# verses

text:
But if all prophesy [giving inspired testimony and interpreting the divine will and purpose] and an unbeliever or untaught outsider comes in, he is told of his sin <i>and</i> reproved <i>and</i> convicted <i>and</i> convinced by all, and his defects <i>and</i> needs are examined (estimated, determined) <i>and</i> he is called to account by all,


text:
The secrets of his heart are laid bare; and so, falling on [his] face, he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth.


text:
What then, brethren, is [the right course]? When you meet together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a disclosure of special knowledge <i>or</i> information, an utterance in a [strange] tongue, or an interpretation of it. [But] let everything be constructive <i>and</i> edifying <i>and</i> for the good of all.


text:
If some speak in a [strange] tongue, let the number be limited to two or at the most three, and each one [taking his] turn, and let one interpret <i>and</i> explain [what is said].


text:
But if there is no one to do the interpreting, let each of them keep still in church and talk to himself and to God.


text:
So let two or three prophets speak [those inspired to preach or teach], while the rest pay attention <i>and</i> weigh <i>and</i> discern what is said.


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For in this way you can give testimony [prophesying and thus interpreting the divine will and purpose] one by one, so that all may be instructed and all may be stimulated <i>and</i> encouraged;


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For the spirits of the prophets (the speakers in tongues) are under the speaker’s control [and subject to being silenced as may be necessary],


text:
For He [Who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion <i>and</i> disorder but of peace <i>and</i> order. As [is the practice] in all the churches of the saints (God’s people),


text:
The women should keep quiet in the churches, for they are not authorized to speak, but should take a secondary <i>and</i> subordinate place, just as the Law also says. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But if there is anything they want to learn, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to talk in church [<f>[7]</f>for her to usurp and exercise authority over men in the church].


text:
If anyone thinks <i>and</i> claims that he is a prophet [filled with and governed by the Holy Spirit of God and inspired to interpret the divine will and purpose in preaching or teaching] or has any other spiritual endowment, let him understand (recognize and acknowledge) that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord.


text:
But if anyone disregards <i>or</i> does not recognize [<f>[8]</f>that it is a command of the Lord], he is disregarded <i>and</i> not recognized [he is <f>[9]</f>one whom God knows not].


text:
So [to conclude], my brethren, earnestly desire <i>and</i> set your hearts on prophesying (on being inspired to preach and teach and to interpret God’s will and purpose), and do not forbid <i>or</i> hinder speaking in [unknown] tongues.


text:
But all things should be done with regard to decency <i>and</i> propriety and in an orderly fashion.


text:
And now let me remind you [since it seems to have escaped you], brethren, of the Gospel (the glad tidings of salvation) which I proclaimed to you, which you welcomed <i>and</i> accepted and upon which your faith rests,


text:
And by which you are saved, if you hold fast <i>and</i> keep firmly what I preached to you, unless you believed at first without effect <i>and</i> all for nothing.


text:
For I passed on to you first of all what I also had received, that Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for our sins in accordance with [what] the Scriptures [foretold], <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Then later He showed Himself to more than five hundred brethren at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].


text:
And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one prematurely <i>and</i> born dead [<f>[1]</f>no better than an unperfected fetus among living men].


text:
For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, who am not fit <i>or</i> deserving to be called an apostle, because I once wronged <i>and</i> pursued <i>and</i> molested the church of God [oppressing it with cruelty and violence].


text:
But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me.


text:
So, whether then it was I or they, this is what we preach and this is what you believed [what you adhered to, trusted in, and relied on].


text:
But now if Christ (the Messiah) is preached as raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?


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And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain [it amounts to nothing] and your faith is devoid of truth <i>and</i> is fruitless (without effect, empty, imaginary, and unfounded).


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We are even discovered to be misrepresenting God, for we testified of Him that He raised Christ, Whom He did not raise in case it is true that the dead are not raised.


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And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is mere delusion [futile, fruitless], and you are still in your sins [under the control and penalty of sin];


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And further, those who have died in [<f>[2]</f>spiritual fellowship and union with] Christ have perished (are lost)!


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If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life <i>and</i> that is all, then we are of all people most miserable <i>and</i> to be pitied.


text:
But the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death].


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For since [it was] through a man that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead [has come].


text:
For just as [because of their <f>[3]</f>union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their <f>[4]</f>union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive.


text:
But each in his own rank <i>and</i> turn: Christ (the Messiah) [is] the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s [own will be resurrected] at His coming.


text:
After that comes the end (the completion), when He delivers over the kingdom to God the Father after rendering inoperative <i>and</i> abolishing every [other] rule and every authority and power.


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For [Christ] must be King <i>and</i> reign until He has put all [His] enemies under His feet. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For He [the Father] has put all things in subjection under His [Christ’s] feet. But when it says, All things are put in subjection [under Him], it is evident that He [Himself] is excepted Who does the subjecting of all things to Him. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
However, when everything is subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also subject Himself to [the Father] Who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all [be everything to everyone, supreme, the indwelling and controlling factor of life].


text:
Otherwise, what do people mean by being [themselves] baptized in behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?


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[For that matter], why do I live [dangerously as I do, running such risks that I am] in peril every hour?


text:
[I assure you] by the pride which I have in you in [your <f>[5]</f>fellowship and union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily [I face death every day and die to self].


text:
What do I gain if, merely from the human point of view, I fought with [wild] beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised [at all], let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will be dead. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Do not be so deceived <i>and</i> misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt <i>and</i> deprave good manners <i>and</i> morals <i>and</i> character.


text:
Awake [<f>[6]</f>from your drunken stupor and return] to sober sense <i>and</i> your right minds, and sin no more. For some of you have not the knowledge of God [you are utterly and willfully and disgracefully ignorant, and continue to be so, lacking the sense of God’s presence and all true knowledge of Him]. I say this to your shame.


text:
You foolish man! Every time you plant seed, you sow something that does not come to life [germinating, springing up, and growing] unless it dies first.


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Nor is the seed you sow then the body which it is going to have [later], but it is a naked kernel, perhaps of wheat or some of the rest of the grains.


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But God gives to it the body that He plans <i>and</i> sees fit, and to each kind of seed a body of its own. <f>ⓕ</f>


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For all flesh is not the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fish.


text:
There are heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars) and there are earthly bodies (men, animals, and plants), but the beauty <i>and</i> glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, while the beauty <i>and</i> glory of earthly bodies is a different kind.


text:
The sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive] way; for one star differs from <i>and</i> surpasses another in its beauty <i>and</i> brilliance.


text:
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. [The body] that is sown is perishable <i>and</i> decays, but [the body] that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal). <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
It is sown in dishonor <i>and</i> humiliation; it is raised in honor <i>and</i> glory. It is sown in infirmity <i>and</i> weakness; it is resurrected in strength <i>and</i> endued with power.


text:
It is sown a natural (physical) body; it is raised a supernatural (a spiritual) body. [As surely as] there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.


text:
Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] <i>the Lord</i> from out of heaven. <f>ⓘ</f>


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Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).


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And just as we have borne the image [of the man] of dust, so shall we <i>and so</i> <f>[7]</f><i>let us</i> also bear the image [of the Man] of heaven.


text:
But I tell you this, brethren, flesh and blood cannot [become partakers of eternal salvation and] inherit <i>or</i> share in the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable (that which is decaying) inherit <i>or</i> share in the imperishable (the immortal).


text:
Take notice! I tell you a mystery (a secret truth, an event decreed by the hidden purpose or counsel of God). We shall not all fall asleep [in death], but we shall all be changed (transformed)


text:
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the [sound of the] last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised imperishable (free and immune from decay), and we shall be changed (transformed).


text:
For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us, this nature that is capable of dying] must put on immortality (freedom from death).


text:
And when this perishable puts on the imperishable and this that was capable of dying puts on freedom from death, then shall be fulfilled the Scripture that says, Death is swallowed up (utterly vanquished <f>[8]</f>forever) in <i>and</i> unto victory. <f>ⓙ</f>


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Now sin is the sting of death, and sin exercises its power <f>[9]</f>[upon the soul] through <f>[10]</f>[the abuse of] the Law.


text:
But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.


text:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing <i>and</i> being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].


text:
Now concerning the money contributed for [the relief of] the saints (God’s people): you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do.


text:
On the first [day] of each week, let each one of you [personally] put aside something and save it up as he has prospered [in proportion to what he is given], so that no collections will need to be taken after I come.


text:
And when I arrive, I will send on those whom you approve <i>and</i> authorize with credentials to carry your gift [of charity] to Jerusalem.


text:
But it may be that I will stay with you [for a while], perhaps even spend the winter, so that you may bring me forward [on my journey] to wherever I may go.


text:
For I am unwilling to see you right now [just] in passing, but I hope later to remain for some time with you, if the Lord permits.


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For a wide door of opportunity for effectual [service] has opened to me [there, a great and promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.


text:
When Timothy arrives, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he may be fearless among you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.


text:
So [see to it that] no one despises him <i>or</i> treats him as if he were of no account <i>or</i> slights him. But send him off [cordially, speed him on his way] in peace, that he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other brethren.


text:
As for our brother Apollos, I have urgently encouraged him to visit you with the other brethren, but it was not at all his will <i>or</i> <f>[1]</f>God’s will that he should go now. He will come when he has opportunity.


text:
Be alert <i>and</i> on your guard; stand firm in your faith (<f>[2]</f>your conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, keeping the trust and holy fervor born of faith and a part of it). Act like men <i>and</i> be courageous; grow in strength! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Now, brethren, you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts <i>and</i> our firstfruits in Achaia (most of Greece), and how they have consecrated <i>and</i> devoted themselves to the service of the saints (God’s people).


text:
I urge you to pay all deference to such leaders <i>and</i> to enlist under them <i>and</i> be subject to them, as well as to everyone who joins <i>and</i> cooperates [with you] <i>and</i> labors earnestly.


text:
I am happy because Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have come [to me], for they have made up for your absence.


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For they gave me <f>[3]</f>respite from labor <i>and</i> rested me <i>and</i> refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Deeply appreciate <i>and</i> thoroughly know <i>and</i> fully recognize such men.


text:
The churches of Asia send greetings <i>and</i> best wishes. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church [that meets] in their house, send you their hearty greetings in the Lord.


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All the brethren wish to be remembered to you <i>and</i> wish you well. Greet one another with a holy kiss.


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If anyone does not love the Lord [does not have a friendly affection for Him and is not kindly disposed toward Him], he shall be accursed! Our Lord will come! (Maranatha!)


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My love (that true love growing out of sincere devotion to God) be with you all in Christ Jesus. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, an apostle (a special messenger) of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, to the church (assembly) of God which is at Corinth, and to all the saints (the people of God) throughout Achaia (most of Greece):


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Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),


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Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble <i>or</i> distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.


text:
For just as Christ’s [<f>[1]</f>own] sufferings fall to our lot <f>[2]</f>[as they overflow upon His disciples, and we share and experience them] abundantly, so through Christ comfort (consolation and encouragement) is also [shared and experienced] abundantly by us.


text:
But if we are troubled (afflicted and distressed), it is for your comfort (consolation and encouragement) and [for your] salvation; and if we are comforted (consoled and encouraged), it is for your comfort (consolation and encouragement), which works [in you] when you patiently endure the same evils (misfortunes and calamities) that we also suffer <i>and</i> undergo.


text:
And our hope for you [our joyful and confident expectation of good for you] is ever unwavering (assured and unshaken); for we know that just as you share <i>and</i> are partners in [our] sufferings <i>and</i> calamities, you also share <i>and</i> are partners in [our] comfort (consolation and encouragement).


text:
For we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about the affliction <i>and</i> oppressing distress which befell us in [the province of] Asia, how we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down <i>and</i> crushed that we despaired even of life [itself].


text:
Indeed, we felt within ourselves that we had received the [very] sentence of death, but that was to keep us from trusting in <i>and</i> depending on ourselves instead of on God Who raises the dead.


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[For it is He] Who rescued <i>and</i> saved us from such a perilous death, and He will still rescue <i>and</i> save us; in <i>and</i> on Him we have set our hope (our joyful and confident expectation) that He will again deliver us [from danger and destruction and <f>[3]</f>draw us to Himself],


text:
While you also cooperate by your prayers for us [helping and laboring together with us]. Thus [the lips of] many persons [turned toward God will eventually] give thanks on our behalf for the grace (the blessing of deliverance) granted us at the request of the many who have prayed.


text:
It is a reason for pride <i>and</i> exultation to which our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world [generally] and especially toward you, with devout <i>and</i> pure motives and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God (the unmerited favor and <f>[4]</f>merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, and keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian virtues).


text:
For we write you nothing else but simply what you can read and understand [there is no double meaning to what we say], and I hope that you will become thoroughly acquainted [with <f>[5]</f>divine things] <i>and</i> know <i>and</i> understand [them] accurately <i>and</i> well to the end,


text:
[Just] as you have [already] partially known <i>and</i> understood <i>and</i> acknowledged us <i>and</i> recognized that you can [honestly] be proud of us, even as we [can be proud] of you on the day of our Lord Jesus.


text:
It was with assurance of this that I wanted <i>and</i> planned to visit you first [of all], so that you might have a double favor <i>and</i> token of grace (goodwill).


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[I wanted] to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and [then] to come again to you [on my return trip] from Macedonia and have you send me forward on my way to Judea.


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Now because I changed my original plan, was I being unstable <i>and</i> capricious? Or what I plan, do I plan according to the flesh [like a worldly man], ready to say Yes, yes, [when it may mean] No, no?


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As surely as God is trustworthy <i>and</i> faithful <i>and</i> means what He says, our speech <i>and</i> message to you have not been Yes [that might mean] No.


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For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us, by myself, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not Yes and No; but in Him it is [always the divine] Yes.


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For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.


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But it is God Who confirms <i>and</i> makes us steadfast <i>and</i> establishes us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and has consecrated <i>and</i> anointed us [<f>[6]</f>enduing us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit];


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[He has also appropriated and acknowledged us as His by] putting His seal upon us and giving us His [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as the security deposit <i>and</i> guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].


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But I call upon God as my soul’s witness: it was to avoid hurting you that I refrained from coming to Corinth —


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Not that we have dominion [over you] <i>and</i> lord it over your faith, but [rather that we work with you as] fellow laborers [to promote] your joy, for in [your] faith (<f>[7]</f>in your strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God) you stand firm.


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But I definitely made up my mind not to grieve you with another painful <i>and</i> distressing visit.


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For if I cause you pain [with merited rebuke], who is there to provide me enjoyment but the [very] one whom I have grieved <i>and</i> made sad?


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And I wrote the same to you so that when I came, I might not be myself pained by those who are the [very] ones who ought to make me glad, for I trusted in you all <i>and</i> felt confident that my joy would be shared by all of you.


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For I wrote you out of great sorrow and deep distress [with mental torture and anxiety] of heart, [yes, and] with many tears, not to cause you pain but in order to make you realize the overflowing love that I continue increasingly to have for you.


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But if someone [the one among you who committed incest] has caused [all this] grief <i>and</i> pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure, not to put it too severely, [he has distressed] all of you.


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So [instead of further rebuke, now] you should rather turn <i>and</i> [graciously] forgive and comfort <i>and</i> encourage [him], to keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow <i>and</i> despair.


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For this was my purpose in writing you, to test your attitude <i>and</i> see if you would stand the test, whether you are obedient <i>and</i> altogether agreeable [to following my orders] in everything.


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If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive that one; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the presence [and with the approval] of Christ (the Messiah),


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To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles <i>and</i> intentions.


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Now when I arrived at Troas [to preach] the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, a door of opportunity was opened for me in the Lord,


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Yet my spirit could not rest (relax, get relief) because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave from them <i>and</i> departed for Macedonia.


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But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads <i>and</i> makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,


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For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved <i>and</i> among those who are perishing:


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To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?]


text:
For we are not, like so many, [like hucksters making a trade of] peddling God’s Word [shortchanging and adulterating the divine message]; but like [men] of sincerity <i>and</i> the purest motive, as [commissioned and sent] by God, we speak [His message] in Christ (the Messiah), in the [very] sight <i>and</i> presence of God.


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Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Or we do not, like some [false teachers], need written credentials <i>or</i> letters of recommendation to you or from you, [do we]?


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[No] you yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in <f>[1]</f>your hearts, to be known (perceived, recognized) and read by everybody.


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You show <i>and</i> make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Such is the reliance <i>and</i> confidence that we have through Christ toward <i>and</i> with reference to God.


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Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments <i>or</i> to claim <i>or</i> count anything as coming from us, but our power <i>and</i> ability <i>and</i> sufficiency are from God.


text:
[It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers <i>and</i> dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Now if the dispensation of death engraved in letters on stone [the ministration of the Law], was inaugurated with such glory <i>and</i> splendor that the Israelites were not able to look steadily at the face of Moses because of its brilliance, [a glory] that was to fade <i>and</i> pass away, <f>ⓒ</f>


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Why should not the dispensation of the Spirit [this spiritual <f>[2]</f>ministry whose task it is to cause men to obtain and be governed by the Holy Spirit] be attended with much greater <i>and</i> more splendid glory?


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For if the service that condemns [the ministration of doom] had glory, how infinitely more abounding in splendor <i>and</i> glory must be the service that makes righteous [the ministry that produces and fosters righteous living and right standing with God]!


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Indeed, in view of this fact, what once had splendor [<f>[3]</f>the glory of the Law in the face of Moses] has come to have no splendor at all, because of the overwhelming glory that exceeds <i>and</i> excels it [<f>[4]</f>the glory of the Gospel in the face of Jesus Christ].


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For if that which was but passing <i>and</i> fading away came with splendor, how much more must that which remains <i>and</i> is permanent abide in glory <i>and</i> splendor!


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Since we have such [glorious] hope (such joyful and confident expectation), we speak very freely <i>and</i> openly <i>and</i> fearlessly.


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Nor [do we act] like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the finish of the vanishing [splendor which had been upon it].


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In fact, their minds were grown hard <i>and</i> calloused [they had become dull and had lost the power of understanding]; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies [on their hearts], not being lifted [to reveal] that in Christ it is made void <i>and</i> done away.


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Yes, down to this [very] day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds <i>and</i> hearts.


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But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off <i>and</i> taken away.


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Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His <i>very own</i> image in ever increasing splendor <i>and</i> from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.


text:
Therefore, since we do hold <i>and</i> engage in this ministry by the mercy of God [granting us favor, benefits, opportunities, and especially salvation], we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) <i>or</i> become faint with weariness and exhaustion.


text:
We have renounced disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate <i>or</i> handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight <i>and</i> presence of God to every man’s conscience.


text:
But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing <i>and</i> obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying <i>and</i> veiled [only] to those who are lost.


text:
For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image <i>and</i> Likeness of God.


text:
For what we preach is not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your servants (slaves) for Jesus’ sake.


text:
For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as [to beam forth] the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the majesty <i>and</i> glory of God [as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed] in the face of <i>Jesus</i> Christ (the Messiah). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur <i>and</i> exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.


text:
We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped <i>or</i> crushed; we suffer embarrassments <i>and</i> are perplexed <i>and</i> unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;


text:
We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out <i>and</i> destroyed;


text:
Always carrying about in the body the liability <i>and</i> exposure to the same putting to death that <i>the Lord</i> Jesus suffered, so that the [<f>[1]</f>resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by <i>and</i> in our bodies.


text:
For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [<f>[2]</f>resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.


text:
Thus death is actively at work in us, but [it is in order that <f>[3]</f>our] life [may be actively at work] in you.


text:
Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I have believed, and therefore have I spoken. We too believe, and therefore we speak, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Assured that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and bring us [along] with you into His presence.


text:
For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favor and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people <i>and</i> multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God.


text:
Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying <i>and</i> wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.


text:
For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing <i>and</i> producing <i>and</i> achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],


text:
Since we consider <i>and</i> look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless <i>and</i> everlasting.


text:
For we know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed (dissolved), we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.


text:
Here indeed, in this [present abode, body], we sigh <i>and</i> groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over [we yearn to put on our celestial body like a garment, to be fitted out] with our heavenly dwelling,


text:
For while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden <i>and</i> sigh deeply (weighed down, depressed, oppressed) — not that we want to put off the body (the clothing of the spirit), but rather that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal (our dying body) may be swallowed up by life [<f>[1]</f>after the resurrection].


text:
Now He Who has fashioned us [preparing and making us fit] for this very thing is God, Who also has given us the [Holy] Spirit as a guarantee [of the fulfillment of His promise].


text:
So then, we are always full of good <i>and</i> hopeful <i>and</i> confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord [that is promised us].


text:
For we walk by faith [we <f>[2]</f>regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight <i>or</i> appearance.


text:
[Yes] we have confident <i>and</i> hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord.


text:
Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious <i>and</i> strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him.


text:
For we must all appear <i>and</i> be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering <f>[3]</f>what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has <f>[4]</f>achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing].


text:
Therefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect <i>and</i> reverence, we seek to win people over [to persuade them]. But <f>[5]</f>what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized <i>and</i> thoroughly understood by God, and I hope that it is plainly recognized <i>and</i> thoroughly understood also by your consciences (your inborn discernment).


text:
We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are providing you with an occasion <i>and</i> incentive to be [rightfully] proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface appearances [<f>[6]</f>on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is devoid of them.


text:
For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God <i>and</i> concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit,


text:
For the love of Christ controls <i>and</i> urges <i>and</i> impels us, because we are of the opinion <i>and</i> conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died;


text:
And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to <i>and</i> for themselves, but to <i>and</i> for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.


text:
Consequently, from now on we estimate <i>and</i> regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint <i>and</i> as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh].


text:
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh <i>and</i> new has come!


text:
But all things are from God, Who through <i>Jesus</i> Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].


text:
It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling <i>and</i> restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up <i>and</i> holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).


text:
So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] <i>and</i> be reconciled to God.


text:
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in <i>and</i> through Him we might become [<f>[7]</f>endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].


text:
Laboring together [as God’s fellow workers] with Him then, we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain [that <f>[1]</f>merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them — do not receive it to no purpose].


text:
For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to <i>and</i> heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome <i>and</i> acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
We put no obstruction in anybody’s way [we give no offense in anything], so that no fault may be found <i>and</i> [our] ministry blamed <i>and</i> discredited.


text:
But we commend ourselves in every way as [true] servants of God: through great endurance, in tribulation <i>and</i> suffering, in hardships <i>and</i> privations, in sore straits <i>and</i> calamities,


text:
By innocence <i>and</i> purity, knowledge <i>and</i> spiritual insight, longsuffering <i>and</i> patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned love;


text:
By [speaking] the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [to attack] and for the left hand [to defend];


text:
Amid honor and dishonor; in defaming <i>and</i> evil report and in praise <i>and</i> good report. [We are branded] as deceivers (impostors), and [yet vindicated as] truthful <i>and</i> honest.


text:
[We are treated] as unknown <i>and</i> ignored [by the world], and [yet we are] well-known <i>and</i> recognized [by God and His people]; as dying, and yet here we are alive; as chastened by suffering and [yet] not killed;


text:
As grieved <i>and</i> mourning, yet [we are] always rejoicing; as poor [ourselves, yet] bestowing riches on many; as having nothing, and [yet in reality] possessing all things.


text:
Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians [we are hiding nothing, keeping nothing back], and our heart is expanded wide [for you]! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
There is no lack of room for you in [our hearts], but you lack room in your own affections [for us].


text:
By way of return then, do this for me — I speak as to children — open wide your hearts also [to us].


text:
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living <i>and</i> right standing with God with iniquity <i>and</i> lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?


text:
What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?


text:
What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in <i>and</i> with <i>and</i> among them and will walk in <i>and</i> with <i>and</i> among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly <i>and</i> treat you with favor, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Therefore, since these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates <i>and</i> defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.


text:
Do open your hearts to us again [enlarge them to take us in]. We have wronged no one, we have betrayed <i>or</i> corrupted no one, we have cheated <i>or</i> taken advantage of no one.


text:
I do not say this to reproach <i>or</i> condemn [you], for I have said before that you are [nested] in our hearts, [and you will remain there] together [with us], whether we die or live.


text:
I have great boldness <i>and</i> free <i>and</i> fearless confidence <i>and</i> cheerful courage toward you; my pride in you is great. I am filled [brimful] with the comfort [of it]; with all our tribulation <i>and</i> in spite of it, [I am filled with comfort] I am overflowing with joy.


text:
For even when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no ease <i>or</i> rest, but we were oppressed in every way <i>and</i> afflicted at every turn — fighting <i>and</i> contentions without, dread <i>and</i> fears within [us].


text:
But God, Who comforts <i>and</i> encourages <i>and</i> refreshes <i>and</i> cheers the depressed <i>and</i> the sinking, comforted <i>and</i> encouraged <i>and</i> refreshed <i>and</i> cheered us by the arrival of Titus.


text:
[Yes] and not only by his coming but also by [his account of] the comfort with which he was encouraged <i>and</i> refreshed <i>and</i> cheered as to you, while he told us of your yearning affection, of how sorry you were [for me] and how eagerly you took my part, so that I rejoiced still more.


text:
For even though I did grieve you with my letter, I do not regret [it now], though I did regret it; for I see that that letter did pain you, though only for a little while;


text:
Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance [and so turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us <i>or</i> harm for what we did.


text:
For godly grief <i>and</i> the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads <i>and</i> contributes to salvation <i>and</i> deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death].


text:
For [you can look back now and] observe what this same godly sorrow has done for you <i>and</i> has produced in you: what eagerness <i>and</i> earnest care to explain <i>and</i> clear yourselves [of all <f>[1]</f>complicity in the condoning of incest], what indignation [at the sin], what alarm, what yearning, what zeal [to do justice to all concerned], what readiness to mete out punishment [<f>[2]</f>to the offender]! At every point you have proved yourselves cleared <i>and</i> guiltless in the matter. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
So although I did write to you [as I did], it was not for the sake <i>and</i> because of the one who did [the] wrong, nor on account of the one who suffered [the] wrong, but in order that you might realize before God [that your readiness to accept our authority revealed] how zealously you do care for us.


text:
Therefore we are relieved <i>and</i> comforted <i>and</i> encouraged [at the result]. And in addition to our own [personal] consolation, we were especially delighted at the joy of Titus, because you have all set his mind at rest, soothing <i>and</i> refreshing his spirit.


text:
For if I had boasted to him at all concerning you, I was not disappointed <i>or</i> put to shame, but just as everything we ever said to you was true, so our boasting [about you] to Titus has proved true also.


text:
And his heart goes out to you more abundantly than ever as he recalls the submission [to his guidance] that all of you had, and the reverence <i>and</i> anxiety [to meet all requirements] with which you accepted <i>and</i> welcomed him.


text:
I am very happy because I now am of good courage <i>and</i> have perfect confidence in you in all things.


text:
We want to tell you further, brethren, about the grace (the favor and spiritual blessing) of God which has been evident in the churches of Macedonia [arousing in them the desire to give alms];


text:
For in the midst of an ordeal of severe tribulation, their abundance of joy and their depth of poverty [together] have overflowed in wealth of lavish generosity on their part.


text:
For, as I can bear witness, [they gave] according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability; and [they did it] voluntarily,


text:
Begging us most insistently for the favor <i>and</i> the fellowship of contributing in this ministration for [the relief and support of] the saints [in Jerusalem].


text:
Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [<f>[1]</f>entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God] —


text:
So much so that we have urged Titus that as he began it, he should also complete this beneficent <i>and</i> gracious contribution among you [the church at Corinth].


text:
Now as you abound <i>and</i> excel <i>and</i> are at the front in everything — in faith, in expressing yourselves, in knowledge, in all zeal, and in your love for us — [see to it that you come to the front now and] abound <i>and</i> excel in this gracious work [of almsgiving] also.


text:
I give this not as an order [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the zeal of others, the sincerity of your [own] love also.


text:
For you are becoming progressively acquainted with <i>and</i> recognizing more strongly <i>and</i> clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).


text:
[It is then] my counsel <i>and</i> my opinion in this matter that I give [you when I say]: It is profitable <i>and</i> fitting for you [now to complete the enterprise] which more than a year ago you not only began, but were the first to wish to do anything [about contributions for the relief of the saints at Jerusalem].


text:
So now finish doing it, that your [enthusiastic] readiness in desiring it may be equalled by your completion of it according to your ability <i>and</i> means.


text:
For if the [eager] readiness to give is there, then it is acceptable <i>and</i> welcomed in proportion to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.


text:
For it is not [intended] that other people be eased <i>and</i> relieved [of their responsibility] and you be burdened <i>and</i> suffer [unfairly],


text:
But to have equality [share and share alike], your surplus over necessity at the present time going to meet their want <i>and</i> to equalize the difference created by it, so that [at some other time] their surplus in turn may be given to supply your want. Thus there may be equality,


text:
As it is written, He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little did not lack. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But thanks be to God Who planted the same earnest zeal <i>and</i> care for you in the heart of Titus.


text:
For he not only welcomed <i>and</i> responded to our appeal, but was himself so keen in his enthusiasm <i>and</i> interest in you that he is going to you of his own accord.


text:
But we are sending along with him that brother [Luke?] whose praise in the Gospel ministry [is spread] throughout all the churches;


text:
And more than that, he has been appointed by the churches to travel as our companion in regard to this bountiful contribution which we are administering for the glory of the Lord Himself and [to show] our eager readiness [as Christians to help one another].


text:
[For] we are on our guard, intending that no one should find anything for which to blame us in regard to our administration of this large contribution.


text:
For we take thought beforehand <i>and</i> aim to be honest <i>and</i> absolutely above suspicion, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.


text:
Moreover, along with them we are sending our brother, whom we have often put to the test and have found him zealous (devoted and earnest) in many matters, but who is now more [eagerly] earnest than ever because of [his] absolute confidence in you.


text:
As for Titus, he is my colleague and shares my work in your service; and as for the [other two] brethren, they are the [special] messengers of the churches, a credit <i>and</i> glory to Christ (the Messiah).


text:
Show to these men, therefore, in the sight of the churches, the reality <i>and</i> plain truth of your love (your affection, goodwill, and benevolence) and what [good reasons] I had for boasting about <i>and</i> being proud of you.


text:
Now about the offering that is [to be made] for the saints (God’s people in Jerusalem), it is quite superfluous that I should write you;


text:
For I am well acquainted with your willingness (your readiness and your eagerness to promote it) and I have proudly told about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia (most of Greece) has been prepared since last year for this contribution; and [consequently] your enthusiasm has stimulated the majority of them.


text:
Still, I am sending the brethren [on to you], lest our pride in you should be made an empty boast in this particular case, and so that you may be all ready, as I told them you would be;


text:
Lest, if [any] Macedonians should come with me and find you unprepared [for this generosity], we, to say nothing of yourselves, be humiliated for our being so confident.


text:
That is why I thought it necessary to urge these brethren to go to you before I do and make arrangements in advance for this bountiful, promised gift of yours, so that it may be ready, not as an extortion [wrung out of you] but as a generous <i>and</i> willing gift.


text:
[Remember] this: he who sows sparingly <i>and</i> grudgingly will also reap sparingly <i>and</i> grudgingly, and he who sows generously [<f>[1]</f>that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously <i>and</i> with blessings.


text:
Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind <i>and</i> purposed in his heart, not reluctantly <i>or</i> sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He <f>[2]</f>takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And God is able to make all grace (every favor and <f>[3]</f>earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always <i>and</i> under all circumstances <i>and</i> whatever the need <f>[4]</f>be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].


text:
As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice <i>and</i> goodness <i>and</i> kindness <i>and</i> benevolence will go on <i>and</i> endure forever! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [<f>[5]</f>which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Thus you will be enriched in all things <i>and</i> in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.


text:
For the service that the ministering of this fund renders does not only fully supply what is lacking to the saints (God’s people), but it also overflows in many [cries of] thanksgiving to God.


text:
Because at [your] standing of the test of this ministry, they will glorify God for your loyalty <i>and</i> obedience to the Gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous-hearted liberality to them and to all [the other needy ones].


text:
And they yearn for you while they pray for you, because of the surpassing measure of God’s grace (His favor and mercy and spiritual blessing which is shown forth) in you.


text:
Now thanks be to God for His Gift, [precious] beyond telling [His indescribable, inexpressible, free Gift]!


text:
Now I myself, Paul, beseech you, by the gentleness and consideration of Christ [Himself; I] who [am] lowly enough [so they say] when among you face to face, but bold (fearless and outspoken) to you when [I am] absent from you!


text:
I entreat you when I do come [to you] that I may not [be driven to such] boldness as I intend to show toward those few who suspect us of acting according to the flesh [on the low level of worldly motives and as if invested with only human powers].


text:
For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh <i>and</i> using mere human weapons.


text:
For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow <i>and</i> destruction of strongholds,


text:
[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments <i>and</i> theories <i>and</i> reasonings and every proud <i>and</i> lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought <i>and</i> purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),


text:
Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission <i>and</i> obedience [as a church] are fully secured <i>and</i> complete.


text:
Look at [this obvious fact] which is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him reflect <i>and</i> remind himself that even as he is Christ’s, so too are we.


text:
For even though I boast rather freely about our power <i>and</i> authority, which the Lord gave for your upbuilding and not for demolishing you, yet I shall not be put to shame [for exceeding the truth],


text:
For they say, His letters are weighty <i>and</i> impressive and forceful <i>and</i> telling, but his personality <i>and</i> bodily presence are weak, and his speech <i>and</i> delivery are utterly contemptible (of no account).


text:
Let such people realize that what we say by letters when we are absent, [we put] also into deeds when we are present —


text:
Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt <i>and</i> furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding <i>and</i> behave unwisely.


text:
We, on the other hand, will not boast beyond our legitimate province <i>and</i> proper limit, but will keep within the limits [of our commission which] God has allotted us as our measuring line and which reaches <i>and</i> includes even you.


text:
For we are not overstepping the limits of our province <i>and</i> stretching beyond our ability to reach, as though we reached not (had no legitimate mission) to you, for we were [the very first] to come even as far as to you with the good news (the Gospel) of Christ.


text:
We do not boast therefore, beyond our proper limit, over other men’s labors, but we have the hope <i>and</i> confident expectation that as your faith continues to grow, our field among you may be greatly enlarged, still within the limits of our commission,


text:
So that [we may even] preach the Gospel in lands [lying] beyond you, without making a boast of work already done in another [man’s] sphere of activity [before we came on the scene].


text:
For [it is] not [the man] who praises <i>and</i> commends himself who is approved <i>and</i> accepted, but [it is the person] whom the Lord accredits <i>and</i> commends.


text:
For I am <f>[1]</f>zealous for you with a godly eagerness <i>and</i> a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted <i>and</i> seduced from wholehearted <i>and</i> sincere <i>and</i> pure devotion to Christ. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For [you seem readily to endure it] if a man comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the [Spirit] you [once] received or a different gospel from the one you [then] received <i>and</i> welcomed; you tolerate [all that] well enough!


text:
Yet I consider myself as in no way inferior to these [precious] <f>[2]</f>extra-super [false] apostles.


text:
But even if [I am] unskilled in speaking, yet [I am] not [unskilled] in knowledge [I know what I am talking about]; we have made this evident to you in all things.


text:
But did I perhaps make a mistake <i>and</i> do you a wrong in debasing <i>and</i> cheapening myself so that you might be exalted <i>and</i> enriched in dignity <i>and</i> honor <i>and</i> happiness by preaching God’s Gospel without expense to you?


text:
Other churches I have robbed by accepting [more than their share of] support for my ministry [from them in order] to serve you.


text:
And when I was with you and ran short financially, I did not burden any [of you], for what I lacked was abundantly made up by the brethren who came from Macedonia. So I kept myself from being burdensome to you in any way, and will continue to keep [myself from being so].


text:
As the truth of Christ is in me, this my boast [of independence] shall not be debarred (silenced or checked) in the regions of Achaia (most of Greece).


text:
And why? Because I do not love you [do not have a preference for you, wish you well, and regard your welfare]? God perceives <i>and</i> knows that I do!


text:
But what I do, I will continue to do, [for I am determined to maintain this independence] in order to cut off the claim of those who would like [to find an occasion and incentive] to claim that in their boasted [mission] they work on the same terms that we do.


text:
For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah).


text:
So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds.


text:
I repeat then, let no one think I have lost my wits; but even if you do, then bear with a witless man, so that I too may boast a little.


text:
What I say by way of this confident boasting, I say not with the Lord’s authority [by inspiration] but, as it were, in pure witlessness.


text:
[For] since many boast of worldly things <i>and</i> according to the flesh, I will glory (boast) also.


text:
For you readily <i>and</i> gladly bear with the foolish, since you are so smart <i>and</i> wise yourselves!


text:
For you endure it if a man assumes control of your souls <i>and</i> makes slaves of you, or devours [your substance, spends your money] <i>and</i> preys upon you, or deceives <i>and</i> takes advantage of you, or is arrogant <i>and</i> puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.


text:
To my discredit, I must say, we have shown ourselves too weak [for you to show such tolerance of us and for us to do strong, courageous things like that to you]! But in whatever any person is bold <i>and</i> dares [to boast] — mind you, I am speaking in this foolish (witless) way — I also am bold <i>and</i> dare [to boast].


text:
Are they [ministering] servants of Christ (the Messiah)? I am talking like one beside himself, [but] I am more, with far more extensive <i>and</i> abundant labors, with far more imprisonments, [beaten] with countless stripes, and frequently [at the point of] death.


text:
Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been aboard a ship wrecked at sea; a [whole] night and a day I have spent [adrift] on the deep;


text:
Many times on journeys, [exposed to] perils from rivers, perils from bandits, perils from [my own] nation, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the desert places, perils in the sea, perils from those posing as believers [but destitute of Christian knowledge and piety];


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In toil and hardship, watching often [through sleepless nights], in hunger and thirst, frequently driven to fasting by want, in cold and exposure <i>and</i> lack of clothing.


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And besides those things that are without, there is the daily [inescapable pressure] of my care <i>and</i> anxiety for all the churches!


text:
Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to stumble <i>and</i> fall <i>and</i> have his faith hurt, and I am not on fire [with sorrow or indignation]?


text:
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that [show] my infirmity [of the things by which I am made weak and contemptible in the eyes of my opponents].


text:
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus <i>Christ</i> knows, He Who is blessed <i>and</i> to be praised forevermore, that I do not lie.


text:
In Damascus, the city governor acting under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus [on purpose] to arrest me,


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And I was [actually] let down in a [rope] basket <i>or</i> hamper through a window (a small door) in the wall, and I escaped through his fingers.


text:
True, there is nothing to be gained by it, but [as I am obliged] to boast, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.


text:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows — was caught up to the third heaven.


text:
Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter.


text:
Of this same [man’s experiences] I will boast, but of myself (personally) I will not boast, except as regards my infirmities (my weaknesses).


text:
Should I desire to boast, I shall not be a witless braggart, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I abstain [from it] so that no one may form a higher estimate of me than [is justified by] what he sees in me or hears from me.


text:
And to keep me from being puffed up <i>and</i> too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (<f>[1]</f>a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack <i>and</i> buffet <i>and</i> harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Three times I called upon the Lord <i>and</i> besought [Him] about this <i>and</i> begged that it might depart from me;


text:
But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for <i>My</i> strength <i>and</i> power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f><i>show themselves most effective</i> in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses <i>and</i> infirmities, that the strength <i>and</i> power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may <f>[3]</f>pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!


text:
So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased <i>and</i> take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities <i>and</i> distresses; for when I am weak [<f>[4]</f>in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful <f>[5]</f>in divine strength).


text:
Now I have been [speaking like] a fool! But you forced me to it, for I ought to have been [<f>[6]</f>saved the necessity and] commended by you. For I have not fallen short one bit <i>or</i> proved myself at all inferior to those superlative [false] apostles [of yours], even if I am nothing (a nobody).


text:
Indeed, the signs that indicate a [genuine] apostle were performed among you fully <i>and</i> most patiently in miracles and wonders and mighty works.


text:
For in what respect were you put to a disadvantage in comparison with the rest of the churches, unless [it was for the fact] that I myself did not burden you [with my financial support]? Pardon me [for doing you] this injustice!


text:
Now for the third time I am ready to come to [visit] you. And I will not burden you [financially], for it is not your [money] that I want but you; for children are not duty bound to lay up store for their parents, but parents for their children.


text:
But I will most gladly spend [myself] and be utterly spent for your souls. If I love you exceedingly, am I to be loved [by you] the less?


text:
But though granting that I did not burden you [with my support, some say that] I was crafty [and that] I cheated <i>and</i> got the better of you with my trickery.


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Did I [then] take advantage of you <i>or</i> make any money out of you through any of those [messengers] whom I sent to you?


text:
[Actually] I urged Titus [to go], and I sent the brother with [him]. Did Titus overreach <i>or</i> take advantage of you [in anything]? Did he <i>and</i> I not act in the same spirit? Did we not [take the] same steps?


text:
Have you been supposing [all this time] that we have been defending ourselves <i>and</i> apologizing to you? [It is] in the sight <i>and</i> the [very] presence of God [and as one] in Christ (the Messiah) that we have been speaking, dearly beloved, and all in order to build you up [spiritually].


text:
For I am fearful that somehow or other I may come and find you not as I desire to find you, and that you may find me too not as you want to find me — that perhaps there may be factions (quarreling), jealousy, temper (wrath, intrigues, rivalry, divided loyalties), selfishness, whispering, gossip, arrogance (self-assertion), and disorder among you.


text:
[I am fearful] that when I come again, my God may humiliate <i>and</i> humble me in your regard, and that I may have to sorrow over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, sexual vice, and sensuality which they formerly practiced.


text:
This is the third time that I am coming to you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses must any charge <i>and</i> every accusing statement be sustained <i>and</i> confirmed. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I have already warned those who sinned formerly and all the rest also, and I warn them now again while I am absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come back, I will not spare [them],


text:
Since you desire <i>and</i> seek [perceptible] proof of the Christ Who speaks in <i>and</i> through me. [For He] is not weak <i>and</i> feeble in dealing with you, but is a mighty power within you;


text:
For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He goes on living by the power of God. And though we too are weak in Him [as He was humanly weak], yet in dealing with you [we shall show ourselves] alive <i>and</i> strong in [fellowship with] Him by the power of God.


text:
Examine <i>and</i> test <i>and</i> evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith <i>and</i> showing the proper fruits of it. Test <i>and</i> prove yourselves [<f>[1]</f>not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize <i>and</i> know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you — unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial <i>and</i> rejected?


text:
But I hope you will recognize <i>and</i> know that we are not disapproved on trial <i>and</i> rejected.


text:
But I pray to God that you may do nothing wrong, not in order that we [<f>[2]</f>our teaching] may appear to be approved, but that you may continue doing right, [though] we may seem to have failed <i>and</i> be unapproved.


text:
For we can do nothing against the Truth [<f>[3]</f>not serve any party or personal interest], but only for the Truth [<f>[4]</f>which is the Gospel].


text:
For we are glad when we are weak (<f>[5]</f>unapproved) and you are really strong. And this we also pray for: your all-round strengthening <i>and</i> perfecting of soul.


text:
So I write these things while I am absent from you, that when I come to you, I may not have to deal sharply in my use of the authority which the Lord has given me [to be employed, however] for building [you] up and not for tearing [you] down.


text:
Finally, brethren, farewell (rejoice)! Be strengthened (perfected, completed, made what you ought to be); be encouraged <i>and</i> consoled <i>and</i> comforted; be of the same [agreeable] mind one with another; live in peace, and [then] the God of love [Who is the Source of affection, goodwill, love, and benevolence toward men] and the Author <i>and</i> Promoter of peace will be with you.


text:
The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence <i>and</i> fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, an apostle — [special messenger appointed and commissioned and sent out] not from [any body of] men nor by <i>or</i> through <f>[1]</f>any man, but by <i>and</i> through Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and God the Father, Who raised Him from among the dead —


text:
Grace <i>and</i> spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah),


text:
Who gave (yielded) Himself up [<f>[2]</f>to atone] for our sins [and <f>[3]</f>to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue <i>and</i> deliver us from this present wicked age <i>and</i> world order, in accordance with the will <i>and</i> purpose <i>and</i> plan of our God and Father —


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To Him [be ascribed all] the glory through all the ages of the ages <i>and</i> the eternities of the eternities! Amen (so be it).


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I am surprised <i>and</i> astonished that you are so quickly <f>[4]</f>turning renegade <i>and</i> deserting Him Who invited <i>and</i> called you <f>[5]</f>by the grace (unmerited favor) of Christ (the Messiah) [and that you are transferring your allegiance] to a different [even an opposition] gospel.


text:
Not that there is [or could be] any other [genuine Gospel], but there are [obviously] some who are troubling <i>and</i> disturbing <i>and</i> bewildering you [<f>[6]</f>with a different kind of teaching which they offer as a gospel] and want to pervert <i>and</i> distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah) [into something which it absolutely is not].


text:
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to <i>and</i> different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)!


text:
As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from <i>or</i> contrary to that which you received [from us], let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)!


text:
Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).


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For I want you to know, brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed <i>and</i> made known by me is not man’s gospel [a human invention, according to or patterned after any human standard].


text:
For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but [it came to me] through a [direct] revelation [given] by Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
You have heard of my earlier career <i>and</i> former manner of life in the Jewish religion (Judaism), how I persecuted <i>and</i> abused the church of God furiously <i>and</i> extensively, and [with fanatical zeal did my best] to make havoc of it <i>and</i> destroy it.


text:
And [you have heard how] I outstripped many of the men of my own generation among the people of my race in [my advancement in study and observance of the laws of] Judaism, so extremely enthusiastic <i>and</i> zealous I was for the traditions of my ancestors.


text:
But when He, Who had chosen <i>and</i> set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit <i>and</i> was pleased <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
To reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel with any frail human being or communicate with anyone].


text:
Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles (special messengers of Christ) before I was, but I went away <i>and</i> retired into Arabia, and afterward I came back again to Damascus.


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Then three years later, I did go up to Jerusalem to become [personally] acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and remained with him for fifteen days.


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But I did not see any of the other apostles (the special messengers of Christ) except James the brother of our Lord.


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Now [note carefully what I am telling you, for it is the truth], I write this as if I were standing before the bar of God; I do not lie.


text:
And so far I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Christ in Judea (the country surrounding Jerusalem).


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They were only hearing it said, He who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the very faith he once reviled <i>and</i> which he set out to ruin <i>and</i> tried with all his might to destroy.


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Then after [an interval] of fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem. [This time I went] with Barnabas, taking Titus along with [me] also.


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I went because it was specially <i>and</i> divinely revealed to me that I should go, and I put before them the Gospel [declaring to them that] which I preach among the Gentiles. However, [I presented the matter] privately before those of repute, [for I wanted to make certain, by thus at first confining my communication to this private conference] that I was not running or had not run in vain [guarding against being discredited either in what I was planning to do or had already done].


text:
But [all went well!] even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled [as some had anticipated] to be circumcised, although he was a Greek.


text:
[My precaution was] because of false brethren who had been secretly smuggled in [to the Christian brotherhood]; they had slipped in to spy on our liberty <i>and</i> the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might again bring us into bondage [under the Law of Moses].


text:
To them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the Gospel might continue to be [preserved] for you [in its purity].


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Moreover, [no new requirements were made] by those who were reputed to be something — though what was their individual position <i>and</i> whether they really were of importance or not makes no difference to me; God is not impressed with the positions that men hold <i>and</i> He is not partial <i>and</i> recognizes no external distinctions — those [I say] who were of repute imposed no new requirements upon me [had nothing to add to my Gospel, and from them I received no new suggestions]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But on the contrary, when they [really] saw that I had been entrusted [to carry] the Gospel to the uncircumcised [Gentiles, just as definitely] as Peter had been entrusted [to proclaim] the Gospel to the circumcised [Jews, they were agreeable];


text:
For He Who motivated <i>and</i> fitted Peter <i>and</i> worked effectively through him for the mission to the circumcised, motivated <i>and</i> fitted me <i>and</i> worked through me also for [the mission to] the Gentiles.


text:
And when they knew (perceived, recognized, understood, and acknowledged) the grace (God’s unmerited favor and spiritual blessing) that had been bestowed upon me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars of the Jerusalem church, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, with the understanding that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Jews).


text:
They only [made one stipulation], that we were to remember the poor, which very thing I was also eager to do.


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But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I protested <i>and</i> opposed him to his face [concerning his conduct there], for he was blameable <i>and</i> stood condemned.


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For up to the time that certain persons came from James, he ate his meals with the Gentile [converts]; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he withdrew <i>and</i> held himself aloof from the Gentiles and [ate] separately for fear of those of the circumcision [party].


text:
And the rest of the Jews along with him also concealed their true convictions <i>and</i> acted insincerely, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (their example of insincerity and pretense).


text:
But as soon as I saw that they were not straightforward <i>and</i> were not living up to the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas (Peter) before everybody present, If you, though born a Jew, can live [as you have been living] like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how do you dare now to urge <i>and</i> practically force the Gentiles to [comply with the ritual of Judaism and] live like Jews?


text:
[I went on to say] Although we ourselves (you and I) are Jews by birth and not Gentile (heathen) sinners,


text:
Yet we know that a man is justified <i>or</i> reckoned righteous <i>and</i> in right standing with God not by works of the Law, but [only] through faith <i>and</i> [absolute] reliance on <i>and</i> adherence to <i>and</i> trust in Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). [Therefore] even we [ourselves] have believed on Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law [for we cannot be justified by any observance of the ritual of the Law given by Moses], because by keeping legal rituals <i>and</i> by works no human being can ever be justified (declared righteous and put in right standing with God). <f>ⓑ</f>


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But if, in our desire <i>and</i> endeavor to be justified in Christ [to be declared righteous and put in right standing with God wholly and solely through Christ], we have shown ourselves sinners also <i>and</i> convicted of sin, does that make Christ a minister (a party and contributor) to our sin? Banish the thought! [Of course not!]


text:
For if I [or any others who have taught that the observance of the Law of Moses is not essential to being justified by God should now by word or practice teach or intimate that it is essential to] build up again what I tore down, I prove myself a transgressor.


text:
For I through the Law [under the operation of the curse of the Law] have [in Christ’s death for me] myself died to the Law <i>and</i> all the Law’s demands upon me, so that I may [henceforth] live to <i>and</i> for God.


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I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.


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[Therefore, I do not treat God’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside <i>and</i> invalidate <i>and</i> frustrate <i>and</i> nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly <i>and</i> to no purpose <i>and</i> in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.]


text:
O you poor <i>and</i> silly <i>and</i> thoughtless <i>and</i> unreflecting <i>and</i> senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated <i>or</i> bewitched <i>or</i> cast a spell over you, unto whom — right before your very eyes — Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was openly <i>and</i> graphically set forth <i>and</i> portrayed as crucified?


text:
Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying the Law <i>and</i> doing its works, or was it by hearing [the message of the Gospel] and believing [it]? [Was it from observing a law of rituals or from a message of faith?]


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Are you so foolish <i>and</i> so senseless <i>and</i> so silly? Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?


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Have you suffered so many things <i>and</i> experienced so much all for nothing (to no purpose) — if it really is to no purpose <i>and</i> in vain?


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Then does He Who supplies you with His marvelous [Holy] Spirit and works powerfully <i>and</i> miraculously among you do so on [the grounds of your doing] what the Law demands, or because of your believing in <i>and</i> adhering to <i>and</i> trusting in <i>and</i> relying on the message that you heard?


text:
Thus Abraham believed in <i>and</i> adhered to <i>and</i> trusted in <i>and</i> relied on God, and it was reckoned <i>and</i> placed to his account <i>and</i> credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action). <f>ⓐ</f>


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Know <i>and</i> understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham.


text:
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel [foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand] to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you shall all the nations [of the earth] be blessed. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So then, those who are people of faith are blessed <i>and</i> made happy <i>and</i> favored by God [as partners in fellowship] with the believing <i>and</i> trusting Abraham.


text:
And all who depend on the Law [who are seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law of rituals] are under a curse <i>and</i> doomed to disappointment <i>and</i> destruction, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed (accursed, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment) be everyone who does not continue to abide (live and remain) by all the precepts <i>and</i> commands written in the Book of the Law and to practice them. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Now it is evident that no person is justified (declared righteous and brought into right standing with God) through the Law, for the Scripture says, The man in right standing with God [the just, the righteous] shall live by <i>and</i> out of faith <i>and</i> he who through <i>and</i> by faith is declared righteous <i>and</i> in right standing with God shall live. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
But the Law does not rest on faith [does not require faith, has nothing to do with faith], for it itself says, He who does them [the things prescribed by the Law] shall live by them [not by faith]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit.


text:
To speak in terms of human relations, brethren, [if] even a man makes a last will and testament (a merely human covenant), no one sets it aside <i>or</i> makes it void <i>or</i> adds to it when once it has been drawn up <i>and</i> signed (ratified, confirmed).


text:
Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed <i>and</i> made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He [God] does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is [none other than] Christ (the Messiah). <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
This is my argument: The Law, which began 430 years after the covenant [concerning the coming Messiah], does not <i>and</i> cannot annul the covenant previously established (ratified) by God, so as to abolish the promise <i>and</i> make it void. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
For if the inheritance [of the promise depends on observing] the Law [as these false teachers would like you to believe], it no longer [depends] on the promise; however, God gave it to Abraham [as a free gift solely] by virtue of His promise.


text:
What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions <i>and</i> [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to <i>and</i> concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged <i>and</i> ordained <i>and</i> appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man].


text:
Now a go-between (intermediary) has to do with <i>and</i> implies more than one party [there can be no mediator with just one person]. Yet God is [only] one Person [and He was the sole party in giving that promise to Abraham. But the Law was a contract between two, God and Israel; its validity was dependent on both].


text:
Is the Law then contrary <i>and</i> opposed to the promises of God? Of course not! For if a Law had been given which could confer [spiritual] life, then righteousness <i>and</i> right standing with God would certainly have come by Law.


text:
But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up <i>and</i> imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him].


text:
Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed),


text:
So that the Law served <f>[1]</f>[to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by <i>and</i> through faith.


text:
For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.


text:
There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is not male <f>[2]</f>and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


text:
And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.


text:
Now what I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir) is a child and under age, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate;


text:
So we [Jewish Christians] also, when we were minors, were kept like slaves under [the rules of the Hebrew ritual and subject to] the elementary teachings of a system of external observations <i>and</i> regulations.


text:
But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law,


text:
To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to <f>[1]</f>atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted <i>and</i> have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God’s sons].


text:
And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [<f>[2]</f>Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father!


text:
Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir <f>[3]</f>by the aid of God, <i>through Christ</i>.


text:
But at that previous time, when you had not come to be acquainted with <i>and</i> understand <i>and</i> know the true God, you [Gentiles] were in bondage to gods who by their very nature could not be gods at all [gods that really did not exist].


text:
Now, however, that you have come to be acquainted with <i>and</i> understand <i>and</i> know [the true] God, or rather to be understood <i>and</i> known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly <i>and</i> worthless elementary things [<f>[4]</f>of all religions before Christ came], whose slaves you once more want to become?


text:
I am alarmed [about you], lest I have labored among <i>and</i> over you to no purpose <i>and</i> in vain.


text:
Brethren, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I also have become as you are [<f>[5]</f>a Gentile]. You did me no wrong [<f>[6]</f>in the days when I first came to you; do not do it now].


text:
On the contrary, you know that it was on account of a bodily ailment that [I remained and] preached the Gospel to you the first time.


text:
And [yet] although my physical condition was [such] a trial to you, you did not regard it with contempt, or scorn <i>and</i> loathe <i>and</i> reject me; but you received me as an angel of God, [even] as Christ Jesus [Himself]!


text:
What has become of that blessed enjoyment <i>and</i> satisfaction <i>and</i> self-congratulation that once was yours [in what I taught you and in your regard for me]? For I bear you witness that you would have torn out your own eyes and have given them to me [to replace mine], if that were possible.


text:
These men [the Judaizing teachers] are zealously trying to dazzle you [paying court to you, making much of you], but their purpose is not honorable <i>or</i> worthy <i>or</i> for any good. What they want to do is to isolate you [from us who oppose them], so that they may win you over to their side <i>and</i> get you to court their favor.


text:
It is always a fine thing [of course] to be zealously sought after [as you are, provided that it is] for a good purpose <i>and</i> done <f>[7]</f>by reason of purity of heart and life, and not just when I am present with you!


text:
My little children, for whom I am again suffering birth pangs until Christ is completely <i>and</i> permanently formed (molded) within you,


text:
Would that I were with you now and could coax you vocally, for I am fearful <i>and</i> perplexed about you!


text:
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondmaid and one by the free woman. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But whereas the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh <i>and</i> had an ordinary birth, the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.


text:
Now all this is an allegory; these [two women] represent two covenants. One covenant originated from Mount Sinai [where the Law was given] and bears [children destined] for slavery; this is Hagar.


text:
Now Hagar is (stands for) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to <i>and</i> belongs in the same category with the present Jerusalem, for she is in bondage together with her children.


text:
For it is written in the Scriptures, Rejoice, O barren woman, who has not given birth to children; break forth into a joyful shout, you who are not feeling birth pangs, for the desolate woman has many more children than she who has a husband. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But we, brethren, are children [<f>[9]</f>not by physical descent, as was Ishmael, but] like Isaac, born <f>[10]</f>in virtue of promise.


text:
Yet [just] as at that time the child [of ordinary birth] born according to the flesh despised <i>and</i> persecuted him [who was born remarkably] according to [the promise and the working of] the [Holy] Spirit, so it is now also. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But what does the Scripture say? Cast out <i>and</i> send away the slave woman and her son, for never shall the son of the slave woman be heir <i>and</i> share the inheritance with the son of the free woman. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
So, brethren, we [who are born again] are not children of a slave woman [<f>[11]</f>the natural], but of the free [<f>[12]</f>the supernatural].


text:
In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered <i>and</i> held ensnared <i>and</i> submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].


text:
Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you [<f>[1]</f>for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him].


text:
I once more protest <i>and</i> testify to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation <i>and</i> bound to practice the whole of the Law <i>and</i> its ordinances.


text:
If you seek to be justified <i>and</i> declared righteous <i>and</i> to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing <i>and</i> so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing).


text:
For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit’s [help], by faith anticipate <i>and</i> wait for the blessing <i>and</i> good for which our righteousness <i>and</i> right standing with God [our <f>[2]</f>conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope.


text:
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated <i>and</i> energized <i>and</i> expressed <i>and</i> working through love.


text:
You were running the race nobly. Who has interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding <i>and</i> following the Truth?


text:
A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].


text:
[For my part] I have confidence [toward you] in the Lord that you will take no contrary view of the matter <i>but</i> will come to think with me. But he who is unsettling you, whoever he is, will have to bear the penalty.


text:
But, brethren, if I still preach circumcision [as some accuse me of doing, as necessary to salvation], why am I still suffering persecution? In that case the cross has ceased to be a stumbling block <i>and</i> is made meaningless (done away).


text:
I wish those who unsettle <i>and</i> confuse you would [<f>[3]</f>go all the way and] cut themselves off!


text:
For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh <i>and</i> an opportunity <i>or</i> excuse [for <f>[4]</f>selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.


text:
For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is <f>[5]</f>complied with in the one precept, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But if you bite and devour one another [in partisan strife], be careful that you [and your whole fellowship] are not consumed by one another.


text:
But I say, walk <i>and</i> live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to <i>and</i> controlled <i>and</i> guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings <i>and</i> desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).


text:
For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free <i>but</i> are prevented from doing what you desire to do.


text:
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,


text:
Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),


text:
Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


text:
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,


text:
Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [<f>[6]</f>that can bring a charge].


text:
And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites <i>and</i> desires.


text:
If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit <f>[7]</f>we have our life in God, let us go forward <f>[8]</f>walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]


text:
Let us not become vainglorious <i>and</i> self-conceited, competitive <i>and</i> challenging <i>and</i> provoking <i>and</i> irritating to one another, envying <i>and</i> being jealous of one another.


text:
Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct <i>or</i> sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right <i>and</i> restore <i>and</i> reinstate him, without any sense of superiority <i>and</i> with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.


text:
Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill <i>and</i> observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) <i>and</i> complete <f>[2]</f>what is lacking [in your obedience to it].


text:
For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives <i>and</i> deludes <i>and</i> cheats himself.


text:
But let every person carefully scrutinize <i>and</i> examine <i>and</i> test his own conduct <i>and</i> his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction <i>and</i> joy of doing something commendable [<f>[3]</f>in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.


text:
For every person will have to bear (<f>[4]</f>be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [<f>[5]</f>little] load <f>[6]</f>[of oppressive faults].


text:
Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].


text:
Do not be deceived <i>and</i> deluded <i>and</i> misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked <f>[7]</f>by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that <i>and</i> <f>[8]</f>that only is what he will reap.


text:
For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay <i>and</i> ruin <i>and</i> destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.


text:
And let us not lose heart <i>and</i> grow weary <i>and</i> faint in acting nobly <i>and</i> doing right, for in due time <i>and</i> at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen <i>and</i> relax our courage <i>and</i> faint.


text:
So then, as occasion <i>and</i> opportunity open up to us, let us do good [<f>[9]</f>morally] to all people [not only <f>[10]</f>being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God’s family with you, the believers].


text:
See with what large letters I am writing with my own hand. [<f>[11]</f>Mark carefully these closing words of mine.]


text:
Those who want to make a good impression <i>and</i> a fine show in the flesh would try to compel you to receive circumcision, simply so that they may escape being persecuted for allegiance to the cross of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
For even the circumcised [Jews] themselves do not [really] keep the Law, but they want to have you circumcised in order that they may glory in your flesh (your subjection to external rites).


text:
But far be it from me to glory [in anything or anyone] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) through Whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world!


text:
For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah].


text:
Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule [who discipline themselves and regulate their lives by this principle], even upon the [true] Israel of God! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
From now on let no person trouble me [by <f>[12]</f>making it necessary for me to vindicate my apostolic authority and the divine truth of my Gospel], for I bear on my body the [brand] marks of the Lord Jesus [the wounds, scars, and other outward evidence of persecutions — these testify to His ownership of me]!


text:
The grace (spiritual favor, blessing) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah) be with your spirit, brethren. Amen (so be it).


text:
Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the divine will (the purpose and the choice of God) to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) <f>[1]</f>at Ephesus who are also faithful <i>and</i> loyal <i>and</i> steadfast in Christ Jesus:


text:
May grace (God’s unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.


text:
May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us <i>in Christ</i> with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!


text:
Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, <i>even</i> above reproach, before Him in love.


text:
For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [<f>[2]</f>because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] —


text:
[So that we might be] to the praise <i>and</i> the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.


text:
In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches <i>and</i> the generosity of His gracious favor,


text:
Which He lavished upon us in every kind of wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence),


text:
Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed <i>and</i> set forth in <f>[3]</f>Him,


text:
[He planned] for the maturity of the times <i>and</i> the climax of the ages to unify all things <i>and</i> head them up <i>and</i> consummate them in Christ, [both] things in heaven and things on the earth.


text:
In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) <i>and</i> we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel <i>and</i> design of His [own] will,


text:
So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!


text:
In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in <i>and</i> adhered to <i>and</i> relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.


text:
That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption <i>and</i> our acquiring [complete] possession of it — to the praise of His glory.


text:
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints (the people of God),


text:
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,


text:
By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know <i>and</i> understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),


text:
And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable <i>and</i> unlimited <i>and</i> surpassing greatness of His power in <i>and</i> for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,


text:
Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],


text:
Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age <i>and</i> in this world, but also in the age <i>and</i> the world which are to come.


text:
And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].


text:
In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course <i>and</i> fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].


text:
Among these we as well as you once lived <i>and</i> conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath <i>and</i> heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.


text:
But God — so rich is He in His mercy! Because of <i>and</i> in order to satisfy the great <i>and</i> wonderful <i>and</i> intense love with which He loved us,


text:
Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings <i>and</i> trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship <i>and</i> in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (<f>[1]</f>delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation).


text:
And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us <f>[2]</f>joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness <i>and</i> goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.


text:
For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (<f>[3]</f>delivered from judgment <i>and</i> made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;


text:
Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]


text:
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), <f>[4]</f>recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].


text:
Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a <f>[5]</f>mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands.


text:
[Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged <i>and</i> outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God’s agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.


text:
But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.


text:
For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,


text:
By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.


text:
And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity <i>and</i> bringing the feud to an end.


text:
And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].


text:
Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household.


text:
You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.


text:
In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].


text:
In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.


text:
For this reason [<f>[1]</f>because I preached that you are thus built up together], I, Paul, [am] the prisoner of Jesus the Christ <f>[2]</f>for the sake <i>and</i> on behalf of you Gentiles —


text:
Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace (His unmerited favor) that was entrusted to me [to dispense to you] for your benefit,


text:
[And] that the mystery (secret) was made known to me <i>and</i> I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation, as I already briefly wrote you.


text:
[This mystery] was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit.


text:
[It is this:] that the Gentiles are now to be fellow heirs [with the Jews], members of the same body and joint partakers [sharing] in the same divine promise in Christ through [their acceptance of] the glad tidings (the Gospel).


text:
Of this [Gospel] I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s free grace (undeserved favor) which was bestowed on me by the exercise (the working in all its effectiveness) of His power.


text:
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints (God’s consecrated people), this grace (favor, privilege) was granted <i>and</i> graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending (boundless, fathomless, incalculable, and exhaustless) riches of Christ [wealth which no human being could have searched out],


text:
Also to enlighten all men <i>and</i> make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages <i>and</i> concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things <i>by Christ Jesus</i>.


text:
[The purpose is] that through the church the <f>[3]</f>complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety <i>and</i> innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.


text:
This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal <i>and</i> timeless purpose which He has realized <i>and</i> carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,


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In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).


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So I ask you not to lose heart [not to faint or become despondent through fear] at what I am suffering in your behalf. [Rather glory in it] for it is an honor to you.


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For this reason [<f>[4]</f>seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father <i>of our Lord Jesus Christ</i>,


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For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name].


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May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened <i>and</i> reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].


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May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love <i>and</i> founded securely on love,


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That you may have the power <i>and</i> be strong to apprehend <i>and</i> grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];


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[That you may really come] to know [practically, <f>[5]</f>through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses <f>[6]</f>mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] <f>[7]</f>unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and <f>[8]</f>become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!


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Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over <i>and</i> above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] —


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To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).


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I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to <i>and</i> beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,


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Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another <i>and</i> making allowances because you love one another.


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Be eager <i>and</i> strive earnestly to guard <i>and</i> keep the harmony <i>and</i> oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.


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[There is] one body and one Spirit — just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received —


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One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.


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Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and bounteous] gift.


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Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of <f>[1]</f>vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. <f>ⓐ</f>


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[But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth?


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He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).


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And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.


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His intention was the perfecting <i>and</i> the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),


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[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [<f>[2]</f>full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ <i>and</i> the completeness found in Him.


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So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching <i>and</i> wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning <i>and</i> cleverness of <f>[3]</f>unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.


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Rather, let our lives lovingly <f>[4]</f>express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way <i>and</i> in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints <i>and</i> ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.


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So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds.


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Their <f>[5]</f>moral understanding is darkened <i>and</i> their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is <f>[6]</f>deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].


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In their spiritual apathy they have become callous <i>and</i> past feeling <i>and</i> reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager <i>and</i> greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].


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Assuming that you have really heard Him <i>and</i> been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],


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Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts <i>and</i> desires that spring from delusion;


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And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],


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And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.


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Therefore, rejecting all falsity <i>and</i> being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body <i>and</i> members one of another. <f>ⓑ</f>


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When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.


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Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.


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Let no foul <i>or</i> polluting language, <i>nor</i> evil word <i>nor</i> unwholesome <i>or</i> worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good <i>and</i> beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need <i>and</i> the occasion, that it may be a blessing <i>and</i> give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.


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And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).


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Let all bitterness and indignation <i>and</i> wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).


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And become useful <i>and</i> helpful <i>and</i> kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.


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Therefore be imitators of God [copy Him <i>and</i> follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].


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And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a <f>[1]</f>slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [<f>[2]</f>of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting <i>and</i> proper among saints (God’s consecrated people).


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Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish <i>and</i> sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting <i>or</i> becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God].


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For be sure of this: that no person practicing sexual vice or impurity in thought or in life, or one who is covetous [who has lustful desire for the property of others and is greedy for gain] — for he [in effect] is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.


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Let no one delude <i>and</i> deceive you with empty excuses <i>and</i> groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion <i>and</i> disobedience.


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For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].


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For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light <i>or</i> <f>[3]</f><i>the Spirit</i> [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.


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And try to learn [in your experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him].


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Take no part in <i>and</i> have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds <i>and</i> enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] <f>[4]</f>expose <i>and</i> reprove <i>and</i> convict them.


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For it is a shame even to speak of <i>or</i> mention the things that [such people] practice in secret.


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But when anything is exposed <i>and</i> reproved by the light, it is made visible <i>and</i> clear; and where everything is visible <i>and</i> clear there is light.


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Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you <i>and</i> give you light. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully <i>and</i> worthily <i>and</i> accurately, not as the unwise <i>and</i> witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),


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Therefore do not be vague <i>and</i> thoughtless <i>and</i> foolish, but understanding <i>and</i> firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.


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And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled <i>and</i> stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [<f>[5]</f>and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord,


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At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.


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Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord.


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For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body.


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That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].


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Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.


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For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes <i>and</i> carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,


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For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. <f>ⓓ</f>


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However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects <i>and</i> reverences her husband [<f>[6]</f>that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and <f>[7]</f>that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother — this is the first commandment with a promise — <f>ⓐ</f>


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Fathers, do not irritate <i>and</i> provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training <i>and</i> discipline and the counsel <i>and</i> admonition of the Lord.


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Servants (slaves), be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive <i>and</i> with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself] —


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Not in the way of eye-service [as if they were watching you] and only to please men, but as servants (slaves) of Christ, doing the will of God heartily <i>and</i> with your whole soul;


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Knowing that for whatever good anyone does, he will receive his reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.


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You masters, act on the same [principle] toward them and give up threatening <i>and</i> using violent <i>and</i> abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him.


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In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].


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Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies <i>and</i> the deceits of the devil.


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For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.


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Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist <i>and</i> stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].


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Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity <i>and</i> of moral rectitude <i>and</i> right standing with God,


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And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the <f>[1]</f>firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness <f>[2]</f>produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Lift up over all the [covering] shield of <f>[3]</f>saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].


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And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit <f>[4]</f>wields, which is the Word of God.


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Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose <i>and</i> perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).


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And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),


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For which I am an ambassador in a coupling chain [in prison. Pray] that I may declare it boldly <i>and</i> courageously, as I ought to do.


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Now that you may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord [and His service], will tell you everything.


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I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may <f>[5]</f>console <i>and</i> cheer <i>and</i> encourage <i>and</i> strengthen your hearts.


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Peace be to the brethren, and love joined with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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Grace (God’s undeserved favor) be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying <i>and</i> incorruptible [love]. <i>Amen (so let it be).</i>


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Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), to all the saints (God’s consecrated people) in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops (overseers) and deacons (assistants):


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Grace (favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


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In every prayer of mine I always make my entreaty <i>and</i> petition for you all with joy (delight).


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[I thank my God] for your fellowship (your <f>[1]</f>sympathetic cooperation and contributions and partnership) in advancing the good news (the Gospel) from the first day [you heard it] until now.


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And I am convinced <i>and</i> sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] <i>and</i> perfecting <i>and</i> bringing it to full completion in you.


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It is right <i>and</i> appropriate for me to have this confidence <i>and</i> feel this way about you all, because <f>[2]</f>you have me in your heart <i>and</i> I hold you in my heart as partakers <i>and</i> sharers, one <i>and</i> all with me, of grace (God’s unmerited favor and spiritual blessing). [This is true] both when I am shut up in prison and when I am out in the defense and confirmation of the good news (the Gospel).


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For God is my witness how I long for <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>pursue you all with love, in the tender mercy of Christ Jesus [Himself]!


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And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more <i>and</i> extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may <f>[4]</f>display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],


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So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, <i>and</i> approve <i>and</i> prize what is excellent <i>and</i> of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted <i>and</i> pure and unerring <i>and</i> blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling <i>nor</i> causing others to stumble].


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May you abound in <i>and</i> be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [<f>[5]</f>that His glory may be both manifested and recognized].


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Now I want you to know <i>and</i> continue to rest assured, brethren, that what [has happened] to me [this imprisonment] has actually only served to advance <i>and</i> give a renewed impetus to the [spreading of the] good news (the Gospel).


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So much is this a fact that throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest [here] my imprisonment has become generally known to be in Christ [that I am a prisoner in His service and for Him].


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And [also] most of the brethren have derived fresh confidence in the Lord because of my chains and are much more bold to speak <i>and</i> publish fearlessly the Word of God [acting with more freedom and indifference to the consequences].


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Some, it is true, [actually] preach Christ (the Messiah) [for no better reason than] out of envy and rivalry (party spirit), but others are doing so out of a loyal spirit <i>and</i> goodwill.


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<f>[6]</f>The latter [proclaim Christ] out of love, because they recognize <i>and</i> know that I am [providentially] put here for the defense of the good news (the Gospel).


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<f>[7]</f>But the former preach Christ out of a party spirit, insincerely [out of no pure motive, but thinking to annoy me], supposing they are making my bondage more bitter <i>and</i> my chains more galling.


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But what does it matter, so long as either way, whether in pretense [for personal ends] or in all honesty [for the furtherance of the Truth], Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I [now] rejoice, yes, and I shall rejoice [hereafter] also.


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For I am well assured <i>and</i> indeed know that through your prayers and a <f>[8]</f>bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) this will turn out for my preservation (for the spiritual health and <f>[9]</f>welfare of my own soul) <i>and</i> avail toward the saving work of the Gospel.


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This is in keeping with my own eager desire <i>and</i> persistent expectation <i>and</i> hope, that I shall not disgrace myself <i>nor</i> be put to shame in anything; but that with the utmost freedom of speech <i>and</i> unfailing courage, now as always heretofore, Christ (the Messiah) will be magnified <i>and</i> get glory <i>and</i> praise in this body of mine <i>and</i> be boldly exalted in my person, whether through (by) life or through (by) death.


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If, however, it is to be life in the flesh <i>and</i> I am to live on here, that means fruitful service for me; so I can say nothing as to my personal preference [I cannot choose],


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But I am hard pressed between the two. My yearning desire is to depart (to be free of this world, to set forth) and be with Christ, for that is far, far better;


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Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay by you all, to promote your progress and joy in believing,


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So that in me you may have abundant cause for exultation <i>and</i> glorying in Christ Jesus, through my coming to you again.


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Only be sure as citizens so to conduct yourselves [that] your manner of life [will be] worthy of the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, so that whether I [do] come and see you or am absent, I may hear this of you: that you are standing firm in united spirit <i>and</i> purpose, striving side by side <i>and</i> contending with a single mind for the faith of the glad tidings (the Gospel).


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And do not [for a moment] be frightened <i>or</i> intimidated in anything by your opponents <i>and</i> adversaries, for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction, but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance <i>and</i> salvation, and that from God.


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For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake not only to believe in (adhere to, rely on, and trust in) Him, but also to suffer in His behalf.


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So you are engaged in the same conflict which you saw me [wage] and which you now hear to be mine [still].


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So by whatever [appeal to you there is in our mutual dwelling in Christ, by whatever] strengthening <i>and</i> consoling <i>and</i> encouraging [our relationship] in Him [affords], by whatever persuasive <f>[1]</f>incentive there is in love, by whatever participation in the [Holy] Spirit [we share], and by whatever depth of affection and compassionate sympathy,


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Fill up <i>and</i> complete my joy by living in harmony <i>and</i> being of the same mind <i>and</i> one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind <i>and</i> intention.


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Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit <i>and</i> empty arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than <i>and</i> superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves].


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Let each of you esteem <i>and</i> look upon <i>and</i> be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others.


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Let this same attitude <i>and</i> purpose <i>and</i> [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]


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Who, although being essentially one with God <i>and</i> in the form of God [<f>[2]</f>possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not <f>[3]</f>think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped <f>[4]</f><i>or</i> retained,


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But stripped Himself [of all privileges and <f>[5]</f>rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men <i>and</i> was born a human being.


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And after He had appeared in human form, He abased <i>and</i> humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!


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Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has <f>[6]</f>freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,


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That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee <f>[7]</f>should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,


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And every tongue [<f>[8]</f>frankly and openly] confess <i>and</i> acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


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Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence <i>and</i> awe and trembling (self-distrust, <f>[9]</f>with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).


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[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while <f>[10]</f>effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure <i>and</i> satisfaction <i>and</i> <f>[11]</f>delight.


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Do all things without grumbling <i>and</i> faultfinding <i>and</i> complaining [<f>[12]</f>against God] and <f>[13]</f>questioning <i>and</i> doubting [among yourselves],


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That you may show yourselves to be blameless <i>and</i> guileless, innocent <i>and</i> uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked <i>and</i> wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world,


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Holding out [to it] <i>and</i> offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice <i>and</i> glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose.


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Even if [my lifeblood] must be poured out as a libation on the sacrificial offering of your faith [to God], still I am glad [to do it] and <f>[14]</f>congratulate you all on [your share in] it.


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But I hope <i>and</i> trust in the Lord Jesus soon to send Timothy to you, so that I may also be encouraged <i>and</i> cheered by learning news of you.


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For I have no one like him [no one of so kindred a spirit] who will be so genuinely interested in your welfare <i>and</i> devoted to your interests.


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But Timothy’s tested worth you know, how as a son with his father he has toiled with me zealously in [serving and helping to advance] the good news (the Gospel).


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But [really] I am confident <i>and</i> fully trusting in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come to you also.


text:
However, I thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus [back] to you. [He has been] my brother and companion in labor and my fellow soldier, as well as [having come as] your special messenger (apostle) and minister to my need.


text:
For he has been [homesick] longing for you all and has been distressed because you had heard that he was ill.


text:
He certainly was ill [too], near to death. But God had compassion on him, and not only on him but also on me, lest I should have sorrow [over him] <f>[16]</f>coming upon sorrow.


text:
So I have sent him the more willingly <i>and</i> eagerly, that you may be gladdened at seeing him again, and that I may be the less disquieted.


text:
Welcome him [home] then in the Lord with all joy, and honor <i>and</i> highly appreciate men like him,


text:
For it was through working for Christ that he came so near death, risking his [very] life to complete the deficiencies in your service to me [which distance prevented you yourselves from rendering].


text:
For the rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord <i>and</i> continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety.


text:
Look out for those dogs [Judaizers, legalists], look out for those mischief-makers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.


text:
For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit <i>and</i> by the Spirit of God and exult <i>and</i> glory <i>and</i> pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence <i>or</i> dependence [on what we are] in the flesh <i>and</i> on outward privileges <i>and</i> physical advantages <i>and</i> external appearances —


text:
Though for myself I have [at least grounds] to rely on the flesh. If any other man considers that he has <i>or</i> seems to have reason to rely on the flesh <i>and</i> his physical <i>and</i> outward advantages, I have still more!


text:
Circumcised when I was eight days old, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [and the son] of Hebrews; as to the observance of the Law I was of [the party of] the Pharisees,


text:
As to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and by the Law’s standard of righteousness (supposed justice, uprightness, and right standing with God) I was proven to be blameless <i>and</i> no fault was found with me.


text:
But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [<f>[1]</f>one combined] loss for Christ’s sake.


text:
Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord <i>and</i> of progressively becoming more deeply <i>and</i> intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),


text:
And that I may [actually] be found <i>and</i> known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law’s demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.


text:
[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [<f>[2]</f>which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]


text:
That if possible I may attain to the [<f>[3]</f>spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].


text:
Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) <i>and</i> make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me <i>and</i> made me His own.


text:
I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured <i>and</i> made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,


text:
I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.


text:
So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature <i>and</i> full-grown have this mind <i>and</i> hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.


text:
Only let us hold true to what we have already attained <i>and</i> walk <i>and</i> order our lives by that.


text:
Brethren, together follow my example and observe those who live after the pattern we have set for you.


text:
For there are many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, who walk (live) as enemies of the cross of Christ (the Anointed One).


text:
They are doomed <i>and</i> their <f>[4]</f>fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, <f>[5]</f>siding with earthly things <i>and</i> being of their party.


text:
But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we <f>[6]</f>earnestly <i>and</i> patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,


text:
Who will <f>[7]</f>transform <i>and</i> fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to <i>and</i> be like the body of His glory <i>and</i> majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself.


text:
Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and yearn to see, my delight and crown (wreath of victory), thus stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.


text:
I entreat <i>and</i> advise Euodia and I entreat <i>and</i> advise Syntyche to agree <i>and</i> to work in harmony in the Lord.


text:
And I exhort you too, [my] genuine yokefellow, help these [two women to keep on cooperating], for they have toiled along with me in [the spreading of] the good news (the Gospel), as have Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life.


text:
Let all men know <i>and</i> perceive <i>and</i> recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is <f>[1]</f>coming soon].


text:
Do not fret <i>or</i> have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance <i>and</i> in everything, by prayer and petition (<f>[2]</f>definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.


text:
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that <f>[3]</f>tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall <f>[4]</f>garrison <i>and</i> mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.


text:
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence <i>and</i> is honorable <i>and</i> seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely <i>and</i> lovable, whatever is kind <i>and</i> winsome <i>and</i> gracious, if there is any virtue <i>and</i> excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on <i>and</i> weigh <i>and</i> take account of these things [fix your minds on them].


text:
Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, <i>and</i> model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of <f>[5]</f>untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.


text:
I was made very happy in the Lord that now you have revived your interest in my welfare after so long a time; you were indeed thinking of me, but you had no opportunity to show it.


text:
Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be <f>[6]</f> content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.


text:
I know how to be abased <i>and</i> live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty <i>and</i> live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency <i>and</i> enough to spare or going without <i>and</i> being in want.


text:
I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who <f>[7]</f>infuses inner strength into me; I am <f>[8]</f>self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].


text:
But it was right <i>and</i> commendable <i>and</i> noble of you to contribute for my needs <i>and</i> to share my difficulties with me.


text:
And you Philippians yourselves well know that in the early days of the Gospel ministry, when I left Macedonia, no church (assembly) entered into partnership with me <i>and</i> opened up [a debit and credit] account in giving and receiving except you only.


text:
Not that I seek <i>or</i> am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek <i>and</i> am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account].


text:
But I have [your full payment] and more; I have everything I need <i>and</i> am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent me. [They are the] fragrant odor of an offering <i>and</i> sacrifice which God welcomes <i>and</i> in which He delights.


text:
And my God will liberally supply (<f>[9]</f>fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.


text:
To our God and Father be glory forever and ever (through the endless eternities of the eternities). <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Remember me to every saint (every born-again believer) in Christ Jesus. The brethren (my <f>[10]</f>associates) who are with me greet you.


text:
All the saints (God’s consecrated ones here) wish to be remembered to you, especially those of Caesar’s household.


text:
The grace (spiritual favor and blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) be with your spirit. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother,


text:
To the saints (the consecrated people of God) and <f>[1]</f>believing <i>and</i> faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace (spiritual favor and blessing) to you and [heart] peace from God our Father.


text:
We <f>[2]</f>continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you,


text:
For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [<f>[3]</f>the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you [have and show] for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones),


text:
Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up (<f>[4]</f>reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel,


text:
Which has come to you. Indeed, in the whole world [that Gospel] is bearing fruit <i>and</i> still is growing <f>[5]</f>[by its own inherent power], even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know <i>and</i> understand the grace of God in truth. [You came to know the grace or undeserved favor of God in reality, deeply and clearly and thoroughly, becoming accurately and intimately acquainted with it.]


text:
You so learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ in our stead <i>and</i> as our representative <i>and</i> <f>[6]</f><i>yours</i>.


text:
For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray <i>and</i> make [<f>[7]</f>special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the <f>[8]</f>full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [<f>[9]</f>in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding <i>and</i> discernment of spiritual things —


text:
That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him <i>and</i> <f>[10]</f>desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing <i>and</i> increasing in <i>and</i> by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, <f>[11]</f>acquaintance, and recognition].


text:
[We pray] that you may be invigorated <i>and</i> strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy,


text:
Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified <i>and</i> made us fit to share the <f>[12]</f>portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.


text:
[The Father] has delivered <i>and</i> <f>[13]</f>drawn us to Himself out of the control <i>and</i> the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son <f>[14]</f>of His love,


text:
[Now] He is the <f>[15]</f>exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.


text:
For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created <i>and</i> exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in <i>and</i> for Him.


text:
And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything <i>and</i> in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].


text:
For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him <f>[16]</f>permanently.


text:
And God purposed that through (<f>[17]</f>by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled <f>[18]</f>back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.


text:
And although you at one time were estranged <i>and</i> alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities,


text:
Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence.


text:
[And this He will do] provided that you continue to <f>[19]</f>stay with <i>and</i> in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled <i>and</i> steadfast, not shifting <i>or</i> moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached <f>[20]</f>[as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister.


text:
[Even] now I rejoice in <f>[21]</f>the midst of my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own person I am making up whatever is still lacking <i>and</i> remains to be completed [<f>[22]</f>on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.


text:
In it I became a minister in accordance with the divine <f>[23]</f>stewardship which was entrusted to me for you [as its object and for your benefit], to make the Word of God fully known [among you] —


text:
The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [<f>[24]</f>from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints),


text:
To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within <i>and</i> among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory.


text:
Him we preach <i>and</i> proclaim, warning <i>and</i> admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (<f>[25]</f>comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One).


text:
For this I labor [<f>[26]</f>unto weariness], striving with all the <f>[27]</f>superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles <i>and</i> works within me.


text:
For I want you to know how great is my solicitude for you [how severe an inward struggle I am engaged in for you] and for those [believers] at Laodicea, and for all who [<f>[1]</f>like yourselves] have never seen my face <i>and</i> known me personally.


text:
[For my concern is] that their hearts may be <f>[2]</f>braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth <i>and</i> blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively <f>[3]</f>more intimately acquainted with <i>and</i> may know more definitely <i>and</i> accurately <i>and</i> thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One).


text:
In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (<f>[4]</f>comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge <i>and</i> enlightenment are stored up <i>and</i> lie hidden.


text:
I say this in order that no one may mislead <i>and</i> delude you by plausible <i>and</i> persuasive <i>and</i> attractive arguments <i>and</i> beguiling speech.


text:
For though I am away from you in body, yet I am with you in spirit, delighted at the sight of your [standing shoulder to shoulder in such] orderly array and the firmness <i>and</i> the solid front <i>and</i> steadfastness of your faith in Christ [that <f>[5]</f>leaning of the entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].


text:
As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with <i>and</i> conformity to Him.


text:
Have the roots [of your being] firmly <i>and</i> deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed <i>and</i> established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding <i>and</i> overflowing in it with thanksgiving.


text:
See to it that no one carries you off as spoil <i>or</i> makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy <i>and</i> intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary <i>and</i> elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah).


text:
For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature].


text:
And you <f>[6]</f>are in Him, made full <i>and</i> having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].


text:
In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts).


text:
[Thus <f>[7]</f>you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [<f>[8]</f>to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [<f>[9]</f>as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead.


text:
And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions,


text:
Having cancelled <i>and</i> blotted out <i>and</i> wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees <i>and</i> demands which was in force <i>and</i> stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside <i>and</i> cleared <f>[10]</f>completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.


text:
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display <i>and</i> public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him <i>and</i> in it [the cross].


text:
Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath.


text:
Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, <i>and</i> they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ.


text:
Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire <i>and</i> declaring you unworthy <i>and</i> disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions <i>and</i> inflated by his unspiritual thoughts <i>and</i> fleshly conceit,


text:
And not holding fast to the Head, from Whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by means of its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.


text:
If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things <i>and</i> have escaped from the world’s crude <i>and</i> elemental notions <i>and</i> teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules <i>and</i> regulations? — such as]


text:
Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion <i>and</i> delight in self-humiliation <i>and</i> severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh.]


text:
If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at <i>and</i> seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And set your minds <i>and</i> keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.


text:
For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.


text:
When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.


text:
So kill (deaden, <f>[1]</f>deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed <i>and</i> covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).


text:
It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will),


text:
But now put away <i>and</i> rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses <i>and</i> slander, and foulmouthed abuse <i>and</i> shameful utterances from your lips!


text:
Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices,


text:
And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed <i>and</i> remolded into [fuller and more perfect <f>[2]</f>knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[In this new creation all distinctions vanish.] There <f>[3]</f>is no room for <i>and</i> there can be neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, [nor difference between nations whether alien] barbarians or Scythians [<f>[4]</f>who are the most savage of all], nor slave or free man; but Christ is all and in all [<f>[5]</f>everything and everywhere, to all men, without distinction of person].


text:
Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified <i>and</i> holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity <i>and</i> mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper].


text:
Be gentle <i>and</i> forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive].


text:
And above all these [put on] love <i>and</i> enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].


text:
And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].


text:
Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] <i>and</i> dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish <i>and</i> train one another in all insight <i>and</i> intelligence <i>and</i> wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts.


text:
And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus <i>and</i> in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.


text:
Wives, be subject to your husbands [subordinate and adapt yourselves to them], as is right <i>and</i> fitting <i>and</i> your proper duty in the Lord.


text:
Husbands, love your wives [be affectionate and sympathetic with them] and do not be harsh <i>or</i> bitter <i>or</i> resentful toward them.


text:
Fathers, do not provoke <i>or</i> irritate <i>or</i> fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged <i>and</i> sullen <i>and</i> morose <i>and</i> feel inferior <i>and</i> frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]


text:
Servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in simplicity of purpose [with all your heart] because of your reverence for the Lord <i>and</i> as a sincere expression of your devotion to Him.


text:
Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,


text:
Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).


text:
For he who deals wrongfully will [reap the fruit of his folly and] be punished for his wrongdoing. And [with God] there is no partiality [no matter what a person’s position may be, whether he is the slave or the master].


text:
Masters, [on your part] deal with your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that also you have a Master in heaven. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Be earnest <i>and</i> unwearied <i>and</i> steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert <i>and</i> intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving.


text:
And at the same time pray for us also, that God may open a door to us for the Word (the Gospel), to proclaim the mystery concerning Christ (the Messiah) on account of which I am in prison;


text:
That I may proclaim it fully <i>and</i> make it clear [speak boldly and unfold that mystery], as is my duty.


text:
Behave yourselves wisely [living prudently and with discretion] in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time <i>and</i> seizing (buying up) the opportunity.


text:
Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].


text:
Tychicus will give you full information about my affairs; [he is] a much-loved brother and faithful ministering assistant and fellow servant [with us] in the Lord.


text:
I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are faring and that he may comfort <i>and</i> cheer <i>and</i> encourage your hearts.


text:
And with [him is] Onesimus, [our] faithful and beloved brother, who is [one] of yourselves. They will let you know everything that has taken place here [in Rome].


text:
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner wishes to be remembered to you, as does Mark the relative of Barnabas. You received instructions concerning him; if he comes to you give him a [<f>[1]</f>hearty] welcome.


text:
And [greetings also from] Jesus, who is called Justus. These [Hebrew Christians] alone of the circumcision are among my fellow workers for [the extension of] God’s kingdom, and they have proved a relief <i>and</i> a comfort to me.


text:
Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. [He is] always striving for you earnestly in his prayers, [pleading] that you may [as persons of ripe character and clear conviction] stand firm <i>and</i> mature [in spiritual growth], convinced <i>and</i> fully assured in <f>[2]</f>everything willed by God.


text:
For I bear him testimony that he has labored hard in your behalf and for [the believers] in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis.


text:
Give my greetings to the brethren at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the assembly (the church) which meets in her house.


text:
And when this epistle has been read before you, [see] that it is read also in the assembly (the church) of the Laodiceans, and also [see] that you yourselves in turn read the [letter that comes to you] from Laodicea.


text:
And say to Archippus, See that you discharge carefully [the duties of] the ministry <i>and</i> fulfill the stewardship which you have received in the Lord.


text:
I, Paul, [add this final] greeting, writing with my own hand. Remember I am still in prison <i>and</i> in chains. May grace (God’s unmerited favor and blessing) be with you! <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy, to the assembly (church) of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah): Grace (spiritual blessing and divine favor) to you and [heart] peace.


text:
We are ever giving thanks to God for all of you, continually mentioning [you when engaged] in our prayers,


text:
Recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith and service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For our [preaching of the] glad tidings (the Gospel) came to you not only in word, but also in [its own inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit and with great conviction <i>and</i> absolute certainty [on our part]. You know what kind of men we proved [ourselves] to be among you for your good.


text:
And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord Himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit;


text:
So that you [thus] became a pattern to all the believers (those who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Christ Jesus) in Macedonia and Achaia (most of Greece).


text:
For not only has the Word concerning <i>and</i> from the Lord resounded forth from you unmistakably in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere the report has gone forth of your faith in God [of your <f>[1]</f>leaning of your whole personality on Him in complete trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. So we [find that we] never need to tell people anything [further about it].


text:
For they themselves volunteer testimony concerning us, telling what an entrance we had among you, and how you turned to God from [your] idols to serve a God Who is alive and true <i>and</i> genuine,


text:
And [how you] look forward to <i>and</i> await the coming of His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead — Jesus, Who personally rescues <i>and</i> delivers us out of <i>and</i> from the wrath [bringing punishment] which is coming [upon the impenitent] <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f>draws us to Himself [<f>[3]</f>investing us with all the privileges and rewards of the new life in Christ, the Messiah].


text:
But though we had already suffered and been outrageously treated at Philippi, as you know, yet in [the strength of] our God we summoned courage to proclaim to you unfalteringly the good news (the Gospel) with earnest contention <i>and</i> much conflict <i>and</i> great opposition.


text:
For our appeal [in preaching] does not [originate] from delusion <i>or</i> error or impure purpose <i>or</i> motive, nor in fraud <i>or</i> deceit.


text:
But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the glad tidings (the Gospel), so we speak not to please men but to please God, Who tests our hearts [<f>[1]</f>expecting them to be approved].


text:
For as you well know, we never resorted either to words of flattery or to any cloak to conceal greedy motives <i>or</i> pretexts for gain, [as] God is our witness.


text:
Nor did we seek to extract praise <i>and</i> honor <i>and</i> glory from men, either from you or from anyone else, though we might have asserted our authority [stood on our dignity and claimed honor] as apostles (special missionaries) of Christ (the Messiah).


text:
But we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother nursing <i>and</i> cherishing her own children.


text:
So, being thus tenderly <i>and</i> affectionately desirous of you, we continued to share with you not only God’s good news (the Gospel) but also our own lives as well, for you had become so very dear to us.


text:
For you recall our hard toil and struggles, brethren. We worked night and day [and plied our trade] in order not to be a burden to any of you [for our support] while we proclaimed the glad tidings (the Gospel) of God to you.


text:
You are witnesses, [yes] and God [also], how unworldly and upright and blameless was our behavior toward you believers [who adhered to and trusted in and relied on our Lord Jesus Christ].


text:
For you know how, as a father [dealing with] his children, we used to exhort each of you personally, stimulating <i>and</i> encouraging and charging you


text:
To live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and the glorious blessedness [<f>[2]</f>into which true believers will enter after Christ’s return].


text:
And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [<f>[3]</f>exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].


text:
For you, brethren, became imitators of the assemblies (churches) of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea, for you too have suffered the same kind of treatment from your own fellow countrymen as they did [who were persecuted at the hands] of the Jews,


text:
Who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and harassed <i>and</i> drove us out, and continue to make themselves hateful <i>and</i> offensive to God and to show themselves foes of all men,


text:
Forbidding <i>and</i> hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles (the nations) that they may be saved. So as always they fill up [to the brim the measure of] their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever]! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But since we were bereft of you, brethren, for a little while in person, [of course] not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great longing to see you face to face,


text:
Because it was our will to come to you. [I mean that] I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered <i>and</i> impeded us.


text:
For what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wreath of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?


text:
Therefore, when [the suspense of separation and our yearning for some personal communication from you] became intolerable, we consented to being left behind alone at Athens.


text:
And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in [spreading] the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, to strengthen <i>and</i> establish and to exhort <i>and</i> comfort <i>and</i> encourage you in your faith,


text:
That no one [of you] should be disturbed <i>and</i> beguiled <i>and</i> led astray by these afflictions <i>and</i> difficulties [to which I have referred]. For you yourselves know that this is [unavoidable in our position, and must be recognized as] our appointed lot.


text:
For even when we were with you, [you know] we warned you plainly beforehand that we were to be pressed with difficulties <i>and</i> made to suffer affliction, just as to your own knowledge it has [since] happened.


text:
That is the reason that, when I could bear [the suspense] no longer, I sent that I might learn [how you were standing the strain, and the endurance of] your faith, [for I was fearful] lest somehow the tempter had tempted you and our toil [among you should prove to] be fruitless <i>and</i> to no purpose.


text:
But now that Timothy has just come back to us from [his visit to] you and has brought us the good news of [the steadfastness of] your faith and [the warmth of your] love, and [reported] how kindly you cherish a constant <i>and</i> affectionate remembrance of us [and that you are] longing to see us as we [are to see] you,


text:
Brethren, for this reason, in [spite of all] our stress and crushing difficulties we have been filled with comfort <i>and</i> cheer about you [because of] your faith (<f>[1]</f>the leaning of your whole personality on God in complete trust and confidence).


text:
For what [adequate] thanksgiving can we render to God for you for all the gladness <i>and</i> delight which we enjoy for your sakes before our God?


text:
[And we] continue to pray especially <i>and</i> with most intense earnestness night and day that we may see you face to face and mend <i>and</i> make good whatever may be imperfect <i>and</i> lacking in your faith.


text:
Now may our God and Father Himself and our Lord Jesus <i>Christ (the Messiah)</i> guide our steps to you.


text:
And may the Lord make you to increase and excel <i>and</i> overflow in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you,


text:
So that He may strengthen <i>and</i> confirm <i>and</i> establish your hearts faultlessly pure <i>and</i> unblamable in holiness in the sight of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus <i>Christ (the Messiah)</i> with all His saints (the <f>[2]</f>holy and glorified people of God)! <i>Amen, (so be it)!</i>


text:
Furthermore, <f>[1]</f>brethren, we beg and admonish you in [virtue of our union with] the Lord Jesus, that [you follow the instructions which] you learned from us about how you ought to walk so as to please <i>and</i> gratify God, as indeed you are doing, [and] that you do so even more and more abundantly [attaining yet greater perfection in living this life].


text:
For you know what charges <i>and</i> precepts we gave you [<f>[2]</f>on the authority and by the inspiration of] the Lord Jesus.


text:
For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain <i>and</i> shrink from all sexual vice,


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That each one of you should know how to <f>[3]</f>possess (control, manage) his own <f>[4]</f>body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,


text:
Not [to be used] in the passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God <i>and</i> have no knowledge of His will,


text:
That no man transgress and overreach his brother <i>and</i> defraud him in this matter <i>or</i> defraud his brother in business. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we have already warned you solemnly <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>told you plainly.


text:
For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity].


text:
Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure).


text:
But concerning brotherly love [for all other Christians], you have no need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been [personally] taught by God to love one another.


text:
And indeed you already are [extending and displaying your love] to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we beseech <i>and</i> earnestly exhort you, brethren, that you <f>[6]</f>excel [in this matter] more and more,


text:
To make it your ambition <i>and</i> definitely endeavor to live quietly <i>and</i> peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you,


text:
So that you may bear yourselves becomingly <i>and</i> be correct <i>and</i> honorable <i>and</i> command the respect of the outside world, being dependent on nobody [self-supporting] <i>and</i> having need of nothing.


text:
Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about those who fall asleep [<f>[7]</f>in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave].


text:
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will also bring with Him through Jesus those who have fallen asleep [<f>[8]</f>in death].


text:
For this we declare to you by the Lord’s [own] word, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall in no way precede [into His presence] <i>or</i> have any advantage at all over those who have previously fallen asleep [in Him <f>[9]</f>in death].


text:
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.


text:
Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!


text:
But as to the suitable times and the precise seasons <i>and</i> dates, brethren, you have no necessity for anything being written to you.


text:
For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.


text:
When people are saying, All is well and secure, <i>and</i>, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.


text:
But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.


text:
For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.


text:
Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).


text:
But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation.


text:
For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)


text:
Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ’s appearing], we might live together with Him <i>and</i> share His life.


text:
Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.


text:
Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all] — your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn <i>and</i> kindly reprove <i>and</i> exhort you.


text:
And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.


text:
And we earnestly beseech you, brethren, admonish (warn and seriously advise) those who are out of line [the loafers, the disorderly, and the unruly]; encourage the timid <i>and</i> fainthearted, help <i>and</i> give your support to the weak souls, [and] be very patient with everybody [always keeping your temper]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness <i>and</i> seek to do good to one another and to everybody.


text:
Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].


text:
Do not spurn the gifts <i>and</i> utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].


text:
Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form <i>or</i> whatever kind it may be.


text:
And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound <i>and</i> complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] <i>and</i> utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].


text:
The grace (the unmerited favor and blessings) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. <i>Amen, (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy, to the church (assembly) of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One):


text:
Grace (unmerited favor) be to you and [heart] peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
We ought <i>and</i> indeed are obligated [as those in debt] to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love of every one of you each toward the others is increasing <i>and</i> abounds.


text:
And this is a cause of our mentioning you with pride among the churches (assemblies) of God for your steadfastness (your unflinching endurance and patience) and your firm faith in the midst of all the persecutions and crushing distresses <i>and</i> afflictions under which you are holding up.


text:
This is positive proof of the just <i>and</i> right judgment of God to the end that you may be deemed deserving of His kingdom [a plain token of His fair verdict which designs that you should be made <i>and</i> counted worthy of the kingdom of God], for the sake of which you are also suffering.


text:
[It is a fair decision] since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with distress <i>and</i> affliction those who distress <i>and</i> afflict you,


text:
And to [<f>[1]</f>recompense] you who are so distressed <i>and</i> afflicted [by granting you] relief <i>and</i> rest along with us [your fellow sufferers] when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in a flame of fire,


text:
To deal out retribution (chastisement and vengeance) upon those who do not know <i>or</i> perceive <i>or</i> become acquainted with God, and [upon those] who ignore <i>and</i> refuse to obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus <i>Christ</i>.


text:
Such people will pay the penalty <i>and</i> suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction and perdition) <i>and</i> eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,


text:
When He comes to be glorified in His saints [on that day He will be made more glorious in His consecrated people], and [He will] be marveled at <i>and</i> admired [in His glory reflected] in all who have believed [who have adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him], because our witnessing among you was confidently accepted <i>and</i> believed [and confirmed in your lives].


text:
With this in view we constantly pray for you, that our God may deem <i>and</i> count you worthy of [your] calling and [His] every gracious purpose of goodness, and with power may complete in [your] every particular work of faith (faith which is that <f>[2]</f>leaning of the whole human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).


text:
Thus may the name of our Lord Jesus <i>Christ</i> be glorified <i>and</i> become more glorious through <i>and</i> in you, and may you [also be glorified] in Him according to the grace (favor and blessing) of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
But relative to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and our gathering together to [meet] Him, we beg you, brethren,


text:
Not to allow your minds to be quickly unsettled <i>or</i> disturbed or kept excited <i>or</i> alarmed, whether it be by some [pretended] revelation of [the] Spirit or by word or by letter [alleged to be] from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has [already] arrived <i>and</i> is here.


text:
Let no one deceive <i>or</i> beguile you in any way, for that day will not come except the <f>[1]</f>apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great <f>[2]</f>falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition), <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Who opposes and exalts himself so proudly <i>and</i> insolently against <i>and</i> over all that is called God or that is worshiped, [even to his actually] taking his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And now you know what is restraining him [from being revealed at this time]; it is so that he may be manifested (revealed) in his own [appointed] time.


text:
For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until <f>[3]</f>he who restrains is taken out of the way.


text:
And then the lawless one (the antichrist) will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by His appearing at His coming. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity <i>and</i> working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs <i>and</i> delusive marvels — [all of them] lying wonders —


text:
And by unlimited seduction to evil <i>and</i> with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth <i>but</i> refused to love it that they might be saved.


text:
Therefore God sends upon them a misleading influence, a working of error <i>and</i> a strong delusion to make them believe what is false,


text:
In order that all may be judged <i>and</i> condemned who did not believe in [who refused to adhere to, trust in, and rely on] the Truth, but [instead] took pleasure in unrighteousness.


text:
But we, brethren beloved by the Lord, ought <i>and</i> are obligated [as those who are in debt] to give thanks always to God for you, because God chose you from the beginning <f>[4]</f><i>as His firstfruits (first converts)</i> for salvation through the sanctifying work of the [Holy] Spirit and [your] belief in (adherence to, trust in, and reliance on) the Truth.


text:
[It was] to this end that He called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain <i>and</i> share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions <i>and</i> instructions which you were taught by us, whether by our word of mouth or by letter.


text:
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation <i>and</i> encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace (unmerited favor),


text:
Comfort <i>and</i> encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word.


text:
Furthermore, brethren, do pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on (spread rapidly and run its course) and be glorified (extolled) <i>and</i> triumph, even as [it has done] with you,


text:
And that we may be delivered from perverse (improper, unrighteous) and wicked (actively malicious) men, for not everybody has faith <i>and</i> is held by it.


text:
Yet the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen [you] <i>and</i> set you on a firm foundation and guard you from the evil [one].


text:
And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things which we suggest <i>and</i> with which we charge you.


text:
May the Lord direct your hearts into [realizing and showing] the love of God and into the steadfastness <i>and</i> patience of Christ <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>in waiting for His return.


text:
Now we charge you, brethren, in the name <i>and</i> on the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) that you withdraw <i>and</i> keep away from every brother (fellow believer) who is slack in the performance of duty <i>and</i> is disorderly, living as a shirker <i>and</i> not walking in accord with the traditions <i>and</i> instructions that you have received from us.


text:
For you yourselves know how it is necessary to imitate our example, for we were not disorderly <i>or</i> shirking of duty when we were with you [we were not idle].


text:
Nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and struggle we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden <i>or</i> impose on any of you [for our support].


text:
[It was] not because we do not have a right [to such support], but [we wished] to make ourselves an example for you to follow.


text:
For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule <i>and</i> charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.


text:
Indeed, we hear that some among you are disorderly [that they are passing their lives in idleness, neglectful of duty], being busy with other people’s affairs instead of their own and doing no work.


text:
Now we charge and exhort such persons [as <f>[2]</f>ministers in Him exhorting those] in the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) that they work in quietness and earn their own food <i>and</i> other necessities.


text:
And as for you, brethren, do not become weary <i>or</i> lose heart in doing right [but continue in well-doing without weakening].


text:
But if anyone [in the church] refuses to obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.


text:
Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.


text:
I, Paul, write you this final greeting with my own hand. This is the mark <i>and</i> sign [that it is not a forgery] in every letter of mine. It is the way I write [my handwriting and signature].


text:
The grace (spiritual blessing and favor) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you all. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus by appointment <i>and</i> command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), our Hope,


text:
To Timothy, my true son in the faith: Grace (spiritual blessing and favor), mercy, and [heart] peace [be yours] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.


text:
As I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on where you are at Ephesus in order that you may warn <i>and</i> admonish <i>and</i> charge certain individuals not to teach any different doctrine,


text:
Nor to give importance to <i>or</i> occupy themselves with legends (fables, myths) and endless genealogies, which foster <i>and</i> promote useless speculations <i>and</i> questionings rather than acceptance in faith of God’s administration <i>and</i> the divine training that is in faith (<f>[1]</f>in that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) —


text:
Whereas the object <i>and</i> purpose of our instruction <i>and</i> charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.


text:
But certain individuals have missed the mark on this very matter [and] have wandered away into vain arguments <i>and</i> discussions <i>and</i> purposeless talk.


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They are ambitious to be doctors of the Law (teachers of the Mosaic ritual), but they have no understanding either of the words <i>and</i> terms they use or of the subjects about which they make [such] dogmatic assertions.


text:
Now we recognize <i>and</i> know that the Law is good if anyone uses it lawfully [for the purpose for which it was designed],


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Knowing <i>and</i> understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who strike <i>and</i> beat <i>and</i> [even] murder fathers and strike <i>and</i> beat <i>and</i> [even] murder mothers, for manslayers,


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[For] impure <i>and</i> immoral persons, those who abuse themselves with men, kidnapers, liars, perjurers — and whatever else is opposed to wholesome teaching <i>and</i> sound doctrine


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I give thanks to Him Who has granted me [the needed] strength <i>and</i> made me able [for this], Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged <i>and</i> counted me faithful <i>and</i> trustworthy, appointing me to [this stewardship of] the ministry.


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Though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and was shamefully <i>and</i> outrageously <i>and</i> aggressively insulting [to Him], nevertheless, I obtained mercy because I had acted out of ignorance in unbelief.


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And the grace (unmerited favor and blessing) of our Lord [actually] flowed out superabundantly <i>and</i> beyond measure for me, accompanied by faith and love that are [to be realized] in Christ Jesus.


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The saying is sure <i>and</i> true and worthy of full <i>and</i> universal acceptance, that Christ Jesus (the Messiah) came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.


text:
But I obtained mercy for the reason that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might show forth <i>and</i> display all His perfect long-suffering <i>and</i> patience for an example to [encourage] those who would thereafter believe on Him for [the gaining of] eternal life.


text:
Now to the King of eternity, incorruptible <i>and</i> immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (to the ages of ages). Amen (so be it).


text:
This charge <i>and</i> admonition I commit in trust to you, Timothy, my son, <f>[2]</f>in accordance with prophetic intimations which I formerly received concerning you, so that inspired <i>and</i> aided by them you may wage the good warfare,


text:
Holding fast to faith (<f>[3]</f>that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) and having a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting <i>and</i> thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.


text:
Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan in order that they may be disciplined [by punishment and learn] not to blaspheme.


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First of all, then, I admonish <i>and</i> urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,


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For kings and all who are in positions of authority <i>or</i> high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet <i>and</i> undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness <i>and</i> reverence and seriousness in every way.


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For such [praying] is good <i>and</i> right, and [it is] pleasing <i>and</i> acceptable to God our Savior,


text:
Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive <i>and</i> recognize <i>and</i> discern <i>and</i> know precisely <i>and</i> correctly the [divine] Truth.


text:
Who gave Himself as a ransom for all [people, a fact that was] attested to at the right <i>and</i> proper time.


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And of this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (special messenger) — I am speaking the truth <i>in Christ</i>, I do not falsify [when I say this] — a teacher of the Gentiles in [the realm of] faith and truth.


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I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, without anger <i>or</i> quarreling <i>or</i> resentment or doubt [in their minds], lifting up holy hands.


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Also [I desire] that women should adorn themselves modestly <i>and</i> appropriately and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with [elaborate] hair arrangement or gold or pearls or expensive clothing,


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But by doing good deeds (deeds in themselves good and for the good and advantage of those contacted by them), as befits women who profess reverential fear for <i>and</i> devotion to God.


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I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to remain in quietness <i>and</i> keep silence [in religious assemblies].


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And it was not Adam who was deceived, but [the] woman who was deceived <i>and</i> deluded and fell into transgression. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Nevertheless [the sentence put upon women of pain in motherhood does not hinder their souls’ salvation, and] they will be saved [eternally] if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control, [saved indeed] <f>[1]</f>through the Childbearing <i>or</i> by the birth of the divine Child.


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The saying is true <i>and</i> irrefutable: If any man [eagerly] seeks the office of bishop (superintendent, overseer), he desires an excellent task (work).


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Now a bishop (superintendent, overseer) must give no grounds for accusation <i>but</i> must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, circumspect <i>and</i> temperate <i>and</i> self-controlled; [he must be] sensible <i>and</i> well behaved <i>and</i> dignified and lead an orderly (disciplined) life; [he must be] hospitable [showing love for and being a friend to the believers, especially strangers or foreigners, and be] a capable <i>and</i> qualified teacher,


text:
Not given to wine, not combative but gentle <i>and</i> considerate, not quarrelsome <i>but</i> forbearing <i>and</i> peaceable, and not a lover of money [insatiable for wealth and ready to obtain it by questionable means].


text:
He must rule his own household well, keeping his children under control, with true dignity, commanding their respect in every way <i>and</i> keeping them respectful.


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For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the church of God?


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He must not be a new convert, or he may [develop a beclouded and stupid state of mind] as the result of pride [be blinded by conceit, and] fall into the condemnation that the devil [once] did. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Furthermore, he must have a good reputation <i>and</i> be well thought of by those outside [the church], lest he become involved in slander <i>and</i> incur reproach and fall into the devil’s trap.


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In like manner the deacons [must be] worthy of respect, not shifty <i>and</i> double-talkers <i>but</i> sincere in what they say, not given to much wine, not greedy for base gain [craving wealth and resorting to ignoble and dishonest methods of getting it].


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They must possess the mystic secret of the faith [Christian truth as hidden from ungodly men] with a clear conscience.


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And let them also be tried <i>and</i> investigated <i>and</i> proved first; then, if they turn out to be above reproach, let them serve [as deacons].


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<f>[1]</f>[The] women likewise must be worthy of respect <i>and</i> serious, not gossipers, but temperate <i>and</i> self-controlled, [thoroughly] trustworthy in all things.


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Let deacons be the husbands of but one wife, and let them manage [their] children and their own households well.


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For those who perform well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and also gain much confidence <i>and</i> freedom <i>and</i> boldness in the faith which is [founded on and centers] in Christ Jesus.


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If I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and stay (the prop and support) of the Truth.


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And great <i>and</i> important <i>and</i> weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [<f>[2]</f>God] was made visible in human flesh, justified <i>and</i> vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.


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But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly <i>and</i> expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding <i>and</i> seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach,


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Who forbid people to marry and [teach them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe <i>and</i> have [an increasingly clear] knowledge of the truth.


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For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be thrown away <i>or</i> refused if it is received with thanksgiving.


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If you lay all these instructions before the brethren, you will be a worthy steward <i>and</i> a good minister of Christ Jesus, ever nourishing your own self on the truths of the faith and of the good [Christian] instruction which you have closely followed.


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But refuse <i>and</i> avoid irreverent legends (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers’ tales) and silly myths, <i>and</i> express your disapproval of them. Train yourself toward godliness (piety), [keeping yourself spiritually fit].


text:
For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful <i>and</i> of value in everything <i>and</i> in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.


text:
With a view to this we toil and strive, [yes and] <f>[1]</f><i>suffer reproach</i>, because we have [fixed our] hope on the living God, Who is the Savior (Preserver, Maintainer, Deliverer) of all men, especially of those who believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to Him).


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Let no one despise <i>or</i> think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.


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Till I come, devote yourself to [public and private] reading, to exhortation (preaching and personal appeals), and to teaching <i>and</i> instilling doctrine.


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Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you [at your ordination].


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Practice <i>and</i> cultivate <i>and</i> meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.


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Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.


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Do not sharply censure <i>or</i> rebuke an older man, but entreat <i>and</i> plead with him as [you would with] a father. Treat younger men like brothers;


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[Always] treat with great consideration <i>and</i> give aid to those who are truly widowed (solitary and without support).


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But if a widow has children or grandchildren, see to it that these are first made to understand that it is their religious duty [to defray their natural obligation to those] at home, and make return to their parents <i>or</i> grandparents [for all their care by contributing to their maintenance], for this is acceptable in the sight of God.


text:
Now [a woman] who is a real widow and is left entirely alone <i>and</i> desolate has fixed her hope on God and perseveres in supplications and prayers night and day,


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Whereas she who lives in pleasure <i>and</i> self-gratification [giving herself up to luxury and self-indulgence] is dead even while she [still] lives.


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If anyone fails to provide for his relatives, and especially for those of his own family, he has disowned the faith [by failing to accompany it with fruits] and is worse than an unbeliever [who performs his obligation in these matters].


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Let no one be put on the roll of widows [who are to receive church support] who is under sixty years of age or who has been the wife of more than one man;


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And she must have a reputation for good deeds, as one who has brought up children, who has practiced hospitality to strangers [of the brotherhood], washed the feet of the saints, helped to relieve the distressed, [and] devoted herself diligently to doing good in every way.


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But refuse [to enroll on this list the] younger widows, for when they become restive <i>and</i> their natural desires grow strong, they withdraw themselves against Christ [and] wish to marry [again].


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Moreover, as they go about from house to house, they learn to be idlers, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say <i>and</i> talking of things they should not mention.


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So I would have younger [widows] marry, bear children, guide the household, [and] not give opponents of the faith occasion for slander or reproach.


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If any believing woman <i>or believing man</i> has [relatives or persons in the household who are] widows, let him relieve them; let the church not be burdened [with them], so that it may [be free to] assist those who are truly widows (those who are all alone and are dependent).


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Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honor [and of adequate <f>[1]</f>financial support], especially those who labor faithfully in preaching and teaching.


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For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain, and again, The laborer is worthy of his hire. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Listen to no accusation [presented before a judge] against an elder unless it is confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. <f>ⓑ</f>


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As for those who are guilty <i>and</i> persist in sin, rebuke <i>and</i> admonish them in the presence of all, so that the rest may be warned <i>and</i> stand in wholesome awe <i>and</i> fear.


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I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the chosen angels that you guard <i>and</i> keep [these rules] without personal prejudice <i>or</i> favor, doing nothing from partiality.


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Do not be in a hurry in the laying on of hands [giving the sanction of the church too hastily in reinstating expelled offenders or in ordination in questionable cases], nor share <i>or</i> participate in another man’s sins; keep yourself pure.


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Drink water no longer exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.


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The sins of some men are conspicuous (openly evident to all eyes), going before them to the judgment [seat] <i>and</i> proclaiming their sentence in advance; but the sins of others appear later [following the offender to the bar of judgment and coming into view there].


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So also, good deeds are evident <i>and</i> conspicuous, and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden [indefinitely].


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Let all who are under the yoke as bond servants esteem their own [personal] masters worthy of honor <i>and</i> fullest respect, so that the name of God and the teaching [about Him] may not be brought into disrepute <i>and</i> blasphemed.


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Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful <i>or</i> scornful [to them] on the grounds that they are brothers [in Christ]; rather, they should serve [them all the better] because those who benefit by their kindly service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties.


text:
But if anyone teaches otherwise and does not <f>[1]</f>assent to the sound <i>and</i> wholesome messages of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and the teaching which is in agreement with godliness (piety toward God),


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He is puffed up with pride <i>and</i> stupefied with conceit, [although he is] woefully ignorant. He has a <f>[2]</f>morbid fondness for controversy and disputes <i>and</i> strife about words, which result in (produce) envy <i>and</i> jealousy, quarrels <i>and</i> dissension, abuse <i>and</i> insults <i>and</i> slander, and base suspicions,


text:
And protracted wrangling <i>and</i> wearing discussion <i>and</i> perpetual friction among men who are corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, who imagine that godliness <i>or</i> righteousness is a <f>[3]</f>source of profit [a moneymaking business, a means of livelihood]. <i>From such withdraw</i>.


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[And it is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of <f>[4]</f>inward sufficiency) is great <i>and</i> abundant gain.


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For we brought nothing into the world, and <i>obviously</i> we cannot take anything out of the world;


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But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin <i>and</i> destruction and miserable perishing.


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For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray <i>and</i> have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many <f>[5]</f>acute [mental] pangs.


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But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at <i>and</i> pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.


text:
Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.


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In the presence of God, Who preserves alive all living things, and of Christ Jesus, Who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I [solemnly] charge you


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To keep all His precepts unsullied <i>and</i> flawless, irreproachable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Anointed One),


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Which [appearing] will be shown forth in His own proper time by the blessed, only Sovereign (Ruler), the King of kings and the Lord of lords,


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Who alone has immortality [in the sense of exemption from every kind of death] and lives in unapproachable light, Whom no man has ever seen or can see. Unto Him be honor and everlasting power <i>and</i> dominion. Amen (so be it).


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As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be proud <i>and</i> arrogant <i>and</i> contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God, Who richly <i>and</i> ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment.


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[Charge them] to do good, to be rich in good works, to be liberal <i>and</i> generous of heart, ready to share [with others],


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In this way laying up for themselves [the riches that endure forever as] a good foundation for the future, so that they may grasp that which is life indeed.


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O Timothy, guard <i>and</i> keep the deposit entrusted [to you]! Turn away from the irreverent babble <i>and</i> godless chatter, with the vain <i>and</i> empty <i>and</i> worldly phrases, and the subtleties <i>and</i> the contradictions in what is falsely called knowledge <i>and</i> spiritual illumination.


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[For] by making such profession some have erred (missed the mark) as regards the faith. Grace (divine favor and blessing) be with you all! <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


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Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,


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To Timothy, [my] beloved child: Grace (favor and spiritual blessing), mercy, and [heart] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!


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I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, <f>[1]</f>in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers,


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I am calling up memories of your sincere <i>and</i> unqualified faith (the <f>[2]</f>leaning of your entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), [a faith] that first lived permanently in [the heart of] your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am [fully] persuaded, [dwells] in you also.


text:
That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [<f>[3]</f>with those of the elders at your ordination].


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For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm <i>and</i> well-balanced mind <i>and</i> discipline <i>and</i> self-control.


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Do not blush <i>or</i> be ashamed then, to testify to <i>and</i> for our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for His sake, but [<f>[4]</f>with me] take your share of the suffering [to which the preaching] of the Gospel [may expose you, and do it] in the power of God.


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[For it is He] Who delivered <i>and</i> saved us and called us with a calling in itself holy <i>and</i> leading to holiness [to a life of consecration, a vocation of holiness]; [He did it] not because of anything of merit that we have done, but because of <i>and</i> to further His own purpose and grace (unmerited favor) which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began [eternal ages ago].


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[It is that purpose and grace] which He now has made known <i>and</i> has fully disclosed <i>and</i> made real [to us] through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who annulled death <i>and</i> made it of no effect and brought life and immortality (immunity from eternal death) to light through the Gospel.


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For [the proclaiming of] this [Gospel] I was appointed a herald (preacher) and an apostle (special messenger) and a teacher <i>of the Gentiles</i>.


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And this is why I am suffering as I do. Still I am not ashamed, for I know (perceive, have knowledge of, and am acquainted with) Him Whom I have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on), and I am [positively] persuaded that He is able to guard <i>and</i> keep that which has been entrusted to me <i>and</i> which <f>[5]</f>I have committed [to Him] until that day.


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Hold fast <i>and</i> follow the pattern of wholesome <i>and</i> sound teaching which you have heard from me, in [all] the faith and love which are [for us] in Christ Jesus.


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Guard <i>and</i> keep [with the greatest care] the precious <i>and</i> excellently adapted [Truth] which has been entrusted [to you], by the [help of the] Holy Spirit Who makes His home in us.


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You already know that all who are in Asia turned away <i>and</i> forsook me, Phygelus and Hermogenes among them.


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May the Lord grant [His] mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, for he often showed me kindness <i>and</i> ministered to my needs [comforting and reviving and bracing me like fresh air]! He was not ashamed of my chains <i>and</i> imprisonment [for Christ’s sake].


text:
May the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on that [great] day! And you know how many things he did for me <i>and</i> what a help he was at Ephesus [you know better than I can tell you].


text:
So you, my son, be strong (strengthened inwardly) in the grace (spiritual blessing) that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus.


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And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit <i>and</i> entrust [as a deposit] to reliable <i>and</i> faithful men who will be competent <i>and</i> qualified to teach others also.


text:
Take [with me] your share of the hardships <i>and</i> suffering [which you are called to endure] as a good (first-class) soldier of Christ Jesus.


text:
No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy <i>and</i> please the one who enlisted him.


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And if anyone enters competitive games, he is not crowned unless he competes lawfully (fairly, according to the rules laid down).


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[It is] the hard-working farmer [who labors to produce] who must be the first partaker of the fruits.


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Think over these things I am saying [understand them and grasp their application], for the Lord will grant you full insight <i>and</i> understanding in everything.


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Constantly keep in mind Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] risen from the dead, [as the prophesied King] descended from David, according to the good news (the Gospel) that I preach. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For that [Gospel] I am suffering affliction <i>and</i> even wearing chains like a criminal. But the Word of God is not chained <i>or</i> imprisoned!


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Therefore I [am ready to] persevere <i>and</i> stand my ground with patience <i>and</i> endure everything for the sake of the elect [God’s chosen], so that they too may obtain [the] salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with [the reward of] eternal glory.


text:
The saying is sure <i>and</i> worthy of confidence: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him.


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If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny <i>and</i> disown <i>and</i> reject Him, He will also deny <i>and</i> disown <i>and</i> reject us.


text:
If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.


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Remind [the people] of these facts and [solemnly] charge them in the presence of the Lord to avoid petty controversy over words, which does no good but upsets <i>and</i> undermines the faith of the hearers.


text:
Study <i>and</i> be eager <i>and</i> do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing <i>and</i> accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.


text:
But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more <i>and</i> more ungodliness.


text:
And their teaching [will devour; it] will eat its way like cancer <i>or</i> spread like gangrene. So it is with Hymenaeus and Philetus,


text:
Who have missed the mark <i>and</i> swerved from the truth by arguing that the resurrection has already taken place. They are undermining the faith of some.


text:
But the firm foundation of (laid by) God stands, sure <i>and</i> unshaken, bearing this seal (inscription): The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names [himself by] the name of the Lord give up all iniquity <i>and</i> stand aloof from it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable <i>and</i> noble [use] and some for menial <i>and</i> ignoble [use].


text:
So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble <i>and</i> unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart <i>and</i> useful for honorable <i>and</i> noble purposes, consecrated <i>and</i> profitable to the Master, fit <i>and</i> ready for any good work.


text:
Shun youthful lusts <i>and</i> flee from them, and aim at <i>and</i> pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.


text:
But refuse (shut your mind against, have nothing to do with) trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignorant questionings, for you know that they foster strife <i>and</i> breed quarrels.


text:
And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone <i>and</i> mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled <i>and</i> suitable teacher, patient <i>and</i> forbearing <i>and</i> willing to suffer wrong.


text:
He must correct his opponents with courtesy <i>and</i> gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it],


text:
And that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God’s] will.


text:
But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress <i>and</i> trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].


text:
For people will be lovers of self <i>and</i> [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money <i>and</i> aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud <i>and</i> arrogant <i>and</i> contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy <i>and</i> profane.


text:
[They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate <i>and</i> loose in morals <i>and</i> conduct, uncontrolled <i>and</i> fierce, haters of good.


text:
[They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures <i>and</i> vain amusements more than <i>and</i> rather than lovers of God.


text:
For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny <i>and</i> reject <i>and</i> are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them].


text:
For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate silly <i>and</i> weak-natured <i>and</i> spiritually dwarfed women, loaded down with [the burden of their] sins [and easily] swayed <i>and</i> led away by various evil desires <i>and</i> seductive impulses.


text:
[These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them]; they are forever inquiring <i>and</i> getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition <i>and</i> knowledge of the Truth.


text:
Now just as <f>[1]</f>Jannes and Jambres were hostile to <i>and</i> resisted Moses, so these men also are hostile to <i>and</i> oppose the Truth. They have depraved <i>and</i> distorted minds, and are reprobate <i>and</i> counterfeit <i>and</i> to be rejected as far as the faith is concerned. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But they will not get very far, for their rash folly will become obvious to everybody, as was that of those [magicians mentioned].


text:
Now you have closely observed <i>and</i> diligently followed my teaching, conduct, purpose in life, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,


text:
Persecutions, sufferings — such as occurred to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me.


text:
Indeed all who delight in piety <i>and</i> are determined to live a devoted <i>and</i> godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand].


text:
But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving <i>and</i> leading astray others and being deceived <i>and</i> led astray themselves.


text:
But as for you, continue to hold to the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced, knowing from whom you learned [them],


text:
And how from your childhood you have had a knowledge of <i>and</i> been acquainted with the sacred Writings, which are able to instruct you <i>and</i> give you the understanding for salvation which comes through faith in Christ Jesus [through the <f>[2]</f>leaning of the entire human personality on God in Christ Jesus in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].


text:
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof <i>and</i> conviction of sin, for correction of error <i>and</i> discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),


text:
So that the man of God may be complete <i>and</i> proficient, well fitted <i>and</i> thoroughly equipped for every good work.


text:
I charge [you] in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is to judge the living and the dead, and by (in the light of) His coming and His kingdom:


text:
Herald <i>and</i> preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking <i>and</i> correcting, warning <i>and</i> urging <i>and</i> encouraging them, being unflagging <i>and</i> inexhaustible in patience and teaching.


text:
For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound <i>and</i> wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking <i>and</i> to foster the errors they hold,


text:
As for you, be calm <i>and</i> cool <i>and</i> steady, accept <i>and</i> suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry.


text:
For I am already about to be sacrificed [my life is about to be poured out as a drink offering]; the time of my [spirit’s] release [from the body] is at hand <i>and</i> I will soon go free.


text:
I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith.


text:
[As to what remains] henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me <i>and</i> recompense me on that [great] day — and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved <i>and</i> yearned for <i>and</i> welcomed His appearing (His return).


text:
For Demas has deserted me for love of this present world and has gone to Thessalonica; Crescens [has gone] to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.


text:
Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry.


text:
[When] you come, bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, also the books, especially the parchments.


text:
Beware of him yourself, for he opposed <i>and</i> resisted our message very strongly <i>and</i> exceedingly.


text:
At my first trial no one acted in my defense [as my advocate] <i>or</i> took my part <i>or</i> [even] stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them!


text:
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the [Gospel] message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was delivered out of the jaws of the lion.


text:
[And indeed] the Lord will certainly deliver <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve <i>and</i> bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (so be it).


text:
Do hasten <i>and</i> try your best to come to me before winter. Eubulus wishes to be remembered to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.


text:
The Lord <i>Jesus Christ</i> be with your spirit. Grace (God’s favor and blessing) be with you. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, a bond servant of God and an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) to stimulate <i>and</i> promote the faith of God’s chosen ones and to lead them on to accurate discernment <i>and</i> recognition of <i>and</i> acquaintance with the Truth which belongs to <i>and</i> harmonizes with <i>and</i> tends to godliness,


text:
[Resting] in the hope of eternal life, [life] which the ever truthful God Who cannot deceive promised before the world <i>or</i> the ages of time began.


text:
And [now] in His own appointed time He has made manifest (made known) His Word <i>and</i> revealed it as His message through the preaching entrusted to me by command of God our Savior;


text:
To Titus, my true child according to a common (general) faith: Grace (favor and spiritual blessing) and [heart] peace from God the Father and <i>the Lord</i> Christ Jesus our Savior.


text:
For this reason I left you [behind] in Crete, that you might set right what was defective <i>and</i> finish what was left undone, and that you might appoint elders <i>and</i> set them over the churches (assemblies) in every city as I directed you.


text:
[These elders should be] men who are of unquestionable integrity <i>and</i> are irreproachable, the husband of [but] one wife, whose children are [well trained and are] believers, not open to the accusation of being loose in morals <i>and</i> conduct or unruly <i>and</i> disorderly.


text:
For the bishop (an overseer) as God’s steward must be blameless, not self-willed <i>or</i> arrogant <i>or</i> presumptuous; he must not be quick-tempered or given to drink <i>or</i> pugnacious (brawling, violent); he must not be grasping <i>and</i> greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain);


text:
But he must be hospitable (loving and a friend to believers, especially to strangers and foreigners); [he must be] a lover of goodness [of good people and good things], sober-minded (sensible, discreet), upright <i>and</i> fair-minded, a devout man <i>and</i> religiously correct, temperate <i>and</i> keeping himself in hand.


text:
He must hold fast to the sure <i>and</i> trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction <i>and</i> encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and to refute <i>and</i> convict those who contradict <i>and</i> oppose it [showing the wayward their error].


text:
For there are many disorderly <i>and</i> unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) <i>and</i> misleading talkers and self-deceivers <i>and</i> deceivers of others. [This is true] especially of those of the circumcision party [who have come over from Judaism].


text:
Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing <i>and</i> subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage <i>and</i> disreputable gain.


text:
One of their [very] number, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, hurtful beasts, idle <i>and</i> lazy gluttons.


text:
And this account of them is [really] true. Because it is [true], rebuke them sharply [deal sternly, even severely with them], so that they may be sound in the faith <i>and</i> free from error,


text:
[And may show their soundness by] ceasing to give attention to Jewish myths <i>and</i> fables or to rules [laid down] by [mere] men who reject <i>and</i> turn their backs on the Truth.


text:
To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled <i>and</i> corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled <i>and</i> polluted.


text:
They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny <i>and</i> disown <i>and</i> renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable <i>and</i> loathsome, unbelieving <i>and</i> disobedient <i>and</i> disloyal <i>and</i> rebellious, and [they are] unfit <i>and</i> worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.


text:
But [as for] you, teach what is fitting <i>and</i> becoming to sound (wholesome) doctrine [the character and right living that identify true Christians].


text:
Urge the older men to be temperate, venerable (serious), sensible, self-controlled, and sound in the faith, in the love, and in the steadfastness <i>and</i> patience [of Christ].


text:
Bid the older women similarly to be reverent <i>and</i> devout in their deportment as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel <i>and</i> be teachers of what is right <i>and</i> noble,


text:
So that they will wisely train the young women to be <f>[1]</f>sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children,


text:
To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting <i>and</i> subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).


text:
In a similar way, urge the younger men to be self-restrained <i>and</i> to behave prudently [taking life seriously].


text:
And show your own self in all respects to be a pattern <i>and</i> a model of good deeds <i>and</i> works, teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity [having the strictest regard for truth and purity of motive], with dignity <i>and</i> seriousness.


text:
And let your instruction be sound <i>and</i> fit <i>and</i> wise <i>and</i> wholesome, vigorous <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f>irrefutable <i>and</i> above censure, so that the opponent may be put to shame, finding nothing discrediting <i>or</i> evil to say about us.


text:
[Tell] bond servants to be submissive to their masters, to be pleasing <i>and</i> give satisfaction in every way. [Warn them] not to talk back <i>or</i> contradict,


text:
Nor to steal by taking things of small value, but to prove themselves truly loyal <i>and</i> entirely reliable <i>and</i> faithful throughout, so that in everything they may be an ornament <i>and</i> do credit to the teaching [which is] from <i>and</i> about God our Savior.


text:
For the grace of God (His unmerited favor and blessing) has come forward (appeared) for the deliverance from sin <i>and</i> the eternal salvation for all mankind.


text:
It has trained us to reject <i>and</i> renounce all ungodliness (irreligion) and worldly (passionate) desires, to live discreet (temperate, self-controlled), upright, devout (spiritually whole) lives in this present world,


text:
Awaiting <i>and</i> looking for the [fulfillment, the realization of our] blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One),


text:
Who gave Himself on our behalf that He might redeem us (purchase our freedom) from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people [to be peculiarly His own, people who are] eager <i>and</i> enthusiastic about [living a life that is good and filled with] beneficial deeds. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Tell [them all] these things. Urge (advise, encourage, warn) and rebuke with full authority. Let no one despise <i>or</i> disregard <i>or</i> think little of you [conduct yourself and your teaching so as to command respect].


text:
Remind people to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared <i>and</i> willing to do any upright <i>and</i> honorable work,


text:
To slander <i>or</i> abuse <i>or</i> speak evil of no one, to avoid being contentious, to be forbearing (yielding, gentle, and conciliatory), and to show unqualified courtesy toward everybody.


text:
For we also were once thoughtless <i>and</i> senseless, obstinate <i>and</i> disobedient, deluded <i>and</i> misled; [we too were once] slaves to all sorts of cravings <i>and</i> pleasures, wasting our days in malice and jealousy <i>and</i> envy, hateful (hated, detestable) and hating one another.


text:
He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own pity <i>and</i> mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and renewing of the Holy Spirit,


text:
[And He did it in order] that we might be justified by His grace (by His favor, wholly undeserved), [that we might be acknowledged and counted as conformed to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action], and that we might become heirs of eternal life according to [our] hope.


text:
This message is most trustworthy, and concerning these things I want you to insist steadfastly, so that those who have believed in (trusted in, relied on) God may be careful to apply themselves to honorable occupations <i>and</i> to doing good, for such things are [not only] excellent <i>and</i> right [in themselves], but [they are] good <i>and</i> profitable for the people.


text:
But avoid stupid <i>and</i> foolish controversies and genealogies and dissensions and wrangling about the Law, for they are unprofitable and futile.


text:
[As for] a man who is factious [a heretical sectarian and cause of divisions], after admonishing him a first and second time, reject [him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him],


text:
Well aware that such a person has utterly changed (is perverted and corrupted); he goes on sinning [though he] is convicted of guilt <i>and</i> self-condemned.


text:
When I send Artemas or [perhaps] Tychicus to you, lose no time <i>but</i> make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.


text:
Do your utmost to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they want for (lack) nothing.


text:
And let our own [people really] learn to apply themselves to good deeds (to honest labor and honorable employment), so that they may be able to meet necessary demands <f>[1]</f>whenever the occasion may require and not be living idle <i>and</i> uncultivated <i>and</i> unfruitful lives.


text:
All who are with me wish to be remembered to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace (God’s favor and blessing) be with you all. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Paul, a prisoner [for the sake] of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), and our brother Timothy, to Philemon our dearly beloved sharer with us in our work,


text:
And to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier [in the Christian warfare], and to the church [assembly that meets] in your house:


text:
Grace (spiritual blessing and favor) be to all of you and [heart] peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
Because I continue to hear of your love and of your loyal faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and [which you show] toward all the saints (God’s consecrated people).


text:
[And I pray] that the participation in <i>and</i> sharing of your faith may produce <i>and</i> promote full recognition <i>and</i> appreciation <i>and</i> understanding <i>and</i> precise knowledge of every good [thing] that is ours in [our identification with] Christ <i>Jesus</i> [and unto His glory].


text:
For I have derived great joy and comfort <i>and</i> encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints [who are your fellow Christians] have been cheered <i>and</i> refreshed through you, [my] brother.


text:
Therefore, though I have abundant boldness in Christ to charge you to do what is fitting <i>and</i> required <i>and</i> your duty to do,


text:
Yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you just for what I am — I, Paul, an ambassador [of Christ Jesus] <i>and</i> an old man and now a prisoner for His sake also —


text:
I appeal to you for my [own spiritual] child, Onesimus [meaning profitable], whom I have begotten [in the faith] while a captive in these chains.


text:
I would have chosen to keep him with me, in order that he might minister to my needs in your stead during my imprisonment for the Gospel’s sake.


text:
But it has been my wish to do nothing about it without first consulting you <i>and</i> getting your consent, in order that your benevolence might not seem to be the result of compulsion <i>or</i> of pressure but might be voluntary [on your part].


text:
Perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated [from you] for a while, that you might have him back as yours forever,


text:
Not as a slave any longer but as [something] more than a slave, as a brother [Christian], especially dear to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh [as a servant] and in the Lord [as a fellow believer].


text:
If then you consider me a partner <i>and</i> a <f>[2]</f>comrade in fellowship, welcome <i>and</i> receive him as you would [welcome and receive] me.


text:
I, Paul, write it with my own hand, I promise to repay it [in full] — and that is to say nothing [of the fact] that you owe me your very self!


text:
Yes, brother, let me have some profit from you in the Lord. Cheer <i>and</i> refresh my heart in Christ.


text:
I write to you [perfectly] confident of your obedient compliance, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.


text:
At the same time prepare a guest room [in expectation of extending your hospitality] to me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be granted [the gracious privilege of coming] to you.


text:
Greetings to you from Epaphras, my fellow prisoner here in [the cause of] Christ Jesus (the Messiah),


text:
The grace (blessing and favor) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with your spirit. <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
In many separate revelations [<f>[1]</f>each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in <i>and</i> by the prophets,


text:
[But] in <f>[2]</f>the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir <i>and</i> lawful Owner of all things, also by <i>and</i> through Whom He created the worlds <i>and</i> the reaches of space <i>and</i> the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].


text:
He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the <f>[3]</f>out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint <i>and</i> very image of [God’s] nature, upholding <i>and</i> maintaining <i>and</i> guiding <i>and</i> propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had <i>by offering Himself</i> accomplished <i>our</i> cleansing of sins <i>and</i> riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,


text:
[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from <i>and</i> more excellent than theirs.


text:
For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son <f>[4]</f>again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him.


text:
Referring to the angels He says, [God] Who makes His angels winds and His ministering servants flames of fire; <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But as to the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (to the ages of the ages), and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of absolute righteousness (of justice and straightforwardness).


text:
You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God (<f>[5]</f>Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy <i>and</i> gladness above <i>and</i> beyond Your companions. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And [further], You, Lord, did lay the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of Your hands.


text:
They will perish, but You remain <i>and</i> continue permanently; they will all grow old <i>and</i> wear out like a garment.


text:
Like a mantle [thrown about one’s self] You will roll them up, and they will be changed <i>and</i> replaced by others. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end <i>nor</i> come to failure. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Besides, to which of the angels has He ever said, Sit at My right hand [associated with Me in My royal dignity] till I make your enemies a stool for your feet? <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?


text:
Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] <i>and</i> slip away.


text:
For if the message given through angels [the Law spoken by them to Moses] was authentic <i>and</i> proved sure, and every violation and disobedience received an appropriate (just and adequate) penalty,


text:
How shall we escape [appropriate retribution] if we neglect <i>and</i> refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation [as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever]? For it was declared at first by the Lord [Himself], and it was confirmed to us <i>and</i> proved to be real <i>and</i> genuine by those who personally heard [Him speak].


text:
[Besides this evidence] it was also established <i>and</i> plainly endorsed by God, Who showed His approval of it by signs and wonders and various miraculous manifestations of [His] power and by imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit [to the believers] according to His own will.


text:
For it was not to angels that God subjected the habitable world of the future, of which we are speaking.


text:
It has been solemnly <i>and</i> earnestly said in a certain place, What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You graciously <i>and</i> helpfully care for <i>and</i> visit <i>and</i> look after him?


text:
For some little time You have ranked him lower than <i>and</i> inferior to the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor <i>and set him over the works of Your hands</i>, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man’s] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man].


text:
But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person.


text:
For it was an act worthy [of God] <i>and</i> fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering.


text:
For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren;


text:
For He says, I will declare Your [the Father’s] name to My brethren; in the midst of the [worshiping] congregation I will sing hymns of praise to You. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And again He says, My trust <i>and</i> assured reliance <i>and</i> confident hope shall be fixed in Him. And yet again, Here I am, I and the children whom God has given Me. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought <i>and</i> make of no effect him who had the power of death — that is, the devil —


text:
And also that He might deliver <i>and</i> completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.


text:
For, as we all know, He [Christ] did not take hold of angels [<f>[1]</f>the fallen angels, to give them a helping and delivering hand], but He did take hold of [<f>[2]</f>the fallen] descendants of Abraham [to reach out to them a helping and delivering hand]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement <i>and</i> propitiation for the people’s sins.


text:
For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] <f>[3]</f>to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted <i>and</i> tested <i>and</i> tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].


text:
So then, brethren, consecrated <i>and</i> set apart for God, who share in the heavenly calling, [thoughtfully and attentively] consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confessed [as ours when we embraced the Christian faith].


text:
[See how] faithful He was to Him Who appointed Him [Apostle and High Priest], as Moses was also faithful in the whole house [of God]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Yet Jesus has been considered worthy of much greater honor <i>and</i> glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house [itself].


text:
For [of course] every house is built <i>and</i> furnished by someone, but the Builder of all things <i>and</i> the Furnisher [of the entire equipment of all things] is God.


text:
And Moses certainly was faithful in the administration of all God’s house [but it was only] as a ministering servant. [In his entire ministry he was but] a testimony to the things which were to be spoken [the revelations to be given afterward in Christ]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But Christ (the Messiah) was faithful over His [own Father’s] house as a Son [and Master of it]. And it is we who are [now members] of this house, if we hold <i>fast and firm to the end</i> our joyful <i>and</i> exultant confidence and sense of triumph in our hope [in Christ].


text:
Do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] <i>and</i> their provocation <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness,


text:
Where your fathers tried [My patience] <i>and</i> tested [My forbearance] and <f>[2]</f>found I stood their test, and they saw My works for forty years.


text:
And so I was provoked (displeased and sorely grieved) with that generation, and said, They always err <i>and</i> are led astray in their hearts, and they have not perceived <i>or</i> recognized My ways <i>and</i> become progressively better <i>and</i> more experimentally <i>and</i> intimately acquainted with them.


text:
Accordingly, I swore in My wrath <i>and</i> indignation, They shall not enter into My rest. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
[Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away <i>and</i> desert <i>or</i> stand aloof from the living God.


text:
But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamor of his sin may play on him].


text:
For we <f>[3]</f>have become fellows with Christ (the Messiah) <i>and</i> share in all He has for us, if only we hold our first newborn confidence <i>and</i> original assured expectation [in virtue of which we are believers] firm <i>and</i> unshaken to the end.


text:
Then while it is [still] called Today, if you would hear His voice <i>and</i> when you hear it, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the desert, when the people provoked and irritated and embittered God against them]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For who were they who heard <i>and</i> yet were rebellious <i>and</i> provoked [Him]? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?


text:
And with whom was He irritated <i>and</i> provoked <i>and</i> grieved for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose <f>[4]</f>dismembered bodies were strewn <i>and</i> left in the desert?


text:
And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who disobeyed [who had not listened to His word and who refused to be compliant or be persuaded]?


text:
So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest], because of their unwillingness to adhere to <i>and</i> trust in <i>and</i> rely on God [unbelief had shut them out]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still holds <i>and</i> is offered [today], let us be afraid [<f>[1]</f>to distrust it], lest any of you should <f>[2]</f>think he has come too late <i>and</i> has come short of [reaching] it.


text:
For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with <f>[3]</f>the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; <f>[4]</f><i>neither were they united in faith with the ones [Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).</i>


text:
For we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest, <f>[5]</f>in accordance with His declaration that those [who did not believe] should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest; and this He said although [His] works had been completed <i>and</i> prepared [and waiting for all who would believe] from the foundation of the world. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For in a certain place He has said this about the seventh day: And God rested on the seventh day from all His works. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And [they forfeited their part in it, for] in this [passage] He said, They shall not enter My rest. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Seeing then that the promise remains over [from past times] for some to enter that rest, and that those who formerly were given the good news about it <i>and</i> the opportunity, failed to appropriate it <i>and</i> did not enter because of disobedience,


text:
Again He sets a definite day, [a new] Today, [and gives another opportunity of securing that rest] saying through David after so long a time in the words already quoted, Today, if you would hear His voice <i>and</i> when you hear it, do not harden your hearts. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
[This mention of a rest was not a reference to their entering into Canaan.] For if Joshua had given them rest, He [God] would not speak afterward about another day.


text:
So then, there is still awaiting a full <i>and</i> complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God;


text:
For he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors <f>[6]</f>peculiarly His own. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Let us therefore be zealous <i>and</i> exert ourselves <i>and</i> strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall <i>or</i> perish by the same kind of unbelief <i>and</i> disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell].


text:
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the <f>[7]</f>breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing <i>and</i> sifting <i>and</i> analyzing <i>and</i> judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.


text:
And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open <i>and</i> exposed, naked <i>and</i> defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.


text:
Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended <i>and</i> passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].


text:
For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand <i>and</i> sympathize <i>and</i> have a shared feeling with our weaknesses <i>and</i> infirmities <i>and</i> liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.


text:
Let us then fearlessly <i>and</i> confidently <i>and</i> boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].


text:
For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in things relating to God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.


text:
He is able to exercise gentleness <i>and</i> forbearance toward the ignorant and erring, since he himself also is liable to moral weakness <i>and</i> physical infirmity.


text:
And because of this he is obliged to offer sacrifice for his own sins, as well as for those of the people.


text:
Besides, one does not appropriate for himself the honor [of being high priest], but he is called by God <i>and</i> receives it of Him, just as Aaron did.


text:
So too Christ (the Messiah) did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed <i>and</i> exalted by Him Who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have begotten You; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
As He says also in another place, You are a Priest [appointed] forever after the order (with <f>[1]</f>the rank) of Melchizedek. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted <f>[2]</f>but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety, <f>[3]</f> in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father].


text:
And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author <i>and</i> Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed <i>and</i> obey Him, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Being <f>[4]</f>designated <i>and</i> recognized <i>and</i> saluted by God as High Priest after the order (with <f>[5]</f>the rank) of Melchizedek. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing <i>and</i> sluggish [even <f>[6]</f>slothful in achieving spiritual insight].


text:
For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.


text:
For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced <i>and</i> unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!


text:
But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses <i>and</i> mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate <i>and</i> distinguish between what is morally good <i>and</i> noble and what is evil <i>and</i> contrary either to divine or human law.


text:
Therefore let us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings <i>and</i> doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness <i>and</i> perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance <i>and</i> abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God,


text:
With teachings about purifying, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment <i>and</i> punishment. [These are all matters of which you should have been fully aware long, long ago.]


text:
For it is impossible [to restore and bring again to repentance] those who have been once for all enlightened, who have consciously tasted the heavenly gift and have become sharers of the Holy Spirit,


text:
And have felt how good the Word of God is and the mighty powers of the age <i>and</i> world to come,


text:
If they then deviate from the faith <i>and</i> turn away from their allegiance — [it is impossible] to bring them back to repentance, for (because, while, as long as) they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh [as far as they are concerned] and are holding [Him] up to contempt <i>and</i> shame <i>and</i> public disgrace.


text:
For the soil which has drunk the rain that repeatedly falls upon it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated partakes of a blessing from God.


text:
But if [that same soil] persistently bears thorns and thistles, it is considered worthless and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Even though we speak this way, yet in your case, beloved, we are now firmly convinced of better things that are near to salvation <i>and</i> accompany it.


text:
For God is not unrighteous to forget <i>or</i> overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do.


text:
But we do [<f>[1]</f>strongly and earnestly] desire for each of you to show the same diligence <i>and</i> sincerity [all the way through] in realizing <i>and</i> enjoying the full assurance <i>and</i> development of [your] hope until the end,


text:
In order that you may not grow disinterested <i>and</i> become [spiritual] sluggards, but imitators, behaving as do those who through faith (<f>[2]</f>by their leaning of the entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) and by practice of patient endurance <i>and</i> waiting are [now] inheriting the promises.


text:
For when God made [His] promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear,


text:
And so it was that he [Abraham], having waited long <i>and</i> endured patiently, realized <i>and</i> obtained [in the birth of Isaac as a pledge of what was to come] what God had promised him.


text:
Men indeed swear by a greater [than themselves], and with them in all disputes the oath taken for confirmation is final [ending strife].


text:
Accordingly God also, in His desire to show more convincingly <i>and</i> beyond doubt to those who were to inherit the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose <i>and</i> plan, intervened (mediated) with an oath.


text:
This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false <i>or</i> deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength <i>and</i> strong encouragement to grasp <i>and</i> hold fast the hope appointed for us <i>and</i> set before [us].


text:
[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot <f>[3]</f>break down under whoever steps out upon it — a hope] that reaches <f>[4]</f>farther <i>and</i> enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance], a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with <f>[5]</f>the rank) of Melchizedek. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem [and] priest of the Most High God, met Abraham as he returned from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,


text:
And Abraham gave to him a tenth portion of all [the spoil]. He is primarily, as his name when translated indicates, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.


text:
Without [record of] father or mother or ancestral line, neither with beginning of days nor ending of life, but, resembling the Son of God, he continues to be a priest without interruption <i>and</i> without successor.


text:
Now observe <i>and</i> consider how great [a personage] this was to whom even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth [the topmost or the pick of the heap] of the spoils.


text:
And it is true that those descendants of Levi who are charged with the priestly office are commanded in the Law to take tithes from the people — which means, from their brethren — though these have descended from Abraham.


text:
But this person who has not their Levitical ancestry received tithes from Abraham [himself] and blessed him who possessed the promises [of God].


text:
Furthermore, here [in the Levitical priesthood] tithes are received by men who are subject to death; while there [in the case of Melchizedek], they are received by one of whom it is testified that he lives [perpetually].


text:
A person might even say that Levi [the father of the priestly tribe] himself, who received tithes (the tenth), paid tithes through Abraham,


text:
Now if perfection (a perfect fellowship between God and the worshiper) had been attainable by the Levitical priesthood — for under it the people were given the Law — why was it further necessary that there should arise another <i>and</i> different kind of Priest, one after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one appointed after the order <i>and</i> rank of Aaron?


text:
For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is of necessity an alteration of the law [concerning the priesthood] as well.


text:
For the One of Whom these things are said belonged [not to the priestly line but] to another tribe, no member of which has officiated at the altar.


text:
For it is obvious that our Lord sprang from the tribe of Judah, and Moses mentioned nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.


text:
And this becomes more plainly evident when another Priest arises Who bears the likeness of Melchizedek, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Who has been constituted a Priest, not on the basis of a bodily legal requirement [an externally imposed command concerning His physical ancestry], but on the basis of the power of an endless <i>and</i> indestructible Life.


text:
For it is witnessed of Him, You are a Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So a previous physical regulation <i>and</i> command is cancelled because of its weakness <i>and</i> ineffectiveness and uselessness —


text:
For the Law never made anything perfect — but instead a better hope is introduced through which we [now] come close to God.


text:
For those who formerly became priests received their office without its being confirmed by the taking of an oath by God, but this One was designated <i>and</i> addressed <i>and</i> saluted with an oath, The Lord has sworn and will not regret it <i>or</i> change His mind, You are a Priest forever <i>according to the order of Melchizedek</i>. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
In keeping with [the oath’s greater strength and force], Jesus has become the Guarantee of a better (stronger) agreement [a more excellent and more advantageous covenant].


text:
[Again, the former successive line of priests] was made up of many, because they were each prevented by death from continuing [perpetually in office];


text:
Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God <i>and</i> intercede with Him <i>and</i> intervene for them.


text:
[Here is] the High Priest [perfectly adapted] to our needs, as was fitting — holy, blameless, unstained by sin, separated from sinners, and exalted higher than the heavens.


text:
He has no day by day necessity, as [do each of these other] high priests, to offer sacrifice first of all for his own [personal] sins and then for those of the people, because He [met all the requirements] once for all when He brought Himself [as a sacrifice] which He offered up.


text:
For the Law sets up men in their weakness [frail, sinful, dying human beings] as high priests, but the word of [God’s] oath, which [was spoken later] after the institution of the Law, [chooses and appoints as priest One Whose appointment is complete and permanent], a Son Who has been made perfect forever. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Now the main point of what we have to say is this: We have such a High Priest, One Who is seated at the right hand of the majestic [God] in heaven, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
As officiating Priest, a Minister in the holy places <i>and</i> in the true tabernacle which is erected not by man but by the Lord.


text:
For every high priest is appointed to offer up gifts and sacrifices; so it is essential for this [High Priest] to have some offering to make also.


text:
If then He were still living on earth, He would not be a priest at all, for there are [already priests] who offer the gifts in accordance with the Law.


text:
[But these offer] service [merely] as a pattern and as a foreshadowing of [what has its true existence and reality in] the heavenly sanctuary. For when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was warned by God, saying, See to it that you make it all [exactly] according to the copy (the model) which was shown to you on the mountain. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But as it now is, He [Christ] has acquired a [priestly] ministry which is as much superior <i>and</i> more excellent [than the old] as the covenant (the agreement) of which He is the Mediator (the Arbiter, Agent) is superior <i>and</i> more excellent, [because] it is enacted <i>and</i> rests upon more important (sublimer, higher, and nobler) promises.


text:
For if that first covenant had been without defect, there would have been no room for another one <i>or</i> an attempt to institute another one.


text:
However, He finds fault with them [showing its inadequacy] when He says, Behold, the days will come, says the Lord, when I will make <i>and</i> ratify a new covenant <i>or</i> agreement with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.


text:
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day when I grasped them by the hand to help <i>and</i> relieve them <i>and</i> to lead them out from the land of Egypt, for they did not abide in My agreement with them, and so I withdrew My favor <i>and</i> disregarded them, says the Lord.


text:
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts <i>and</i> understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.


text:
And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother, saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of, and get acquainted by experience with) the Lord, for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them.


text:
For I will be merciful <i>and</i> gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
When God speaks of a new [covenant or agreement], He makes the first one obsolete (out of use). And what is obsolete (out of use and annulled because of age) is ripe for disappearance <i>and</i> to be dispensed with altogether.


text:
Now even the first covenant had its own rules <i>and</i> regulations for divine worship, and it had a sanctuary [but one] of this world. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For a tabernacle (tent) was erected, in the outer division <i>or</i> compartment of which were the lampstand and the table with [its loaves of] the showbread set forth. [This portion] is called the Holy Place. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But [inside] beyond the second curtain <i>or</i> veil, [there stood another] tabernacle [division] known as the Holy of Holies. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
It had the golden <f>[1]</f>altar of incense and the ark (chest) of the covenant, covered over with wrought gold. This [ark] contained a golden jar which held the manna and the rod of Aaron that sprouted and the [two stone] slabs of the covenant [bearing the Ten Commandments]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Above [the ark] and overshadowing the mercy seat were the representations of the cherubim [winged creatures which were the symbols] of glory. We cannot now go into detail about these things.


text:
These arrangements having thus been made, the priests enter [habitually] into the outer division of the tabernacle in performance of their ritual acts of worship.


text:
But into the second [division of the tabernacle] none but the high priest goes, and he only once a year, and never without taking a sacrifice of blood with him, which he offers for himself and for the errors <i>and</i> sins of ignorance <i>and</i> thoughtlessness which the people have committed. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
By this the Holy Spirit points out that the way into the [true Holy of] Holies is not yet thrown open as long as the former [the outer portion of the] tabernacle remains a recognized institution <i>and</i> is still standing,


text:
Seeing that that first [outer portion of the] tabernacle was a parable (a visible symbol or type or picture of the present age). In it gifts and sacrifices are offered, and yet are incapable of perfecting the conscience <i>or</i> of cleansing <i>and</i> renewing the inner man of the worshiper.


text:
For [the ceremonies] deal only with clean and unclean meats and drinks and different washings, [mere] external rules <i>and</i> regulations for the body imposed to tide the worshipers over until the time of setting things straight [of reformation, of the complete new order when Christ, the Messiah, shall establish the reality of what these things foreshadow — a better covenant].


text:
But [that appointed time came] when Christ (the Messiah) appeared as a High Priest of the better things that have come <i>and</i> are to come. [Then] through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with [human] hands, that is, not a part of this material creation,


text:
He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found <i>and</i> secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us).


text:
For if [the mere] sprinkling of unholy <i>and</i> defiled persons with blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a burnt heifer is sufficient for the purification of the body, <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who <f>[2]</f>by virtue of [His] eternal Spirit [His own preexistent <f>[3]</f>divine personality] has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works <i>and</i> lifeless observances to serve the [ever] living God?


text:
[Christ, the Messiah] is therefore the Negotiator <i>and</i> Mediator of an [entirely] new agreement (testament, covenant), so that those who are called <i>and</i> offered it may receive the fulfillment of the promised everlasting inheritance — since a death has taken place which rescues <i>and</i> delivers <i>and</i> redeems them from the transgressions committed under the [old] first agreement.


text:
For where there is a [last] will <i>and</i> testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established,


text:
For a will <i>and</i> testament is valid and takes effect only at death, since it has no force <i>or</i> legal power as long as the one who made it is alive.


text:
So even the [old] first covenant (God’s will) was not inaugurated <i>and</i> ratified <i>and</i> put in force without the shedding of blood.


text:
For when every command of the Law had been read out by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of slain calves and goats, together with water and scarlet wool and with a bunch of hyssop, and sprinkled both the Book (the roll of the Law and covenant) itself and all the people,


text:
Saying these words: This is the blood that seals <i>and</i> ratifies the agreement (the testament, the covenant) which God commanded [me to deliver to] you. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all the [sacred] vessels <i>and</i> appliances used in [divine] worship.


text:
[In fact] under the Law almost everything is purified by means of blood, and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin <i>and</i> its guilt <i>nor</i> the remission of the due <i>and</i> merited punishment for sins.


text:
By such means, therefore, it was necessary for the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be purified, but the actual heavenly things themselves [required far] better <i>and</i> nobler sacrifices than these.


text:
For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy <i>and</i> pattern <i>and</i> type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf.


text:
Nor did He [enter into the heavenly sanctuary to] offer Himself regularly again and again, as the high priest enters the [Holy of] Holies every year with blood not his own.


text:
For then would He often have had to suffer [over and over again] since the foundation of the world. But as it now is, He has once for all at the consummation <i>and</i> close of the ages appeared to put away <i>and</i> abolish sin by His sacrifice [of Himself].


text:
Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself <i>and</i> bear as a burden the sins of many once <i>and</i> <f>[4]</f>once for all, will appear a second time, not to carry any burden of sin <i>nor</i> to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation those who are [eagerly, constantly, and patiently] waiting for <i>and</i> expecting Him.


text:
For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come — instead of fully expressing those things — it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].


text:
For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had <f>[1]</f>once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt <i>or</i> consciousness of sin.


text:
Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];


text:
Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God — [to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
When He said just before, You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings — all of which are offered according to the Law —


text:
He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with <i>and</i> annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate <i>and</i> establish the second (latter) order. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One).


text:
Furthermore, every [human] priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over again, which never are able to strip [from every side of us] the sins [that envelop us] <i>and</i> take them away —


text:
Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,


text:
For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed <i>and</i> perfected those who are consecrated <i>and</i> made holy.


text:
This is the agreement (testament, covenant) that I will set up <i>and</i> conclude with them after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds (on their inmost thoughts and understanding),


text:
Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these [sins and lawbreaking], there is no longer any offering made to atone for sin.


text:
Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom <i>and</i> confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and virtue] in the blood of Jesus,


text:
By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated <i>and</i> dedicated <i>and</i> opened for us through the separating curtain (veil of the Holy of Holies), that is, through His flesh,


text:
And since we have [such] a great <i>and</i> wonderful <i>and</i> noble Priest [Who rules] over the house of God,


text:
Let us all come forward <i>and</i> draw near with true (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance <i>and</i> absolute conviction engendered by faith (by <f>[2]</f>that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness), having our hearts sprinkled <i>and</i> purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.


text:
So let us seize <i>and</i> hold fast <i>and</i> retain without wavering the <f>[3]</f>hope we cherish <i>and</i> confess <i>and</i> our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) <i>and</i> faithful to His word.


text:
And let us consider <i>and</i> give <f>[4]</f>attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love <i>and</i> helpful deeds <i>and</i> noble activities,


text:
Not forsaking <i>or</i> neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.


text:
For if we go on deliberately <i>and</i> willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for [our] sins [no further offering to which to look forward].


text:
[There is nothing left for us then] but a kind of awful <i>and</i> fearful prospect <i>and</i> expectation of divine judgment and the fury of burning wrath <i>and</i> indignation which will consume those who put themselves in opposition [to God]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Any person who has violated <i>and</i> [thus] rejected <i>and</i> set at naught the Law of Moses is put to death without pity <i>or</i> mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
How much worse (sterner and heavier) punishment do you suppose he will be judged to deserve who has spurned <i>and</i> [thus] trampled underfoot the Son of God, and who has considered the covenant blood by which he was consecrated common <i>and</i> unhallowed, thus profaning it <i>and</i> insulting <i>and</i> outraging the [Holy] Spirit [Who imparts] grace (the unmerited favor and blessing of God)? <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
For we know Him Who said, Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the meting out of full justice rest with Me]; I will repay [I will exact the compensation], <i>says the Lord</i>. And again, The Lord will judge <i>and</i> determine <i>and</i> solve <i>and</i> settle the cause <i>and</i> the cases of His people. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
It is a fearful (formidable and terrible) thing to incur the divine penalties <i>and</i> be cast into the hands of the living God!


text:
But be ever mindful of the days gone by in which, after you were first spiritually enlightened, you endured a great <i>and</i> painful struggle,


text:
Sometimes being yourselves a gazingstock, publicly exposed to insults <i>and</i> abuse and distress, and sometimes claiming fellowship <i>and</i> making common cause with others who were so treated.


text:
For you did sympathize <i>and</i> suffer along with those who were imprisoned, and you bore cheerfully the plundering of your belongings <i>and</i> the confiscation of your property, in the knowledge <i>and</i> consciousness that you yourselves had a better and lasting possession.


text:
Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great <i>and</i> glorious compensation of reward.


text:
For you have need of steadfast patience <i>and</i> endurance, so that you may perform <i>and</i> fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.


text:
But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live <f>[6]</f>by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back <i>and</i> shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight <i>or</i> pleasure in him. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
But our way is not that of those who draw back to eternal misery (perdition) and are utterly destroyed, but we are of those who believe [who cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah] <i>and</i> by faith preserve the soul.


text:
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, <f>[1]</f>the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see <i>and</i> the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].


text:
For by [faith — <f>[2]</f>trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them <i>and</i> obtained a good report.


text:
By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.


text:
[Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting <i>and</i> acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Because of faith Enoch was caught up <i>and</i> transferred to heaven, so that he did not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received testimony [still on record] that he had pleased <i>and</i> been satisfactory to God. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But without faith it is impossible to please <i>and</i> be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly <i>and</i> diligently seek Him [out].


text:
[Prompted] by faith Noah, being forewarned by God concerning events of which as yet there was no visible sign, took heed <i>and</i> diligently <i>and</i> reverently constructed <i>and</i> prepared an ark for the deliverance of his own family. By this [his faith which relied on God] he passed judgment <i>and</i> sentence on the world’s unbelief and became an heir <i>and</i> possessor of righteousness (<f>[3]</f>that relation of being right into which God puts the person who has faith). <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know <i>or</i> trouble his mind about where he was to go.


text:
[Prompted] by faith he dwelt as a temporary resident in the land which was designated in the promise [of God, though he was like a stranger] in a strange country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs with him of the same promise. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has fixed <i>and</i> firm foundations, whose Architect <i>and</i> Builder is God.


text:
Because of faith also Sarah herself received physical power to conceive a child, even when she was long past the age for it, because she considered [God] Who had given her the promise to be reliable <i>and</i> trustworthy <i>and</i> true to His word. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
So from one man, though he was physically as good as dead, there have sprung descendants whose number is as the stars of heaven and as countless as the innumerable sands on the seashore. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
These people all died controlled <i>and</i> sustained by their faith, but not having received the tangible fulfillment of [God’s] promises, only having seen it <i>and</i> greeted it from a great distance by faith, and all the while acknowledging <i>and</i> confessing that they were strangers <i>and</i> temporary residents <i>and</i> exiles upon the earth. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Now those people who talk as they did show plainly that they are in search of a fatherland (their own country).


text:
If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it.


text:
But the truth is that they were yearning for <i>and</i> aspiring to a better <i>and</i> more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
By faith Abraham, when he was put to the test [while the testing of his faith was <f>[4]</f>still in progress], <f>[5]</f>had already brought Isaac for an offering; he who had gladly received <i>and</i> welcomed [God’s] promises was ready to sacrifice his only son, <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
For he reasoned that God was able to raise [him] up even from among the dead. Indeed in the sense that Isaac was figuratively dead [potentially sacrificed], he did [actually] receive him back from the dead.


text:
[With eyes of] faith Isaac, looking far into the future, invoked blessings upon Jacob and Esau. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
[Prompted] by faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in prayer over the top of his staff. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
[Actuated] by faith Joseph, when nearing the end of his life, referred to [the promise of God for] the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his own bones. <f>ⓜ</f>


text:
[Prompted] by faith Moses, after his birth, was kept concealed for three months by his parents, because they saw how comely the child was; and they were not overawed <i>and</i> terrified by the king’s decree. <f>ⓝ</f>


text:
[Aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity <i>and</i> <f>[6]</f>become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
Because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] <i>and</i> bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.


text:
He considered the contempt <i>and</i> abuse <i>and</i> shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward <i>and</i> away to the reward (recompense).


text:
[Motivated] by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed <i>and</i> undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched <i>but</i> held staunchly to his purpose <i>and</i> endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible. <f>ⓟ</f>


text:
By faith (simple trust and confidence in God) he instituted <i>and</i> carried out the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts], so that the destroyer of the firstborn (the angel) might not touch those [of the children of Israel]. <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
[Urged on] by faith the people crossed the Red Sea as [though] on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do the same thing they were swallowed up [by the sea]. <f>ⓡ</f>


text:
Because of faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encompassed for seven days [by the Israelites]. <f>ⓢ</f>


text:
[Prompted] by faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who refused to believe <i>and</i> obey, because she had received the spies in peace [without enmity]. <f>ⓣ</f>


text:
And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, <f>ⓤ</f>


text:
Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, <f>ⓥ</f>


text:
Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty <i>and</i> weakness won strength <i>and</i> became stalwart, even mighty <i>and</i> resistless in battle, routing alien hosts. <f>ⓦ</f>


text:
[Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured <f>[7]</f>to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life. <f>ⓧ</f>


text:
They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated —


text:
[Men] of whom the world was not worthy — roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves <i>and</i> caverns and holes of the earth.


text:
And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised,


text:
Because God had us in mind <i>and</i> had something better <i>and</i> greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].


text:
Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off <i>and</i> throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to <i>and</i> entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance <i>and</i> steady <i>and</i> active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,


text:
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader <i>and</i> the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising <i>and</i> ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition <i>and</i> bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary <i>or</i> exhausted, losing heart <i>and</i> relaxing <i>and</i> fainting in your minds.


text:
You have not yet struggled <i>and</i> fought agonizingly against sin, <i>nor</i> have you yet resisted <i>and</i> withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood.


text:
And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal <i>and</i> encouragement in which you are reasoned with <i>and</i> addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly <i>or</i> scorn to submit to the correction <i>and</i> discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage <i>and</i> give up <i>and</i> faint when you are reproved <i>or</i> corrected by Him;


text:
For the Lord corrects <i>and</i> disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts <i>and</i> welcomes to His heart <i>and</i> cherishes.


text:
You must submit to <i>and</i> endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train <i>and</i> correct <i>and</i> discipline?


text:
Now if you are exempt from correction <i>and</i> left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring <i>and</i> not true sons [at all]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] <i>and</i> respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live?


text:
For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time <i>and</i> chastised us as seemed proper <i>and</i> good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.


text:
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous <i>and</i> painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness — in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].


text:
So then, brace up <i>and</i> reinvigorate <i>and</i> set right your slackened <i>and</i> weakened <i>and</i> drooping hands and strengthen your feeble <i>and</i> palsied <i>and</i> tottering knees, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And cut through <i>and</i> make firm <i>and</i> plain <i>and</i> smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame <i>and</i> halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.


text:
Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration <i>and</i> holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.


text:
Exercise foresight <i>and</i> be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from <i>and</i> fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble <i>and</i> bitter torment, and the many become contaminated <i>and</i> defiled by it —


text:
That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm,


text:
And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
In fact, so awful <i>and</i> terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear). <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering,


text:
And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect,


text:
And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better <i>and</i> nobler <i>and</i> more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
So see to it that you do not reject Him <i>or</i> refuse to listen to <i>and</i> heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen <i>and</i> heed Him Who warned <i>and</i> divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject <i>and</i> turn our backs on Him Who cautions <i>and</i> admonishes [us] from heaven?


text:
Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake <i>and</i> make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal <i>and</i> transformation of all [that can be] shaken — that is, of that which has been created — in order that what cannot be shaken may remain <i>and</i> continue. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm <i>and</i> stable <i>and</i> cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service <i>and</i> acceptable worship, with modesty <i>and</i> pious care and godly fear <i>and</i> awe;


text:
Let love for your fellow believers continue <i>and</i> be a fixed practice with you [never let it fail].


text:
Do not forget <i>or</i> neglect <i>or</i> refuse to extend hospitality to strangers [in the brotherhood — being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Remember those who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoner, and those who are ill-treated, since you also are liable to bodily sufferings.


text:
Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge <i>and</i> punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.


text:
Let your <f>[1]</f>character <i>or</i> moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] <f>[2]</f>Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you <i>nor</i> <f>[3]</f>give you up <i>nor</i> leave you without support. [I will] not, <f>[4]</f>[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless <i>nor</i> forsake <i>nor</i> <f>[5]</f>let [you] down (<f>[6]</f>relax My hold on you)! [<f>[7]</f>Assuredly not!] <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So we take comfort <i>and</i> are encouraged <i>and</i> confidently <i>and</i> boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Remember your leaders <i>and</i> superiors in authority [for it was they] who brought to you the Word of God. Observe attentively <i>and</i> consider their manner of living (the outcome of their well-spent lives) and imitate their faith (<f>[8]</f>their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ, and their <f>[9]</f>leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness).


text:
Do not be carried about by different <i>and</i> varied and alien teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established <i>and</i> ennobled <i>and</i> strengthened by means of grace (God’s favor and spiritual blessing) and not [to be devoted to] foods [rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring no [spiritual] benefit <i>or</i> profit to those who observe them.


text:
We have an altar from which those who serve <i>and</i> <f>[10]</f>worship in the tabernacle have no right to eat.


text:
For when the blood of animals is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin, the victims’ bodies are burned outside the limits of the camp. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Therefore Jesus also suffered <i>and</i> died outside the [city’s] gate in order that He might purify <i>and</i> consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own blood <i>and</i> set them apart as holy [for God].


text:
Let us then go forth [from all that would prevent us] to Him outside the camp [at Calvary], bearing the contempt <i>and</i> abuse <i>and</i> shame with Him. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly <i>and</i> at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge <i>and</i> confess <i>and</i> glorify His name. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Do not forget <i>or</i> neglect to do kindness <i>and</i> good, to be generous <i>and</i> distribute <i>and</i> contribute to the needy [of the church <f>[11]</f>as embodiment and proof of fellowship], for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.


text:
Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls <i>and</i> guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing <i>and</i> groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either].


text:
Keep praying for us, for we are convinced that we have a good (clear) conscience, that we want to walk uprightly <i>and</i> live a noble life, acting honorably <i>and</i> in complete honesty in all things.


text:
And I beg of you [to pray for us] the more earnestly, in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.


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Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), <f>ⓖ</f>


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Strengthen (complete, perfect) <i>and</i> make you what you ought to be <i>and</i> equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you <i>and</i> accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).


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I call on you, brethren, to listen patiently <i>and</i> bear with this message of exhortation <i>and</i> admonition <i>and</i> encouragement, for I have written to you briefly.


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Notice that our brother Timothy has been released [from prison]. If he comes here soon, I will see you along with him.


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Give our greetings to all of your spiritual leaders and to all of the saints (God’s consecrated believers). The Italian Christians send you their greetings [also].


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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings (<f>[1]</f>rejoice)!


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Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in <i>or</i> encounter trials of any sort <i>or</i> fall into various temptations.


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Be assured <i>and</i> understand that the trial <i>and</i> proving of your faith bring out endurance <i>and</i> steadfastness <i>and</i> patience.


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But let endurance <i>and</i> steadfastness <i>and</i> patience have full play <i>and</i> do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.


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If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of <f>[2]</f>the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally <i>and</i> ungrudgingly, without reproaching <i>or</i> faultfinding, and it will be given him.


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Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither <i>and</i> thither and tossed by the wind.


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[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable <i>and</i> unreliable <i>and</i> uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].


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Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation [as a Christian, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God],


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And the rich [person ought to glory] in being humbled [by being shown his human frailty], because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.


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For the sun comes up with a scorching heat and parches the grass; its flower falls off and its beauty fades away. Even so will the rich man wither <i>and</i> die in the midst of his pursuits. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Blessed (happy, <f>[3]</f>to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial <i>and</i> stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test <i>and</i> been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.


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Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one.


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But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed <i>and</i> baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).


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Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.


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Every good gift and every perfect (<f>[4]</f>free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].


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And it was of His own [free] will that He gave us birth [as sons] by [His] Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures [a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself].


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Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense <i>and</i> to get angry.


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So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive <i>and</i> welcome the Word which implanted <i>and</i> rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.


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But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].


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For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it <i>and</i> being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror;


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But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it <i>and</i> perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).


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If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren).


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External <f>[5]</f>religious worship [<f>[6]</f>religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit <i>and</i> help <i>and</i> care for the orphans and widows in their affliction <i>and</i> need, and to keep oneself unspotted <i>and</i> uncontaminated from the world.


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My brethren, pay no servile regard to people [show no prejudice, no partiality]. Do not [attempt to] hold <i>and</i> practice the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ [the Lord] of glory [together with snobbery]!


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For if a person comes into your congregation whose hands are adorned with gold rings and who is wearing splendid apparel, and also a poor [man] in shabby clothes comes in,


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And you pay special attention to the one who wears the splendid clothes and say to him, Sit here in this preferable seat! while you tell the poor [man], Stand there! or, Sit there on the floor at my feet!


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Are you not discriminating among your own and becoming critics <i>and</i> judges with wrong motives?


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Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith <i>and</i> in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?


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But you [in contrast] have insulted (humiliated, dishonored, and shown your contempt for) the poor. Is it not the rich who domineer over you? Is it not they who drag you into the law courts?


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Is it not they who slander <i>and</i> blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished <i>and</i> called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?


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If indeed you [really] fulfill the royal Law in accordance with the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as [you love] yourself, you do well. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But if you show servile regard (prejudice, favoritism) for people, you commit sin and are rebuked <i>and</i> convicted by the Law as violators <i>and</i> offenders.


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For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles <i>and</i> offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.


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For He Who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not kill. If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become guilty of transgressing the [whole] Law. <f>ⓑ</f>


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So speak and so act as [people should] who are to be judged under the law of liberty [the moral instruction given by Christ, especially about love].


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For to him who has shown no mercy the judgment [will be] merciless, but mercy [full of glad confidence] exults victoriously over judgment.


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What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?


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And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep [yourself] warm and well fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?


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So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).


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But someone will say [to you then], You [say you] have faith, and I have [good] works. Now you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can], and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith.


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You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder [in terror and horror such as <f>[1]</f>make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]!


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Are you willing to be shown [proof], you foolish (unproductive, spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from [good] works is inactive <i>and</i> ineffective <i>and</i> worthless?


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Was not our forefather Abraham [shown to be] justified (made acceptable to God) by [his] works when he brought to the altar as an offering his [own] son Isaac? <f>ⓒ</f>


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You see that [his] faith was cooperating with his works, and [his] faith was completed <i>and</i> reached its supreme expression [when he implemented it] by [good] works.


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And [so] the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend. <f>ⓓ</f>


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You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith [through works of obedience as well as by what he believes].


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So also with Rahab the harlot — was she not shown to be justified (pronounced righteous before God) by [good] deeds when she took in the scouts (spies) and sent them away by a different route? <f>ⓔ</f>


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For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead.


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Not many [of you] should become teachers (<f>[1]</f>self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard <i>and</i> with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation].


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For we all often stumble <i>and</i> fall <i>and</i> offend in many things. And if anyone does not offend in speech [never says the wrong things], he is a fully developed character <i>and</i> a perfect man, able to control his whole body <i>and</i> to curb his entire nature.


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Likewise, look at the ships: though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines.


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Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood <i>or</i> how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze!


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And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating <i>and</i> depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man’s nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).


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For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea animal, can be tamed and has been tamed by human genius (nature).


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But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.


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Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.


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Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water.


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Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom.


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But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambition) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of <i>and</i> false to the Truth.


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This [superficial] wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal), even devilish (demoniacal).


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For wherever there is jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry and selfish ambition), there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony, rebellion) and all sorts of evil <i>and</i> vile practices.


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But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted <i>and</i> straightforward, impartial <i>and</i> unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).


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And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for <i>and</i> make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].


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What leads to strife (discord and feuds) <i>and</i> how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members?


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You are jealous <i>and</i> covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy <i>and</i> anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. <f>ⓐ</f>


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[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.


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You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.


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Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us <i>and</i> He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love? <f>ⓑ</f>


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But He gives us more and more grace (<f>[1]</f>power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). <f>ⓒ</f>


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Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].


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[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection <i>and</i> heartfelt shame [for your sins].


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Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].


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[My] brethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning <i>and</i> criticizing the Law <i>and</i> judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but a censor <i>and</i> judge [of it].


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One only is the Lawgiver <i>and</i> Judge Who is able to save and to destroy [the One Who has the absolute power of life and death]. [But you] who are you that [you presume to] pass judgment on your neighbor?


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Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such <i>and</i> such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money.


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Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].


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You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing].


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But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption <i>and</i> your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong.


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Come now, you rich [people], weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you.


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Your abundant wealth has rotted <i>and</i> is ruined, and your [many] garments have become moth-eaten.


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Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days.


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[But] look! [Here are] the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out [for vengeance]; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts.


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[Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence <i>and</i> self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.


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You have condemned and have murdered the righteous (innocent man), [while] he offers no resistance to you.


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So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains.


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So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts [strengthen and confirm them in the final certainty], for the coming of the Lord is very near.


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Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you [yourselves] may not be judged. Look! The Judge is [already] standing at the very door.


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[As] an example of suffering and ill-treatment together with patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers].


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You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast [who endured]. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord’s [purpose and how He richly blessed him in the] end, inasmuch as the Lord is full of pity <i>and</i> compassion <i>and</i> tenderness and mercy. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin <i>and</i> fall under condemnation.


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Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].


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Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.


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And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.


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Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed <i>and</i> restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].


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Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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[My] brethren, if anyone among you strays from the Truth <i>and</i> falls into error and another [person] brings him back [to God],


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Let the [latter] one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save [that one’s] soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins [<f>[1]</f>procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert].


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Peter, an apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ, [writing] to the elect exiles of the dispersion scattered (sowed) abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,


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Who were chosen <i>and</i> foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be <f>[1]</f>realized in and through Christ, <f>[2]</f>freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts].


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Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,


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[Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change <i>and</i> decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,


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Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that <f>[3]</f>final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.


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[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials <i>and</i> suffer temptations,


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So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested <i>and</i> purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.


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Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult <i>and</i> thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.


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[At the same time] you receive the result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls.


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The prophets, who prophesied of the grace (divine blessing) which was intended for you, searched and inquired earnestly about this salvation.


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They sought [to find out] to whom or when this was to come which the Spirit of Christ working within them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow [them].


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It was then disclosed to them that the services they were rendering were not meant for themselves <i>and</i> their period of time, but for you. [It is these very] things which have now already been made known plainly to you by those who preached the good news (the Gospel) to you by the [same] Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Into these things [the very] angels long to look!


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So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly <i>and</i> unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.


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[Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel].


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But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct <i>and</i> manner of living.


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And if you call upon Him as [your] Father Who judges each one impartially according to what he does, [then] you should conduct yourselves with true reverence throughout the time of your temporary residence [on the earth, whether long or short].


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You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold,


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But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.


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It is true that He was chosen <i>and</i> foreordained (destined and foreknown for it) before the foundation of the world, but He was brought out to public view (made manifest) in these last days (at the end of the times) for the sake of you.


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Through Him you believe in (adhere to, rely on) God, Who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him honor <i>and</i> glory, so that your faith and hope are [centered and rest] in God.


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Since by your obedience to the Truth <i>through the</i> [<i>Holy</i>] <i>Spirit</i> you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a <i>pure</i> heart.


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You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal <f>[4]</f>origin (<f>[5]</f>seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the <i>ever</i> living and lasting Word of God.


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For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, and all its glory (honor) like [the] flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower drops off,


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But the Word of the Lord (<f>[6]</f>divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you. <f>ⓑ</f>


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So be done with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity) and all deceit and insincerity (pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander <i>and</i> evil speaking of every kind.


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Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured <i>and</i> grow unto [completed] salvation,


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Come to Him [then, to that] Living Stone which men <f>[1]</f>tried <i>and</i> threw away, but which is chosen [and] precious in God’s sight. <f>ⓑ</f>


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[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable <i>and</i> pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.


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For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen (<f>[2]</f>honored), precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall never be <f>[3]</f>disappointed <i>or</i> put to shame. <f>ⓒ</f>


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To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone, <f>ⓓ</f>


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And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey <i>and</i> disbelieve [God’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do.


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But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own <f>[4]</f>purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds <i>and</i> display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied <i>and</i> have received mercy. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers <i>and</i> exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul.


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Conduct yourselves properly (honorably, righteously) among the Gentiles, so that, although they may slander you as evildoers, [yet] they may by witnessing your good deeds [come to] glorify God in the day of inspection [<f>[5]</f>when God shall look upon you wanderers as a pastor or shepherd looks over his flock].


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Be submissive to every human institution <i>and</i> authority for the sake of the Lord, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,


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Or to governors as sent by him to bring vengeance (punishment, justice) to those who do wrong and to encourage those who do good service.


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For it is God’s will <i>and</i> intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges <i>and</i> ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons.


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[Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but [live at all times] as servants of God.


text:
Show respect for all men [treat them honorably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honor the emperor.


text:
[You who are] household servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate <i>and</i> reasonable, but also to those who are surly (overbearing, unjust, and crooked).


text:
For one is regarded favorably (is approved, acceptable, and thankworthy) if, as in the sight of God, he endures the pain of unjust suffering.


text:
[After all] what <f>[6]</f>kind of glory [is there in it] if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you take it patiently? But if you bear patiently with suffering [which results] when you do right <i>and</i> that is undeserved, it is acceptable <i>and</i> pleasing to God.


text:
For even to this were you called [it is inseparable from your vocation]. For Christ also suffered for you, leaving you [His personal] example, so that you should follow in His footsteps.


text:
When He was reviled <i>and</i> insulted, He did not revile <i>or</i> offer insult in return; [when] He was abused <i>and</i> suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but he trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly.


text:
He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree <f>[7]</f>[as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.


text:
For you were going astray like [so many] sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian (<f>[8]</f>the Bishop) of your souls. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
In like manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them], so that even if any do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but by the [godly] lives of their wives,


text:
When they observe the pure <i>and</i> modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your <f>[1]</f>reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him — to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband].


text:
Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] <f>[2]</f>interweaving <i>and</i> knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes;


text:
But let it be the inward adorning <i>and</i> beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible <i>and</i> unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.


text:
For it was thus that the pious women of old who hoped in God were [accustomed] to beautify themselves and were submissive to their husbands [adapting themselves to them as themselves secondary and dependent upon them].


text:
It was thus that Sarah obeyed Abraham [following his guidance and acknowledging his headship over her by] calling him lord (master, leader, authority). And you are now her true daughters if you do right and let nothing terrify you [not giving way to hysterical fears or letting anxieties unnerve you].


text:
In the same way you married men should live considerately with [your wives], with an <f>[3]</f>intelligent recognition [of the marriage relation], honoring the woman as [physically] the weaker, but [realizing that you] are joint heirs of the grace (God’s unmerited favor) of life, in order that your prayers may not be hindered <i>and</i> cut off. [Otherwise you cannot pray effectively.]


text:
Finally, all [of you] should be of one <i>and</i> the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate <i>and</i> courteous (tenderhearted and humble).


text:
Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For <i>know that</i> to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God — that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].


text:
For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good — whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile (treachery, deceit).


text:
Let him turn away from wickedness <i>and</i> shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]


text:
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), and His ears are attentive to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil [to oppose them, to frustrate, and defeat them]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But even in case you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, [you are] blessed (happy, to be envied). Do not dread <i>or</i> be afraid of their threats, nor be disturbed [by their opposition].


text:
But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[And see to it that] your conscience is entirely clear (<f>[5]</f>unimpaired), so that, when you are falsely accused as evildoers, those who threaten you abusively <i>and</i> revile your right behavior in Christ may come to be ashamed [of slandering your good lives].


text:
For [it is] better to suffer [unjustly] for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than to suffer [justly] for doing wrong.


text:
For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once <f>[6]</f>for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit,


text:
[The souls of those] who long before in the days of Noah had been disobedient, when God’s patience waited during the building of the ark in which a few [people], actually eight in number, were saved through water. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And baptism, which is a figure [of their deliverance], does now also save you [from inward questionings and fears], not by the removing of outward body filth [bathing], but by [providing you with] the answer of a good and clear conscience (inward cleanness and peace) before God [because you are demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.


text:
[And He] has now entered into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with [all] angels and authorities and powers made subservient to Him.


text:
So, since Christ suffered in the flesh <f>[1]</f><i>for us, for you</i>, arm yourselves with the same thought <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f>purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having <f>[3]</f>the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],


text:
So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites <i>and</i> desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.


text:
For the time that is past already suffices for doing what the Gentiles like to do — living [as you have done] in shameless, insolent wantonness, in lustful desires, drunkenness, reveling, drinking bouts <i>and</i> abominable, lawless idolatries.


text:
They are astonished <i>and</i> think it very queer that you do not now run hand in hand with them in the same excesses of dissipation, and they abuse [you].


text:
But they will have to give an account to Him Who is ready to judge <i>and</i> pass sentence on the living and the dead.


text:
For this is why the good news (the Gospel) was preached [<f>[4]</f>in their lifetime] even to the dead, that though judged in fleshly bodies as men are, they might live in the spirit as God does.


text:
But the end <i>and</i> culmination of all things has now come near; keep sound minded <i>and</i> self-restrained and alert therefore for [the practice of] prayer.


text:
Above all things have intense <i>and</i> unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and <f>[5]</f>disregards the offenses of others]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Practice hospitality to one another (those of the household of faith). [Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers, with brotherly affection for the unknown guests, the foreigners, the poor, and all others who come your way who are of Christ’s body.] And [in each instance] do it ungrudgingly (cordially and graciously, without complaining but as representing Him).


text:
As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God’s many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the <f>[6]</f>extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favor].


text:
Whoever speaks, [let him do it as one who utters] oracles of God; whoever renders service, [let him do it] as with the strength which God furnishes <f>[7]</f>abundantly, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever (through endless ages). Amen (so be it).


text:
Beloved, do not be amazed <i>and</i> bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.


text:
But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].


text:
If you are censured <i>and</i> suffer abuse [because you bear] the name of Christ, blessed [are you — happy, fortunate, <f>[8]</f>to be envied, <f>[9]</f>with life-joy, and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition], because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting upon you. <i>On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified</i>. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or any sort of criminal, or as a mischief-maker (a meddler) in the affairs of others [infringing on their rights].


text:
But if [one is ill-treated and suffers] as a Christian [which he is contemptuously called], let him not be ashamed, but give glory to God that he is [deemed worthy to suffer] in this name.


text:
For the time [has arrived] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will [be] the end of those who do not respect <i>or</i> believe <i>or</i> obey the good news (the Gospel) of God?


text:
Therefore, those who are ill-treated <i>and</i> suffer in accordance with God’s will must do right and commit their souls [in charge as a deposit] to the One Who created [them] and will never fail [them].


text:
I warn <i>and</i> counsel the elders among you (the pastors and spiritual guides of the church) as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a sharer in the glory (the honor and splendor) that is to be revealed (disclosed, unfolded):


text:
Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion <i>or</i> constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages <i>and</i> profits [belonging to the office], but eagerly <i>and</i> cheerfully;


text:
Not domineering [as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons] over those in your charge, but being examples (patterns and models of Christian living) to the flock (the congregation).


text:
And [then] when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will win the <f>[1]</f>conqueror’s crown of glory.


text:
Likewise, you who are younger <i>and</i> of lesser rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of the church) — [giving them due respect and yielding to their counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, <f>[2]</f>so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful) — [and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,


text:
Casting the <f>[3]</f>whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, <f>[4]</f>once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately <i>and</i> cares about you <f>[5]</f>watchfully. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant <i>and</i> cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [<f>[6]</f>in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon <i>and</i> devour.


text:
Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset — rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (<f>[7]</f>identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.


text:
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ <i>Jesus</i>, will Himself complete <i>and</i> make you what you ought to be, establish <i>and</i> ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.


text:
By Silvanus, a true (loyal, consistent, incorruptible) brother, as I consider him, I have written briefly to you, to counsel <i>and</i> urge <i>and</i> stimulate [you] and to declare [to you] that this is the true [account of the] grace (the undeserved favor) of God. Be steadfast <i>and</i> persevere in it.


text:
She [your sister church here] in Babylon, [who is] elect (chosen) with [yourselves], sends you greetings, and [so does] my son (disciple) Mark.


text:
Salute one another with a kiss of love [the symbol of mutual affection]. To all of you that are in Christ <i>Jesus</i> (the Messiah), may there be peace (<f>[8]</f>every kind of peace and blessing, especially peace with God, and <f>[9]</f> freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts). <i>Amen (so be it).</i>


text:
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in <i>and</i> through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:


text:
May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is <f>[1]</f>perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and <f>[2]</f>freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, <f>[3]</f>precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.


text:
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [<f>[4]</f>full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by <i>and</i> to His own glory and excellence (virtue).


text:
By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.


text:
For this very reason, <f>[5]</f>adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in <f>[6]</f>exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),


text:
And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),


text:
And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.


text:
For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [<f>[7]</f>full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [<f>[8]</f>spiritually] shortsighted, <f>[9]</f>seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.


text:
Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous <i>and</i> eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble <i>or</i> fall.


text:
Thus there will be richly <i>and</i> abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


text:
So I intend always to remind you about these things, although indeed you know them and are firm in the truth that [you] now [hold].


text:
I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle (tent, body), to stir you up by way of remembrance,


text:
Since I know that the laying aside of this body of mine will come speedily, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.


text:
Moreover, I will diligently endeavor [to see to it] that [even] after my departure (decease) you may be able at all times to call these things to mind.


text:
For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (grandeur, authority of sovereign power).


text:
For when He was invested with honor and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased <i>and</i> delight,


text:
We [actually] heard this voice borne out of heaven, for we were together with Him on the holy mountain.


text:
And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (<f>[10]</f>comes into being) in your hearts.


text:
[Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal <i>or</i> private <i>or</i> special interpretation (loosening, solving).


text:
For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so — it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.


text:
But also [in those days] there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly <i>and</i> stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies), even denying <i>and</i> disowning the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.


text:
And many will follow their immoral ways <i>and</i> lascivious doings; because of them the true Way will be maligned <i>and</i> defamed.


text:
And in their covetousness (lust, greed) they will exploit you with false (cunning) arguments. From of old the sentence [of condemnation] for them has not been idle; their destruction (eternal misery) has not been asleep.


text:
For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment <i>and</i> their doom.


text:
And He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly [people]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And He condemned to ruin <i>and</i> extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes [and thus] set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly; <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out <i>and</i> distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly <i>and</i> lawless — <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For that just man, living [there] among them, tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of [their] unlawful and wicked deeds —


text:
Now if [all these things are true, then be sure] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations <i>and</i> trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment <i>and</i> doom,


text:
And particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn <i>and</i> despise authority. Presumptuous [and] daring [self-willed and self-loving creatures]! They scoff at <i>and</i> revile dignitaries (glorious ones) without trembling,


text:
Whereas [even] angels, though superior in might and power, do not bring a defaming charge against them before the Lord.


text:
But these [people]! Like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born [only] to be captured and destroyed, railing at things of which they are ignorant, they shall utterly perish in their [own] corruption [in their destroying they shall surely be destroyed],


text:
Being destined to receive [punishment as] the reward of [their] unrighteousness [suffering wrong as the hire for their wrongdoing]. They count it a delight to revel in the daytime [living luxuriously and delicately]. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their <f>[1]</f>deceptions <i>and</i> carousing together [even] as they feast with you.


text:
They have eyes full of harlotry, insatiable for sin. They beguile <i>and</i> bait <i>and</i> lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covetousness (lust, greed), [they are] children of a curse [<f>[2]</f>exposed to cursing]!


text:
Forsaking the straight road they have gone astray; they have followed the way of Balaam [the son] of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
But he was rebuked for his own transgression when a dumb beast of burden spoke with human voice and checked the prophet’s madness. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
These are springs without water and mists driven along before a tempest, for whom is reserved <i>forever</i> the gloom of darkness.


text:
For uttering loud boasts of folly, they beguile <i>and</i> lure with lustful desires of the flesh those who are barely escaping from them who are wrongdoers.


text:
They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity <i>and</i> defilement — for by whatever anyone is made inferior <i>or</i> worse <i>or</i> is overcome, to that [person or thing] he is enslaved.


text:
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through [the full, personal] knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them and are overcome, their last condition is worse [for them] than the first.


text:
For never to have obtained a [full, personal] knowledge of the way of righteousness would have been better for them than, having obtained [such knowledge], to turn back from the holy commandment which was [verbally] delivered to them.


text:
There has befallen them the thing spoken of in the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and, The sow is washed only to wallow again in the mire. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Beloved, I am now writing you this second letter. In [both of] them I have stirred up your unsullied (sincere) mind by way of remembrance,


text:
That you should recall the predictions of the holy (consecrated, dedicated) prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior [given] through your apostles (His special messengers).


text:
To begin with, you must know <i>and</i> understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, [people who] walk after their own fleshly desires


text:
And say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the beginning of creation.


text:
For they willfully overlook <i>and</i> forget this [fact], that the heavens [came into] existence long ago by the word of God, and the earth also which was formed out of water and by means of water,


text:
But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored up (reserved) for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.


text:
Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The Lord does not delay <i>and</i> is not tardy <i>or</i> slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.


text:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the [<f>[1]</f>material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.


text:
Since all these things are thus <f>[2]</f>in the process of being dissolved, what kind of person ought [each of] you to be [in the meanwhile] in consecrated <i>and</i> holy behavior and devout <i>and</i> godly qualities,


text:
While you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [<f>[3]</f>material] elements [of the universe] will flare <i>and</i> melt with fire? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, be eager to be found by Him [at His coming] without spot or blemish and at peace [in serene confidence, <f>[4]</f>free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].


text:
And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [<f>[5]</f>His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (<f>[6]</f>that which is conducive to the soul’s safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,


text:
Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist <i>and</i> misconstrue to their own <f>[7]</f>utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.


text:
Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless <i>and</i> wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].


text:
But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and <f>[8]</f>recognition <i>and</i> knowledge <i>and</i> understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!


text:
[We are writing] about the Word of Life [<f>[1]</f>in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.


text:
And the Life [<f>[2]</f>an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [<f>[3]</f>in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers].


text:
What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may <f>[4]</f>realize <i>and</i> enjoy fellowship as partners <i>and</i> partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a <f>[5]</f>distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
And we are now writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be full [and <f>[6]</f><i>your</i> joy may be complete].


text:
And this is the message [the message of <f>[7]</f>promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [<f>[8]</f>no, not in any way].


text:
[So] if we say we are partakers together <i>and</i> enjoy fellowship with Him when we live <i>and</i> move <i>and</i> are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live <i>and</i> practice the Truth [which the Gospel presents].


text:
But if we [really] are living <i>and</i> walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus <i>Christ</i> His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin <i>and</i> guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].


text:
If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude <i>and</i> lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts].


text:
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned <i>and</i> confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].


text:
If we say (claim) we have not sinned, we contradict His Word <i>and</i> make Him out to be false <i>and</i> a liar, and His Word is not in us [the divine message of the Gospel is not in our hearts].


text:
My little children, I write you these things so that you may not violate God’s law <i>and</i> sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father — [it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action].


text:
And He [<f>[1]</f>that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.


text:
And this is how we may discern [<f>[2]</f>daily, by experience] that we are coming to know Him [to perceive, recognize, understand, and become better acquainted with Him]: if we keep (bear in mind, observe, practice) His teachings (precepts, commandments).


text:
Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep <i>and</i> obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth [<f>[3]</f>of the Gospel] is not in him.


text:
But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of <i>and</i> for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:


text:
Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as <f>[4]</f>a personal debt] to walk <i>and</i> conduct himself in the same way in which He walked <i>and</i> conducted Himself.


text:
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the message which you have heard [the <f>[5]</f>doctrine of salvation through Christ].


text:
Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true (is realized) in Him and in you, because the darkness (<f>[6]</f>moral blindness) is clearing away and the true Light (<f>[7]</f>the revelation of God in Christ) is already shining.


text:
Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, <f>[8]</f>born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now.


text:
Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It <i>or</i> in him there is no occasion for stumbling <i>or</i> cause for error <i>or</i> sin.


text:
But he who hates (detests, despises) his brother [<f>[9]</f>in Christ] is in darkness and walking (living) in the dark; he is straying <i>and</i> does not perceive <i>or</i> know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.


text:
I am writing to you, little children, because for His name’s sake your sins are forgiven [pardoned through His name and on account of confessing His name].


text:
I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be aware of, and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have been victorious over the wicked [one]. I write to you, <f>[10]</f>boys (lads), because you have come to know (recognize and be aware) of the Father.


text:
I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be conscious of, and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong <i>and</i> vigorous, and the Word of God is [always] abiding in you (in your hearts), and you have been victorious over the wicked one.


text:
Do not love <i>or</i> cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.


text:
For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things] — these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].


text:
And the world passes away <i>and</i> disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.


text:
<f>[11]</f>Boys (lads), it is the last time (hour, the end of this age). And as you have heard that the antichrist [he who will oppose Christ in the guise of Christ] is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, which confirms our belief that it is the final (the end) time.


text:
They went out from our number, but they did not [really] belong to us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But [they withdrew] that it might be plain that they all are not of us.


text:
But you have been anointed by [you hold a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from] the Holy One, and you all know [the Truth] <i>or you know all things</i>.


text:
I write to you not because you are ignorant <i>and</i> do not perceive <i>and</i> know the Truth, but because you do perceive <i>and</i> know it, and [know positively] that nothing false (no deception, no lie) is of the Truth.


text:
Who is [such a] liar as he who denies that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)? He is the antichrist (the antagonist of Christ), who [<f>[12]</f>habitually] denies <i>and</i> refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son.


text:
No one who [<f>[13]</f>habitually] denies (disowns) the Son <f>[14]</f>even has the Father. <i>Whoever confesses (acknowledges and has) the Son has the Father also.</i>


text:
As for you, keep in your hearts what you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the first dwells <i>and</i> remains in you, then you will dwell in the Son and in the Father [always].


text:
But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [<f>[15]</f>permanently] in you; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as His anointing teaches you concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being <f>[16]</f>rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do].


text:
And now, little children, abide (live, remain <f>[17]</f>permanently) in Him, so that when He is made visible, we may have <i>and</i> enjoy perfect confidence (boldness, assurance) and not be ashamed <i>and</i> shrink from Him at His coming.


text:
If you know (perceive and are sure) that He [Christ] is [absolutely] righteous [conforming to the Father’s will in purpose, thought, and action], you may also know (be sure) that everyone who does righteously [and is therefore in like manner conformed to the divine will] is born (begotten) of Him [<f>[18]</f>God].


text:
See what [<f>[1]</f>an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named <i>and</i> called <i>and</i> counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him.


text:
Beloved, we are [even here and] now God’s children; it is not yet disclosed (made clear) what we shall be [hereafter], but we know that when He comes <i>and</i> is manifested, we shall [<f>[2]</f>as God’s children] resemble <i>and</i> be like Him, for we shall see Him <f>[3]</f>just as He [really] is.


text:
And everyone who has this hope [resting] on Him cleanses (purifies) himself just as He is pure (chaste, undefiled, guiltless).


text:
Everyone who commits (practices) sin is guilty of lawlessness; for [that is what] sin is, lawlessness (the breaking, violating of God’s law by transgression or neglect — being unrestrained and unregulated by His commands and His will).


text:
You know that He appeared in visible form <i>and</i> became Man to take away [upon Himself] sins, and in Him there is no sin [<f>[4]</f>essentially and forever].


text:
No one who abides in Him [who lives and remains <f>[5]</f>in communion with and in obedience to Him — deliberately, knowingly, and <f>[6]</f>habitually] commits (practices) sin. No one who [habitually] sins has either seen <i>or</i> known Him [recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him].


text:
<f>[7]</f>Boys (lads), let no one deceive <i>and</i> lead you astray. He who practices righteousness [who is upright, conforming to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action, living a consistently conscientious life] is righteous, even as He is righteous.


text:
[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].


text:
No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and <f>[8]</f>habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.


text:
By this it is made clear who take their nature from God <i>and</i> are His children and who take their nature from the devil <i>and</i> are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow <f>[9]</f>believer in Christ).


text:
For this is the message (the announcement) which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another,


text:
[And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked <i>and</i> malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous).


text:
Do not be surprised <i>and</i> wonder, brethren, that the world detests <i>and</i> pursues you with hatred.


text:
We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is <f>[10]</f>held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death.


text:
Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (<f>[11]</f>persevering) within him.


text:
By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [<f>[12]</f>in Him].


text:
But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother <i>and</i> <f>[13]</f>fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live <i>and</i> remain in him?


text:
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory <i>or</i> in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).


text:
By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence,


text:
Whenever our hearts in [<f>[14]</f>tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty <i>and</i> condemn us. [For <f>[15]</f>we are in God’s hands.] For He is above <i>and</i> greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].


text:
And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,


text:
And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [<f>[16]</f>watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] <i>and</i> [<f>[17]</f>habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.


text:
And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.


text:
All who keep His commandments [who obey His orders and follow His plan, live and continue to live, to stay and] abide in Him, and He in them. [<f>[18]</f>They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ.] And by this we know <i>and</i> understand <i>and</i> have the proof that He [really] lives <i>and</i> makes His home in us: by the [Holy] Spirit Whom He has given us.


text:
Beloved, do not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.


text:
By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges <i>and</i> confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become man <i>and</i> has come in the flesh is of God [has God for its source];


text:
And every spirit which does not acknowledge <i>and</i> confess <i>that</i> Jesus <i>Christ has come in the flesh</i> [but would <f>[1]</f>annul, destroy, <f>[2]</f>sever, disunite Him] is not of God [does not proceed from Him]. This [<f>[3]</f>nonconfession] is the [spirit] of the antichrist, [of] which you heard that it was coming, and now it is already in the world.


text:
Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated <i>and</i> overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.


text:
They proceed from the world <i>and</i> are of the world; therefore it is out of the world [its <f>[4]</f>whole economy morally considered] that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them.


text:
We are [children] of God. Whoever is learning to know God [progressively to perceive, recognize, and understand God by observation and experience, and to <f>[5]</f>get an ever-clearer knowledge of Him] listens to us; and he who is not of God does not listen <i>or</i> pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error.


text:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know <i>and</i> understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].


text:
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.


text:
In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten <i>or</i> <f>[6]</f>unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.


text:
In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.


text:
No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!


text:
By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.


text:
And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.


text:
Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.


text:
And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells <i>and</i> continues in love dwells <i>and</i> continues in God, and God dwells <i>and</i> continues in him.


text:
In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion <i>and</i> attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.


text:
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love <f>[7]</f>turns fear out of doors <i>and</i> expels every trace of terror! For fear <f>[8]</f>brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].


text:
If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother [<f>[9]</f>in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.


text:
And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [<f>[10]</f>believer] also.


text:
Everyone who believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring).


text:
By this we come to know (recognize and understand) that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey His commands (orders, charges) — [when we keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and His teaching].


text:
For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).


text:
For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.


text:
Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?


text:
This is He Who came by (with) water and blood [<f>[1]</f>His baptism and His death], Jesus Christ (the Messiah) — not by (in) the water only, but by (in) the water and the blood. And it is the [Holy] Spirit Who bears witness, because the [Holy] Spirit is the Truth.


text:
So there are three witnesses <f>[2]</f><i>in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are One;</i>


text:
<i>and there are three witnesses on the earth</i>: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree [are in unison; their testimony coincides].


text:
If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [if we are willing to take human authority], the testimony of God is greater (of stronger authority), for this is the testimony of God, even the witness which He has borne regarding His Son.


text:
He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within himself. He who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him out to be <i>and</i> represented Him as a liar, because he has not believed (put his faith in, adhered to, and relied on) the evidence (the testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son.


text:
He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life.


text:
I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in <f>[3]</f>the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, <f>[4]</f>yes, eternal life.


text:
And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to <i>and</i> hears us.


text:
And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.


text:
If anyone sees his brother [believer] committing a sin that does not [lead to] death (the extinguishing of life), he will pray and [God] will give him life [yes, He will grant life to all those whose sin is not one leading to death]. There is a sin [that leads] to death; I do not say that one should pray for that.


text:
All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin which does not [involve] death [that may be repented of and forgiven].


text:
We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over <i>and</i> protects him [Christ’s divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him <i>or</i> touch [him].


text:
We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.


text:
And we [have seen and] know [positively] that the Son of God has [actually] come to this world and has given us understanding <i>and</i> insight [progressively] to perceive (recognize) <i>and</i> come to know better <i>and</i> more clearly Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true — in His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). This [Man] is the true God and Life eternal.


text:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods) — [from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. <i>Amen (so let it be).</i>


text:
The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) lady (Cyria) and her children, whom I truly love — and not only I but also all who are [progressively] learning to recognize <i>and</i> know <i>and</i> understand the Truth —


text:
Grace (spiritual blessing), mercy, and [soul] peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ (the Messiah), the Father’s Son, in all sincerity (truth) and love.


text:
I was greatly delighted to find some of your children walking (living) in [the] Truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father [Himself].


text:
And now I beg you, lady (Cyria), not as if I were issuing a new charge (injunction or command), but [simply recalling to your mind] the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.


text:
And what this love consists in is this: that we live <i>and</i> walk in accordance with <i>and</i> guided by His commandments (His orders, ordinances, precepts, teaching). This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you continue to walk in love [guided by it and following it].


text:
For many imposters (seducers, deceivers, and false leaders) have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge (confess, admit) the coming of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) in bodily form. Such a one is the imposter (the seducer, the deceiver, the false leader, the antagonist of Christ) and the antichrist.


text:
Look to yourselves (take care) that you may not lose (throw away or destroy) all that we <i>and</i> you have labored for, but that you may [persevere until you] win <i>and</i> receive back a perfect reward [in full].


text:
Anyone who runs on ahead [of God] and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ [who is not content with what He taught] does not have God; but he who continues to live in the doctrine (teaching) of Christ [does have God], he has both the Father and the Son.


text:
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine [is disloyal to what Jesus Christ taught], do not receive him [do not accept him, do not welcome or admit him] into [your] house or bid him Godspeed <i>or</i> give him any encouragement.


text:
For he who wishes him success [who encourages him, wishing him Godspeed] is a partaker in his evil doings.


text:
I have many things to write to you, but I prefer not to do so with paper and ink; I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.


text:
The elderly elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the beloved (esteemed) Gaius, whom I truly love.


text:
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well <i>and</i> prospers.


text:
In fact, I greatly rejoiced when [some of] the brethren from time to time arrived and spoke [so highly] of the sincerity <i>and</i> fidelity of your life, as indeed you do live in the Truth [the whole Gospel presents].


text:
I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living their lives in the Truth.


text:
Beloved, it is a fine <i>and</i> faithful work that you are doing when you give any service to the [Christian] brethren, and [especially when they are] strangers.


text:
They have testified before the church of your love <i>and</i> friendship. You will do well to forward them on their journey [and you will please do so] in a way worthy of God’s [service].


text:
For these [traveling missionaries] have gone out for the Name’s sake (for His sake) and are accepting nothing from the Gentiles (the heathen, the non-Israelites).


text:
So we ourselves ought to support such people [to welcome and provide for them], in order that we may be fellow workers in the Truth (the whole Gospel) <i>and</i> cooperate with its teachers.


text:
I have written briefly to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to take the lead among them <i>and</i> put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority <i>and</i> refuses to accept my suggestions <i>or</i> to listen to me.


text:
So when I arrive, I will call attention to what he is doing, his boiling over <i>and</i> casting malicious reflections upon us with insinuating language. And not satisfied with that, he refuses to receive <i>and</i> welcome the [missionary] brethren himself, and also interferes with <i>and</i> forbids those who would welcome them, and tries to expel (excommunicate) them from the church.


