There are thousands and thousands of them.


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You have come to the church of God's people. God's first and only Son is over all things. God's people share in what belongs to his Son. Their names are written in heaven. You have come to God. He is the judge of all people. You have come to the spirits of godly people who have been made perfect.


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You have come to Jesus. He is the go-between of a new covenant. You have come to the sprinkled blood. It promises better things than the blood of Abel.


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Be sure that you don't say no to the One who speaks. People did not escape when they said no to the One who warned them on earth. And what if we turn away from the One who warns us from heaven? How much less will we escape!


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At that time his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, "Once more I will shake the earth. I will also shake the heavens."--(Haggai 2:6)


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The words "once more" point out that what can be shaken can be taken away. I'm talking about created things. Then what can't be shaken will remain.


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We are receiving a kingdom that can't be shaken. So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him. We will worship him with deep respect and wonder.


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Don't forget to welcome strangers. By doing that, some people have welcomed angels without knowing it.


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Remember those in prison as if you were in prison with them. And remember those who are treated badly as if you yourselves were suffering.


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All of you should honor marriage. You should keep the marriage bed pure. God will judge the person who commits adultery. He will judge everyone who commits sexual sins.


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Don't be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you. I will never desert you." --(Deuteronomy 31:6)


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So we can say boldly, "The Lord helps me. I will not be afraid. What can a mere man do to me?" --(Psalm 118:6,7)


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Remember your leaders. They spoke God's word to you. Think about the results of their way of life. Copy their faith.


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Don't be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good that God's grace makes our hearts strong. Don't depend on foods the Law requires. They have no value for the people who eat them.


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The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Room. He brings their blood as a sin offering. But the bodies are burned outside the camp.


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Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. He suffered to make the people holy by spilling his own blood.


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So let us never stop offering to God our praise through Jesus. Let us offer it as the fruit of lips that say they believe in him.


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Don't forget to do good. Don't forget to share with others. God is pleased with those kinds of offerings.


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Obey your leaders. Put yourselves under their authority. They keep watch over you. They know they are accountable to God for everything they do. Obey them so that their work will be a joy. If you make their work a heavy load, it won't do you any good.


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Our Lord Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep. The God who gives peace brought him back from the dead. He did it because of the blood of the eternal covenant. May God


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supply you with everything good. Then you can do what he wants. May he do in us what is pleasing to him. We can do it only with the help of Jesus Christ. Give him glory for ever and ever. Amen.


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Brothers and sisters, I beg you to accept my word. It tells you to be faithful. I have written you only a short letter.


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I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.


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Greet all of your leaders. Greet all of God's people. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.


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I, James, am writing this letter. I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am sending this letter to you, the 12 tribes that are scattered among the nations. Greetings.


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Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.


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The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.


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If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault.


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But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around.


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A believer who finds himself in a low position in life should be proud that God has given him a high position.


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But someone who is rich should take pride in his low position. That's because he will fade away like a wild flower.


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The sun rises. Its burning heat dries up the plants. Their blossoms fall. Their beauty is destroyed. In the same way, a rich person will fade away even as he goes about his business.


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Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard. After he has come through them, he will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. God has promised it to those who love him.


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When you are tempted, you shouldn't say, "God is tempting me." God can't be tempted by evil. And he doesn't tempt anyone.


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When they are allowed to grow, they give birth to sin. When sin has grown up, it gives birth to death.


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Every good and perfect gift is from God. It comes down from the Father. He created the heavenly lights. He does not change like shadows that move.


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God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first and best of everything he created.


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My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention to what I say. Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry.


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So get rid of everything that is dirty and sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don't be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you.


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Suppose you listen to the word but don't do what it says. Then you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror.


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But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don't forget what you've heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.


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Suppose you think your beliefs are right because of how you live. But you don't control what you say. Then you are fooling yourselves. Your beliefs are not worth anything at all.


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Here are the kinds of beliefs that God our Father accepts as pure and without fault. When widows and children who have no parents are in trouble, take care of them. And keep yourselves from being polluted by the world.


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My brothers and sisters, you are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. So treat everyone the same.


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Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes. And suppose a poor man in worn-out clothes also comes in.


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Would you show special attention to the one who is wearing fine clothes? Would you say, "Here's a good seat for you"? Would you say to the poor person, "You stand there"? Or "Sit on the floor by my feet"?


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If you would, aren't you treating some people better than others? Aren't you like judges who have evil thoughts?


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My dear brothers and sisters, listen to me. Hasn't God chosen those who are poor in the world's eyes to be rich in faith? Hasn't he chosen them to receive the kingdom? Hasn't he promised it to those who love him?


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But you have put poor people down. Aren't rich people taking advantage of you? Aren't they dragging you into court?


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The royal law is found in Scripture. It says, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."--(Leviticus 19:18) If you really keep that law, you are doing what is right.


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Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. Then you are guilty of breaking all of it.


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God said, "Do not commit adultery."--(Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18) He also said, "Do not commit murder."--(Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17) Suppose you don't commit adultery but do commit murder. Then you have broken the Law.


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Those who have not shown mercy will not receive mercy when they are judged. To show mercy is better than to judge.


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My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people claim they have faith but don't act like it? Can that kind of faith save them?


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Suppose one of you says to them, "Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well." And you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done?


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But someone will say, "You have faith. I do good works." Show me your faith that doesn't do good works. And I will show you my faith by what I do.


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Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Wasn't he considered to be right with God because of what he did?


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So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. What he did made his faith complete.


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That is what Scripture means where it says, "Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God."--(Genesis 15:6) And that's not all. God called Abraham his friend.


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So you see that a person is made right with God by what he does. It doesn't happen only because of what he believes.


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Didn't God make even Rahab the prostitute right with him? That's because of what she did. She gave the spies a place to stay. Then she sent them off in a different direction.


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My brothers and sisters, most of you shouldn't want to be teachers. You know that those of us who teach will be held more accountable.


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All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what he says. Then he is a perfect man. He is able to keep his whole body under control.


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And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go.


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In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body. But it brags a lot. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire.


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The tongue also is a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It pollutes the whole person. It sets a person's whole way of life on fire. And the tongue is set on fire by hell.


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People have controlled all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea. They still control them.


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But no one can control the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.


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With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we call down curses on people. We do it even though they have been created to be like God.


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My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives? Can a grapevine bear figs? Of course not. And a saltwater spring can't produce fresh water either.


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Are any of you wise and understanding? You should show it by living a good life. Wise people aren't proud when they do good works.


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But suppose your hearts are jealous and bitter. Suppose you are concerned only about getting ahead. Don't brag about it. Don't say no to the truth.


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Wisdom like that doesn't come down from heaven. It belongs to the earth. It doesn't come from the Holy Spirit. It comes from the devil.


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Are you jealous? Are you concerned only about getting ahead? Then your life will be a mess. You will be doing all kinds of evil things.


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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That's the most important thing about it. And that's not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn't pretend to be what it is not.


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Those who make peace should plant peace like a seed. If they do, it will produce a crop of right living.


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Why do you fight and argue among yourselves? Isn't it because of your sinful longings? They fight inside you.


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You want something, but you can't get it. You kill and want what others have. But you can't have what you want. You argue and fight. You don't have what you want, because you don't ask God.


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When you do ask for something, you don't receive it. Why? Because you ask for the wrong reason. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.


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You are not faithful to God. Don't you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.


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Don't you know what Scripture says? The spirit that God caused to live in us wants us to belong only to God. Don't you think Scripture has a reason for saying that?


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God continues to give us more grace. That's why Scripture says, "God opposes those who are proud. But he gives grace to those who are not." --(Proverbs 3:34)


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Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Make your hearts pure, you who can't make up your minds.


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My brothers and sisters, don't speak against one another. Anyone who speaks against another believer speaks against the law. And anyone who judges another believer judges the law. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it. Instead, you are acting as if you were its judge.


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There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the One who is able to save life or destroy it. But who are you to judge your neighbor?


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Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money."


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You don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears.


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Your gold and silver have lost their brightness. Their dullness will give witness against you. Your wanting more and more will eat your body like fire. You have stored up riches in these last days.


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You have even failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields. Their pay is crying out against you. The cries of those who gathered the harvest have reached the ears of the Lord who rules over all.


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You have lived an easy life on earth. You have given yourselves everything you wanted. You have made yourselves fat like cattle that will soon be butchered.


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Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes. See how the farmer waits for the land to produce its rich crop. See how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.


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Brothers and sisters, don't find fault with one another. If you do, you will be judged. And the Judge is standing at the door!


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Brothers and sisters, think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They are an example of how to be patient when you suffer.


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As you know, we think that people who don't give up are blessed. You have heard that Job was patient. And you have seen what the Lord finally did for him. The Lord is full of tender mercy and loving concern.


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My brothers and sisters, don't take an oath when you make a promise. Don't call on heaven or earth or anything else to back up what you say. Let your "Yes" be yes. And let your "No" be no. If you don't, you will be judged.


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Are any of you sick? Then send for the elders of the church to pray over you. Ask them to anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord.


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The prayer offered by those who have faith will make you well. The Lord will heal you. If you have sinned, you will be forgiven.


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So admit to one another that you have sinned. Pray for one another so that you might be healed. The prayer of a godly person is powerful. It makes things happen.


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Elijah was just like us. He prayed hard that it wouldn't rain. And it didn't rain on the land for three and a half years.


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My brothers and sisters, suppose one of you wanders away from the truth and someone brings you back.


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Then here is what I want everyone to remember. Anyone who turns a sinner from going down the wrong path will save him from death. God will erase many sins by forgiving him.


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I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am sending this letter to you, God's chosen people. You are strangers in the world. You are scattered all over Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.


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You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit's work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. He wanted you to be made clean by the blood of Christ. May more and more grace and peace be given to you.


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Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a hope that is alive. It is alive because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.


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He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. It is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you.


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Through faith you are kept safe by God's power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days.


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Because you know this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble.


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Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. It is worth more than gold. Gold can pass away even though fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. That will happen when Jesus Christ returns.


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Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can't be put into words.


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The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about that salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you.


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They wanted to find out when that salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of Christ that were going to come. He was also telling them about the glory that would follow.


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It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you those things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into those things.


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So prepare your minds for action. Control yourselves. Put your hope completely in the grace that will be given to you when Jesus Christ returns.


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You should obey. You shouldn't give in to evil longings. They controlled your life when you didn't know any better.


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You call on a Father who judges each person's work without favoring one over another. So live your lives as strangers here. Have the highest respect for God.


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The blood of Christ set you free from an empty way of life. That way of life was handed down to you by your own people long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold.


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Instead, you were bought by the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn't have any flaws at all.


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Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.


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You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for your brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply, from the heart.


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You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can't die.


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It is written, "All people are like grass. All of their glory is like the flowers in the field. The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground.


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So get rid of every kind of evil. Stop telling lies. Don't pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have. Don't speak against each other.


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Like babies that were just born, you should long for the pure milk of God's word. It will help you grow up as believers.


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Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him. But God chose him. God places the highest value on him.


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You also are like living stones. As you come to him you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done.


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In Scripture it says, "Look! I am placing a stone in Zion. It is a chosen and very valuable stone. It is the most important stone in the building. The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." --(Isaiah 28:16)


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The stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe, "The stone the builders did not accept has become the most important stone of all." --(Psalm 118:22)


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And, "It is a stone that causes people to trip. It is a rock that makes them fall." --(Isaiah 8:14) They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.


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But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are a people who belong to God. All of this is so that you can sing his praises. He brought you out of darkness into his wonderful 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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Dear friends, you are outsiders and strangers in this world. So I'm asking you not to give in to your sinful longings. They fight against your soul.


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People who don't believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good works. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.


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Follow the lead of every human authority. Do it because the Lord wants you to. Obey the king. He is the highest authority.


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Obey the governors. The king sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right.


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By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don't know what they are saying. God wants you to stop them.


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Show proper respect to everyone. Love the community of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the king.


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Slaves, obey your masters with all the respect you should give them. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind.


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But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for that? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for that.


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Christ suffered for you. He left you an example. He expects you to follow in his steps. You too were chosen to suffer.


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People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn't do the same back to them. He suffered. But he didn't say that bad things would happen to them. Instead, he trusted in the One who judges fairly.


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He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. His wounds have made you whole.


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You were like sheep who were wandering away. But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the Leader of your souls.


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Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. Suppose some of them don't believe God's word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave.


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Braiding your hair doesn't make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn't make you beautiful.


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Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like that doesn't fade away. God places great value on it.


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This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands.


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Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don't give in to fear.


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Husbands, take good care of your wives. They are weaker than you. So treat them with respect. Honor them as those who will share with you the gracious gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.


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Finally, I want all of you to live together in peace. Be understanding. Love one another like members of the same family. Be kind and tender. Don't be proud.


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Don't pay back evil with evil. Don't pay back unkind words with unkind words. Instead, pay them back with kind words. That's what you have been chosen to do. You can receive a blessing by doing it.


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Scripture says, "Do you want to love life and see good days? Then keep your tongues from speaking evil. Keep your lips from telling lies.


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The Lord's eyes look with favor on those who are godly. His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord doesn't look with favor on those who do evil." --(Psalm 34:12-16)


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But suppose you suffer for doing what is right. Then you will be blessed. Scripture also says, "Don't fear what others fear. Don't be afraid."--(Isaiah 8:12)


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But make sure in your hearts that Christ is Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect.


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Live so that you don't have to feel you've done anything wrong. Some people may say evil things about your good conduct as believers in Christ. If they do, they will be put to shame for speaking like that about you.


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Christ died for sins once and for all time. The One who did what is right died for those who don't do right. He died to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life.


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Long ago they did not obey. God was patient while Noah was building the ark. He waited, but only a few people went into the ark. A total of eight were saved by means of water.


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The water of the flood is a picture of the baptism that now saves you also. The baptism I'm talking about has nothing to do with removing dirt from your body. Instead, it promises God that you will keep a clear sense of what is right and wrong. Jesus Christ has saved you by rising from the dead.


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He has gone into heaven. He is at God's right hand. Angels, authorities and powers are under his control.


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Christ suffered in his body. So get ready as a soldier does. Prepare yourselves to think in the same way Christ did. Do it because those who have suffered in their bodies are finished with sin.


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As a result, they don't live the rest of their lives on earth controlled by evil human longings. Instead, they live to do what God wants.


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You have spent enough time in the past doing what ungodly people choose to do. You lived a wild life. You longed for evil things. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You worshiped statues of gods. The Lord hates that.


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Ungodly people think that it's strange when you no longer join them in what they do. They want you to rush into the same flood of wasteful living. So they say bad things about you.


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That's why the good news was preached even to people who are now dead. Human judges said they were guilty as far as their bodies were concerned. But God set their spirits free to live as he wanted them to.


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God's gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully.


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If you speak, you should do it like one speaking God's very words. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Give him the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.


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Dear friends, don't be surprised by the painful suffering you are going through. Don't feel as if something strange were happening to you.


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Be joyful that you are taking part in Christ's sufferings. Then you will be filled with joy when Christ returns in glory.


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Suppose people make fun of you because you believe in Christ. Then you are blessed, because God's Spirit rests on you. He is the Spirit of glory.


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Suppose you suffer. Then it shouldn't be because you are a murderer or a thief. It shouldn't be because you do evil things. It shouldn't be because you poke your nose into other people's business.


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But suppose you suffer for being a Christian. Then don't be ashamed. Instead, praise God because you are known by that name.


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It is time for people to be judged. It will begin with the family of God. And since it begins with us, what will happen to people who don't obey God's good news?


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Scripture says, "Suppose it is hard for godly people to be saved. Then what will happen to ungodly people and sinners?" --(Proverbs 11:31)


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Some people will suffer because God has planned it that way. They should commit themselves to their faithful Creator. And they should continue to do good.


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I'm speaking to the elders among you. I was a witness of Christ's sufferings. And I will also share in the glory that is going to come. I'm making my appeal to you as one who is an elder together with you.


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Be shepherds of God's flock, the believers who are under your care. Serve as their leaders. Don't serve them because you have to. Instead, do it because you want to. That's what God wants you to do. Don't do it because you want to get more and more money. Do it because you really want to serve.


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Don't act as if you were a ruler over those who are under your care. Instead, be examples to the flock.


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The Chief Shepherd will come again. Then you will receive the crown of glory. It is a crown that will never fade away.


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Young men, follow the lead of those who are older. All of you, put on a spirit that is free of pride toward each other as if it were your clothes. Scripture says, "God opposes those who are proud. But he gives grace to those who are not." --(Proverbs 3:34)


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So don't be proud. Put yourselves under God's mighty hand. Then he will honor you at the right time.


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Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow.


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Stand up to him. Stand firm in what you believe. All over the world you know that your brothers and sisters are going through the same kind of suffering.


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God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ.


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I consider Silas to be a faithful brother. With his help I have written you this short letter. I have written it to cheer you up. And I have written to give witness about the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.


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The members of the church in Babylon send you their greetings. They were chosen together with you. Mark, my son in the faith, also sends you his greetings.


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I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am his apostle. I am sending this letter to you who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received it because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right and fair for everyone.


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May more and more grace and peace be given to you. May they come to you as you learn more about God and about Jesus our Lord.


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God's power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness.


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He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings.


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To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness.


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You should possess more and more of those good points. They will make you useful and fruitful as you get to know our Lord Jesus Christ better.


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But what if some of you do not have those good points? Then you can't see very well. You are blind. You have forgotten that your past sins have been washed away.


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My brothers and sisters, be very sure that God has appointed you to be saved. Be sure that he has chosen you. If you do everything I have just said, you will never trip and fall.


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You will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom that lasts forever. It is the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


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So I will always remind you of these things. I'll do it even though you know them. I'll do it even though you now have deep roots in the truth.


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I think it is right for me to remind you. It is right as long as I live in this tent. I'm talking about my body.


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I hope that you will always be able to remember these things after I'm gone. I will try very hard to see that you do.


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We told you about the time our Lord Jesus Christ came with power. But we didn't make up stories when we told you about it. With our own eyes we saw him in all his majesty.


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God the Father gave him honor and glory. The voice of the Majestic Glory came to him. It said, "This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him."--(Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)


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The word of the prophets is made more certain. We have that word. You must pay attention to it. It is like a light shining in a dark place. It will shine until the day Jesus comes. Then the Morning Star will rise in your hearts.


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Above all, here is what you must understand. No prophecy in Scripture ever came from a prophet's own understanding.


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It never came simply because a prophet wanted it to. Instead, the Holy Spirit guided the prophets as they spoke. So prophecy comes from God.


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But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way there will be false teachers among you. In secret they will bring in teachings that will destroy you. They will even turn against the Lord and Master who died to save them. His death paid for their sins. They will quickly destroy themselves.


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Those teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The One who will destroy them has not been sleeping.


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God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He put them in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them.


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God did not spare the world's ungodly people long ago. He brought the flood on them. But Noah preached about the right way to live. God kept him safe. He also saved seven others.


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God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He burned them to ashes. He made them an example of what is going to happen to ungodly people.


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God saved Lot. He was a man who did what was right. He was shocked by the dirty, sinful lives of people who didn't obey God's laws.


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That good man lived among them day after day. He saw and heard the evil things they were doing. They were breaking God's laws. And his godly spirit was deeply troubled.


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So the Lord knows how to keep godly people safe in times of testing. He also knows how to keep ungodly people under guard until the day they will be judged. In the meantime, he continues to punish them.


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Most of all, this is true of people who follow the evil longings of their sinful natures. They hate to be under authority. Those false prophets are bold and proud. They aren't afraid to speak evil things against heavenly beings.


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Angels are stronger and more powerful than those people. But even angels don't bring to the Lord evil charges against heavenly beings.


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Those people speak evil about things they don't understand. They are like wild animals. They do what comes naturally to them. They are born only to be caught and destroyed. Just like animals, they too will die.


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They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to have wild parties in the middle of the day. They are like spots and stains. They enjoy their sinful pleasures while they eat with you.


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They stare at women who are not their wives. They want to have sex with them. They never stop sinning. They trap those who are not firm in their faith. They have mastered the art of getting what they want. God has placed them under his curse.


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They have left God's way. They have wandered off. They follow the way of Balaam, son of Beor. He loved to get paid for doing his evil work.


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But a donkey corrected him for the wrong he did. Animals don't speak. But the donkey spoke with a human voice. It tried to stop the prophet from doing a very dumb thing.


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Those false prophets are like springs without water. They are like mists driven by a storm. The blackest darkness is reserved for them.


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They speak empty, bragging words. They make their appeal to the earthly longings of people's sinful nature. They tempt new believers who are just escaping from the company of sinful people.


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They promise to give freedom to the new believers. But they themselves are slaves to sinful living. A person is a slave to anything that controls him.


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They may have escaped the sin of the world. They may have come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But what if they are once again caught up in sin? And what if it has become their master? Then they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.


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What if they had not known the way of godliness? That would have been better than to have known it and then to have turned their backs on it. The way of godliness is the sacred command that was passed on to them.


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What the proverbs say about them is true. "A dog returns to where it has thrown up."--(Proverbs 26:11) And, "A pig that is washed goes back to rolling in the mud."


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Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders. I want to stir you up to think in a way that is pure.


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I want you to remember the words the holy prophets spoke in the past. Remember the command our Lord and Savior gave through your apostles.


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First of all, here is what you must understand. In the last days people will make fun of the truth. They will laugh at it. They will follow their own evil longings.


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They will say, "Where is this 'return' he promised? Everything goes on in the same way it has since our people of long ago died. In fact, it has continued that way since God first created everything."


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Long ago, God's word brought the heavens into being. His word separated the earth from the waters. And the waters surrounded it. But those people forget things like that on purpose.


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By God's word the heavens and earth of today are being reserved for fire. They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people will be destroyed.


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Dear friends, here is one thing you must not forget. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like a day.


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The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. He is patient with you. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins.


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But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. Fire will destroy everything in them. God will judge the earth and everything in it.


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So everything will be destroyed. And what kind of people should you be? You should lead holy and godly lives.


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Live like that as you look forward to the day of God. It will make the day come more quickly. On that day fire will destroy the heavens. Its heat will melt everything in them.


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But we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth. Godliness will make its home there. All of this is in keeping with God's promise.


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Dear friends, I know you are looking forward to that. So try your best to be found pure and without blame. Be at peace with God.


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Remember that while our Lord is waiting patiently to return, people are being saved. Our dear brother Paul also wrote to you about that. God made him wise to write as he did.


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He writes the same way in all his letters. He speaks about what I have just told you. His letters include some things that are hard to understand. People who don't know better and aren't firm in the faith twist what he says. They twist the other Scriptures too. So they will be destroyed.


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Dear friends, you already know that. So be on your guard. Then you won't be led down the wrong path by the mistakes of people who don't obey the law. You won't fall from your safe position.


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Grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Get to know him better. Give him glory both now and forever. Amen.


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Here is what we announce to everyone about the Word of life. He was already here from the beginning. We have heard him. We have seen him with our eyes. We have looked at him. Our hands have touched him.


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That life has appeared. We have seen him. We give witness about him. And we announce to you that same eternal life. He was already with the Father. He has appeared to us.


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We announce to you what we have seen and heard. We do it so you can share life together with us. And we share life with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.


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Here is the message we have heard from him and announce to you. God is light. There is no darkness in him at all.


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Suppose we say that we share life with God but still walk in the darkness. Then we are lying. We are not living by the truth.


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But suppose we walk in the light, just as he is in the light. Then we share life with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his Son, makes us pure from all sin.


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But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, he will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.


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My dear children, I'm writing this to you so that you will not sin. But suppose someone does sin. Then we have one who speaks to the Father for us. He stands up for us. He is Jesus Christ, the Blameless One.


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He gave his life to pay for our sins. But he not only paid for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world.


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Suppose someone says, "I know him." But suppose that person does not do what God commands. Then that person is a liar and is not telling the truth.


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But if anyone obeys God's word, then God's love is truly made complete in that person. Here is how we know we belong to him.


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Dear friends, I'm not writing you a new command. Instead, I'm writing one you have heard before. You have had it since the beginning.


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But I am writing what amounts to a new command. Its truth was shown in how Jesus lived. It is also shown in how you live. The darkness is passing away. The true light is already shining.


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Suppose someone claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister. Then he is still in the darkness.


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Those who love their brothers and sisters are living in the light. There is nothing in them to make them fall into sin.


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But those who hate a brother or sister are in the darkness. They walk around in the darkness. They don't know where they are going. The darkness has made them blind.


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Dear children, I'm writing to you because your sins have been forgiven. They have been forgiven because of what Jesus has done.


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Fathers, I'm writing to you because you have known the One who is from the beginning. Young people, I'm writing to you because you have won the battle over the evil one. Dear children, I'm writing to you because you have known the Father.


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Fathers, I'm writing to you because you have known the One who is from the beginning. Young people, I'm writing to you because you are strong. God's word lives in you. You have won the battle over the evil one.


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Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn't come from the Father.


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The world and its evil longings are passing away. But those who do what God wants them to do live forever.


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Dear children, we are living in the last days. You have heard that the great enemy of Christ is coming. But even now many enemies of Christ have already come. That's how we know that these are the last days.


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The enemies left our group. They didn't really belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by leaving they showed that none of them belonged to us.


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I'm not writing to you because you don't know the truth but because you do know it. I'm writing to you because no lie comes from the truth.


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Who is the liar? The person who says that Jesus is not the Christ. People who say that are the enemies of Christ. They say no to the Father and the Son.


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Those who say no to the Son don't belong to the Father. But anyone who says yes to the Son belongs to the Father also.


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Make sure that you don't forget what you have heard from the beginning. Then you will remain joined to the Son and to the Father.


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But you have received the Holy Spirit from God. He continues to live in you. So you don't need anyone to teach you. God's Spirit teaches you about everything. What he says is true. He doesn't lie. Remain joined to Christ, just as you have been taught by the Spirit.


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Dear children, remain joined to Christ. Then when he comes, we can be bold. We will not be ashamed to meet him when he comes.


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You know that God is right and always does what is right. And you know that everyone who does what is right has been born again because of what God has done.


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How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that's what we really are! The world doesn't know us because it didn't know him.


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Dear friends, now we are children of God. He still hasn't let us know what we will be. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like him. We will see him as he really is.


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No one who remains joined to him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has seen him or known him.


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Dear children, don't let anyone lead you down the wrong path. Those who do what is right are holy, just as Christ is holy.


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Those who do what is sinful belong to the devil. They are just like him. He has been sinning from the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the devil's work.


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Those who are born again because of what God has done will not keep on sinning. God's very nature remains in them. They can't go on sinning. They have been born again because of what God has done.


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Here is how you can tell the difference between the children of God and the children of the devil. Those who don't do what is right do not belong to God. Those who don't love their brothers and sisters do not belong to him either.


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Don't be like Cain. He belonged to the evil one. He murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because the things Cain had done were wrong. But the things his brother had done were right.


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We know that we have left our old dead condition and entered into new life. We know it because we love one another. Those who do not are still living in their old condition.


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Those who hate their brothers and sisters are murderers. And you know that murderers do not have eternal life in their hearts.


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We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters.


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Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. If he doesn't take pity on them, how can the love of God be in him?


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That's how we know that we hold to the truth. And that's how we put our hearts at rest, knowing that God is watching.


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God has commanded us to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. He has also commanded us to love one another.


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Those who obey his commands remain joined to him. And he remains joined to them. How do we know that God lives in us? We know it because of the Holy Spirit he gave us.


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Dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Put the spirits to the test to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world.


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How can you recognize the Spirit of God? Every spirit that agrees that Jesus Christ came in a human body belongs to God.


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But every spirit that doesn't agree with this does not belong to God. It is the spirit of the great enemy of Christ. You have heard that the enemy is coming. Even now he is already in the world.


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Dear children, you belong to God. You have not accepted the teachings of the false prophets. That's because the One who is in you is more powerful than the one who is in the world.


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False prophets belong to the world. So they speak from the world's point of view. The world listens to them.


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We belong to God. And those who know God listen to us. But those who don't belong to God don't listen to us. That's how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of lies.


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Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born again because of what God has done. That person knows God.


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How did God show his love for us? He sent his one and only Son into the world. He sent him so we could receive life through him.


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What is love? It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins.


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No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. His love is made complete in us.


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God lives in anyone who agrees that Jesus is the Son of God. That kind of person remains joined to God.


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So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love shows that he is joined to God. And God is joined to him.


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So love is made complete among us. We will be bold on the day God judges us. That's because in this world we love as Jesus did.


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There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives fear away. Fear has to do with being punished. The one who fears does not have perfect love.


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Anyone who says he loves God but in fact hates his brother or sister is a liar. He doesn't love his brother or sister, whom he has seen. So he can't love God, whom he has not seen.


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Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born again because of what God has done. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children as well.


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Here is what it means to love God. It means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not hard to obey.


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That's because everyone who is a child of God has won the battle over the world. Our faith has won the battle for us.


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Who is it that has won the battle over the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.


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Jesus Christ is the one who was baptized in water and died on the cross. He wasn't just baptized in water. He also died on the cross. The Holy Spirit has given a truthful witness about him. That's because the Spirit is the truth.


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We accept the witness of people. But the witness of God is more important because it is God who gives it. He has given witness about his Son.


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Those who believe in the Son of God have accepted that witness in their hearts. Those who do not believe God's witness are calling him a liar. That's because they have not believed his witness about his Son.


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I'm writing these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. I'm doing it so you will know that you have eternal life.


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There is one thing we can be sure of when we come to God in prayer. If we ask anything in keeping with what he wants, he hears us.


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Suppose you see your brother or sister commit a sin. But that sin is not the kind that leads to death. Then you should pray for them. And God will give life to them. I'm talking about someone whose sin does not lead to death. But there is a sin that does lead to death. I'm not saying that you should pray about that.


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We know that those who are children of God do not keep on sinning. The Son of God keeps them safe. The evil one can't harm them.


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We know that we are children of God. We know that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.


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We also know that the Son of God has come. He has given us understanding. Now we can know the One who is true. And we belong to the One who is true. We also belong to his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God. He is eternal life.


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I, the elder, am writing this letter. I am sending it to the chosen lady and her children. I love all of you because of the truth. I'm not the only one who loves you. So does everyone who knows the truth.


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God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will give you grace, mercy and peace. Those blessings will be with us because we love the truth.


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It has given me great joy to find some of your children living by the truth. That's just what the Father commanded us to do.


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Dear lady, I'm not writing you a new command. I'm writing a command we've had from the beginning. I'm asking that we love one another.


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The way we show our love is to obey God's commands. He commands you to lead a life of love. That's what you have heard from the beginning.


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Many people who try to fool others have gone out into the world. They don't agree that Jesus Christ came in a human body. People like that try to trick others. They are enemies of Christ.


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Watch out that you don't lose what you have worked for. Make sure that you get your complete reward.


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Some people run ahead of others. They don't follow the teaching of Christ. People like that don't belong to God. But those who follow the teaching of Christ belong to the Father and the Son.


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Suppose someone comes to you and doesn't teach these truths. Then don't take him into your house. Don't welcome him.


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I have a lot to write to you. But I don't want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope I can visit you. Then I can talk with you face to face. That will make our joy complete.


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I, the elder, am writing this letter. I am sending it to you, my dear friend Gaius. I love you because of the truth.


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Dear friend, I know that your spiritual life is going well. I pray that you also may enjoy good health. And I pray that everything else may go well with you.


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Some believers came to me and told me that you are faithful to the truth. They told me that you continue to live by it. That gave me great joy.


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Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the believers. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you.


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They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honors God.


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They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn't receive any help from those who aren't believers.


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I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes won't have anything to do with us. He loves to be the first in everything.


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So if I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things about us to others. Even that doesn't satisfy him. He refuses to welcome other believers. He also keeps others from welcoming them. In fact, he throws them out of the church.


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Dear friend, don't be like those who do evil. Be like those who do good. Anyone who does what is good belongs to God. Anyone who does what is evil hasn't really seen or known God.


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Everyone says good things about Demetrius. He lives in keeping with the truth. We also say good things about him. And you know that our witness is true.


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I hope I can see you soon. Then we can talk face to face. May you have peace. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.


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I, Jude, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am a brother of James. I am sending this letter to you who have been chosen by God. You are loved by God the Father. You are kept safe by Jesus Christ.


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Dear friends, I really wanted to write to you about the salvation we share. But now I feel I should write and ask you to stand up for the faith. God's people were trusted with it once and for all time.


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Certain people have slipped in among you in secret. Long ago it was written that they would be judged. They are godless people. They use the grace of our God as an excuse for sexual sins. They say no to Jesus Christ. He is our only Lord and King.


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I want to remind you about some things you already know. The Lord saved his people. He brought them out of Egypt. But later he destroyed those who did not believe.


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Some of the angels didn't stay where they belonged. They didn't keep their positions of authority. The Lord has kept those angels in darkness. They are held by chains that last forever. On judgment day, God will judge them.


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The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them also did evil things. They gave themselves over to sexual sins. They committed sins of the worst possible kind. They are an example of those who are punished with fire. The fire never goes out.


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In the very same way, those dreamers pollute their own bodies. They don't accept authority. They speak evil things against heavenly beings.


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But not even Michael did that. He was the leader of the angels. He argued with the devil about the body of Moses. But he didn't dare to speak evil things against the devil. Instead, he said, "May the Lord stop you!"


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But those people speak evil things against what they don't understand. They are like wild animals. They can't think for themselves. They do what comes naturally to them. Those are the very things that destroy them.


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How terrible it will be for them! They followed the way of Cain. They rushed ahead and made the same mistake as Balaam did. They did it because they loved money. They are like Korah. He turned against his leaders. Those people will certainly be destroyed, just as Korah was.


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They are like stains at the meals you share. They eat too much. They have no shame. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. They are blown along by the wind. They are like trees in the fall. Since they have no fruit, they are pulled up. So they die twice.


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They are like wild waves of the sea. Their shame rises up like foam. They are like falling stars. God has reserved a place of very black darkness for them. He will keep them there forever.


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Enoch was the seventh man in the family line of Adam. He gave a prophecy about those people. He said, "Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones.


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He is coming to judge everyone. He is coming to sentence all ungodly people. He will judge them for all the ungodly acts they have done. They have done them in ungodly ways. He will sentence ungodly sinners for all the bad things they have said about him."


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Those people complain. They find fault with others. They follow their own evil longings. They brag about themselves. They praise others to help themselves.


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They told you, "In the last days, some people will make fun of the truth. They will follow their own ungodly longings."


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They are the people who separate you from one another. They do only what comes naturally. They are not led by the Holy Spirit.


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Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray.


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The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ will bring you eternal life. As you wait for his mercy, remain in God's love.


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Pull others out of the fire. Save them. To others, show mercy mixed with fear. Hate even the clothes that are stained by the sins of those who wear them.


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Give praise to the One who is able to keep you from falling into sin. He will bring you into his heavenly glory without any fault. He will bring you there with great joy.


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Give praise to the only God. He is our Savior. Glory, majesty, power and authority belong to him. Give praise to him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Give praise to the One who was before all time, who now is, and who will be forever. Amen.


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This is the revelation that God gave to Jesus Christ. Jesus shows those who serve God what will happen soon. God made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.


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John gives witness to everything he saw. The things he gives witness to are God's word and what Jesus Christ has said.


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Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy. Blessed are those who hear it and think everything it says is important. The time when these things will come true is near.


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I, John, am writing this letter. I am sending it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. May grace and peace come to you from the One who is, and who was, and who will come. May grace and peace come to you from the seven spirits who are in front of God's throne.


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May grace and peace come to you from Jesus Christ. What Jesus gives witness to can always be trusted. He was the first to rise from the dead. He rules over the kings of the earth. Give glory and power to the One who loves us! He has set us free from our sins by pouring out his blood for us.


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He has made us members of his royal family. He has made us priests who serve his God and Father. Give him glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.


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Look! He is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him. Even those who pierced him will see him. All the nations of the earth will be sad because of him. This will really happen! Amen.


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"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," says the Lord God. "I am the One who is, and who was, and who will come. I am the Mighty One."


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I, John, am a believer like you. I am a friend who suffers like you. As members of Jesus' royal family, we can put up with anything that happens to us. I was on the island of Patmos because I taught God's word and what Jesus said.


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The Holy Spirit took complete control of me on the Lord's Day. I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet.


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The voice said, "Write on a scroll what you see. Send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor. They are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."


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In the middle of them was someone who looked "like a son of man."--(Daniel 7:13) He was dressed in a long robe with a gold strip of cloth around his chest.


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He held seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth came a sharp sword that had two edges. His face was like the sun shining in all of its brightness.


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When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. Then he put his right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.


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I am the Living One. I was dead. But look! I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Hell.


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Here is what the mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand means. They are the angels of the seven churches. And the seven golden lampstands you saw stand for the seven churches.


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Ephesus. Here are the words of the One who holds the seven stars in his right hand. He also walks among the seven golden lampstands. He says,


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'I know what you are doing. You work long and hard. I know you can't put up with those who are evil. You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not. You have found out that they are liars.


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Remember how far you have fallen! Turn away from your sins. Do the things you did at first. If you don't, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.


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'Those who have ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. I will allow those who overcome to eat from the tree of life in God's paradise.'


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Smyrna. Here are the words of the One who is the First and the Last. He is the One who died and came to life again. He says,


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'I know that you suffer and are poor. But you are rich! Some people say they are Jews but are not. I know that their words are evil. Their worship is satanic.


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'Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you. You will be treated badly for ten days. Be faithful, even if it means you must die. Then I will give you a crown. The crown is life itself.


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'Those who have ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Those who overcome will not be hurt at all by the second death.'


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Pergamum. Here are the words of the One with the sharp sword that has two edges. He says,


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'I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you remain true to me. You did not give up your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness. He was put to death in your city, where Satan lives.


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'But I have a few things against you. You have people there who follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to lead the people of Israel into sin. So they ate food that had been offered to statues of gods. And they committed sexual sins.


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'So turn away from your sins! If you don't, I will come to you soon. I will fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.


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'Those who have ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. I will give hidden manna to those who overcome. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it. Only the one who receives that name will know what it is.'


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Thyatira. Here are the words of the Son of God. He is the One whose eyes are like blazing fire. His feet are like polished bronze. He says,


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'I know what you are doing. I know your love and your faith. I know how well you have served. I know you don't give up easily. In fact, you are doing more now than you did at first.


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'But here is what I have against you. You put up with that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet. With her teaching, she has led my servants into sexual sin. She has tricked them into eating food offered to statues of gods.


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She sinned on a bed. So I will make her suffer on a bed. And those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly. Their only way out is to turn away from what she taught them to do.


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I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the One who searches hearts and minds. I will pay each of you back for what you have done.


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'I won't bother the rest of you in Thyatira. You don't follow the teaching of Jezebel. You haven't learned what some people call Satan's deep secrets.


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It is written, ' '"He will rule them with an iron rod. He will break them to pieces like clay pots." --(Psalm 2:9) I have received this authority from my Father.


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Sardis. Here are the words of the One who holds the seven spirits of God. He has the seven stars in his hand. He says, 'I know what you are doing. People think you are alive, but you are dead.


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Wake up! Strengthen what is left, or it will die. You have not done all that my God wants you to do.


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'So remember what you have been taught and have heard. Obey it. Turn away from your sins. If you don't wake up, I will come like a thief. You won't know when I will come to you.


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'But you have a few people in Sardis who have kept their clothes clean. They will walk with me, dressed in white, because they are worthy.


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Those who overcome will also be dressed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. I will speak of them by name to my Father and his angels.


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Philadelphia. Here are the words of the One who is holy and true. He holds the key of David. No one can shut what he opens. And no one can open what he shuts. He says,


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'I know what you are doing. Look! I have put an open door in front of you. No one can shut it. I know that you don't have much strength. But you have obeyed my word. You have not said no to me.


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'Some people claim they are Jews but are not. They are liars. Their worship is from Satan. I will make them come and fall down at your feet. I will make them say in public that I love you.


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'You have kept my command to put up with anything that happens. So I will keep you from the time of suffering that is going to come to the whole world. It will test those who live on the earth.


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'I'll see to it that those who overcome will be pillars in the temple of my God. They will never leave it again. I will write the name of my God on them. I will write the name of the city of my God on them. This is the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God. I will also write my new name on them.


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"Here is what I command you to write to the church in Laodicea. Here are the words of the One who is the Amen. What he gives witness to is faithful and true. He rules over what God has created. He says,


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'You say, "I am rich. I've become wealthy and don't need anything." But you don't realize how pitiful and miserable you have become. You are poor, blind and naked.


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'So here's my advice. Buy from me gold made pure by fire. Then you will become rich. Buy from me white clothes to wear. Then you will be able to cover your shameful nakedness. And buy from me healing lotion to put on your eyes. Then you will be able to see.


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'Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any of you hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.


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'I'll give those who overcome the right to sit with me on my throne. In the same way, I overcame. Then I sat down with my Father on his throne.


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After this I looked, and there in front of me was a door standing open in heaven. I heard the voice I had heard before. It sounded like a trumpet. The voice said, "Come up here. I will show you what must happen after this."


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At once the Holy Spirit took complete control of me. There in front of me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.


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The One who sat there shone like jewels. Around the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.


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Twenty-four other thrones surrounded that throne. Twenty-four elders were sitting on them. The elders were dressed in white. They had gold crowns on their heads.


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From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder. Seven lamps were blazing in front of the throne. These stand for the seven spirits of God.


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There was something that looked like a sea of glass in front of the throne. It was as clear as crystal. In the inner circle, around the throne, were four living creatures. They were covered with eyes, in front and in back.


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The first creature looked like a lion. The second looked like an ox. The third had a man's face. The fourth looked like a flying eagle.


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Each of the four living creatures had six wings. Each creature was covered all over with eyes, even under the wings. Day and night, they never stop saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God who rules over all. He was, and he is, and he will come."


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The living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to the One who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever.


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At the same time, the 24 elders fall down and worship the One who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns in front of the throne. They say,


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"You are worthy, our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power. You are worthy because you created all things. They were created and they exist. That is the way you planned it."


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Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. The scroll had writing on both sides. It was sealed with seven seals.


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I saw a mighty angel calling out in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?"


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But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll. No one could even look inside it.


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Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not cry! The Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the battle. He is the Root of David. He is able to break the seven seals and open the scroll."


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Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if he had been put to death. He stood in the center of the area around the throne. The Lamb was surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes. The eyes stand for the seven spirits of God, which are sent out into all the earth.


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Then the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down in front of the Lamb. Each one had a harp. They were holding golden bowls full of incense, which stand for the prayers of God's people.


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Here is the new song they sang. "You are worthy to take the scroll and break open its seals. You are worthy because you were put to death. With your blood you bought people for God. They come from every tribe, language, people and nation.


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You have made them members of a royal family. You have made them priests to serve our God. They will rule on the earth."


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Then I looked and heard the voice of millions and millions of angels. They surrounded the throne. They surrounded the living creatures and the elders.


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In a loud voice they sang, "The Lamb, who was put to death, is worthy! He is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength! He is worthy to receive honor and glory and praise!"


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All creatures in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea, and all that is in them, were singing. I heard them say, "May praise and honor for ever and ever be given to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb! Give them glory and power 'XY'for ever and ever!"


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I watched as the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!"


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I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow in his hands. He was given a crown. He rode out like a hero on his way to victory.


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Another horse came out. It was flaming red. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword.


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The Lamb broke open the third seal. Then I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.


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Next, I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures. It said, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay. And three quarts of barley for a day's pay. But don't spoil the olive oil and the wine!"


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The Lamb broke open the fourth seal. Then I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"


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I looked, and there in front of me was a pale horse! Its rider's name was Death. Following close behind him was Hell. They were given power over a fourth of the earth. They were given power to kill people with the sword, hunger and sickness. They could also use the earth's wild animals to kill.


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He broke open the fifth seal. I saw souls under the altar. They were the souls of people who were killed because of God's word and their faithful witness.


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They called out in a loud voice. "How long, Lord and King, holy and true?" they asked. "How long will you wait to judge those who live on the earth? How long will it be until you pay them back for killing us?"


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Then each of them was given a white robe. "Wait a little longer," they were told. "There are still more of your believing brothers and sisters who must be killed."


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I watched as he broke open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned black like black clothes that were made from the hair of a goat. The whole moon turned as red as blood.


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The stars in the sky fell to earth. They dropped like ripe figs from a tree shaken by a strong wind.


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Everyone hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. This included the kings of the earth, the princes and the generals, rich people and powerful people. It also included every slave and everyone who was free.


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They called out to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne! Hide us from the anger of the Lamb!


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After this I saw four angels. They were standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth. This kept the winds from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.


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Then I saw another angel coming up from the east. He had the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been allowed to harm the land and the sea.


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"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees," he said. "Wait until we mark with a seal the foreheads of those who serve our God."


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From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were sealed. From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000. From the tribe of Gad, 12,000.


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From the tribe of Asher, 12,000. From the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000. From the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000.


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From the tribe of Simeon, 12,000. From the tribe of Levi, 12,000. From the tribe of Issachar, 12,000.


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From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000. From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000. From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.


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After this I looked, and there in front of me was a huge crowd of people. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. There were so many that no one could count them. They came from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were wearing white robes. In their hands they were holding palm branches.


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They cried out in a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne. Salvation also belongs to the Lamb."


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All the angels were standing around the throne. They were standing around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God.


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They said, "Amen! May praise and glory and wisdom be given to our God for ever and ever. Give him thanks and honor and power and strength. Amen!"


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Then one of the elders spoke to me. "Who are these people dressed in white robes?" he asked. "Where did they come from?"


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I answered, "Sir, you know." He said, "They are the ones who have come out of the time of terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.


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So "they are in front of the throne of God. They serve him day and night in his temple. The One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.


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Never again will they be hungry. Never again will they be thirsty. The sun will not beat down on them. The heat of the desert will not harm them.


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The Lamb, who is at the center of the area around the throne, will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."


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Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a shallow gold cup for burning incense. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the golden altar in front of the throne. With the incense he offered the prayers of all God's people.


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The smoke of the incense together with the prayers of God's people rose up from the angel's hand. It went up in front of God.


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Then the angel took the cup and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it down on the earth. There were rumblings and thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.


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The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.


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The second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood.


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The third angel blew his trumpet. Then a great star fell from the sky. It looked like a blazing torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.


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The fourth angel blew his trumpet. Then a third of the sun was struck. A third of the moon was struck. A third of the stars were struck. So a third of each of them turned dark. Then a third of the day had no light. The same thing happened to a third of the night.


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As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. It called out in a loud voice, "How terrible! How terrible it will be for those living on the earth! How terrible! They will suffer as soon as the next three angels blow their trumpets!"


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The fifth angel blew his trumpet. Then I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the tunnel leading down into the Abyss.


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When the star opened the Abyss, smoke rose up from it like the smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.


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Out of the smoke came locusts. They settled down on the earth. They were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth.


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They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree. They were supposed to harm only the people who didn't have God's seal on their foreheads.


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They were not allowed to kill them. But they could hurt them over and over for five months. The pain the people suffered was like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.


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In those days, people will look for a way to die but won't find it. They will want to die, but death will escape them.


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The locusts looked like horses ready for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold. Their faces looked like human faces.


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Their chests were covered with something that looked like armor made out of iron. The sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.


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They had tails and stings like scorpions. And in their tails they had power to hurt people over and over for five months.


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Their king was the angel of the Abyss. In the Hebrew language his name is Abaddon. In Greek it is Apollyon.


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The sixth angel blew his trumpet. Then I heard a voice coming from the corners of the golden altar that stands in front of God.


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The voice spoke to the sixth angel who had the trumpet. It said, "Set the four angels free who are held at the great river Euphrates."


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The four angels had been ready for this very hour and day and month and year. They were set free to kill a third of all people.


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The horses and riders I saw in my vision had armor on their chests. It was flaming red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads. Out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.


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A third of all people were killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the horses' mouths.


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The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails. The tails were like snakes whose heads could bite.


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The people who were not killed by these plagues still did not turn away from what they had been doing. They did not stop worshiping demons. They kept worshiping statues of gods made out of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which can't see or hear or walk.


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Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was wearing a cloud like a robe. There was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun. His legs were like pillars of fire.


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He was holding a little scroll. It was lying open in his hand. The angel put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.


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Then he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.


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When they had spoken, I was getting ready to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said. Do not write it down."


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He made a promise in the name of the One who lives for ever and ever. He took an oath in the name of the One who created the sky, earth and sea and all that is in them. He said, "There will be no more waiting!


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But in the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, the last part of God's plan will be carried out. God told all this to the prophets who served him long ago."


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Then the voice I had heard from heaven spoke to me again. It said, "Go and take the scroll from the angel standing on the sea and on the land. It is lying open in his hand."


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So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will become sour in your stomach. But in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey."


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I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey. But when I had eaten it, it became sour in my stomach.


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I was given a long stick that looked like a measuring rod. I was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count the worshipers who are there.


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But do not measure the outer courtyard. It has been given to those who aren't Jews. They will overrun the holy city for 42 months.


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"I will give power to my two witnesses. They will prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in black clothes to show how sad they are."


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The witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand in front of the Lord of the earth.


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If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and eats up their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.


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These witnesses have power to close up the sky. Then it will not rain while they are prophesying. They also have power to turn the waters into blood. And they can strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want to.


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When they have finished giving their witness, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them. He will overpower them and kill them.


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Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city where their Lord was nailed to the cross. The city is sometimes pictured as Sodom, or as Egypt.


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For three and a half days, people from every tribe, language and nation will stare at their bodies. They will refuse to bury them.


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Those who live on the earth will be happy about this and will celebrate. They will send each other gifts, because these two prophets had made them suffer.


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But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered the two witnesses. They stood up. Terror struck those who saw them.


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Then the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven. It said to them, "Come up here." They went up to heaven in a cloud. Their enemies watched it happen.


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At that very hour there was a powerful earthquake. A tenth of the city crumbled and fell. In the earthquake, 7,000 people were killed. Those who lived through it were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.


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The seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven. They said, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will rule for ever and ever."


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The 24 elders were sitting on their thrones in front of God. They fell on their faces and worshiped God.


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They said, "Lord God who rules over all, we give thanks to you. You are the One who is and who was. We give you thanks because you have taken your great power and have begun to rule.


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The nations were angry, and the time for your anger has come. The time has come to judge the dead. It is time to reward your servants the prophets and your own people and those who honor you. There is a reward for all your people, both great and small. It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth."


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Then God's temple in heaven was opened. Inside it the wooden chest called the ark of his covenant could be seen. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.


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A great and miraculous sign appeared in heaven. It was a woman wearing the sun like clothes. The moon was under her feet. On her head she wore a crown of 12 stars.


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Then another sign appeared in heaven. It was a huge red dragon. He had seven heads and ten horns. On his seven heads he wore seven crowns.


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His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky. It threw them down to earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to have a baby. He wanted to eat her child the moment it was born.


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She gave birth to a son. He will rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was taken up to God and to his throne.


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The woman escaped into the desert where God had a place prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for 1,260 days.


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There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back.


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The great dragon was thrown down to the earth, and his angels with him. The dragon is that old serpent called the devil, or Satan. He leads the whole world down the wrong path.


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Then I heard a loud voice in heaven. It said, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God have come. The authority of his Christ has come. Satan, who brings charges against our brothers and sisters, has been thrown down. He brings charges against them before our God day and night.


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They overcame him because the Lamb gave his life's blood for them. They overcame him by giving witness about Jesus to others. They were willing to risk their lives, even if it led to death.


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So be joyful, you heavens! Be glad, all you who live there! But how terrible it will be for the earth and the sea! The devil has come down to you. He is very angry. He knows his time is short."


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The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy.


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The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so that she could fly away. She could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. She would be out of the serpent's reach.


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Then the serpent spit water like a river out of his mouth. He wanted to catch her and sweep her away in the flood.


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But the earth helped the woman. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spit out.


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The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God's commands and hold firmly to what Jesus has said.


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The dragon stood on the seashore. I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads. There were ten crowns on his horns. On each head was an evil name that was displeasing to God.


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The beast I saw looked like a leopard. But he had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.


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One of the beast's heads seemed to have had a deadly wound. But the wound had been healed. The whole world was amazed and followed the beast.


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People worshiped the dragon, because he had given authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast. They asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"


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The beast was given a mouth to brag and speak evil things against God. The beast was allowed to use his authority for 42 months.


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He opened his mouth to speak evil things against God. He told lies about God's character and about the place where God lives and about those who live in heaven with him.


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He was allowed to make war against God's people and to overcome them. He was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.


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All who live on earth whose names have not been written in the Book of Life will worship the beast. The Book of Life belongs to the Lamb whose death was planned before the world was created.


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Everyone who is supposed to be captured will be captured. Everyone who is supposed to be killed with a sword will be killed with a sword. So God's people must be patient and faithful.


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Then I saw another beast. This one came out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb. But he spoke like a dragon.


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He had all the authority of the first beast. He did what that beast wanted. He made the earth and all who live on it worship the first beast. The first beast was the one whose deadly wound had been healed.


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The second beast did great and miraculous signs. He even made fire come from heaven. It came down to earth where everyone could see it.


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He did the signs the first beast wanted him to do. In that way the second beast tricked those who live on the earth. He ordered them to set up a statue to honor the first beast. The first beast was the one who had been wounded by the sword and still lived.


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The second beast was allowed to give breath to the statue so it could speak. He was allowed to kill all who refused to worship the statue.


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He also forced everyone to receive a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. People great or small, rich or poor, free or slave had to receive the mark.


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They could not buy or sell anything unless they had the mark. The mark is the name of the beast or the number of his name.


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Here is a problem that you have to be wise to figure out. If you can, figure out what the beast's number means. It is man's number. His number is 666.


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I looked, and there in front of me was the Lamb. He was standing on Mount Zion. With him were 144,000 people. Written on their foreheads were his name and his Father's name.


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I heard a sound from heaven. It was like the roar of rushing waters and loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music of harps being played.


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Then everyone sang a new song in front of the throne. They sang it in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000. They had been set free from the evil of the earth.


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They had not committed sexual sins with women. They had kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among people as a first offering to God and the Lamb.


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I saw another angel. He was flying high in the air. He came to tell everyone on earth the good news that will always be true. He told it to every nation, tribe, language and people.


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In a loud voice he said, "Have respect for God. Give him glory. The hour has come for God to judge. Worship him who made the heavens and the earth. Worship him who made the sea and the springs of water."


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A second angel followed him. He said, "Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! The city of Babylon made all the nations drink the strong wine of her terrible sins."


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A third angel followed them. He said in a loud voice, "Watch out, all you who worship the beast and his statue! Watch out, all you who have his mark on your forehead or your hand!


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You, too, will drink the wine of God's great anger. His wine has been poured full strength into the cup of his anger. You will be burned with flaming sulfur. The holy angels and the Lamb will see it happen.


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The smoke of your terrible suffering will rise for ever and ever. Day and night, there is no rest for you who worship the beast and his statue. There is no rest for you who receive the mark of his name."


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God's people need to be very patient. They are the ones who obey God's commands. They remain faithful to Jesus.


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Then I heard a voice from heaven. "Write this," it said. "Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Holy Spirit. "They will rest from their labor. What they have done will not be forgotten."


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I looked, and there in front of me was a white cloud. Sitting on the cloud was One who looked "like a son of man."--(Daniel 7:13) He wore a gold crown on his head. In his hand was a sharp, curved blade for cutting grain.


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Then another angel came out of the temple. He called in a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud. "Take your blade," he said. "Cut the grain. The time has come. The earth is ready to be harvested."


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Still another angel came from the altar. He was in charge of the fire on the altar. He called out in a loud voice to the angel who had the sharp blade. "Take your blade," he said, "and gather the bunches of grapes from the earth's vine. Its grapes are ripe."


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So the angel swung his blade over the earth. He gathered its grapes. Then he threw them into a huge winepress. The winepress stands for God's anger.


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In the winepress outside the city, the grapes were stomped on. Blood flowed out of the pit. It spread over the land for about 180 miles. It rose as high as the horses' heads.


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I saw in heaven another great and miraculous sign. Seven angels were about to bring the seven last plagues. The plagues would complete God's anger.


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Then I saw something that looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Standing beside the sea were those who had won the battle over the beast. They had also overcome his statue and the number of his name. They held harps given to them by God.


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They sang the song of Moses, who served God, and the song of the Lamb. They sang, "Lord God who rules over all, everything you do is great and wonderful. King of the ages, your ways are true and fair.


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Lord, who will not have respect for you? Who will not bring glory to your name? You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you. They see that the things you do are right."


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After this I looked, and the temple was opened in heaven. The temple is the holy tent where the tablets of the covenant were kept.


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Out of the temple came the seven angels who were bringing the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen. They wore gold strips of cloth around their chests.


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Then one of the four living creatures gave seven golden bowls to the seven angels. The bowls were filled with the anger of God, who lives for ever and ever.


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The temple was filled with smoke that came from the glory and power of God. No one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.


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Then I heard a loud voice from the temple speaking to the seven angels. "Go," it said. "Pour out the seven bowls of God's anger on the earth."


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The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land. Ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his statue.


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The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea. It turned into blood like the blood of a dead person. Every living thing in the sea died.


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Then I heard the angel who was in charge of the waters. He said, "The way you judge is fair. You are the Holy One. You are the One who is and who was.


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The beast's worshipers have poured out the life's blood of your people and your prophets. So you have given those worshipers blood to drink. That's exactly what they should get."


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They were burned by the blazing heat. So they spoke evil things against the name of God, who controlled these plagues. But they refused to turn away from their sins. They did not give glory to God.


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The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast. The kingdom of the beast became very dark. People bit their tongues because they were suffering so much.


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They spoke evil things against the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores. But they refused to turn away from the sins they had committed.


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The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.


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Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.


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They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. They go out to gather the kings of the whole world for battle. That battle will take place on the great day of the God who rules over all.


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"Look! I am coming like a thief! Blessed are those who stay awake and keep their clothes with them. They will not be caught naked. They will not be put to shame."


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Then the evil spirits gathered the kings together. The place where the kings met is called Armageddon in the Hebrew language.


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The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne. It said, "It is done!"


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Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, thunder and a powerful earthquake. There has never been an earthquake as terrible as this since man has lived on earth.


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The great city split into three parts. The cities of the nations crumbled and fell. God remembered Babylon the Great. He gave her the cup filled with the wine of his terrible anger.


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Huge hailstones of about 100 pounds each fell from the sky. The hail crushed people. They spoke evil things against God because the plague of hail was so terrible.


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One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came to me. He said, "Come. I will show you how the great prostitute will be punished. She is the one who sits on many waters.


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The kings of the earth took part in her evil ways. The people living on earth were drunk with the wine of her terrible sins."


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Then the angel carried me away in a vision. The Holy Spirit took me into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a bright red beast. It was covered with names that say evil things that are displeasing to God. It had seven heads and ten horns.


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The woman was dressed in purple and bright red. She was gleaming with gold, jewels and pearls. In her hand she held a golden cup filled with things that God hates. It was filled with her terrible, dirty sins.


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Here is the name that was written on her forehead. mystery the great city of babylon the mother of prostitutes the mother of everything on earth that god hates


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I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's people. They are the ones who gave witness to Jesus. When I saw her, I was very amazed.


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Then the angel said to me, "Why are you amazed? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides on. The beast is the one who has the seven heads and ten horns.


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The beast that you saw used to exist. But now he does not. He will come up out of the Abyss. He will be destroyed. Some of the people who live on the earth will be amazed when they see the beast. Their names have not been written in the Book of Life from the time the world was created. They will be amazed because even though the beast used to exist and now does not, he will come again.


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"Here is a problem that you have to be wise to understand. The seven heads are seven hills that the woman sits on.


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They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is ruling, and the other has still not come. When he does come, he must remain for a little while.


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"The beast who used to exist, and now does not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the other seven. He will be destroyed.


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"The ten horns you saw are ten kings. They have not yet received a kingdom. But for one hour they will receive authority to rule together with the beast.


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They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will overcome them because he is the most powerful Lord of all and the greatest King of all. His appointed, chosen and faithful followers will be with him."


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Then the angel spoke to me. "You saw the waters the prostitute sits on," he said. "They stand for all the nations of the world, no matter what their race or language is.


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The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will destroy her and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.


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God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose. So they agreed to give the beast their power to rule. They will give him that power until God's words come true.


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After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority. His glory filled the earth with light.


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With a mighty voice he shouted, "Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a place where demons live. She has become a den for every evil spirit. She has become a nest for every 'unclean' and hated bird.


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All the nations have drunk the strong wine of her terrible sins. The kings of the earth took part in her evil ways. The traders of the world grew rich from her great wealth."


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Then I heard another voice from heaven. It said, "Come out of her, my people. Then you will not take part in her sins. You will not suffer from any of her plagues.


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Do to her as she has done to others. Pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double dose of what she has mixed for others.


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Give her as much pain and suffering as the glory and wealth she gave herself. She brags to herself, 'I rule like a queen. I am not a widow. I will never be sad.'


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But she will be plagued by death, sadness and hunger. In a single day they will all catch up with her. She will be burned up by fire. The Lord God who judges her is mighty.


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"The kings of the earth who committed terrible sins with her will sob. They will be sad because they used to share her riches. They will see the smoke rising as she burns.


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They will be terrified by her suffering. Standing far away, they will exclaim, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! How terrible for you, Babylon, city of power! In just one hour you have been destroyed!'


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Here is what they had for sale. Gold, silver, jewels, pearls. Fine linen, purple, silk, bright red cloth. Every kind of expensive wood. All sorts of articles made out of ivory, valuable wood, bronze, iron and marble.


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Cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense. Wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat. Cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, human slaves.


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"The merchants will say, 'The pleasure you longed for has left you. All your riches and glory have disappeared forever.'


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The traders who sold these things and became rich because of her will stand far away. Her suffering will terrify them. They will cry and be sad.


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They will cry out, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and bright red! How terrible for you, great city, gleaming with gold, jewels and pearls!


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In just one hour your great wealth has been destroyed!' "Every sea captain and all who travel by ship will stand far away. So will the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea.


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They will see the smoke rising as Babylon burns. They will ask, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?'


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They will throw dust on their heads. They will cry and be sad. They will cry out, " 'How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! All who had ships on the sea became rich because of her wealth! In just one hour she has been destroyed!


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Heaven, be glad for this! God's people, be glad! Apostles and prophets, be glad! God has judged her for the way she treated you.' "


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Then a mighty angel picked up a huge rock. It was the size of a large millstone. He threw it into the sea. Then he said, "That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down. Never again will it be found.


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The songs of musicians will never be heard in you again. Gone will be the music of harp, flute and trumpet. No worker of any kind will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.


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The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again. Your traders were among the world's most important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led down the wrong path.


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You were guilty of the murder of prophets and God's people. You were guilty of the blood of all who have been killed on the earth."


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After these things I heard a roar in heaven. It sounded like a huge crowd shouting, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.


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The way he judges is true and fair. He has judged the great prostitute. She polluted the earth with her terrible sins. God has paid her back for killing those who served him."


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The 24 elders and the four living creatures bowed down. They worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, "Amen! Hallelujah!"


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Then a voice came from the throne. It said, "Praise our God, all you who serve him! Praise God, all you who have respect for him, both great and small!"


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Then I heard the noise of a huge crowd. It sounded like the roar of rushing waters and like loud thunder. The people were shouting, "Hallelujah! Our Lord God is the King who rules over all.


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Let us be joyful and glad! Let us give him glory! It is time for the Lamb's wedding. His bride has made herself ready.


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Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear." Fine linen stands for the right things that God's people do.


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Here is what the angel told me to write. "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!" Then he added, "These are the true words of God."


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When I heard this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God's servant, just like other believers who hold firmly to what Jesus has taught. Worship God! What Jesus taught is the very heart of prophecy."


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I saw heaven standing open. There in front of me was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True. When he judges or makes war, he is always fair.


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His eyes are like blazing fire. On his head are many crowns. A name is written on him that only he knows.


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The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses. They were dressed in fine linen, white and clean.


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Out of the rider's mouth comes a sharp sword. He will strike down the nations with it. Scripture says, "He will rule them with an iron rod."--(Psalm 2:9) He stomps on the grapes of God's winepress. The winepress stands for the terrible anger of the God who rules over all.


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Here is the name that is written on the rider's robe and on his thigh. the greatest king of all and the most powerful lord of all


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I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the air, "Come! Gather together for the great supper of God.


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Come and eat the dead bodies of kings, generals, and other mighty people. Eat the bodies of horses and their riders. Eat the bodies of all people, free and slave, great and small."


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Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies. They had gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.


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But the beast and the false prophet were captured. The false prophet had done miraculous signs for the beast. In this way the false prophet had tricked those who had received the mark of the beast and had worshiped his statue. The beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.


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The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the rider's mouth. All the birds stuffed themselves with the dead bodies.


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I saw an angel coming down out of heaven. He had the key to the Abyss. In his hand he held a heavy chain.


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He grabbed the dragon, that old serpent. The serpent is also called the devil, or Satan. The angel put him in chains for 1,000 years.


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Then he threw him into the Abyss. He locked it and sealed him in. This was to keep Satan from fooling the nations anymore until the 1,000 years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.


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I saw thrones. Those who had been given authority to judge were sitting on them. I also saw the souls of those whose heads had been cut off because they had given witness for Jesus and because of God's word. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue. They had not received his mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years.


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This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended.


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Blessed and holy are those who take part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests of God and of Christ. They will rule with him for 1,000 years.


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He will go out to fool the nations. He will gather them from the four corners of the earth. He will bring Gog and Magog together for battle. Their troops are as many as the grains of sand on the seashore.


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They marched across the whole earth. They surrounded the place where God's people were camped. It was the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and burned them up.


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The devil, who fooled them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. That is where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will all suffer day and night for ever and ever.


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I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. When the earth and sky saw his face, they ran away. There was no place for them.


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I saw the dead, great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened. Then another book was opened. It was the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what they had done. The things they had done were written in the books.


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The sea gave up the dead that were in it. And Death and Hell gave up their dead. Each of the dead was judged by what he had done.


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I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were completely gone. There was no longer any sea.


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I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.


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I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, "Now God makes his home with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God.


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He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be."


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He who was sitting on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down. You can trust these words. They are true."


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He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End. Anyone who is thirsty may drink from the spring of the water of life. It doesn't cost anything!


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"But others will have their place in the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Those who are afraid and those who do not believe will be there. Murderers and those who pollute themselves will join them. Those who commit sexual sins and those who practice witchcraft will go there. Those who worship statues of gods and all who tell lies will be there too. It is the second death."


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One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. The bowls were filled with the seven last plagues. The angel said, "Come. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."


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Then he carried me away in a vision. The Spirit took me to a huge, high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City. It was coming down out of heaven from God.


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It shone with the glory of God. It gleamed like a very valuable jewel. It was like a jasper, as clear as crystal.


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The city had a huge, high wall with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates, one at each of them. On the gates were written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.


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There were three gates on the east and three on the north. There were three gates on the south and three on the west.


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The wall of the city had 12 foundations. Written on them were the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.


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The angel who talked with me had a gold measuring rod. He used it to measure the city, its gates and its walls.


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The city was laid out like a square. It was as long as it was wide. The angel measured the city with the rod. It was 1,400 miles long. It was as wide and high as it was long.


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He measured the wall of the city. It was 200 feet thick. The angel did the measuring as a man would.


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The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of jewel. The first foundation was made out of jasper. The second was made out of sapphire. The third was made out of chalcedony. The fourth was made out of emerald.


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The fifth was made out of sardonyx. The sixth was made out of carnelian. The seventh was made out of chrysolite. The eighth was made out of beryl. The ninth was made out of topaz. The tenth was made out of chrysoprase. The eleventh was made out of jacinth. The twelfth was made out of amethyst.


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The 12 gates were made from 12 pearls. Each gate was made out of a single pearl. The main street of the city was made out of pure gold, as clear as glass.


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I didn't see a temple in the city. This was because the Lamb and the Lord God who rules over all are its temple.


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The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it. God's glory is its light, and the Lamb is its lamp.


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The nations will walk by the light of the city. The kings of the world will bring their glory into it.


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Only what is pure will enter it. No one who fools others or does shameful things will enter it. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enter the city.


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Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as crystal. It flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb.


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It flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. Its fruit was ripe every month. The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations.


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There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. God's servants will serve him.


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There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. They will rule for ever and ever.


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The angel said to me, "You can trust these words. They are true. The Lord is the God of the spirits of the prophets. He sent his angel to show those who serve him the things that must soon take place."


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I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. After I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel. He is the one who had been showing me these things.


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But he said to me, "Don't do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God's servant, just like the other prophets and all who obey the words of this book. Worship God!"


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Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy in this book. These things are about to happen.


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Let those who do wrong keep on doing wrong. Let those who are evil continue to be evil. Let those who do what is right keep on doing what is right. And let those who are holy continue to be holy."


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"Look! I am coming soon! I bring my rewards with me. I will reward each person for what he has done.


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"Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will have the right to come to the tree of life. They will be allowed to go through the gates into the city.


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"Outside the city are the dogs and those who practice witchcraft. Outside are also those who commit sexual sins and murder. Those who worship statues of gods, and everyone who loves and does what is false, are outside too.


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"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this witness for the churches. I am the Root and the Son of David. I am the bright Morning Star."


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The Holy Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Let those who hear say, "Come!" Anyone who is thirsty should come. Anyone who wants to take the free gift of the water of life should do so.


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I am warning everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If you add anything to them, God will add to you the plagues told about in this book.


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If you take any words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from you your share in the tree of life. He will also take away your place in the Holy City. This book tells about these things.


