# verses

text:
Go to the Feast yourselves. I am not [yet] going up to the Festival, because My time is not ripe. [My term is not yet completed; it is not time for Me to go.]


text:
But afterward, when His brothers had gone up to the Feast, He went up also, not publicly [not with a caravan], but by Himself quietly <i>and</i> as if He did not wish to be observed.


text:
Therefore the Jews kept looking for Him at the Feast and asking, Where can He be? [Where is that Fellow?]


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And there was among the mass of the people much whispered discussion <i>and</i> hot disputing about Him. Some were saying, He is good! [He is a good Man!] Others said, No, He misleads <i>and</i> deceives the people [gives them false ideas]!


text:
When the Feast was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple [<f>[2]</f>court] and began to teach.


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The Jews were astonished. They said, How is it that this Man has learning [is so versed in the sacred Scriptures and in theology] when He has never studied?


text:
If any man desires to do His will (God’s pleasure), he will know (have the needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself) whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking from Myself <i>and</i> of My own accord <i>and</i> on My own authority.


text:
He who speaks on his own authority seeks to win honor for himself. [He whose teaching originates with himself seeks his own glory.] But He Who seeks the glory <i>and</i> is eager for the honor of Him Who sent Him, He is true; and there is no unrighteousness <i>or</i> falsehood <i>or</i> deception in Him.


text:
Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. [If that is the truth] why do you seek to kill Me [for not keeping it]?


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Now Moses established circumcision among you — though it did not originate with Moses but with the previous patriarchs — and you circumcise a person [even] on the Sabbath day.


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If, to avoid breaking the Law of Moses, a person undergoes circumcision on the Sabbath day, have you any cause to be angry with (indignant with, bitter against) Me for making a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath?


text:
Be honest in your judgment <i>and</i> do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly <i>and</i> righteously.


text:
And here He is speaking openly, and they say nothing to Him! Can it be possible that the rulers have discovered <i>and</i> know that this is truly the Christ?


text:
No, we know where this Man comes from; when the Christ arrives, no one is to know from what place He comes.


text:
Whereupon Jesus called out as He taught in the temple [<f>[3]</f>porches], Do you know Me, and do you know where I am from? I have not come on My own authority <i>and</i> of My own accord <i>and</i> as self-appointed, but the One Who sent Me is true (real, genuine, steadfast); and Him you do not know!


text:
I know Him [Myself] because I come from His [very] presence, and it was He [personally] Who sent Me.


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Therefore they were eager to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, for His hour (time) had not yet come.


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And besides, many of the multitude believed in Him [adhered to Him, trusted in Him, relied on Him]. And they kept saying, When the Christ comes, will He do [can He be expected to do] more miracles <i>and</i> produce more proofs <i>and</i> signs than what this Man has done?


text:
The Pharisees learned how the people were saying these things about Him under their breath; and the chief priests and Pharisees sent attendants (guards) to arrest Him.


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Therefore Jesus said, For a little while I am [still] with you, and then I go back to Him Who sent Me.


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Then the Jews said among themselves, Where does this Man intend to go that we shall not find Him? Will He go to the Jews who are scattered in the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?


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What does this statement of His mean, You will look for Me and not be able to find Me, and, Where I am, you cannot come?


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Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!


text:
He who believes in Me [who cleaves to <i>and</i> trusts in <i>and</i> relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs <i>and</i> rivers of living water.


text:
But He was speaking here of the Spirit, Whom those who believed (trusted, had faith) in Him were afterward to receive. For the [Holy] Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).


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Listening to those words, some of the multitude said, This is certainly <i>and</i> beyond doubt the Prophet! <f>ⓑ</f>


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Others said, This is the Christ (the Messiah, Anointed One)! But some said, What? Does the Christ come out of Galilee?


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Does not the Scripture tell us that the Christ will come from the offspring of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived? <f>ⓒ</f>


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Meanwhile the attendants (guards) had gone back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, Why have you not brought Him here with you?


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The attendants replied, Never has a man talked as this Man talks! [No mere man has ever spoken as He speaks!]


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The Pharisees said to them, Are you also deluded <i>and</i> led astray? [Are you also swept off your feet?]


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As for this multitude (rabble) that does not know the Law, they are contemptible <i>and</i> doomed <i>and</i> accursed!


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They answered him, Are you too from Galilee? Search [the Scriptures yourself], and you will see that no prophet comes (will rise to prominence) from Galilee.


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Early in the morning (at dawn), He came back into the temple [<f>[1]</f>court], and the people came to Him in crowds. He sat down and was teaching them,


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When the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him.


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Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women — offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her — what is Your sentence]? <f>ⓐ</f>


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This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.


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However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.


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They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the center of the court.


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When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?


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She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.


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Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.


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Whereupon the Pharisees told Him, You are testifying on Your own behalf; Your testimony is not valid <i>and</i> is worthless.


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Jesus answered, Even if I do testify on My own behalf, My testimony is true <i>and</i> reliable <i>and</i> valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.


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You [set yourselves up to] judge according to the flesh (by what you see). [You condemn by external, human standards.] I do not [set Myself up to] judge <i>or</i> condemn <i>or</i> sentence anyone.


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Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true [My decision is right]; for I am not alone [in making it], but [there are two of Us] I and the Father, Who sent Me.


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In your [own] Law it is written that the testimony (evidence) of two persons is reliable <i>and</i> valid. <f>ⓑ</f>


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I am One [of the Two] bearing testimony concerning Myself; and My Father, Who sent Me, He also testifies about Me.


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Then they said to Him, Where is this <f>[2]</f>Father of Yours? Jesus answered, You know My Father as little as you know Me. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.


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Jesus said these things in the treasury while He was teaching in the temple [<f>[3]</f>court]; but no one ventured to arrest Him, because His hour had not yet come.


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Therefore He said again to them, I am going away, and you will be looking for Me, and you will die in (under the curse of) your sin. Where I am going, it is not possible for you to come.


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At this the Jews began to ask among themselves, Will He kill Himself? Is that why He says, Where I am going, it is not possible for you to come?


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He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world (of this earthly order); I am not of this world.


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That is why I told you that you will die in (under the curse of) your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [Whom I claim to be — if you do not adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me], you will die in your sins.


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Then they said to Him, Who are You anyway? Jesus replied, [Why do I even speak to you!] I am exactly what I have been telling you from the first.


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I have much to say about you and to judge <i>and</i> condemn. But He Who sent Me is true (reliable), and I tell the world [only] the things that I have heard from Him.


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So Jesus added, When you have lifted up the Son of Man [on the cross], you will realize (know, understand) that I am He [for Whom you look] and that I do nothing of Myself (of My own accord or on My own authority), but I say [exactly] what My Father has taught Me.


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And He Who sent Me is ever with Me; My Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.


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So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.


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They answered Him, We are Abraham’s offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free?


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Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits <i>and</i> practices sin is the slave of sin.


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Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever.


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So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really <i>and</i> unquestionably free.


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[Yes] I know that you are Abraham’s offspring; yet you plan to kill Me, because My word has no entrance (makes no progress, does not find any place) in you.


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I tell the things which I have seen <i>and</i> learned at My Father’s side, and your actions also reflect what you have heard <i>and</i> learned from your father.


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They retorted, Abraham is our father. Jesus said, If you were [truly] Abraham’s children, then you would do the works of Abraham [follow his example, do as Abraham did].


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But now [instead] you are wanting <i>and</i> seeking to kill Me, a Man Who has told you the truth which I have heard from God. This is not the way Abraham acted.


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You are doing the works of your [own] father. They said to Him, We are not illegitimate children <i>and</i> born out of fornication; we have one Father, even God.


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Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me <i>and</i> respect Me <i>and</i> welcome Me gladly, for I proceeded (came forth) from God [out of His very presence]. I did not even come on My own authority <i>or</i> of My own accord (as self-appointed); but He sent Me.


text:
Why do you misunderstand what I say? It is because you are unable to hear what I am saying. [You cannot bear to listen to My message; your ears are shut to My teaching.]


text:
You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts <i>and</i> gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies <i>and</i> of all that is false.


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But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me [do not trust Me, do not rely on Me, or adhere to Me].


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Who of you convicts Me of wrongdoing <i>or</i> finds Me guilty of sin? Then if I speak truth, why do you not believe Me [trust Me, rely on, and adhere to Me]?


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Whoever is of God listens to God. [Those who belong to God hear the words of God.] This is the reason that you do not listen [to those words, to Me]: because you do not belong to God <i>and</i> are not of God <i>or</i> in harmony with Him.


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The Jews answered Him, Are we not right when we say You are a Samaritan and that You have a demon [that You are under the power of an evil spirit]?


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Jesus answered, I am not possessed by a demon. On the contrary, I honor <i>and</i> reverence My Father and you dishonor (despise, vilify, and scorn) Me.


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However, I am not in search of honor for Myself. [I do not seek and am not aiming for My own glory.] There is One Who [looks after that; He] seeks [My glory], and He is the Judge.


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I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone observes My teaching [lives in accordance with My message, keeps My word], he will by no means ever see <i>and</i> experience death.


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The Jews said to Him, Now we know that You are under the power of a demon (<f>[4]</f>insane). Abraham died, and also the prophets, yet You say, If a man keeps My word, he will never taste of death into all eternity.


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Are You greater than our father Abraham? He died, and all the prophets died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?


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Jesus answered, If I were to glorify Myself (magnify, praise, and honor Myself), I would have no real glory, for My glory would be nothing <i>and</i> worthless. [My honor must come to Me from My Father.] It is My Father Who glorifies Me [Who extols Me, magnifies, and praises Me], of Whom you say that He is your God.


text:
Yet you do not know Him <i>or</i> recognize Him <i>and</i> are not acquainted with Him, but I know Him. If I should say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I know Him and keep His word [obey His teachings, am faithful to His message].


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Your forefather Abraham was extremely happy at the hope <i>and</i> prospect of seeing My day (My incarnation); and he did see it and was delighted. <f>ⓒ</f>


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So they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus, by mixing with the crowd, concealed Himself and went out of the temple [<f>[5]</f>enclosure].


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Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.


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We must work the works of Him Who sent Me <i>and</i> be busy with His business while it is daylight; night is coming on, when no man can work.


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When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay (mud) with His saliva, and He spread it [as ointment] on the man’s eyes.


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And He said to him, Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam — which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing.


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When the neighbors and those who used to know him by sight as a beggar saw him, they said, Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?


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Some said, It is he. Others said, No, but he looks very much like him. But he said, Yes, I am the man.


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He replied, The Man called Jesus made mud and smeared it on my eyes and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I obtained my sight!


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So now again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight. And he said to them, He smeared mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.


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Then some of the Pharisees said, This Man [Jesus] is not from God, because He does not observe the Sabbath. But others said, How can a man who is a sinner (a bad man) do such signs <i>and</i> miracles? So there was a difference of opinion among them.


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Accordingly they said to the blind man again, What do you say about Him, seeing that He opened your eyes? And he said, He is [He must be] a prophet!


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However, the Jews did not believe that he had [really] been blind and that he had received his sight until they called (summoned) the parents of the man.


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They asked them, Is this your son, whom you reported as having been born blind? How then does he see now?


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But as to how he can now see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age. Ask him; let him speak for himself <i>and</i> give his own account of it.


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His parents said this because they feared [the leaders of] the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, he should be expelled <i>and</i> excluded from the synagogue.


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So the second time they summoned the man who had been born blind, and said to him, Now give God the glory (praise). This <f>[1]</f>Fellow we know is only a sinner (a wicked person).


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Then he answered, I do not know whether He is a sinner <i>and</i> wicked or not. But one thing I do know, that whereas I was blind before, now I see.


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He answered, I already told you and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Can it be that you wish to become His disciples also?


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And they stormed at him [they jeered, they sneered, they reviled him] and retorted, You are His disciple yourself, but we are the disciples of Moses.


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We know for certain that God spoke with Moses, but as for this Fellow, we know nothing about where He hails from.


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The man replied, Well, this is astonishing! Here a Man has opened my eyes, and yet you do not know where He comes from. [That is amazing!]


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We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing <i>and</i> a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him.


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Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.


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They retorted, You were wholly born in sin [from head to foot]; and do you [presume to] teach us? So they cast him out [threw him clear outside the synagogue].


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Jesus heard that they had put him out, and meeting him He said, Do you believe in <i>and</i> adhere to the Son of Man <f>[2]</f><i>or the Son of God</i>?


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Then Jesus said, I came into this world for judgment [as a Separator, in order that there may be <f>[3]</f> separation between those who believe on Me and those who reject Me], to make the sightless see and to make those who see become blind.


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Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you now claim to have sight, your sin remains. [If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but because you insist, We do see clearly, you are unable to escape your guilt.]


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I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way (elsewhere, from some other quarter) is a thief and a robber.


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The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice <i>and</i> heed it; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out.


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When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.


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They will never [on any account] follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not know the voice of strangers <i>or</i> recognize their call.


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Jesus used this parable (illustration) with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about.


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So Jesus said again, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that I Myself am the Door <f>[1]</f>for the sheep.


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All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to <i>and</i> obey them.


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I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.


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The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have <i>and</i> enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it <f>[2]</f>overflows).


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I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks <i>and</i> lays down His [own] life for the sheep. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But the hired servant (he who merely serves for wages) who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away. And the wolf chases <i>and</i> snatches them and scatters [the flock].


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Now the hireling flees because he merely serves for wages and is not himself concerned about the sheep [cares nothing for them].


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I am the Good Shepherd; and I know <i>and</i> recognize My own, and My own know <i>and</i> recognize Me —


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Even as [truly as] the Father knows Me and I also know the Father — and I am giving My [very own] life <i>and</i> laying it down on behalf of the sheep.


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And I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>impel those also; and they will listen to My voice <i>and</i> heed My call, and so there will be [they will become] one flock under one Shepherd. <f>ⓑ</f>


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No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized <i>and</i> have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized <i>and</i> have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.


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And many of them said, He has a demon and He is mad (insane — He raves, He rambles). Why do you listen to Him?


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Others argued, These are not the thoughts <i>and</i> the language of one possessed. Can a demon-possessed person open blind eyes?


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After this the Feast of Dedication [of the reconsecration of the temple] was taking place at Jerusalem. It was winter,


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So the Jews surrounded Him and began asking Him, How long are You going to keep us in doubt <i>and</i> suspense? If You are really the Christ (the Messiah), tell us so plainly <i>and</i> openly.


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Jesus answered them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me <i>and</i> rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father <i>and</i> in My Father’s name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence in support of Me].


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But you do not believe <i>and</i> trust <i>and</i> rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine].


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The sheep that are My own hear <i>and</i> are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.


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And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it <i>or</i> perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.


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My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater <i>and</i> mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand.


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Jesus said to them, My Father has enabled Me to do many good deeds. [I have shown many acts of mercy in your presence.] For which of these do you mean to stone Me?


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The Jews replied, We are not going to stone You for a good act, but for blasphemy, because You, a mere <f>[5]</f>Man, make Yourself [out to be] God.


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So men are called gods [by the Law], men to whom God’s message came — and the Scripture cannot be set aside <i>or</i> cancelled <i>or</i> broken <i>or</i> annulled —


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[If that is true] do you say of the One Whom the Father consecrated <i>and</i> dedicated <i>and</i> set apart for Himself and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?


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If I am not doing the works [performing the deeds] of My Father, then do not believe Me [do not adhere to Me and trust Me and rely on Me].


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But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me <i>or</i> have faith in Me, [at least] believe the works <i>and</i> have faith in what I do, in order that you may know and understand [clearly] that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father [One with Him].


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He went back again across the Jordan to the locality where John was when he first baptized, and there He remained.


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And many came to Him, and they kept saying, John did not perform a [single] sign <i>or</i> miracle, but everything John said about this Man was true.


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And many [people] there became believers in Him. [They adhered to <i>and</i> trusted in <i>and</i> relied on Him.]


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Now a certain man named Lazarus was ill. He was of Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.


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This Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was [now] sick.


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When Jesus received the message, He said, This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary] it is to honor God <i>and</i> to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be glorified through (by) it.


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Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [They were His dear friends, and He held them in loving esteem.]


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Therefore [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He still stayed two days longer in the same place where He was.


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The disciples said to Him, Rabbi, the Jews only recently were intending <i>and</i> trying to stone You, and are You [thinking of] going back there again?


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Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? Anyone who walks about in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees [by] the light of this world.


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But if anyone walks about in the night, he does stumble, because there is no light in him [the light is lacking to him].


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He said these things, and then added, Our friend Lazarus is at rest <i>and</i> sleeping; but I am going there that I may awaken him out of his sleep.


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However, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He referred to falling into a refreshing <i>and</i> natural sleep.


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And for your sake I am glad that I was not there; it will help you to believe (to trust and rely on Me). However, let us go to him.


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Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, Let us go too, that we may die [be killed] along with Him.


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And a considerable number of the Jews had gone out to see Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.


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When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house.


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Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live;


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And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this?


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She said to Him, Yes, Lord, I have believed [I do believe] that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), the Son of God, [even He] Who was to come into the world. [It is for Your coming that the world has waited.]


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After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, privately whispering to her, The Teacher is close at hand and is asking for you.


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When the Jews who were sitting with her in the house and consoling her saw how hastily Mary had arisen and gone out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to pour out her grief there.


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When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she dropped down at His feet, saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.


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When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who came with her [also] sobbing, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. [He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed.]


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But some of them said, Could not He Who opened a blind man’s eyes have prevented this man from dying?


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Now Jesus, again sighing repeatedly <i>and</i> deeply disquieted, approached the tomb. It was a cave (a hole in the rock), and a boulder lay against [the entrance to close] it.


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Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, exclaimed, But Lord, by this time he [is decaying and] throws off an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days!


text:
Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>promise you that if you would believe <i>and</i> rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?


text:
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.


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Yes, I know You always hear <i>and</i> listen to Me, but I have said this on account of <i>and</i> for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger].


text:
And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.


text:
Upon seeing what Jesus had done, many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Him. [They trusted in Him and adhered to Him and relied on Him.]


text:
So the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the council (the Sanhedrin) and said, What are we to do? For this Man performs many signs (evidences, miracles).


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If we let Him alone to go on like this, everyone will believe in Him <i>and</i> adhere to Him, and the Romans will come and suppress <i>and</i> destroy <i>and</i> take away our [holy] place and our nation [<f>[2]</f>our temple and city and our civil organization].


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Nor do you understand <i>or</i> reason out that it is expedient <i>and</i> better for your own welfare that one man should die on behalf of the people than that the whole nation should perish (be destroyed, ruined).


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Now he did not say this simply of his own accord [he was not self-moved]; but being the high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was to die for the nation, <f>ⓐ</f>


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And not only for the nation but also for the purpose of uniting into one body the children of God who have been scattered far and wide. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For that reason Jesus no longer appeared publicly among the Jews, but left there and retired to the district that borders on the wilderness (the desert), to a village called Ephraim, and there He stayed with the disciples.


text:
Now the Jewish Passover was at hand, and many from the country went up to Jerusalem in order that they might purify <i>and</i> consecrate themselves before the Passover.


text:
So they kept looking for Jesus and questioned among themselves as they were standing about in the temple [<f>[3]</f>area], What do you think? Will He not come to the Feast at all?


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Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it to them, so that they might arrest Him.


text:
So six days before the Passover Feast, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had died and whom He had raised from the dead.


text:
Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard [a rare perfume] that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.


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Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii [a year’s wages for an ordinary workman] and that [money] given to the poor (the destitute)?


text:
Now he did not say this because he cared for the poor but because he was a thief; and having the bag (the money box, the purse of the Twelve), he took for himself what was put into it [pilfering the collections].


text:
But Jesus said, Let her alone. It was [intended] that she should keep it for the time of My preparation for burial. [She has kept it that she might have it for the time of My <f>[1]</f>embalming.]


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Now a great crowd of the Jews heard that He was at Bethany, and they came there, not only because of Jesus but that they also might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.


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Because on account of him many of the Jews were going away [were withdrawing from and leaving the Judeans] and believing in <i>and</i> adhering to Jesus.


text:
The next day a vast crowd of those who had come to the Passover Feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.


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So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him. And as they went, they kept shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is He <i>and</i> praise to Him Who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
His disciples did not understand <i>and</i> could not comprehend the meaning of these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified <i>and</i> exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.


text:
The group that had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from among the dead kept telling it [bearing witness] to others.


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It was for this reason that the crowd went out to meet Him, because they had heard that He had performed this sign (proof, miracle).


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Then the Pharisees said among themselves, You see how futile your efforts are <i>and</i> how you accomplish nothing. See! The whole world is running after Him!


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These came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and they made this request, Sir, we desire to see Jesus.


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I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others <i>and</i> yields a rich harvest.


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Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.]


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If anyone serves Me, he must continue to follow Me [<f>[2]</f>to cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying] and wherever I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.


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Now My soul is troubled <i>and</i> distressed, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour [of trial and agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it].


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[Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name! Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again.


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The crowd of bystanders heard the sound and said that it had thundered; others said, An angel has spoken to Him!


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Now the judgment (crisis) of this world is coming on [sentence is now being passed on this world]. Now the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world shall be cast out (expelled).


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And I, if <i>and</i> when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw <i>and</i> attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.


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At this the people answered Him, We have learned from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; how then can You say, The Son of Man must be lifted up [on the cross]? Who is this Son of Man? <f>ⓒ</f>


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So Jesus said to them, You will have the Light only a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light [keep on living by it], so that darkness may not overtake <i>and</i> overcome you. He who walks about in the dark does not know where he goes [he is drifting].


text:
While you have the Light, believe in the Light [have faith in it, hold to it, rely on it], that you may become sons of the Light <i>and</i> be filled with Light. Jesus said these things, and then He went away and hid Himself from them [was lost to their view].


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Even though He had done so many miracles before them (right before their eyes), yet they still did not trust in Him <i>and</i> failed to believe in Him —


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So that what Isaiah the prophet said was fulfilled: Lord, who has believed our report <i>and</i> our message? And to whom has the arm (the power) of the Lord been shown (unveiled and revealed)? <f>ⓓ</f>


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He has blinded their eyes and hardened <i>and</i> benumbed their [callous, degenerated] hearts [He has made their minds dull], to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their hearts <i>and</i> minds and repenting <i>and</i> turning to Me to heal them.


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And yet [in spite of all this] many even of the leading men (the authorities and the nobles) believed <i>and</i> trusted in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that [if they should acknowledge Him] they would be expelled from the synagogue;


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For they loved the approval <i>and</i> the praise <i>and</i> the glory that come from men [instead of and] more than the glory that comes from God. [They valued their credit with men more than their credit with God.]


text:
But Jesus loudly declared, The one who believes in Me does not [only] believe in <i>and</i> trust in <i>and</i> rely on Me, but [in believing in Me he believes] in Him Who sent Me.


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I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes in Me [whoever cleaves to <i>and</i> trusts in <i>and</i> relies on Me] may not continue to live in darkness.


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If anyone hears My teachings and fails to observe them [does not keep them, but disregards them], it is not I who judges him. For I have not come to judge <i>and</i> to condemn <i>and</i> to pass sentence <i>and</i> to inflict penalty on the world, but to save the world.


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Anyone who rejects Me <i>and</i> persistently sets Me at naught, refusing to accept My teachings, has his judge [however]; for the [very] message that I have spoken will itself judge <i>and</i> convict him at the last day.


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This is because I have never spoken on My own authority <i>or</i> of My own accord <i>or</i> as self-appointed, but the Father Who sent Me has Himself given Me orders [concerning] what to say and what to tell. <f>ⓕ</f>


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And I know that His commandment is (means) eternal life. So whatever I speak, I am saying [exactly] what My Father has told Me to say <i>and</i> in accordance with His instructions.


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[Now] before the Passover Feast began, Jesus knew (was fully aware) that the time had come for Him to leave this world <i>and</i> return to the Father. And as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>to the highest degree.


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So [it was] during supper, Satan having already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,


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[That] Jesus, knowing (fully aware) that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come from God and was [now] returning to God,


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Got up from supper, took off His garments, and taking a [servant’s] towel, He fastened it around His waist.


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Then He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the [servant’s] towel with which He was girded.


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When He came to Simon Peter, [Peter] said to Him, Lord, are my feet to be washed by You? [Is it for You to wash my feet?]


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Peter said to Him, You shall never wash my feet! Jesus answered him, Unless I wash you, you have no part with (<f>[2]</f>in) Me [you have no share in companionship with Me].


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Jesus said to him, Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is clean all over. And you [My disciples] are clean, but not all of you.


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So when He had finished washing their feet and had put on His garments and had sat down again, He said to them, Do you understand what I have done to you?


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You call Me the Teacher (Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is what I am.


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If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another’s feet.


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For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.


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I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.


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If you know these things, blessed <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>to be envied are you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do them].


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I am not speaking of <i>and</i> I do not mean all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats <f>[4]</f>My bread <i>with Me</i> has raised up his heel against Me. <f>ⓐ</f>


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I tell you this now before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may be persuaded <i>and</i> believe that I am He [Who I say I am — the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah].


text:
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who receives <i>and</i> welcomes <i>and</i> takes into his heart any messenger of Mine receives Me [in just that way]; and he who receives <i>and</i> welcomes <i>and</i> takes Me into his heart receives Him Who sent Me [in that same way].


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After Jesus had said these things, He was troubled (disturbed, agitated) in spirit and said, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, one of you will deliver Me up [one of you will be false to Me and betray Me]!


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One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved [whom He esteemed and delighted in], was reclining [next to Him] on Jesus’ bosom.


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Jesus answered, It is the one to whom I am going to give this morsel (bit) of food after I have dipped it. So when He had dipped the morsel of bread [into the dish], He gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son.


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Then after [he had taken] the bit of food, Satan entered into <i>and</i> took possession of [Judas]. Jesus said to him, What you are going to do, do <f>[5]</f>more swiftly than you seem to intend <i>and</i> <f>[6]</f>make quick work of it.


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But nobody reclining at the table knew why He spoke to him <i>or</i> what He meant by telling him this.


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Some thought that, since Judas had the money box (the purse), Jesus was telling him, Buy what we need for the Festival, or that he should give something to the poor.


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When he had left, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified! [Now He has achieved His glory, His honor, His exaltation!] And God has been glorified through <i>and</i> in Him.


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And if God is glorified through <i>and</i> in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and He will glorify Him at once <i>and</i> not delay.


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[Dear] little children, I am to be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me and, as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: you are not able to come where I am going.


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I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.


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By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].


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Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, where are You going? Jesus answered, You are not able to follow Me now where I am going, but you shall follow Me afterwards.


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Jesus answered, Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me [completely disown Me] three times.


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Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in <i>and</i> adhere to <i>and</i> trust in <i>and</i> rely on God; believe in <i>and</i> adhere to <i>and</i> trust in <i>and</i> rely also on Me.


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In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.


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And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.


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Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.


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If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him.


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Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father — that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied.


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Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize <i>and</i> know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?


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Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? What I am telling you I do not say on My own authority <i>and</i> of My own accord; but the Father Who lives continually in Me does the (<f>[1]</f><i>His</i>) works (His own miracles, deeds of power).


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Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the [very] works themselves. [If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father’s name convince you.]


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I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.


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And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as <f>[2]</f>presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified <i>and</i> extolled in (through) the Son. <f>ⓐ</f>


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[Yes] I will grant [I Myself will do for you] whatever you shall ask in My Name [as <f>[3]</f>presenting all that I AM].


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And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever —


text:
The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know <i>and</i> recognize Him. But you know <i>and</i> recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.


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I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you.


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Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me any more, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.


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At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you.


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The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]


text:
Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world?


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Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.


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Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe <i>and</i> obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear <i>and</i> heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me.


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But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.


text:
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give <i>and</i> bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]


text:
You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming [back] to you. If you [really] loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater <i>and</i> mightier than I am.


text:
And now I have told you [this] before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe <i>and</i> have faith in <i>and</i> rely on Me.


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I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]


text:
But [<f>[4]</f>Satan is coming and] I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. [I act in full agreement with His orders.] Rise, let us go away from here.


text:
Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses <i>and</i> repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more <i>and</i> richer <i>and</i> more excellent fruit.


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You are cleansed <i>and</i> pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].


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Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.


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I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.


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If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.


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If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you <i>and</i> continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.


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When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored <i>and</i> glorified, and you show <i>and</i> prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.


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I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [<f>[1]</f>continue in His love with Me].


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If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love <i>and</i> live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.


text:
I have told you these things, that My joy <i>and</i> delight may be in you, and that your joy <i>and</i> gladness may be of full measure <i>and</i> complete <i>and</i> overflowing.


text:
No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.


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I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]


text:
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit <i>and</i> keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as <f>[2]</f>presenting all that I AM], He may give it to you.


text:
If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection <i>and</i> would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you.


text:
Remember that I told you, A servant is not greater than his master [is not superior to him]. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word <i>and</i> obeyed My teachings, they will also keep <i>and</i> obey yours.


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But they will do all this to you [inflict all this suffering on you] because of [your bearing] My name <i>and</i> on My account, for they do not know <i>or</i> understand the One Who sent Me.


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If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin.


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If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father.


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But [this is so] that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled, They hated Me without a cause. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me.


text:
But you also will testify <i>and</i> be My witnesses, because you have been with Me from the beginning.


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I have told you all these things, so that you should not be offended (taken unawares and falter, or be caused to stumble and fall away). [I told you to keep you from being scandalized and repelled.]


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They will put you out of (expel you from) the synagogues; but an hour is coming when whoever kills you will think <i>and</i> claim that he has offered service to God.


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But I have told you these things now, so that when they occur you will remember that I told you of them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.


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But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [taken complete possession of them].


text:
However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].


text:
And when He comes, He will convict <i>and</i> convince the world <i>and</i> bring demonstration to it about sin and about righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God) and about judgment:


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About righteousness (uprightness of heart and right standing with God), because I go to My Father, and you will see Me no longer;


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About judgment, because the ruler (evil genius, prince) of this world [Satan] is judged <i>and</i> condemned <i>and</i> sentence already is passed upon him.


text:
I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them <i>or</i> to take them upon you <i>or</i> to grasp them now.


text:
But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce <i>and</i> declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].


text:
He will honor <i>and</i> glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.


text:
Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.


text:
So some of His disciples questioned among themselves, What does He mean when He tells us, In a little while you will no longer see Me, and again after a short while you will see Me, and, Because I go to My Father?


text:
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them, Are you wondering <i>and</i> inquiring among yourselves what I meant when I said, In a little while you will no longer see Me, and again after a short while you will see Me?


text:
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that you shall weep and grieve, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.


text:
A woman, when she gives birth to a child, has grief (anguish, agony) because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she no longer remembers her pain (trouble, anguish) because she is so glad that a man (a child, a human being) has been born into the world.


text:
So for the present you are also in sorrow (in distress and depressed); but I will see you again and [then] your hearts will rejoice, and no one can take from you your joy (gladness, delight).


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And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as <f>[1]</f>presenting all that I AM]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as <f>[2]</f>presenting all that I AM]; but now ask <i>and</i> keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full <i>and</i> complete.


text:
I have told you these things in parables (veiled language, allegories, dark sayings); the hour is now coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I shall tell you about the Father in plain words <i>and</i> openly (without reserve).


text:
At that time you will ask (pray) in My Name; and I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf [for it will be unnecessary].


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For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.


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I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.


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His disciples said, Ah, now You are speaking plainly to us and not in parables (veiled language and figures of speech)!


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Now we know that You are acquainted with everything and have no need to be asked questions. Because of this we believe that you [really] came from God.


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But take notice, the hour is coming, and it has arrived, when you will all be dispersed <i>and</i> scattered, every man to his own home, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.


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I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace <i>and</i> confidence. In the world you have tribulation <i>and</i> trials <i>and</i> distress <i>and</i> frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]


text:
When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify <i>and</i> exalt <i>and</i> honor <i>and</i> magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify <i>and</i> extol <i>and</i> honor <i>and</i> magnify You.


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[Just as] You have granted Him power <i>and</i> authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him.


text:
And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true <i>and</i> real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent.


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And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself <i>and</i> restore Me to such majesty <i>and</i> honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed.


text:
I have manifested Your Name [I have revealed Your very Self, Your real Self] to the people whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have obeyed <i>and</i> kept Your word.


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Now [at last] they know <i>and</i> understand that all You have given Me belongs to You [is really and truly Yours].


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For the [uttered] words that You gave Me I have given them; and they have received <i>and</i> accepted [them] and have come to know positively <i>and</i> in reality [to believe with absolute assurance] that I came forth from Your presence, and they have believed <i>and</i> are convinced that You did send Me.


text:
I am praying for them. I am not praying (requesting) for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they belong to You.


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All [things that are] Mine are Yours, and all [things that are] Yours belong to Me; and I am glorified in (through) them. [They have done Me honor; in them My glory is achieved.]


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And [now] I am no more in the world, but these are [still] in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep in Your Name [<f>[1]</f>in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one].


text:
While I was with them, I kept <i>and</i> preserved them in Your Name [<f>[2]</f>in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded <i>and</i> protected, and not one of them has perished <i>or</i> is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot — the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full <i>and</i> complete <i>and</i> perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].


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I have given <i>and</i> delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world.


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I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep <i>and</i> protect them from the evil one.


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Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.


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And so for their sake <i>and</i> on their behalf I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself, that they also may be sanctified (dedicated, consecrated, made holy) in the Truth.


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Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word <i>and</i> teaching,


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That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe <i>and</i> be convinced that You have sent Me.


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I have given to them the glory <i>and</i> honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one:


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I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one <i>and</i> perfectly united, that the world may know <i>and</i> [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.


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Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me [as Your gift to Me] may be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me [Your love gift to Me]; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.


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O just <i>and</i> righteous Father, although the world has not known You <i>and</i> has failed to recognize You <i>and</i> has never acknowledged You, I have known You [continually]; and these men understand <i>and</i> know that You have sent Me.


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I have made Your Name known to them <i>and</i> revealed Your character <i>and</i> Your very <f>[3]</f>Self, and I will continue to make [You] known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them.


text:
Having said these things, Jesus went out with His disciples beyond (across) the winter torrent of the Kidron [in the ravine]. There was a garden there, which He and His disciples entered.


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And Judas, who was betraying Him <i>and</i> delivering Him up, also knew the place, because Jesus had often retired there with His disciples.


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So Judas, obtaining <i>and</i> taking charge of the band of soldiers and some guards (attendants) of the high priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.


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Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to befall Him, went out to them and said, Whom are you seeking? [Whom do you want?]


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They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said to them, I am He. Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them.


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When Jesus said to them, I am He, they went backwards (drew back, lurched backward) and fell to the ground.


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Jesus answered, I told you that I am He. So, if you want Me [if it is only I for Whom you are looking], let these men go their way.


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Thus what He had said was fulfilled <i>and</i> verified, Of those whom You have given Me, I have not lost even one. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.


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Therefore, Jesus said to Peter, Put the sword [back] into the sheath! The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?


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And they brought Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year.


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It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was expedient <i>and</i> for their welfare that one man should die for (instead of, in behalf of) the people. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Now Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. And that disciple was known to the high priest, and so he entered along with Jesus into the court of the palace of the high priest;


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But Peter was standing outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door and brought Peter inside.


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Then the maid who was in charge at the door said to Peter, You are not also one of the disciples of this <f>[1]</f>Man, are you? He said, I am not!


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Now the servants and the guards (the attendants) had made a fire of coals, for it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. And Peter was with them, standing and warming himself.


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Jesus answered him, I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue and in the temple [area], where the Jews [habitually] congregate (assemble); and I have spoken nothing secretly.


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But when He said this, one of the attendants who stood by struck Jesus, saying, Is that how <f>[2]</f>You answer the high priest?


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Jesus replied, If I have said anything wrong [if I have spoken abusively, if there was evil in what I said] tell what was wrong with it. But if I spoke rightly <i>and</i> properly, why do you strike Me?


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But Simon Peter [still] was standing and was warming himself. They said to him, You are not also one of His disciples, are you? He denied it and said, I am not!


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One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, said, Did I not see you in the garden with Him?


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Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium (judgment hall, governor’s palace). And it was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled (become ceremonially unclean), but might be fit to eat the Passover [supper].


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Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and judge <i>and</i> sentence <i>and</i> punish Him according to your [own] law. The Jews answered, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.


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This was to fulfill the word which Jesus had spoken to show (indicate, predict) by what manner of death He was to die. <f>ⓒ</f>


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So Pilate went back again into the judgment hall and called Jesus and asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews?


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Jesus replied, Are you saying this of yourself [on your own initiative], or have others told you about Me?


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Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your [own] people <i>and</i> nation and their chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?


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Jesus answered, My kingdom (kingship, royal power) belongs not to this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would have been fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here (this world); [it has no such origin or source].


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Pilate said to Him, Then You are a King? Jesus answered, You say it! [You speak correctly!] For I am a King. [Certainly I am a King!] This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is of the Truth [who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth] hears <i>and</i> listens to My voice.


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Pilate said to Him, What is Truth? On saying this he went out to the Jews again and told them, I find no fault in Him.


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But it is your custom that I release one [prisoner] for you at the Passover. So shall I release for you the King of the Jews?


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And the soldiers, having twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and threw a purple cloak around Him.


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And they kept coming to Him and saying, Hail, King of the Jews! [Good health to you! Peace to you! Long life to you, King of the Jews!] And they struck Him with the palms of their hands. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Then Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I bring Him out to you, so that you may know that I find no fault (crime, cause for accusation) in Him.


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So Jesus came out wearing the thorny crown and purple cloak, and Pilate said to them, See, [here is] the <f>[1]</f>Man!


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When the chief priests and attendants (guards) saw Him, they cried out, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault (crime) in Him.


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The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law He should die, because He has claimed <i>and</i> made Himself out to be the Son of God.


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So, when Pilate heard this said, he was more alarmed <i>and</i> awestricken <i>and</i> afraid than before.


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He went into the judgment hall again and said to Jesus, Where are You from? [To what world do You belong?] But Jesus did not answer him.


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So Pilate said to Him, Will You not speak [even] to me? Do You not know that I have power (authority) to release You and I have power to crucify You?


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Jesus answered, You would not have any power <i>or</i> authority whatsoever against (over) Me if it were not given you from above. For this reason the sin <i>and</i> guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.


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Upon this, Pilate wanted (sought, was anxious) to release Him, but the Jews kept shrieking, If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar! Anybody who makes himself [out to be] a king sets himself up against Caesar [is a rebel against the emperor]!


text:
Hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement [the Mosaic Pavement, the Stone Platform] — in Hebrew, Gabbatha.


text:
Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and it was about the sixth hour (about twelve o’clock noon). He said to the Jews, See, [here is] your King!


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But they shouted, Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him! Pilate said to them, Crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar!


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And they took Jesus <i>and</i> led [Him] away; so He went out, bearing His own cross, to the spot called The Place of the Skull — in Hebrew it is called Golgotha.


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There they crucified Him, and with Him two others — one on either side and Jesus between them. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And Pilate also wrote a title (an inscription on a placard) and put it on the cross. And the writing was: Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.


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And many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, [and] in Greek.


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Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am King of the Jews.


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Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, one share for each soldier, and also the tunic (the long shirtlike undergarment). But the tunic was seamless, woven [in one piece] from the top throughout.


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So they said to one another, Let us not tear it, but let us cast lots to decide whose it shall be. This was to fulfill the Scripture, They parted My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. So the soldiers did these things. <f>ⓒ</f>


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But by the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the [wife] of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.


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So Jesus, seeing His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing near, said to His mother, [<f>[2]</f>Dear] woman, See, [here is] your son!


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Then He said to the disciple, See, [here is] your mother! And from that hour, the disciple took her into his own [keeping, own home].


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After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst. <f>ⓓ</f>


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A vessel (jar) full of sour wine (vinegar) was placed there, so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a stalk, reed of] hyssop, and held it to [His] mouth.


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When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.


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Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from hanging on the cross on the Sabbath — for that Sabbath was a very solemn <i>and</i> important one — the Jews requested Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away.


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So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first one, and of the other who had been crucified with Him.


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But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came (flowed) out.


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And he who saw it (the eyewitness) gives this evidence, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe also.


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For these things took place, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (verified, carried out), Not one of His bones shall be broken; <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And after this, Joseph of Arimathea — a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews — asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate granted him permission. So he came and took away His body.


text:
And Nicodemus also, who first had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, [weighing] about a hundred pounds.


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So they took Jesus’ body and bound it in linen cloths with the spices (aromatics), as is the Jews’ customary way to prepare for burial.


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Now there was a garden in the place where He was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever [yet] been laid.


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So there, because of the Jewish day of Preparation [and] since the tomb was near by, they laid Jesus.


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Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from (lifted out of the groove across the entrance of) the tomb.


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So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus [tenderly] loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him!


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Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there;


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But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Jesus’ head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was [still] <f>[1]</f>rolled up (wrapped round and round) in a place by itself.


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Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went in too; and he saw and was convinced <i>and</i> believed.


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For as yet they did not know (understand) the statement of Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But Mary remained standing outside the tomb sobbing. As she wept, she stooped down [and looked] into the tomb.


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And she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.


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And they said to her, Woman, why are you sobbing? She told them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.


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On saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing [there], but she did not know (recognize) that it was Jesus.


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Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you crying [so]? For Whom are you looking? Supposing that it was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him and I will take Him away.


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Jesus said to her, Mary! Turning around she said to Him in Hebrew, Rabboni! — which means Teacher <i>or</i> Master.


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Jesus said to her, Do not cling to Me [do not hold Me], for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brethren and tell them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.


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Away came Mary Magdalene, bringing the disciples news (word) that she had seen the Lord and that He had said these things to her.


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Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!


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So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture).


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Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! [Just] as the Father has sent Me forth, so I am sending you.


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[Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being <f>[2]</f>led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained.


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So the other disciples kept telling him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the marks made by the nails and put my finger into the nail prints, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe [it].


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Eight days later His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though they were behind closed doors, and stood among them and said, Peace to you!


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Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place [it] in My side. Do not be faithless <i>and</i> incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe!


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Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, <i>Thomas</i>, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed <i>and</i> adhered to <i>and</i> trusted <i>and</i> relied on Me.


text:
There are also many other signs <i>and</i> miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book.


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But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing <i>and</i> cleaving to <i>and</i> trusting <i>and</i> relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [<f>[4]</f>through Who He is]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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After this, Jesus let Himself be seen <i>and</i> revealed [Himself] again to the disciples, at the Sea of Tiberias. And He did it in this way:


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There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, also the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.


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Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing! They said to him, And we are coming with you! So they went out and got into the boat, and throughout that night they caught nothing.


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Morning was already breaking when Jesus came to the beach and stood there. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.


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So Jesus said to them, <f>[1]</f>Boys (children), you do not have any meat (fish), do you? [Have you caught anything to eat along with your bread?] They answered Him, No!


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And He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find [some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such a big catch (mass, quantity) of fish [was in it].


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Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! Simon Peter, hearing him say that it was the Lord, put (girded) on his upper garment (his fisherman’s coat, his outer tunic) — for he was stripped [for work] — and sprang into the sea.


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And the other disciples came in the small boat, for they were not far from shore, only some hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.


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When they got out on land (the beach), they saw a fire of coals there and fish lying on it [cooking], and bread.


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So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them; and [though] there were so many of them, the net was not torn.


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Jesus said to them, Come [and] have breakfast. But none of the disciples ventured <i>or</i> dared to ask Him, Who are You? because they [well] knew that it was the Lord.


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This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself (appeared, was manifest) to the disciples after He had risen from the dead.


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When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do — with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs.


text:
Again He said to him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My sheep.


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He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (was saddened and hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.


text:
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, when you were young you girded yourself [put on your own belt or girdle] and you walked about wherever you pleased to go. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will put a girdle around you and carry you where you do not wish to go.


text:
He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. And after this, He said to him, Follow Me!


text:
But Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved, following — the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?


text:
Jesus said to him, If I want him to stay (survive, live) until I come, what is that to you? [What concern is it of yours?] You follow Me!


text:
So word went out among the brethren that this disciple was not going to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but, If I want him to stay (survive, live) till I come, what is that to you?


text:
It is this same disciple who is bearing witness to these things and who has recorded (written) them; and we [well] know that his testimony is true.


text:
And there are also many other things which Jesus did. If they should be all recorded one by one [in detail], I suppose that even the world itself could not contain (have room for) the books that would be written.


text:
In the former account [which I prepared], O Theophilus, I made [a continuous report] dealing with all the things which Jesus began to do and to teach <f>ⓐ</f>


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Until the day when He ascended, after He through the Holy Spirit had instructed <i>and</i> commanded the apostles (special messengers) whom He had chosen.


text:
To them also He showed Himself alive after His passion (His suffering in the garden and on the cross) by [a series of] many convincing demonstrations [unquestionable evidences and infallible proofs], appearing to them during forty days and talking [to them] about the things of the kingdom of God.


text:
And while being in their company <i>and</i> eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised, Of which [He said] you have heard Me speak. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you shall be baptized with (<f>[1]</f>placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.


text:
So when they were assembled, they asked Him, Lord, is this the time when You will reestablish the kingdom <i>and</i> restore it to Israel?


text:
He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with <i>and</i> know <f>[2]</f>what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed <f>[3]</f>years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice <i>and</i> authority <i>and</i> personal power.


text:
But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.


text:
And when He had said this, even as they were looking [at Him], He was caught up, and a cloud received <i>and</i> carried Him away out of their sight.


text:
And while they were gazing intently into heaven as He went, behold, two men [dressed] in white robes suddenly stood beside them,


text:
Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away <i>and</i> lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in [just] the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven.


text:
Then [the disciples] went back to Jerusalem from the hill called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, [only] a Sabbath day’s journey (three-quarters of a mile) away.


text:
And when they had entered [the city], they mounted [the stairs] to the upper room where they were [<f>[4]</f>indefinitely] staying — Peter and John and James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas [son] of James.


text:
All of these with their minds in full agreement devoted themselves steadfastly to prayer, [waiting together] with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.


text:
Now on one of those days Peter arose among the brethren, the whole number of whom gathered together was about a hundred and twenty.


text:
Brethren, he said, it was necessary that the Scripture be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold by the lips of David, about Judas who acted as guide to those who arrested Jesus.


text:
Now this man obtained a piece of land with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery <i>and</i> wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle [of his body] and all his intestines poured forth.


text:
And all the residents of Jerusalem became acquainted with the facts, so that they called the piece of land in their own dialect — Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.


text:
For in the book of Psalms it is written, Let his place of residence become deserted <i>and</i> gloomy, and let there be no one to live in it; and [again], Let another take his position <i>or</i> overseership. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So one of the [other] men who have accompanied us [apostles] during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,


text:
From the baptism of John at the outset until the day when He was taken up from among us — one of these men must join with us and become a witness to testify to His resurrection.


text:
And they accordingly proposed (nominated) two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.


text:
And they prayed and said, You, Lord, Who know all hearts (<f>[5]</f>their thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, purposes, and endeavors), indicate to us which one of these two You have chosen


text:
To take the place in this ministry and receive the position of an apostle, from which Judas fell away <i>and</i> went astray to go [where he belonged] to his own [proper] place.


text:
And they drew lots [between the two], and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to <i>and</i> counted with the eleven apostles (special messengers).


text:
When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.


text:
And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated <i>and</i> distributed and which settled on each one of them.


text:
And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit <f>[1]</f>kept giving them clear <i>and</i> loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].


text:
Now there were then residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout <i>and</i> God-fearing men from every country under heaven.


text:
And when this sound was heard, the multitude came together and they were astonished <i>and</i> bewildered, because each one heard them [the apostles] speaking in his own [particular] dialect.


text:
And they were beside themselves with amazement, saying, Are not all these who are talking Galileans?


text:
Parthians and Medes and Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and [the province of] Asia,


text:
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and the transient residents from Rome, both Jews and the proselytes [to Judaism from other religions],


text:
Cretans and Arabians too — we all hear them speaking in our own native tongues [and telling of] the mighty works of God!


text:
And all were beside themselves with amazement and were puzzled <i>and</i> bewildered, saying one to another, What can this mean?


text:
But others made a joke of it <i>and</i> derisively said, They are simply drunk <i>and</i> full of sweet [intoxicating] wine.


text:
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: You Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be [explained] to you so that you will know <i>and</i> understand; listen closely to what I have to say.


text:
For these men are not drunk, as you imagine, for it is [only] the third hour (about 9:00 a.m.) of the day;


text:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [<f>[2]</f>telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (<f>[3]</f>divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [<f>[4]</f>divinely suggested] dreams.


text:
Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [<f>[5]</f>telling forth the divine counsels and <f>[6]</f>predicting future events pertaining especially to God’s kingdom].


text:
And I will show wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and smoking vapor;


text:
The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the obvious day of the Lord comes — that great and notable <i>and</i> conspicuous and renowned [day].


text:
And it shall be that whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [<f>[7]</f>invoking, adoring, and worshiping the Lord — Christ] shall be saved. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You men of Israel, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited <i>and</i> pointed out <i>and</i> shown forth <i>and</i> commended <i>and</i> attested to you by God by the mighty works and [the power of performing] wonders and signs which God worked through Him [right] in your midst, as you yourselves know —


text:
This Jesus, when delivered up according to the definite <i>and</i> fixed purpose <i>and</i> settled plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified <i>and</i> put out of the way [killing Him] by the hands of lawless <i>and</i> wicked men.


text:
[But] God raised Him up, liberating Him from the pangs of death, seeing that it was not possible for Him to continue to be controlled <i>or</i> retained by it.


text:
For David says in regard to Him, I saw the Lord constantly before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken <i>or</i> overthrown <i>or</i> cast down [from my secure and happy state].


text:
Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted exceedingly; moreover, my flesh also will dwell in hope [will encamp, pitch its tent, and dwell in hope in anticipation of the resurrection].


text:
For You will not abandon my soul, leaving it helpless in Hades (the state of departed spirits), nor let Your Holy One know decay <i>or</i> see destruction [of the body after death].


text:
You have made known to me the ways of life; You will enrapture me [diffusing my soul with joy] with <i>and</i> in Your presence. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Brethren, it is permitted me to tell you confidently <i>and</i> with freedom concerning the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.


text:
Being however a prophet, and knowing that God had sealed to him with an oath that He would set one of his descendants on his throne, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He, foreseeing this, spoke [by foreknowledge] of the resurrection of the Christ (the Messiah) that He was not deserted [in death] <i>and</i> left in Hades (the state of departed spirits), nor did His body know decay <i>or</i> see destruction. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Being therefore lifted high by <i>and</i> to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father <f>[8]</f>the promised [blessing which is the] Holy Spirit, He has made this outpouring which you yourselves both see and hear.


text:
For David did not ascend into the heavens; yet he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand <i>and</i> share My throne


text:
Therefore let the whole house of Israel recognize beyond all doubt <i>and</i> acknowledge assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ (the Messiah) — this Jesus Whom you crucified.


text:
Now when they heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do?


text:
And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of <i>and</i> release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.


text:
For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to <i>and</i> for you and your children, and to <i>and</i> for all that are far away, [even] to <i>and</i> for as many as the Lord our God invites <i>and</i> bids to come to Himself. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
And [Peter] <f>[9]</f>solemnly <i>and</i> earnestly witnessed (testified) and admonished (exhorted) with much more continuous speaking <i>and</i> warned (reproved, advised, encouraged) them, saying, Be saved from this crooked (perverse, wicked, unjust) generation.


text:
Therefore those who accepted <i>and</i> welcomed his message were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls.


text:
And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord’s Supper] and prayers.


text:
And a sense of awe (reverential fear) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were performed through the apostles (the special messengers).


text:
And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything in common;


text:
And they sold their possessions (both their landed property and their movable goods) and distributed the price among all, according as any had need.


text:
And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose, and in their homes they broke bread [including the Lord’s Supper]. They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity <i>and</i> generous hearts,


text:
Constantly praising God and being in favor <i>and</i> goodwill with all the people; and the Lord kept adding [to their number] daily those who were being saved [from spiritual death].


text:
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (three o’clock in the afternoon),


text:
[When] a certain man crippled from his birth was being carried along, who was laid each day at that gate of the temple [which is] called Beautiful, so that he might beg for charitable gifts from those who entered the temple.


text:
But Peter said, Silver and gold (money) I do not have; but what I do have, that I give to you: in [the <f>[1]</f>use of] the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!


text:
Then he took hold of the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up. And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong <i>and</i> steady,


text:
And leaping forth he stood and <f>[2]</f>began to walk, and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.


text:
And they recognized him as the man who usually sat [begging] for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement (bewilderment, consternation) over what had occurred to him.


text:
Now while he [still] firmly clung to Peter and John, all the people in utmost amazement ran together <i>and</i> crowded around them in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon’s.


text:
And Peter, seeing it, answered the people, You men of Israel, why are you so surprised <i>and</i> wondering at this? Why do you keep staring at us, as though by our [own individual] power <i>or</i> [active] piety we had made this man [able] to walk?


text:
The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified His Servant <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>Son Jesus [doing Him this honor], Whom you indeed delivered up and denied <i>and</i> rejected <i>and</i> disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to let Him go. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But you denied <i>and</i> rejected <i>and</i> disowned the Pure <i>and</i> Holy, the Just <i>and</i> Blameless One, and demanded [the pardon of] a murderer to be granted to you.


text:
But you killed the very Source (the Author) of life, Whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.


text:
And His name, through <i>and</i> by faith in His name, has made this man whom you see and recognize well <i>and</i> strong. [Yes] the faith which is through <i>and</i> by Him [Jesus] has given the man this perfect soundness [of body] before all of you.


text:
And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance [not aware of what you were doing], as did your rulers also.


text:
Thus has God fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (the Messiah) should undergo ill treatment <i>and</i> be afflicted <i>and</i> suffer.


text:
So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around <i>and</i> return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of <f>[4]</f>reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;


text:
And that He may send [to you] the Christ (the Messiah), Who before was designated <i>and</i> appointed for you — even Jesus,


text:
Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man].


text:
Thus Moses said <i>to the forefathers</i>, The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren as [He raised up] me; Him you shall listen to <i>and</i> understand by hearing <i>and</i> heed in all things whatever He tells you.


text:
And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to <i>and</i> understand by hearing <i>and</i> heed that Prophet shall be utterly <f>[5]</f>exterminated from among the people. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel and those who came afterwards, as many as have spoken, also promised <i>and</i> foretold <i>and</i> proclaimed these days.


text:
You are the descendants (sons) of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant which God made <i>and</i> gave to your forefathers, saying to Abraham, And in your Seed (Heir) shall all the families of the earth be blessed <i>and</i> benefited. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
It was to you first that God sent His Servant <i>and</i> Son <i>Jesus</i>, when He raised Him up [<f>[6]</f>provided and gave Him for us], to bless you in turning every one of you from your wickedness <i>and</i> evil ways. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And while they [Peter and John] were talking to the people, the high priests and the military commander of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,


text:
Being vexed <i>and</i> indignant through <i>and</i> through because they were teaching the people <i>and</i> proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection from the dead.


text:
So they laid hands on them (arrested them) and put them in prison until the following day, for it was already evening.


text:
But many of those who heard the message believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus as the Christ). And their number grew <i>and</i> came to about 5,000.


text:
Including Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all others who belonged to the high priestly relationship.


text:
And they set the men in their midst and repeatedly demanded, By what sort of power or by what kind of authority did [such people as] you do this [healing]?


text:
Then Peter, [because he was] filled with [and controlled by] the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and members of the council (the Sanhedrin),


text:
If we are being put on trial [here] today <i>and</i> examined concerning a good deed done to benefit a feeble (helpless) cripple, by what means this man has been restored to health,


text:
Let it be known <i>and</i> understood by all of you, and by the whole house of Israel, that in the name and through the power <i>and</i> authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified, [but] Whom God raised from the dead, in Him <i>and</i> by means of Him this man is standing here before you well <i>and</i> sound in body.


text:
This [Jesus] is the Stone which was despised <i>and</i> rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the Head of the corner [the Cornerstone]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And there is salvation in <i>and</i> through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by <i>and</i> in which we must be saved.


text:
Now when they saw the boldness <i>and</i> unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned <i>and</i> untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.


text:
And since they saw the man who had been cured standing there beside them, they could not contradict the fact <i>or</i> say anything in opposition.


text:
But having ordered [the prisoners] to go aside out of the council [chamber], they conferred (debated) among themselves,


text:
Saying, What are we to do with these men? For that an extraordinary miracle has been performed by (through) them is plain to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.


text:
But in order that it may not spread further among the people <i>and</i> the nation, let us warn <i>and</i> forbid them with a stern threat to speak any more to anyone in this name [or about this Person].


text:
[So] they summoned them and imperatively instructed them not to converse in any way <i>or</i> teach at all in <i>or</i> about the name of Jesus.


text:
But Peter and John replied to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you <i>and</i> obey you rather than God, you must decide (judge).


text:
Then when [the rulers and council members] had further threatened them, they let them go, not seeing how they could secure a conviction against them because of the people; for everybody was praising <i>and</i> glorifying God for what had occurred.


text:
After they were permitted to go, [the apostles] returned to their own [company] and told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.


text:
And when they heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God and said, O Sovereign Lord, You are He Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Who by the mouth of our forefather David, Your servant <i>and</i> child, said through the Holy Spirit, Why did the heathen (Gentiles) become wanton <i>and</i> insolent <i>and</i> rage, and the people imagine <i>and</i> study <i>and</i> plan vain (fruitless) things [that will not succeed]?


text:
The kings of the earth took their stand in array [for attack] and the rulers were assembled <i>and</i> combined together against the Lord and against His Anointed (Christ, the Messiah). <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child <i>and</i> Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
To carry out all that Your hand and Your will <i>and</i> purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur.


text:
And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly,


text:
While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs <i>and</i> wonders through the authority <i>and</i> by the power of the name of Your holy Child <i>and</i> Servant Jesus.


text:
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom <i>and</i> boldness <i>and</i> courage.


text:
Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common <i>and</i> for the use of all.


text:
And with great strength <i>and</i> ability <i>and</i> power the apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all.


text:
Nor was there a destitute <i>or</i> needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses proceeded to sell them, and one by one they brought (gave back) the amount received from the sales


text:
And laid it at the feet of the apostles (special messengers). Then distribution was made according as anyone had need.


text:
Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, which interpreted means Son of Encouragement,


text:
Sold a field which belonged to him and brought the sum of money and laid it at the feet of the apostles.


text:
And with his wife’s knowledge <i>and</i> connivance he kept back <i>and</i> wrongfully appropriated some of the proceeds, bringing only a part and putting it at the feet of the apostles.


text:
But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to <i>and</i> attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should [in violation of your promise] withdraw secretly <i>and</i> appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land?


text:
As long as it remained unsold, was it not still your own? And [even] after it was sold, was not [the money] at your disposal <i>and</i> under your control? Why then, is it that you have proposed <i>and</i> purposed in your heart to do this thing? [How could you have the heart to do such a deed?] You have not [simply] lied to men [playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful] but to God.


text:
Upon hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great dread <i>and</i> terror took possession of all who heard of it.


text:
Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not having learned of what had happened.


text:
Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed <i>and</i> conspired together to try to deceive the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out [also].


text:
And instantly she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.


text:
And the whole church and all others who heard of these things were appalled [great awe and strange terror and dread seized them].


text:
Now by the hands of the apostles (special messengers) numerous <i>and</i> startling signs <i>and</i> wonders were being performed among the people. And by common consent they all met together [at the temple] in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon’s.


text:
And none of those who were not of their number dared to join <i>and</i> associate with them, but the people held them in high regard <i>and</i> praised <i>and</i> made much of them.


text:
More <i>and</i> more there were being added to the Lord those who believed [those who acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him joined and gathered with them], crowds both of men and of women,


text:
So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.


text:
And the people gathered also from the towns <i>and</i> hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.


text:
But the high priest rose up and all who were his supporters, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and being filled with <f>[1]</f>jealousy <i>and</i> indignation <i>and</i> rage,


text:
Go, take your stand in the temple courts and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning this Life (the eternal life which Christ revealed).


text:
And when they heard this, they accordingly went into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now the high priest and his supporters who were with him arrived and called together the council (Sanhedrin), even all the senate of the sons of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have [the apostles] brought.


text:
But when the attendants arrived there, they failed to find them in the jail; so they came back and reported,


text:
We found the prison quite safely locked up and the guards were on duty outside the doors, but when we opened [it], we found no one on the inside.


text:
Now when the military leader of the temple area and the chief priests heard these facts, they were much perplexed <i>and</i> thoroughly at a loss about them, wondering into what this might grow.


text:
But some man came and reported to them, saying, Listen! The men whom you put in jail are standing [right here] in the temple and teaching the people!


text:
Then the military leader went with the attendants and brought [the prisoners], but without violence, for they dreaded the people lest they be stoned by them.


text:
So they brought them and set them before the council (Sanhedrin). And the high priest examined them by questioning,


text:
Saying, We definitely commanded <i>and</i> strictly charged you not to teach in <i>or</i> about this Name; yet here you have flooded Jerusalem with your doctrine and you intend to bring this <f>[2]</f>Man’s blood upon us.


text:
The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree (cross). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
God exalted Him to His right hand to be Prince <i>and</i> Leader and Savior <i>and</i> Deliverer <i>and</i> Preserver, in order to grant repentance to Israel and to bestow forgiveness <i>and</i> release from sins.


text:
And we are witnesses of these things, and the Holy Spirit is also, Whom God has bestowed on those who obey Him.


text:
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart <i>and</i> infuriated and wanted to kill the disciples.


text:
But a certain Pharisee in the council (Sanhedrin) named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, highly esteemed by all the people, standing up, ordered that the apostles be taken outside for a little while.


text:
Then he addressed them [the council, saying]: Men of Israel, take care in regard to what you propose to do concerning these men.


text:
For before our time there arose Theudas, asserting himself to be a person of importance, with whom a number of men allied themselves, about 400; but he was killed and all who had listened to <i>and</i> adhered to him were scattered and brought to nothing.


text:
And after this one rose up Judas the Galilean, [who led an uprising] during the time of the census, and drew away a popular following after him; he also perished and all his adherents were scattered.


text:
Now in the present case let me say to you, stand off (withdraw) from these men and let them alone. For if this doctrine <i>or</i> purpose or undertaking <i>or</i> movement is of human origin, it will fail (be overthrown and come to nothing);


text:
But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop <i>or</i> overthrow <i>or</i> destroy them; you might even be found fighting against God!


text:
So, convinced by him, they took his advice; and summoning the apostles, they flogged them and sternly forbade them to speak in <i>or</i> about the name of Jesus, and allowed them to go.


text:
So they went out from the presence of the council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified by the indignity] to suffer shame <i>and</i> be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of] His name.


text:
Yet [in spite of the threats] they never ceased for a single day, both in the temple area and at home, to teach <i>and</i> to proclaim the good news (Gospel) of Jesus [as] the Christ (the Messiah).


text:
Now about this time, when the number of the disciples was greatly increasing, complaint was made by the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking Jews) against the [native] Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked <i>and</i> neglected in the daily ministration (distribution of relief).


text:
So the Twelve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not seemly <i>or</i> desirable <i>or</i> right that we should have to give up <i>or</i> neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables <i>and</i> superintending the distribution of food.


text:
Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good <i>and</i> attested character <i>and</i> repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business <i>and</i> duty.


text:
And the suggestion pleased the whole assembly, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith (a strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah) and full of <i>and</i> controlled by the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte (convert) from Antioch.


text:
And the message of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem; and [besides] a large number of the priests were obedient to the faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom is obtained eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing and favor) and power (strength and ability) worked great wonders and signs (miracles) among the people.


text:
However, some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), as it was called, and [of the synagogues] of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, arose [and undertook] to debate <i>and</i> dispute with Stephen.


text:
But they were not able to resist the intelligence <i>and</i> the wisdom and [the inspiration of] the Spirit with which <i>and</i> by Whom he spoke.


text:
So they [secretly] instigated <i>and</i> instructed men to say, We have heard this man speak, using slanderous <i>and</i> abusive <i>and</i> blasphemous language against Moses and God.


text:
[Thus] they incited the people as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came upon Stephen and arrested him and took him before the council (Sanhedrin).


text:
And they brought forward false witnesses who asserted, This man never stops making statements against this sacred place and the Law [of Moses];


text:
For we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down <i>and</i> destroy this place, and will alter the institutions <i>and</i> usages which Moses transmitted to us.


text:
Then all who sat in the council (Sanhedrin), as they gazed intently at Stephen, saw that his face had the appearance of the face of an angel.


text:
And he answered, Brethren and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before he [went to] live in Haran, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And He said to him, Leave your own country and your relatives and come into the land (region) that I will point out to you. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So then he went forth from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, [God] transferred him to this country in which you are now dwelling. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Yet He gave him no inheritable property in it, [no] not even enough ground to set his foot on; but He promised that He would give it to Him for a <f>[1]</f>permanent possession and to his descendants after him, even though [as yet] he had no child. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And this is [in effect] what God told him: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a land belonging to other people, who would bring them into bondage and ill-treat them 400 years.


text:
But I will judge the nation to whom they will be slaves, said God, and after that they will escape <i>and</i> come forth and worship Me in this [very] place. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And [God] made with Abraham a covenant (an agreement to be religiously observed) <f>[2]</f>of which circumcision was the seal. And under these circumstances [Abraham] became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac [did so] when he became the father of Jacob, and Jacob [when each of his sons was born], the twelve patriarchs. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
And the patriarchs [Jacob’s sons], boiling with envy <i>and</i> hatred <i>and</i> anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him, <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
And delivered him from all his distressing afflictions and won him goodwill <i>and</i> favor and wisdom <i>and</i> understanding in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his house. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Then there came a famine over all of Egypt and Canaan, with great distress, and our forefathers could find no fodder [for the cattle] <i>or</i> vegetable sustenance [for their households]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our forefathers [to go there on their] first trip. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
And on their second visit Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh <i>and</i> his origin <i>and</i> race. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
And Joseph sent an invitation calling to himself Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
And their <f>[3]</f>bodies [Jacob’s and Joseph’s] were taken back to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of [silver] money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. <f>ⓝ</f>


text:
But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near which God had made to Abraham, the [Hebrew] people increased and multiplied in Egypt,


text:
Until [the time when] there arose over Egypt another <i>and</i> a different king who did not know Joseph [neither knowing his history and services nor recognizing his merits]. <f>ⓞ</f>


text:
He dealt treacherously with <i>and</i> defrauded our race; he abused <i>and</i> oppressed our forefathers, forcing them to expose their babies so that they might not be kept alive. <f>ⓟ</f>


text:
At this juncture Moses was born, and was exceedingly beautiful in God’s sight. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house; <f>ⓠ</f>


text:
Then when he was exposed [to perish], the daughter of Pharaoh rescued him and took him <i>and</i> reared him as her own son. <f>ⓡ</f>


text:
So Moses was educated in all the wisdom <i>and</i> culture of the Egyptians, and he was mighty (powerful) in his speech and deeds.


text:
And when he was in his fortieth year, it came into his heart to visit his kinsmen the children of Israel [<f>[4]</f>to help them and to care for them].


text:
And on seeing one of them being unjustly treated, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian <i>and</i> slaying [him].


text:
He expected his brethren to understand that God was granting them deliverance by his hand [taking it for granted that they would accept him]; but they did not understand.


text:
Then on the next day he <f>[5]</f>suddenly appeared to some who were quarreling <i>and</i> fighting among themselves, and he urged them to make peace <i>and</i> become reconciled, saying, Men, you are brethren; why do you abuse <i>and</i> wrong one another?


text:
Whereupon the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed [Moses] aside, saying, Who appointed you a ruler (umpire) and a judge over us?


text:
At that reply Moses sought safety by flight and he was an exile <i>and</i> an alien in the country of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. <f>ⓢ</f>


text:
And when forty years had gone by, there appeared to him in the wilderness (desert) of Mount Sinai an angel, in the flame of a burning bramblebush.


text:
When Moses saw it, he was astonished <i>and</i> marveled at the sight; but when he went close to investigate, there came to him the voice of the Lord, saying,


text:
I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses trembled <i>and</i> was so terrified that he did not venture to look.


text:
Then the Lord said to him, Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground <i>and</i> worthy of veneration.


text:
Because I have most assuredly seen the abuse <i>and</i> oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their sighing <i>and</i> groaning, I have come down to rescue them. So, now come! I will send you back to Egypt [as My messenger]. <f>ⓣ</f>


text:
It was this very Moses whom they had denied (disowned and rejected), saying, Who made you our ruler (referee) and judge? whom God sent to be a ruler and deliverer <i>and</i> redeemer, by <i>and</i> with the [protecting and helping] hand of the Angel that appeared to him in the bramblebush. <f>ⓤ</f>


text:
He it was who led them forth, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and during the forty years in the wilderness (desert). <f>ⓥ</f>


text:
It was this [very] Moses who said to the children of Israel, God will raise up for you a Prophet from among your brethren as He raised me up. <f>ⓦ</f>


text:
This is he who in the assembly in the wilderness (desert) was the go-between for the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and our forefathers, and he received living oracles (words that still live) to be handed down to us. <f>ⓧ</f>


text:
[And yet] our forefathers determined not to be subject to him [refusing to listen to <i>or</i> obey him]; but thrusting him aside they rejected him, and in their hearts yearned for <i>and</i> turned back to Egypt. <f>ⓨ</f>


text:
And they said to Aaron, Make us gods who shall [be our leaders and] go before us; as for this Moses who led us forth from the land of Egypt — we have no knowledge of what has happened to him. <f>ⓩ</f>


text:
And they [even] made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol and made merry <i>and</i> exulted in the work of their [own] hands. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But God turned [away from them] and delivered them up to worship <i>and</i> serve the host (stars) of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: Did you [really] offer to Me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness (desert), O house of Israel? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[No!] You took up the tent (the portable temple) of Moloch <i>and</i> carried it [with you], and the star of the god Rephan, the images which you [yourselves] made that you might worship them; and I will remove you [carrying you away into exile] beyond Babylon. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Our forefathers had the tent (tabernacle) of witness in the wilderness, even as He Who directed Moses to make it had ordered, according to the pattern <i>and</i> model he had seen. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Our forefathers in turn brought it [this tent of witness] in [with them into the land] with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God drove out before the face of our forefathers. [So it remained here] until the time of David, <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Who found grace (favor and spiritual blessing) in the sight of God and prayed that he might be allowed to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
However, the Most High does not dwell in houses <i>and</i> temples made with hands; as the prophet says, <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Heaven [is] My throne, and earth the footstool for My feet. What [kind of] house can you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place in which I can rest?


text:
You stubborn <i>and</i> stiff-necked people, still heathen <i>and</i> uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always <f>[6]</f>actively resisting the Holy Spirit. As your forefathers [were], so you [are and so you do]! <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? And they slew those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you now have betrayed and murdered —


text:
You who received the Law as it was ordained <i>and</i> set in order <i>and</i> delivered by angels, and [yet] you did not obey it!


text:
Now upon hearing these things, they [the Jews] were cut to the heart <i>and</i> infuriated, and they ground their teeth against [Stephen].


text:
But he, full of the Holy Spirit <i>and</i> controlled by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory (the splendor and majesty) of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand;


text:
Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
And while they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, Lord Jesus, receive <i>and</i> accept <i>and</i> welcome my spirit!


text:
And falling on his knees, he cried out loudly, Lord, fix not this sin upon them [lay it not to their charge]! And when he had said this, he fell asleep <f>[7]</f>[in death].


text:
And Saul was [not only] consenting to [Stephen’s] death [he was <f>[1]</f>pleased and <f>[2]</f>entirely approving]. On that day a great <i>and</i> severe persecution broke out against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles (special messengers).


text:
[A party of] devout men <f>[3]</f>with others helped to carry out <i>and</i> bury Stephen and made great lamentation over him.


text:
But Saul shamefully treated <i>and</i> laid waste the church continuously [with cruelty and violence]; and entering house after house, he dragged out men and women and committed them to prison.


text:
Now those who were scattered abroad went about [through the land from place to place] preaching the glad tidings, the Word [<f>[4]</f>the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
Philip [the deacon, not the apostle] went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ (the Messiah) to them [the people]; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And great crowds of people with one accord listened to <i>and</i> heeded what was said by Philip, as they heard him <i>and</i> watched the miracles <i>and</i> wonders which he kept performing [from time to time].


text:
For foul spirits came out of many who were possessed by them, screaming <i>and</i> shouting with a loud voice, and many who were suffering from palsy or were crippled were restored to health.


text:
But there was a man named Simon, who had formerly practiced magic arts in the city to the utter amazement of the Samaritan nation, claiming that he himself was an extraordinary <i>and</i> distinguished person.


text:
They all paid earnest attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that exhibition of the power of God which is called great (intense).


text:
And they were attentive <i>and</i> made much of him, because for a long time he had amazed <i>and</i> bewildered <i>and</i> dazzled them with his skill in magic arts.


text:
But when they believed the good news (the Gospel) about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) as Philip preached it, they were baptized, both men and women.


text:
Even Simon himself believed [he adhered to, trusted in, and relied on the teaching of Philip], and after being baptized, devoted himself constantly to him. And seeing signs <i>and</i> miracles of great power which were being performed, he was utterly amazed.


text:
Now when the apostles (special messengers) at Jerusalem heard that [the country of] Samaria had accepted <i>and</i> welcomed the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,


text:
For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.


text:
However, when Simon saw that the [Holy] Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he brought money <i>and</i> offered it to them,


text:
Saying, Grant me also this power <i>and</i> authority, in order that anyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.


text:
But Peter said to him, Destruction overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the [free] gift of God with money!


text:
You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is all wrong in God’s sight [it is not straightforward or right or true before God]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So repent of this depravity <i>and</i> wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this <f>[5]</f>contriving thought <i>and</i> purpose of your heart may be removed <i>and</i> disregarded <i>and</i> forgiven you.


text:
For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in <f>[6]</f>a bond forged by iniquity [to fetter souls]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And Simon answered, Pray for me [beseech the Lord, both of you], that nothing of what you have said may befall me!


text:
Now when [the apostles] had borne their testimony and preached the message of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the glad tidings (Gospel) to many villages of the Samaritans [on the way].


text:
But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and proceed southward <i>or</i> at midday on the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza. This is the desert [<f>[7]</f>route].


text:
So he got up and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship.


text:
And he was [now] returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah.


text:
Accordingly Philip, running up to him, heard [the man] reading the prophet Isaiah and asked, Do you really understand what you are reading?


text:
And he said, How is it possible for me to do so unless someone explains it to me <i>and</i> guides me [in the right way]? And he earnestly requested Philip to come up and sit beside him.


text:
Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth.


text:
In His humiliation <f>[8]</f> He was taken away by distressing <i>and</i> oppressive judgment <i>and</i> justice was denied Him [caused to cease]. Who can describe <i>or</i> relate in full <f>[9]</f>the wickedness of His contemporaries (generation)? For His life is taken from the earth <i>and</i> <f>[10]</f>a bloody death inflicted upon Him. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And the eunuch said to Philip, I beg of you, tell me about whom does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?


text:
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this portion of Scripture he announced to him the glad tidings (Gospel) of Jesus <i>and</i> about Him.


text:
And as they continued along on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch exclaimed, See, [here is] water! What is to hinder my being baptized?


text:
<f>[11]</f><i>And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart [if you have</i> <f>[12]</f><i>a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah and accept Him as the Author of your salvation in the kingdom of God, giving Him your obedience, then] you may. And he replied, I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.</i>


text:
And he ordered that the chariot be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and [Philip] baptized him.


text:
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord [<f>[13]</f>suddenly] caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.


text:
But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing on he preached the good news (Gospel) to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.


text:
Meanwhile Saul, <f>[1]</f>still drawing his breath hard from threatening and murderous desire against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest


text:
And requested of him letters to the synagogues at Damascus [authorizing him], so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way [of life as determined by faith in Jesus Christ], he might bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem.


text:
Now as he traveled on, he came near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,


text:
And he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me [harassing, troubling, and molesting Me]?


text:
And Saul said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. <f>[2]</f><i>It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain and perilous resistance].</i>


text:
<i>Trembling and astonished he asked, Lord, what do You desire me to do? The Lord said to him</i>, But arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.


text:
The men who were accompanying him were unable to speak [for terror], hearing the voice but seeing no one.


text:
Then Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.


text:
Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he answered, Here am I, Lord.


text:
And the Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying [there].


text:
And he has seen <i>in a vision</i> a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.


text:
But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many people tell about this man, especially how much evil <i>and</i> what great suffering he has brought on Your saints at Jerusalem;


text:
Now he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon Your name.


text:
But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel;


text:
For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted <i>and</i> must endure <i>and</i> suffer for My name’s sake.


text:
So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.


text:
And instantly something like scales fell from [Saul’s] eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized,


text:
And after he took some food, he was strengthened. For several days [afterward] he remained with the disciples at Damascus.


text:
And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the very man who harassed <i>and</i> overthrew <i>and</i> destroyed in Jerusalem those who called upon this Name? And he has come here for the express purpose of arresting them <i>and</i> bringing them in chains before the chief priests.


text:
But Saul increased all the more in strength, and continued to confound <i>and</i> put to confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus by comparing <i>and</i> examining evidence <i>and</i> proving that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).


text:
But [the knowledge of] their plot was made known to Saul. They were guarding the [city’s] gates day and night to kill him,


text:
But his disciples took him at night and let him down through the [city’s] wall, lowering him in a basket <i>or</i> hamper.


text:
And when he had arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate himself with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe he really was a disciple.


text:
However, Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he explained to them how along the way he had seen the Lord, Who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached freely <i>and</i> confidently <i>and</i> courageously in the name of Jesus.


text:
Preaching freely <i>and</i> confidently <i>and</i> boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and discussed with <i>and</i> disputed against the Hellenists (the Grecian Jews), but they were seeking to slay him.


text:
And when the brethren found it out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus [his home town].


text:
So the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was edified [growing in wisdom, virtue, and piety] and walking in the respect <i>and</i> reverential fear of the Lord and in the consolation <i>and</i> exhortation of the Holy Spirit, continued to increase <i>and</i> was multiplied.


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


text:
And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [now] makes you whole. Get up and make your bed! And immediately [Aeneas] stood up.


text:
Then all the inhabitants of Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw [what had happened to] him and they turned to the Lord.


text:
Now there was at Joppa a disciple [a woman] named [in Aramaic] Tabitha, which [in Greek] means Dorcas. She was abounding in good deeds and acts of charity.


text:
About that time she fell sick and died, and when they had cleansed her, they laid [her] in an upper room.


text:
Since Lydda was near Joppa [however], the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him begging him, Do come to us without delay.


text:
So Peter [immediately] rose and accompanied them. And when he had arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, crying and displaying undershirts (tunics) and [other] garments such as Dorcas was accustomed to make while she was with them.


text:
But Peter put them all out [of the room] and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said, Tabitha, get up! And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she raised herself <i>and</i> sat upright.


text:
And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling in God’s people and the widows, he presented her to them alive.


text:
And this became known throughout all Joppa, and many came to believe on the Lord [to adhere to and trust in and rely on Him as the Christ and as their Savior].


text:
Now [living] at Caesarea there was a man whose name was Cornelius, a centurion (captain) of what was known as the Italian Regiment,


text:
A devout man who venerated God <i>and</i> treated Him with reverential obedience, as did all his household; and he gave much alms to the people and prayed continually to God.


text:
About the ninth hour (about 3:00 p.m.) of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, Cornelius!


text:
And he, gazing intently at him, became frightened and said, What is it, Lord? And the angel said to him, Your prayers and your [generous] gifts to the poor have come up [as a sacrifice] to God <i>and</i> have been remembered by Him.


text:
And now send men to Joppa and have them call for <i>and</i> invite here a certain Simon whose surname is Peter;


text:
When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his servants and a God-fearing soldier from among his own personal attendants.


text:
The next day as they were still on their way and were approaching the town, Peter went up to the roof of the house to pray, about the sixth hour (noon).


text:
But he became very hungry, and wanted something to eat; and while the meal was being prepared a trance came over him,


text:
And he saw the sky opened and something like a great sheet lowered by the four corners, descending to the earth.


text:
It contained all kinds of quadrupeds <i>and wild beasts</i> and creeping things of the earth and birds of the air.


text:
But Peter said, No, by no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common <i>and</i> unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean.


text:
And the voice came to him again a second time, What God has cleansed <i>and</i> pronounced clean, do not you defile <i>and</i> profane by regarding <i>and</i> calling common <i>and</i> unhallowed or unclean.


text:
Now Peter was still inwardly perplexed <i>and</i> doubted as to what the vision which he had seen could mean, when [just then] behold the messengers that were sent by Cornelius, who had made inquiry for Simon’s house, stopped <i>and</i> stood before the gate.


text:
And while Peter was <f>[1]</f>earnestly revolving the vision in his mind <i>and</i> meditating on it, the [Holy] Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you!


text:
Get up and go below and accompany them without any doubt [about its legality] <i>or</i> any discrimination <i>or</i> hesitation, for I have sent them.


text:
Then Peter went down to the men and said, I am the man you seek; what is the purpose of your coming?


text:
And they said, Cornelius, a centurion (captain) who is just <i>and</i> upright <i>and</i> in right standing with God, being God-fearing <i>and</i> obedient and well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house; and he <f>[2]</f>has received in answer [to prayer] a warning to listen to <i>and</i> act upon what you have to say.


text:
So Peter invited them in to be his guests [for the night]. The next day he arose and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.


text:
And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for <i>and</i> expecting them, and he had invited together his relatives and his intimate friends.


text:
As Peter arrived, Cornelius met him, and falling down at his feet he made obeisance <i>and</i> paid worshipful reverence to him.


text:
And he said to them, You yourselves are aware how it is not lawful <i>or</i> permissible for a Jew to keep company with or to visit <i>or</i> [even] to come near <i>or</i> to speak first to anyone of another nationality, but God has shown <i>and</i> taught me by words that I should not call any human being common <i>or</i> unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean.


text:
Therefore when I was sent for, I came without hesitation <i>or</i> objection <i>or</i> misgivings. So now I ask for what reason you sent for me.


text:
And Cornelius said, This is now the fourth day since about this time I was observing the ninth hour (three o’clock in the afternoon) of prayer in my lodging place; [suddenly] a man stood before me in dazzling apparel,


text:
And he said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard <i>and</i> harkened to, and your donations to the poor have been known <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>preserved before God [so that He heeds and is about to help you].


text:
Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is surnamed Peter; he is staying in the house of Simon the tanner by the seaside.


text:
So at once I sent for you, and you [being a Jew] have done a kind <i>and</i> <f>[4]</f>courteous <i>and</i> handsome thing in coming. Now then, we are all present in the sight of God to listen to all that you have been instructed by the Lord to say.


text:
And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly <i>and</i> thoroughly I now perceive <i>and</i> understand that God shows no partiality <i>and</i> is no respecter of persons,


text:
But in every nation he who venerates <i>and</i> has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>sure of being received and welcomed [by Him].


text:
You know the contents of the message which He sent to Israel, announcing the good news (Gospel) of peace by Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of all —


text:
The [same] message which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism preached by John —


text:
How God anointed <i>and</i> consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength <i>and</i> ability <i>and</i> power; how He went about doing good and, <f>[6]</f>in particular, curing all who were harassed <i>and</i> oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.


text:
And we are [eye and ear] witnesses of everything that He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And [yet] they put Him out of the way (murdered Him) by hanging Him on a tree;


text:
Not by all the people but to us who were chosen (designated) beforehand by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.


text:
And He charged us to preach to the people and to bear solemn testimony that He is the God-appointed <i>and</i> God-ordained Judge of the living and the dead.


text:
To Him all the prophets testify (bear witness) that everyone who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him, giving himself up to Him] receives forgiveness of sins through His name.


text:
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were listening to the message.


text:
And the believers from among the circumcised [the Jews] who came with Peter were surprised <i>and</i> amazed, because the free gift of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed <i>and</i> poured out largely even on the Gentiles.


text:
For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and extolling <i>and</i> magnifying God. Then Peter asked,


text:
Can anyone forbid <i>or</i> refuse water for baptizing these people, seeing that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?


text:
And he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). Then they begged him to stay on there for some days.


text:
Now the apostles (special messengers) and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard [with astonishment] that the Gentiles (heathen) also had received <i>and</i> accepted <i>and</i> welcomed the Word of God [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party [certain Jewish Christians] found fault with him [separating themselves from him in a hostile spirit, opposing and disputing and contending with him],


text:
But Peter began [at the beginning] and narrated <i>and</i> explained to them step by step [the whole list of events]. He said:


text:
I was in the town of Joppa praying, and [falling] in a trance I saw a vision of something coming down from heaven, like a huge sheet lowered by the four corners; and it descended until it came to me.


text:
Gazing intently <i>and</i> closely at it, I observed in it [a variety of] four-footed animals and wild beasts and reptiles of the earth and birds of the air,


text:
But I said, No, by no means, Lord; for nothing common <i>or</i> unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean has ever entered my mouth.


text:
But the voice answered a second time from heaven, What God has cleansed <i>and</i> pronounced clean, do not you defile <i>and</i> profane by regarding <i>or</i> calling it common <i>or</i> unhallowed or unclean.


text:
And the [Holy] Spirit instructed me to accompany them without [the least] hesitation <i>or</i> misgivings <i>or</i> discrimination. So these six brethren accompanied me also, and we went into the man’s house.


text:
And he related to us how he had seen the angel in his house which stood and said to him, Send men to Joppa and bring Simon who is surnamed Peter;


text:
He will give <i>and</i> explain to you a message by means of which you and all your household [as well] will be saved [<f>[1]</f>from eternal death].


text:
Then I recalled the declaration of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with (<f>[2]</f>be placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.


text:
If then God gave to them the same Gift [equally] as He gave to us when we believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I <i>and</i> what power <i>or</i> authority had I to interfere <i>or</i> hinder <i>or</i> forbid <i>or</i> withstand God?


text:
When they heard this, they were quieted <i>and</i> made no further objection. And they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance <f>[3]</f>unto [real] life [after resurrection].


text:
Meanwhile those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen had traveled as far away as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, without delivering the message [concerning <f>[4]</f> the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] to anyone except Jews.


text:
But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on returning to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, proclaiming [to them] the good news (the Gospel) about the Lord Jesus.


text:
And the presence of the Lord was with them with power, so that a great number [learned] to believe (to adhere to and trust in and rely on the Lord) and turned <i>and</i> surrendered themselves to Him.


text:
The rumors of this came to the ears of the church (assembly) in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.


text:
When he arrived and saw what grace (favor) God was bestowing upon them, he was full of joy; and he continuously exhorted (warned, urged, and encouraged) them all to cleave unto <i>and</i> remain faithful to <i>and</i> devoted to the Lord with [resolute and steady] purpose of heart.


text:
For he was a good man [<f>[5]</f>good in himself and also at once for the good and the advantage of other people], full of <i>and</i> controlled by the Holy Spirit and full of faith (of his <f>[6]</f>belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation). And a large company was added to the Lord.


text:
And when he had found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year they assembled together with <i>and</i> <f>[7]</f>were guests of the church and instructed a large number of people; and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.


text:
And during these days prophets (inspired teachers and interpreters of the divine will and purpose) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.


text:
And one of them named Agabus stood up and prophesied through the [Holy] Spirit that a great <i>and</i> severe famine would come upon the whole world. And this did occur during the reign of Claudius.


text:
So the disciples resolved to send relief, each according to his individual ability [in proportion as he had prospered], to the brethren who lived in Judea.


text:
About that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to afflict <i>and</i> oppress <i>and</i> torment some who belonged to the church (assembly).


text:
And when he saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded further and arrested Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week].


text:
And when he had seized [Peter], he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of soldiers of four each to guard him, purposing after the Passover to bring him forth to the people.


text:
So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent prayer for him was persistently made to God by the church (assembly).


text:
The very night before Herod was about to bring him forth, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.


text:
And suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared [standing beside him], and a light shone in the place where he was. And the angel gently smote Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, Get up quickly! And the chains fell off his hands.


text:
And the angel said to him, Tighten your belt and bind on your sandals. And he did so. And he said to him, Wrap your outer garment around you and follow me.


text:
And [Peter] went out [along] following him, and he was not conscious that what was apparently being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.


text:
When they had passed through the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate which leads into the city. Of its own accord [the gate] swung open, and they went out and passed on through one street; and at once the angel left him.


text:
Then Peter came to himself and said, Now I really know <i>and</i> am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting [to do to me].


text:
When he, at a glance, became aware of this [<f>[1]</f>comprehending all the elements of the case], he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where a large number were assembled together and were praying.


text:
And recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she failed to open the gate, but ran in and told the people that Peter was standing before the porch gate.


text:
They said to her, You are crazy! But she persistently <i>and</i> strongly <i>and</i> confidently affirmed that it was the truth. They said, It is his angel!


text:
But meanwhile Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the gate and saw him, they were amazed.


text:
But motioning to them with his hand to keep quiet <i>and</i> listen, he related to them how the Lord had delivered him out of the prison. And he said, Report all this to James [the Less] and to the brethren. Then he left and went to some other place.


text:
Now as soon as it was day, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.


text:
And when Herod had looked for him and could not find him, he placed the guards on trial and commanded that they should be led away [to execution]. Then [Herod] went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed on there.


text:
Now [Herod] cherished bitter animosity <i>and</i> hostility for the people of Tyre and Sidon; and [their deputies] came to him in a united body, and having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was nourished by <i>and</i> depended on the king’s [country] for food.


text:
On an appointed day Herod arrayed himself in his royal robes, took his seat upon [his] throne, and addressed an oration to them.


text:
And at once an angel of the Lord smote him <i>and</i> cut him down, because he did not give God the glory (the preeminence and kingly majesty that belong to Him as the supreme Ruler); and he was eaten by worms and died.


text:
But the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] continued to grow and spread.


text:
And Barnabas and Saul came back from Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing with them John whose surname was Mark. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Now in the church (assembly) at Antioch there were prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God) and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger [Black], Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.


text:
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate now for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.


text:
So then, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from [that port] they sailed away to Cyprus.


text:
When they arrived at Salamis, they preached the Word of God [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John [Mark] as an attendant to assist them.


text:
When they had passed through the entire island of Cyprus as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain Jewish wizard <i>or</i> sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus.


text:
He was closely associated with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent <i>and</i> sensible man of sound understanding; he summoned to him Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the Word of God [concerning salvation in the kingdom of God attained through Christ].


text:
But Elymas <f>[1]</f>the wise man — for that is the translation of his name [<f>[2]</f>which he had given himself] — opposed them, seeking to keep the proconsul from accepting the faith.


text:
But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with <i>and</i> controlled by the Holy Spirit, looked steadily at [Elymas]


text:
And said, You master in every form of deception <i>and</i> recklessness, unscrupulousness, <i>and</i> wickedness, you son of the devil, you enemy of everything that is upright <i>and</i> good, will you never stop perverting <i>and</i> making crooked the straight paths of the Lord <i>and</i> plotting against His saving purposes? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time. Instantly there fell upon him a mist and a darkness, and he groped about seeking persons who would lead him by the hand.


text:
Then the proconsul believed (became a Christian) when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished <i>and</i> deeply touched at the teaching concerning the Lord <i>and</i> from Him.


text:
Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John [Mark] separated himself from them and went back to Jerusalem,


text:
But they [themselves] came on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue there and sat down.


text:
After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders [of the worship] of the synagogue sent to them saying, Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation <i>or</i> consolation <i>or</i> encouragement for the people, say it.


text:
So Paul arose, and motioning with his hand said, Men of Israel and you who reverence <i>and</i> fear God, listen!


text:
The God of this people Israel selected our forefathers and made this people great <i>and</i> important during their stay in the land of Egypt, and then with an uplifted arm He led them out from there. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And for about forty years <f>[3]</f><i>like a fatherly nurse</i> He cared for them in the wilderness <i>and</i> endured their behavior. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He gave them [the Hebrews] their land as an inheritance [distributing it to them by lot; all of which took] about 450 years. <f>ⓓ</f>


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


text:
And when He had deposed him, He raised up David to be their king; of him He bore witness and said, I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart, who will do all My will <i>and</i> carry out My program fully. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Of this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior [in the person of Jesus], according to His promise.


text:
And as John was ending his course, he asked, What <i>or</i> <f>[4]</f><i>who</i> do you secretly think that I am? I am not He [the Christ. No], but note that after me One is coming, the sandals of Whose feet I am not worthy to untie!


text:
Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and all those others among you who reverence <i>and</i> fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation [the salvation obtained through Jesus Christ]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For those who dwell in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not know <i>or</i> recognize Him or understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, have actually fulfilled these very predictions by condemning <i>and</i> sentencing [Him].


text:
And although they could find no cause deserving death with which to charge Him, yet they asked Pilate to have Him executed <i>and</i> put out of the way.


text:
And when they had finished <i>and</i> fulfilled everything that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.


text:
And for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are His witnesses to the people.


text:
This He has <f>[5]</f>completely fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second psalm, You are My Son; today I have begotten You [<f>[6]</f>caused You to arise, to be born; <f>[7]</f>formally shown You to be the Messiah by the resurrection]. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
And as to His having raised Him from among the dead, now no more to return to [undergo] putrefaction <i>and</i> dissolution [of the grave], He spoke in this way, I will fulfill <i>and</i> give to you the holy and sure mercy <i>and</i> blessings [that were promised and assured] to David. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
For this reason He says also in another psalm, You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption [to undergo putrefaction and dissolution of the grave]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
For David, after he had served God’s will <i>and</i> purpose <i>and</i> counsel in his own generation, fell asleep [<f>[8]</f>in death] and was buried among his forefathers, and he did see corruption <i>and</i> undergo putrefaction <i>and</i> dissolution [of the grave].


text:
But He Whom God raised up [to life] saw no corruption [did not experience putrefaction and dissolution of the grave].


text:
So let it be clearly known <i>and</i> understood by you, brethren, that through this Man forgiveness <i>and</i> removal of sins is now proclaimed to you;


text:
And that through Him everyone who believes [who <f>[9]</f>acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified <i>and</i> freed by the Law of Moses <i>and</i> given right standing with God.


text:
Look, you scoffers <i>and</i> scorners, and marvel and perish <i>and</i> vanish away; for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed which you will never have confidence in <i>or</i> believe, [even] if someone [<f>[10]</f>clearly describing it in detail] declares it to you. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
As they [Paul and Barnabas] went out [of the synagogue], the people earnestly begged that these things might be told to them [further] the next Sabbath.


text:
And when the congregation of the synagogue dispersed, many of the Jews and the devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked to them and urged them to continue [to trust themselves to and to stand fast] in the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God.


text:
The next Sabbath almost the entire city gathered together to hear the Word of God [concerning <f>[11]</f>the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
But when the Jews saw the crowds, filled with envy <i>and</i> jealousy they contradicted what was said by Paul and talked abusively [reviling and slandering him].


text:
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out plainly <i>and</i> boldly, saying, It was necessary that God’s message [concerning <f>[12]</f>salvation through Christ] should be spoken to you first. But since you thrust it from you, you pass this judgment on yourselves that you are unworthy of eternal life <i>and</i> out of your own mouth you will be judged. [Now] behold, we turn to the Gentiles (the heathen).


text:
For so the Lord has charged us, saying, I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles (the heathen), that you may bring [eternal] salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
And when the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified (praised and gave thanks for) the Word of God; and as many as were destined (appointed and ordained) to eternal life believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Jesus as the Christ and their Savior).


text:
And so the Word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through Christ] scattered <i>and</i> spread throughout the whole region.


text:
But the Jews stirred up the devout women of high rank and the outstanding men of the town, and instigated persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their boundaries.


text:
Now at Iconium [also Paul and Barnabas] went into the Jewish synagogue together and spoke with such power that a great number both of Jews and of Greeks believed (became Christians);


text:
But the unbelieving Jews [who rejected their message] aroused the Gentiles and embittered their minds against the brethren.


text:
So [Paul and Barnabas] stayed on there for a long time, speaking freely <i>and</i> fearlessly <i>and</i> boldly in the Lord, Who continued to bear testimony to the Word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed by their hands.


text:
When there was an attempt both on the part of the Gentiles and the Jews together with their rulers, to insult <i>and</i> abuse <i>and</i> molest [Paul and Barnabas] and to stone them,


text:
They, aware of the situation, made their escape to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and the neighboring districts;


text:
Now at Lystra a man sat who found it impossible to use his feet, for he was a cripple from birth and had never walked.


text:
He was listening to Paul as he talked, and [Paul] gazing intently at him and observing that he had faith to be healed,


text:
And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, lifted up their voices, shouting in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form!


text:
They called Barnabas Zeus, and they called Paul, because he led in the discourse, Hermes [god of speech].


text:
And the priest of Zeus, whose [temple] was at the entrance of the town, brought bulls and garlands to the [city’s] gates and wanted to join the people in offering sacrifice.


text:
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothing and dashed out among the crowd, shouting,


text:
Men, why are you doing this? We also are [only] human beings, of nature like your own, and we bring you the good news (Gospel) that you should turn away from these foolish <i>and</i> vain things to the living God, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that they contain. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Yet He did not neglect to leave some witness of Himself, for He did you good <i>and</i> [showed you] kindness and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with nourishment and happiness.


text:
Even in [the light of] these words they with difficulty prevented the people from offering sacrifice to them.


text:
But some Jews arrived there from Antioch and Iconium; and having persuaded the people <i>and</i> won them over, they stoned Paul and [<f>[1]</f>afterward] dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead.


text:
But the disciples formed a circle about him, and he got up and went back into the town; and on the morrow he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.


text:
When they had preached the good news (Gospel) to that town and made disciples of many of the people, they went back to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch,


text:
Establishing <i>and</i> strengthening the souls <i>and</i> the hearts of the disciples, urging <i>and</i> warning <i>and</i> encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships <i>and</i> tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.


text:
And when they had appointed <i>and</i> ordained elders for them in each church with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in Whom they had come to believe [being full of joyful trust that He is the Christ, the Messiah].


text:
And when they had spoken the Word in Perga [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God], they went down to Attalia;


text:
And from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had [first] been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had [now] completed.


text:
Arriving there, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had accomplished with them and how He had opened to the Gentiles a door of faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom we obtain salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
But some men came down from Judea and were instructing the brethren, Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And when Paul and Barnabas had no small disagreement and discussion with them, it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others of their number should go up to Jerusalem [and confer] with the apostles (special messengers) and the elders about this matter.


text:
So, being <f>[1]</f>fitted out <i>and</i> sent on their way by the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling of the conversion of the Gentiles (the heathen), and they caused great rejoicing among all the brethren.


text:
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were heartily welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they told them all that God had accomplished through them.


text:
But some who believed [who <f>[2]</f>acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and devoted themselves to Him] belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, and they rose up and said, It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentile converts] and to charge them to obey the Law of Moses.


text:
And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice <i>or</i> selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the <f>[3]</f>attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it).


text:
And God, Who is acquainted with <i>and</i> understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us;


text:
And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (<f>[4]</f>by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God).


text:
Now then, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our forefathers nor we [ourselves] were able to endure?


text:
But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they [are].


text:
Then the whole assembly remained silent, and they listened [attentively] as Barnabas and Paul rehearsed what signs and wonders God had performed through them among the Gentiles.


text:
Simeon [Peter] has rehearsed how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people [to bear and honor] His name.


text:
After this I will come back, and will rebuild the house of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its [very] ruins, and I will set it up again,


text:
Therefore it is my opinion that we should not put obstacles in the way of <i>and</i> annoy <i>and</i> disturb those of the Gentiles who turn to God,


text:
But we should send word to them in writing to abstain from <i>and</i> avoid anything that has been polluted by being offered to idols, and all sexual impurity, and [eating meat of animals] that have been strangled, and [tasting of] blood.


text:
For from ancient generations Moses has had his preachers in every town, for he is read [aloud] every Sabbath in the synagogues.


text:
Then the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, resolved to select men from among their number and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, [both] leading men among the brethren, <i>and</i> sent them.


text:
With [them they sent] the following letter: The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings:


text:
As we have heard that some persons from our number have disturbed you with their teaching, unsettling your minds <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>throwing you into confusion, although we gave them no express orders <i>or</i> instructions [on the points in question],


text:
It has been resolved by us in assembly to select men and send them [as messengers] to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,


text:
For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to lay upon you any greater burden than these indispensable requirements:


text:
That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from [tasting] blood and from [eating the meat of animals] that have been strangled and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell [be strong]!


text:
So when [the messengers] were sent off, they went down to Antioch; and having assembled the congregation, they delivered the letter.


text:
And when they read it, the people rejoiced at the consolation <i>and</i> encouragement [it brought them].


text:
And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God), urged <i>and</i> warned <i>and</i> consoled <i>and</i> encouraged the brethren with many words and strengthened them.


text:
And after spending some time there, they were sent back by the brethren with [the greeting] peace to those who had sent them.


text:
But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch and with many others also continued teaching and proclaiming the good news, the Word of the Lord [concerning the <f>[6]</f>attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in God’s kingdom].


text:
And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit <i>and</i> help <i>and</i> minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along.


text:
But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit <i>and</i> deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.


text:
And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.


text:
But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favor and mercy) of the Lord.


text:
And [Paul] went down to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [she had become <f>[1]</f>convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and the Author of eternal salvation, and yielded obedience to Him]; but [Timothy’s] father was a Greek.


text:
Paul desired Timothy to go with him [<f>[2]</f>as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, all of whom knew that his father was a Greek.


text:
As they went on their way from town to town, they delivered over [to the assemblies] for their observance the regulations decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.


text:
So the churches were strengthened <i>and</i> made firm in the faith, and they increased in number day after day.


text:
And Paul and Silas passed through the territory of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word in [the province of] Asia.


text:
And when they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.


text:
[There] a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from Macedonia stood pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us!


text:
And when he had seen the vision, we [including Luke] at once endeavored to go on into Macedonia, confidently inferring that God had called us to proclaim the glad tidings (Gospel) to them.


text:
Therefore, setting sail from Troas, we came in a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day went on to Neapolis.


text:
And from there [we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of the district of Macedonia and a [Roman] colony. We stayed on in this place some days;


text:
And on the Sabbath day we went outside the [city’s] gate to the bank of the river where we supposed there was an [accustomed] place of prayer, and we sat down and addressed the women who had assembled there.


text:
One of those who listened to us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a dealer in fabrics dyed in purple. She was [already] a worshiper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.


text:
And when she was baptized along with her household, she earnestly entreated us, saying, If in your opinion I am one really convinced [that Jesus is the Messiah and the Author of salvation] <i>and</i> that I will be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. And she induced us [to do it].


text:
As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling.


text:
She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation!


text:
And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed <i>and</i> worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very <f>[3]</f>moment.


text:
But when her owners discovered that their hope of profit was gone, they caught hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the forum (marketplace), [where trials are held].


text:
And when they had brought them before the magistrates, they declared, These fellows are Jews and they are throwing our city into great confusion.


text:
The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods.


text:
And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.


text:
He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.


text:
But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them,


text:
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.


text:
When the jailer, startled out of his sleep, saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.


text:
Then [the jailer] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling <i>and</i> terrified he fell down before Paul and Silas.


text:
And he brought them out [of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?


text:
And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus <i>Christ</i> [<f>[4]</f>give yourself up to Him, <f>[5]</f> take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.


text:
And they declared the Word of the Lord [the doctrine concerning the <f>[6]</f>attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] to him and to all who were in his house.


text:
And he took them the same hour of the night and <f>[7]</f>bathed [them because of their bloody] wounds, and he was baptized immediately and all [the members of] his [household].


text:
Then he took them up into his house and set food before them; and he <f>[8]</f>leaped much for joy <i>and</i> exulted with all his family that he believed in God [accepting and joyously welcoming what He had made known through Christ].


text:
But when it was day, the magistrates sent policemen, saying, Release those fellows <i>and</i> let them go.


text:
And the jailer repeated the words to Paul, saying, The magistrates have sent to release you <i>and</i> let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace.


text:
But Paul answered them, They have beaten us openly <i>and</i> publicly, without a trial <i>and</i> uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now thrust us out secretly? No, indeed! Let them come here themselves and conduct us out!


text:
The police reported this message to the magistrates, and they were frightened when they heard that the prisoners were Roman citizens;


text:
So they came themselves and [striving to appease them by entreaty] apologized to them. And they brought them out and asked them to leave the city.


text:
So [Paul and Silas] left the prison and went to Lydia’s house; and when they had seen the brethren, they warned <i>and</i> urged <i>and</i> consoled <i>and</i> encouraged them and departed.


text:
Now after [Paul and Silas] had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.


text:
And Paul entered, as he usually did, and for three Sabbaths he reasoned <i>and</i> argued with them from the Scriptures,


text:
Explaining [them] <i>and</i> [quoting passages] setting forth <i>and</i> proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, Whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ (the Messiah).


text:
And some of them [accordingly] were induced to believe and associated themselves with Paul and Silas, as did a great number of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.


text:
But the unbelieving Jews were aroused to jealousy, and, getting hold of some wicked men (ruffians and rascals) and loungers in the marketplace, they gathered together a mob, set the town in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring [Paul and Silas] out to the people.


text:
But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,


text:
And Jason has received them to his house <i>and</i> privately protected them! And they are all ignoring <i>and</i> acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] asserting that there is another king, one Jesus!


text:
And both the crowd and the city authorities, on hearing this, were irritated (stirred up and troubled).


text:
Now the brethren at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea; and when they arrived, they entered the synagogue of the Jews.


text:
Now these [Jews] were better disposed <i>and</i> more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they were entirely ready <i>and</i> accepted <i>and</i> welcomed the message [<f>[1]</f>concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] with inclination of mind <i>and</i> eagerness, searching <i>and</i> examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.


text:
Many of them therefore became believers, together with not a few prominent Greeks, women as well as men.


text:
But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the Word of God [<f>[2]</f>concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] was also preached by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, disturbing <i>and</i> inciting the masses.


text:
Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy that they should come to him as soon as possible, they departed.


text:
Now while Paul was awaiting them at Athens, his spirit was grieved <i>and</i> roused to anger as he saw that the city was full of idols.


text:
So he reasoned <i>and</i> argued in the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshiped there, and in the marketplace [where assemblies are held] day after day with any who chanced to be there.


text:
And some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him <i>and</i> began to engage in discussion. And some said, What is this babbler with his scrap-heap learning trying to say? Others said, He seems to be an announcer of foreign deities — because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.


text:
And they took hold of him and brought him to the <f>[3]</f>Areopagus [Mars Hill meeting place], saying, May we know what this novel (unheard of and unprecedented) teaching is which you are openly declaring?


text:
For you set forth some startling things, foreign <i>and</i> strange to our ears; we wish to know therefore just what these things mean —


text:
For the Athenians, all of them, and the foreign residents <i>and</i> visitors among them spent all their leisure time in nothing except telling or hearing something newer than the last —


text:
So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus [Mars Hill meeting place], said: Men of Athens, I perceive in every way [on every hand and with every turn I make] that you are most religious <i>or</i> very reverent to demons.


text:
For as I passed along and carefully observed your objects of worship, I came also upon an altar with this inscription, To the unknown god. Now what you are already worshiping as unknown, this I set forth to you.


text:
The God Who produced <i>and</i> formed the world and all things in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade shrines.


text:
Neither is He served by human hands, as though He lacked anything, for it is He Himself Who gives life and breath and all things to all [people]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes),


text:
So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us.


text:
For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring.


text:
Since then we are God’s offspring, we ought not to suppose that Deity (the Godhead) is like gold or silver or stone, [of the nature of] a representation by human art and imagination, <i>or</i> anything constructed <i>or</i> invented.


text:
Such [former] ages of ignorance God, it is true, ignored <i>and</i> allowed to pass unnoticed; but now He charges all people everywhere to repent (<f>[4]</f>to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins),


text:
Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world righteously (justly) by a Man Whom He has destined <i>and</i> appointed for that task, and He has made this credible <i>and</i> given conviction <i>and</i> assurance <i>and</i> evidence to everyone by raising Him from the dead. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Now when they had heard [that there had been] a resurrection from the dead, some scoffed; but others said, We will hear you again about this matter.


text:
But some men were on his side <i>and</i> joined him and believed (became Christians); among them were Dionysius, a judge of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and some others with them.


text:
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently arrived from Italy with Priscilla his wife, due to the fact that Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. And [Paul] went to see them,


text:
And because he was of the same occupation, he stayed with them; and they worked [together], for they were tentmakers by trade.


text:
But he discoursed <i>and</i> argued in the synagogue every Sabbath and won over [both] Jews and Greeks.


text:
By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was completely engrossed with preaching, earnestly arguing <i>and</i> testifying to the Jews that Jesus [is] the Christ.


text:
But since they kept opposing <i>and</i> abusing <i>and</i> reviling him, he shook out his clothing [against them] and said to them, Your blood be upon your [own] heads! I am innocent [of it]. From now on I will go to the Gentiles (the heathen). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He then left there and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue.


text:
But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed [that Jesus is the Messiah and acknowledged Him with joyful trust as Savior and Lord], together with his entire household; and many of the Corinthians who listened [to Paul also] believed and were baptized.


text:
For I am with you, and no man shall assault you to harm you, for I have many people in this city. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So he settled down among them for a year and six months, teaching the Word of God [concerning the <f>[1]</f>attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (most of Greece), the Jews unitedly made an attack upon Paul and brought him before the judge’s seat,


text:
Declaring, This fellow is advising <i>and</i> inducing <i>and</i> inciting people to worship God in violation of the <f>[2]</f>Law [of Rome and of Moses].


text:
But when Paul was about to open his mouth to reply, Gallio said to the Jews, If it were a matter of some misdemeanor or villainy, O Jews, I should have cause to bear with you <i>and</i> listen;


text:
But since it is merely a question [of doctrine] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I decline to be a judge of such matters <i>and</i> I have no intention of trying such cases.


text:
Then they [the Greeks] all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.


text:
Afterward Paul remained many days longer, and then told the brethren farewell and sailed for Syria; and he was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he [<f>[3]</f>Paul] cut his hair, for he had made a vow.


text:
Then they arrived in Ephesus, and [Paul] left the others there; but he himself entered the synagogue and discoursed <i>and</i> argued with the Jews.


text:
But when he was leaving them he said, I will return to you if God is willing, and he set sail from Ephesus.


text:
When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and saluted the church [at Jerusalem], and then went down to Antioch.


text:
After staying there some time, he left and went from place to place in an orderly journey through the territory of Galatia and Phrygia, establishing the disciples <i>and</i> imparting new strength to them.


text:
Meanwhile, there was a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, who came to Ephesus. He was a cultured <i>and</i> eloquent man, well versed <i>and</i> mighty in the Scriptures.


text:
He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, he spoke and taught diligently <i>and</i> accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he was acquainted only with the baptism of John.


text:
He began to speak freely (fearlessly and boldly) in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him with them and expounded to him the way of God more definitely <i>and</i> accurately.


text:
And when [Apollos] wished to cross to Achaia (most of Greece), the brethren wrote to the disciples there, urging <i>and</i> encouraging them to accept <i>and</i> welcome him heartily. When he arrived, he proved a great help to those who through grace (God’s unmerited favor and mercy) had believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ as Lord and Savior).


text:
For with great power he refuted the Jews in public [discussions], showing <i>and</i> proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).


text:
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the upper inland districts and came down to Ephesus. There he found some disciples.


text:
And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.


text:
And Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, continually telling the people that they should believe in the One Who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus [having a conviction full of joyful trust that He is Christ, the Messiah, and being obedient to Him].


text:
And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied.


text:
And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading <i>and</i> arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God.


text:
But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting <i>and</i> reviling <i>and</i> speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus <i>from about ten o’clock till three</i>.


text:
This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the <f>[1]</f>attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].


text:
So that handkerchiefs <i>or</i> towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away <i>and</i> put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.


text:
Then some of the traveling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore <i>and</i> charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches!


text:
Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering <f>[3]</f>two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded.


text:
This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and alarm <i>and</i> terror fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled <i>and</i> magnified.


text:
Many also of those who were now believers came making <f>[4]</f>full confession <i>and</i> thoroughly exposing their [former deceptive and evil] practices.


text:
And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, <f>[5]</f>book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. When they counted the value of them, they found it amounted to 50,000 pieces of silver (<f>[6]</f>about $9,300).


text:
Thus the Word of the Lord [concerning the <f>[7]</f>attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God] grew <i>and</i> spread <i>and</i> intensified, prevailing mightily.


text:
Now after these events Paul determined in the [Holy] Spirit that he would travel through Macedonia and Achaia (most of Greece) and go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must visit Rome also.


text:
And having sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, he himself stayed on in [the province of] Asia for a while.


text:
For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis <f>[8]</f>[Diana], brought no small income to his craftsmen.


text:
These he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, Men, you are acquainted with the facts <i>and</i> understand that from this business we derive our wealth <i>and</i> livelihood.


text:
Now you notice and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost all over [the province of] Asia this Paul has persuaded <i>and</i> induced people to believe his teaching and has alienated a considerable company of them, saying that gods that are made with human hands are not really gods at all.


text:
Now there is danger not merely that this trade of ours may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may come into disrepute <i>and</i> count for nothing, and that her glorious magnificence may be degraded and fall into contempt — she whom all [the province of] Asia and the wide world worship.


text:
As they listened to this, they were filled with rage and they continued to shout, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!


text:
Then the city was filled with confusion; and they rushed together into the amphitheater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were fellow travelers with Paul.


text:
Even some of the Asiarchs (political or religious officials in Asia) who were his friends also sent to him and warned him not to risk venturing into the theater.


text:
Now some shouted one thing and some another, for the gathering was in a tumult and most of them did not know why they had come together.


text:
Some of the crowd called upon Alexander [to speak], since the Jews had pushed <i>and</i> urged him forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense <i>and</i> [planning] to apologize to the people.


text:
But as soon as they saw him <i>and</i> recognized that he was a Jew, a shout went up from them as the voice of one man, as for about two hours they cried, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!


text:
And when the town clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the sacred stone [image of her] that fell from the sky?


text:
Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet (keep yourselves in check) and do nothing rashly.


text:
For you have brought these men here, who are [guilty of] neither temple robberies nor blasphemous speech about our goddess.


text:
Now then, if Demetrius and his fellow tradesmen who are with him have a grievance against anyone, the courts are open and proconsuls are [available]; let them bring charges against one another [legally].


text:
But if you require anything further about this <i>or about other matters</i>, it must be decided <i>and</i> cleared up in the regular assembly.


text:
For we are in danger of being called to render an account <i>and</i> of being accused of rioting because of [this commotion] today, there being no reason that we can offer to justify this disorder.


text:
After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and warned <i>and</i> consoled <i>and</i> urged <i>and</i> encouraged them; then he embraced them <i>and</i> told them farewell and set forth on his journey to Macedonia.


text:
Then after he had gone through those districts and had warned <i>and</i> consoled <i>and</i> urged <i>and</i> encouraged the brethren with much discourse, he came to Greece.


text:
Having spent three months there, when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he resolved to go back through Macedonia.


text:
He was accompanied by Sopater the son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, and by the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy, and the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.


text:
But we [ourselves] sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week], and in five days we joined them at Troas, where we remained for seven days.


text:
And on the first day of the week, when we were assembled together to break bread [<f>[1]</f>the Lord’s Supper], Paul discoursed with them, intending to leave the next morning; and he kept on with his message until midnight.


text:
And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window. He was borne down with deep sleep as Paul kept on talking still longer, and [finally] completely overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.


text:
When Paul had gone back upstairs and had broken bread and eaten [with them], and after he had talked confidentially <i>and</i> communed with them for a considerable time — until daybreak [in fact] — he departed.


text:
They took the youth home alive, and were not a little comforted <i>and</i> cheered <i>and</i> refreshed <i>and</i> encouraged.


text:
But going on ahead to the ship, the rest of us set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for that was what he had directed, intending himself to go by land [on foot].


text:
And sailing from there, we arrived the day after at a point opposite Chios; the following day we struck across to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus.


text:
For Paul had determined to sail on past Ephesus, lest he might have to spend time [unnecessarily] in [the province of] Asia; for he was hastening on so that he might reach Jerusalem, if at all possible, by the day of Pentecost.


text:
However, from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church [to come to him there].


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And when they arrived he said to them: You yourselves are well acquainted with my manner of living among you from the first day that I set foot in [the province of] Asia, and how I continued afterward,


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Serving the Lord with all humility in tears and in the midst of adversity (affliction and trials) which befell me, due to the plots of the Jews [against me];


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How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house,


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But constantly <i>and</i> earnestly I bore testimony both to Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance [<f>[2]</f>that is due] to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [<f>[3]</f>that is due Him].


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And now, you see, I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the [Holy] Spirit <i>and</i> obligated <i>and</i> compelled by the [convictions of my own] spirit, not knowing what will befall me there —


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Except that the Holy Spirit clearly <i>and</i> emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me.


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But <i>none of these things move me</i>; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course <i>with joy</i> and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God’s grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy).


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And now, observe, I perceive that all of you, among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.


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Therefore I testify <i>and</i> protest to you on this [our parting] day that I am clean <i>and</i> innocent <i>and</i> not responsible for the blood of any of you.


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For I never shrank <i>or</i> kept back <i>or</i> fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose <i>and</i> plan <i>and</i> counsel of God.


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Take care <i>and</i> be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord <i>or</i> <f>[4]</f><i>of God</i> which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.


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Even from among your own selves men will come to the front who, by saying perverse (distorted and corrupt) things, will endeavor to draw away the disciples after them [to their own party].


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Therefore be always alert <i>and</i> on your guard, being mindful that for three years I never stopped night or day seriously to admonish <i>and</i> advise <i>and</i> exhort you one by one with tears.


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And now [brethren], I commit you to God [I deposit you in His charge, entrusting you to His protection and care]. And I commend you to the Word of His grace [to the commands and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor]. It is able to build you up and to give you [your rightful] inheritance among all God’s set-apart ones (those consecrated, purified, and transformed of soul).


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You yourselves know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs and those [of the persons] who were with me.


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In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more <f>[5]</f>to be envied) to give than to receive.


text:
And they all wept freely and threw their arms around Paul’s neck and kissed him fervently <i>and</i> repeatedly,


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Being especially distressed <i>and</i> sorrowful because he had stated that they were about to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.


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And when we had torn ourselves away from them <i>and</i> withdrawn, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos, and on the following [day came] to Rhodes and from there to Patara.


text:
After we had sighted Cyprus, leaving it on our left we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo.


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And having looked up the disciples there, we remained with them for seven days. Prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to set foot in Jerusalem.


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But when our time there was ended, we left and proceeded on our journey; and all of them with their wives and children accompanied us on our way till we were outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed.


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Then when we had told one another farewell, we went on board the ship, and they returned to their own homes.


text:
When we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we paid our respects to the brethren and remained with them for one day.


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On the morrow we left there and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven [first deacons], and stayed with him. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And coming to [see] us, he took Paul’s belt and with it bound his own feet and hands and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit: The Jews at Jerusalem shall bind like this the man who owns this belt, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (heathen).


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When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.


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Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested <i>and</i> bound <i>and</i> imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.


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And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord’s will be done!


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And some of the disciples from Caesarea came with us, conducting us to the house of Mnason, a man from Cyprus, one of the disciples of long standing, with whom we were to lodge.


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On the next day Paul went in with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present [also].


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After saluting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.


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And upon hearing it, they adored <i>and</i> exalted <i>and</i> praised <i>and</i> thanked God. And they said to [Paul], You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are enthusiastic upholders of the [Mosaic] Law.


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Now they have been informed about you that you continually teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn back from <i>and</i> forsake Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or pay any attention to the observance of the [Mosaic] customs.


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What then [is best that] should be done? A multitude will come together, for they will surely hear that you have arrived.


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Take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses [for the temple offering], so that they may have their heads shaved. Thus everybody will know that there is no truth in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself walk in observance of the Law.


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But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ), we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should keep themselves free from anything that has been sacrificed to idols and from [tasting] blood and [eating the meat of animals] which have been strangled and from all impurity <i>and</i> sexual immorality.


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Then Paul took the [four] men with him and the following day [he went through the rites of] purifying himself along with them. And they entered the temple to give notice when the days of purification (the ending of each vow) would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each of them.


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When the seven days were drawing to a close, some of the Jews from [the province of] Asia, who had caught sight of Paul in the temple, incited all the rabble and laid hands on him,


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Shouting, Men of Israel, help! [Help!] This is the man who is teaching everybody everywhere against the people and the Law and this place! Moreover, he has also [actually] brought Greeks into the temple; he has desecrated <i>and</i> polluted this holy place!


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For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and they supposed that he had brought the man into the temple [into the inner court forbidden to Gentiles].


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Then the whole city was aroused <i>and</i> thrown into confusion, and the people rushed together; they laid hands on Paul and dragged him outside the temple, and immediately the gates were closed.


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Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commandant of the regular Roman garrison that the whole of Jerusalem was in a state of ferment.


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So immediately he took soldiers and centurions and hurried down among them; and when the people saw the commandant and the troops, they stopped beating Paul.


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Then the commandant approached and arrested Paul and ordered that he be secured with two chains. He then inquired who he was and what he had done.


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Some in the crowd kept shouting back one thing and others something else, and since he could not ascertain the facts because of the furor, he ordered that Paul be removed to the barracks.


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And when [Paul] came to mount the steps, he was actually being carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;


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Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commandant, May I say something to you? And the man replied, Can you speak Greek?


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Are you not then [as I supposed] the Egyptian who not long ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men who were cutthroats out into the wilderness (desert)?


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Paul answered, I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant <i>or</i> undistinguished city. I beg you, allow me to address the people.


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And when the man had granted him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and there was a great hush. Then he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:


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And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, they were all the more quiet. And he continued,


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I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but reared in this city. At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated according to the strictest care in the Law of our fathers, being ardent [even a zealot] for God, as all of you are today.


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[Yes] I harassed (troubled, molested, and persecuted) this Way [of the Lord] to the death, putting in chains and committing to prison both men and women,


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As the high priest and whole council of elders (Sanhedrin) can testify; for from them indeed I received letters with which I was on my way to the brethren in Damascus in order to take also those [believers] who were there, and bring them in chains to Jerusalem that they might be punished.


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But as I was on my journey and approached Damascus, about noon a great blaze of light flashed suddenly from heaven and shone about me.


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And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me [harass and trouble and molest Me]?


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And I replied, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, Whom you are persecuting.


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Now the men who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear [<f>[1]</f>the sound of the uttered words of] the voice of the One Who was speaking to me [so that they could <f>[2]</f>understand it].


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And I asked, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord answered me, Get up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you all that it is destined <i>and</i> appointed for you to do.


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And since I could not see because [of the dazzlingly glorious intensity] of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and [thus] I arrived in Damascus.


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And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well spoken of by all the Jews who resided there,


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Came to see me, and standing by my side said to me, Brother Saul, <f>[3]</f>look up <i>and</i> receive back your sight. And in that very <f>[4]</f>instant I [recovered my sight and] looking up saw him.


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And he said, The God of our forefathers has destined <i>and</i> appointed you to come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will], and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and to hear a voice from His [own] mouth <i>and</i> a message from His [own] lips;


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And now, why do you delay? Rise and be baptized, and <f>[5]</f>by calling upon His name, wash away your sins.


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Then when I had come back to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple [<f>[6]</f>enclosure], I fell into a trance (an ecstasy);


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And I saw Him as He said to me, Hurry, get quickly out of Jerusalem, because they will not receive your testimony about Me.


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And I said, Lord, they themselves well know that throughout all the synagogues I cast into prison and flogged those who believed on (adhered to and trusted in and relied on) You.


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And when the blood of Your witness (martyr) Stephen was shed, I also was personally standing by and consenting <i>and</i> approving and guarding the garments of those who slew him.


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Up to the moment that Paul made this last statement, the people listened to him; but now they raised their voices and shouted, Away with such a fellow from the earth! He is not fit to live!


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And as they were shouting and tossing <i>and</i> waving their garments and throwing dust into the air,


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The commandant ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks, and that he be examined by scourging in order that [the commandant] might learn why the people cried out thus against him.


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But when they had stretched him out with the thongs (leather straps), Paul asked the centurion who was standing by, Is it legal for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned [without a trial]?


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When the centurion heard that, he went to the commandant and said to him, What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen!


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So the commandant came and said to [Paul], Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? And he said, Yes [indeed]!


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The commandant replied, I purchased this citizenship [as a capital investment] for a big price. Paul said, But I was born [Roman]!


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Instantly those who were about to examine <i>and</i> flog him withdrew from him; and the commandant also was frightened, for he realized that [Paul] was a Roman citizen and he had put him in chains.


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But the next day, desiring to know the real cause for which the Jews accused him, he unbound him and ordered the chief priests and all the council (Sanhedrin) to assemble; and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.


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Then Paul, gazing earnestly at the council (Sanhedrin), said, Brethren, I have lived before God, doing my duty with a perfectly good conscience until this very day [<f>[1]</f>as a citizen, a true and loyal Jew].


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Then Paul said to him, God is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit as a judge to try me in accordance with the Law, and yet in defiance of the Law you order me to be struck?


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And Paul said, I was not conscious, brethren, that he was a high priest; for the Scripture says, You shall not speak ill of a ruler of your people. <f>ⓐ</f>


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But Paul, when he perceived that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, cried out to the council (Sanhedrin), Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; it is with regard to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am indicted <i>and</i> being judged.


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So when he had said this, an angry dispute arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the whole [crowded] assemblage was divided [into two factions].


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For the Sadducees hold that there is no resurrection, nor angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees declare openly <i>and</i> speak out freely, acknowledging [their belief in] them both.


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Then a great uproar ensued, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and thoroughly fought the case, [contending fiercely] and declaring, We find nothing evil <i>or</i> wrong in this man. But if a spirit or an angel [really] spoke to him — ? <i>Let us not fight against God</i>!


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And when the strife became more and more tense <i>and</i> violent, the commandant, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, ordered the troops to go down and take him forcibly from among them and conduct him back into the barracks.


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And [that same] following night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, Take courage, <i>Paul</i>, for as you have borne faithful witness concerning Me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.


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Now when daylight came, the Jews formed a plot and bound themselves by an oath <i>and</i> under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they had done away with Paul.


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There were more than forty [men of them], who formed this conspiracy [swearing together this oath and curse].


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And they went to the chief priests and elders, saying, We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath <i>and</i> under a curse not to taste any food until we have slain Paul.


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So now you, along with the council (Sanhedrin), give notice to the commandant to bring [Paul] down to you, as if you were going to investigate his case more accurately. But we [ourselves] are ready to slay him before he comes near.


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But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their intended attack, and he went and got into the barracks and told Paul.


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Then Paul, calling in one of the centurions, said, Take this young man to the commandant, for he has something to report to him.


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So he took him and conducted him to the commandant and said, Paul the prisoner called me to him and requested me to conduct this young man to you, for he has something to report to you.


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The commandant took him by the hand, and going aside with him, asked privately, What is it that you have to report to me?


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And he replied, The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council (Sanhedrin) tomorrow, as if [they were] intending to examine him more exactly.


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But do not yield to their persuasion, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush waiting for him, having bound themselves by an oath <i>and</i> under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him; and even now they are all ready, [just] waiting for your promise.


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So the commandant sent the youth away, charging him, Do not disclose to anyone that you have given me this information.


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Then summoning two of the centurions, he said, Have two hundred footmen ready by the third hour of the night (about 9:00 p.m.) to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen.


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This man was seized [as prisoner] by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the troops and rescued him, because I learned that he is a Roman citizen.


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And wishing to know the exact accusation which they were making against him, I brought him down before their council (Sanhedrin),


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[Where] I found that he was charged in regard to questions of their own law, but he was accused of nothing that would call for death or [even] for imprisonment.


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[However] when it was pointed out to me that there would be a conspiracy against the man, I sent him to you immediately, directing his accusers also to present before you their charge against him.


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So the soldiers, in compliance with their instructions, took Paul and conducted him during the night to Antipatris.


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When these came to Caesarea and gave the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul before him.


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Having read the letter, he asked to what province [Paul] belonged. When he discovered that he was from Cilicia [an imperial province],


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He said, I will hear your case <f>[2]</f>fully when your accusers also have come. And he ordered that an eye be kept on him in Herod’s palace (the Praetorium).


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Five days later, the high priest Ananias came down [from Jerusalem to Caesarea] with some elders and a certain forensic advocate Tertullus [acting as spokesman and counsel]. They presented to the governor their evidence against Paul.


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And when he was called, Tertullus began the complaint [against him] by saying: Since through you we obtain <i>and</i> enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight <i>and</i> provision wonderful reforms (amendments and improvements) are introduced <i>and</i> effected on behalf of this nation,


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In every way and in every place, most excellent Felix, we accept <i>and</i> acknowledge this with deep appreciation <i>and</i> with all gratitude.


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But not to hinder <i>or</i> detain you too long, I beg you in your clemency <i>and</i> courtesy <i>and</i> kindness to grant us a brief <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f>concise hearing.


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For we have found this man a perfect pest (a real plague), an agitator <i>and</i> source of disturbance to all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the [heretical, <f>[2]</f>division-producing] sect of the Nazarenes.


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He also [even] tried to desecrate <i>and</i> defile the temple, but we laid hands on him <f>[3]</f><i>and would have sentenced him by our Law</i>,


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<i>And ordered his accusers to present themselves to you</i>. By examining <i>and</i> cross-questioning him yourself, you will be able to ascertain the truth from him about all these things with which we charge him.


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The Jews also agreed <i>and</i> joined in the accusation, declaring that all these things were exactly so.


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And when the governor had beckoned to Paul to speak, he answered: Because I know that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I find it easier to make my defense <i>and</i> do it cheerfully <i>and</i> with good courage.


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And neither in the temple nor in the synagogues nor in the city did they find me disputing with anybody or bringing together a seditious crowd.


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Neither can they present argument <i>or</i> evidence to prove to you what they now bring against me.


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But this I confess to you, however, that in accordance with the Way [of the Lord], which they call a [heretical, division-producing] sect, I worship (serve) the God of our fathers, still persuaded of the truth of <i>and</i> believing in <i>and</i> placing full confidence in everything laid down in the Law [of Moses] <i>or</i> written in the prophets;


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Having [the same] hope in God which these themselves hold <i>and</i> look for, that there is to be a resurrection both of the righteous and the unrighteous (the just and the unjust).


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Therefore I always exercise <i>and</i> discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.


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Now after several years I came up [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people contributions of charity and offerings.


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While I was engaged in presenting these, they found me [occupied in the rites of purification] in the temple, without any crowd or uproar. But some Jews from [the province of] Asia [were there],


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Or else let these men themselves tell of what crime <i>or</i> wrongdoing they found me guilty when I appeared before the council (Sanhedrin),


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Unless it be this one sentence which I cried out as I stood among them, In regard to the resurrection of the dead I am indicted <i>and</i> on trial before you this day!


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But Felix, having a rather accurate understanding of the Way [of the Lord], put them off <i>and</i> adjourned the trial, saying, When Lysias the commandant comes down, I will determine your case more fully.


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Then he ordered the centurion to keep [Paul] in custody, but to treat him with indulgence [giving him some liberty] and not to hinder his friends from ministering to his needs <i>and</i> serving him.


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Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess; and he sent for Paul and listened to him [talk] about faith in Christ Jesus.


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But as he continued to argue about uprightness, purity of life (the control of the passions), and the judgment to come, Felix became alarmed <i>and</i> terrified and said, Go away for the present; when I have a convenient opportunity, I will send for you.


text:
At the same time he hoped to get money from Paul, for which reason he continued to send for him and was in his company <i>and</i> conversed with him often.


text:
But when two years had gone by, Felix was succeeded in office by Porcius Festus; and wishing to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul still a prisoner in chains.


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Now when Festus had entered into his own province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.


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And [there] the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid charges before him against Paul, and they kept begging <i>and</i> urging him,


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Asking as a favor that he would have him brought to Jerusalem; [meanwhile] they were planning an ambush to slay him on the way.


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Festus answered that Paul was in custody in Caesarea and that he himself planned to leave for there soon.


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So, said he, let those who are in a position of authority <i>and</i> are influential among you go down with me, and if there is anything amiss <i>or</i> criminal about the man, let them so charge him.


text:
So when Festus had remained among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea, took his seat the next day on the judgment bench, and ordered Paul to be brought before him.


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And when he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood all around him, bringing many grave accusations against him which they were not able to prove.


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Paul declared in [his own] defense, Neither against the Law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in any way.


text:
But Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, answered Paul, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be put on trial [<f>[1]</f>before the Jewish Sanhedrin] in my presence concerning these charges?


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But Paul replied, I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you know <f>[2]</f>better [than your question implies].


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If then I am a wrongdoer <i>and</i> a criminal and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not beg off <i>and</i> seek to escape death; but if there is no ground for their accusations against me, no one can give me up <i>and</i> make a present of me [<f>[3]</f>give me up freely] to them. I appeal to Caesar.


text:
Then Festus, when he had consulted with the [<f>[4]</f>men who formed his] council, answered, You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.


text:
Now after an interval of some days, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus [to welcome him and wish him well].


text:
And while they remained there for many days, Festus acquainted the king with Paul’s case, telling him, There is a man left a prisoner in chains by Felix;


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And when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, petitioning for a judicial hearing <i>and</i> condemnation of him.


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But I replied to them that it was not the custom of the Romans to <f>[5]</f>give up freely any man for punishment before the accused had met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to defend himself concerning the charge brought against him.


text:
So when they came here together, I did not delay, but on the morrow took my place on the judgment seat and ordered that the man be brought before me.


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[But] when the accusers stood up, they brought forward no accusation [in his case] of any such misconduct as I was expecting.


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Instead they had some points of controversy with him about their own religion <i>or</i> superstition and concerning one Jesus, Who had died but Whom Paul kept asserting [over and over] to be alive.


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And I, being puzzled to know how to make inquiries into such questions, asked whether he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and there be tried regarding them.


text:
But when Paul had appealed to have his case retained for examination <i>and</i> decision by the emperor, I ordered that he be detained until I could send him to Caesar.


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Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also desire to hear the man myself. Tomorrow, [Festus] replied, you shall hear him.


text:
So the next day Agrippa and Bernice approached with great display, and they went into the audience hall accompanied by the military commandants and the prominent citizens of the city. At the order of Festus Paul was brought in.


text:
Then Festus said, King Agrippa and all the men present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people came to me <i>and</i> complained, both at Jerusalem and here, insisting <i>and</i> shouting that he ought not to live any longer.


text:
But I found nothing that he had done deserving of death. Still, as he himself appealed to the emperor, I determined to send him to Rome.


text:
[However] I have nothing in particular <i>and</i> definite to write to my lord concerning him. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after [further] examination has been made, I may have something to put in writing.


text:
For it seems to me senseless <i>and</i> absurd to send a prisoner and not state the accusations against him.


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Then Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak on your own behalf. At that Paul stretched forth his hand and made his defense [as follows]:


text:
I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that it is before you that I am to make my defense today in regard to all the charges brought against me by [the] Jews,


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[Especially] because you are so fully <i>and</i> unusually conversant with all the Jewish customs and controversies; therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.


text:
My behavior <i>and</i> manner of living from my youth up is known by all the Jews; [they are aware] that from [its] commencement my youth was spent among my own race in Jerusalem.


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They have had knowledge of me for a long time, if they are willing to testify to it, that in accordance with the strictest sect of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.


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And now I stand here on trial [to be judged on the ground] of the hope of that promise made to our forefathers by God, <f>ⓐ</f>


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Which hope [of the Messiah and the resurrection] our twelve tribes confidently expect to realize as they fervently worship [without ceasing] night and day. And for that hope, O king, I am accused by Jews <i>and</i> considered a criminal!


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I myself indeed was [once] persuaded that it was my duty to do many things contrary to <i>and</i> in defiance of the name of Jesus of Nazareth.


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And that is what I did in Jerusalem; I [not only] locked up many of the [faithful] saints (holy ones) in prison by virtue of authority received from the chief priests, but when they were being condemned to death, I cast my vote against them.


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And frequently I punished them in all the synagogues to make them blaspheme; and in my bitter fury against them, I harassed (troubled, molested, persecuted) <i>and</i> pursued them even to foreign cities.


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When on the road at midday, O king, I saw a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the sun, flashing about me and those who were traveling with me.


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And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew tongue saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you continue to persecute Me [to harass and trouble and molest Me]? It is dangerous <i>and</i> turns out badly for you to keep kicking against the goads [to keep offering vain and perilous resistance].


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But arise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, that I might appoint you to serve as [My] minister and to bear witness both to what you have seen of Me and to that in which I will appear to you,


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<f>[1]</f>Choosing you out [selecting you for Myself] <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f>delivering you from among this [Jewish] people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you — <f>ⓑ</f>


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To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness <i>and</i> release from their sins and a place <i>and</i> portion among those who are consecrated <i>and</i> purified by faith in Me. <f>ⓒ</f>


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But made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works <i>and</i> live lives consistent with <i>and</i> worthy of their repentance.


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Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple [<f>[3]</f>enclosure] and tried to do away with me.


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[But] to this day I have had the help which comes from God [as my <f>[4]</f>ally], and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, asserting nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses declared would come to pass —


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That the Christ (the Anointed One) must suffer and that He, by being the first to rise from the dead, would declare <i>and</i> show light both to the [Jewish] people and to the Gentiles.


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And as he thus proceeded with his defense, Festus called out loudly, Paul, you are mad! Your great learning is driving you insane!


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For the king understands about these things well enough, and [therefore] to him I speak with bold frankness <i>and</i> confidence. I am convinced that not one of these things has escaped his notice, for all this did not take place in a corner [in secret].


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King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? [Do you give credence to God’s messengers and their words?] I perceive <i>and</i> know that you do believe.


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Then Agrippa said to Paul, You think it a small task to make a Christian of me [just offhand to induce me with little ado and persuasion, at very short notice].


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And Paul replied, Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains.


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And after they had gone out, they said to one another, This man is doing nothing deserving of death or [even] of imprisonment.


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And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.


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Now when it was determined that we [including Luke] should sail for Italy, they turned Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the imperial regiment named Julius.


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And going aboard a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail for the ports along the coast of [the province of] Asia, we put out to sea; and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us.


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The following day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul in a loving way, with much consideration (kindness and care), permitting him to go to his friends [there] and be refreshed <i>and</i> be cared for.


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After putting to sea from there we passed to the leeward (south side) of Cyprus [for protection], for the winds were contrary to us.


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And when we had sailed over [the whole length] of sea which lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.


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For a number of days we made slow progress and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus; then, as the wind did not permit us to proceed, we went under the lee (shelter) of Crete off Salmone,


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And coasting along it with difficulty, we arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near which is located the town of Lasea.


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But as [the season was well advanced, for] much time had been lost and navigation was already dangerous, for the time for the Fast [the Day of Atonement, about the beginning of October] had already gone by, Paul warned <i>and</i> advised them,


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Saying, Sirs, I perceive [after careful observation] that this voyage will be attended with disaster and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but of our lives also.


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However, the centurion paid greater attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.


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And as the harbor was not well situated <i>and</i> so unsuitable to winter in, the majority favored the plan of putting to sea again from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenice, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and winter there.


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So when the south wind blew softly, supposing they were gaining their object, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, hugging the coast.


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But soon afterward a violent wind [of the character of a typhoon], called a northeaster, came bursting down from the island.


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And when the ship was caught and was unable to head against the wind, we gave up and, letting her drift, were borne along.


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We ran under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, where we managed with [much] difficulty to draw the [ship’s small] boat on deck <i>and</i> secure it.


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After hoisting it on board, they used supports with ropes to undergird <i>and</i> brace the ship; then afraid that they would be driven into the Syrtis [quicksands off the north coast of Africa], they lowered the gear (sails and ropes) and so were driven along.


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As we were being dangerously tossed about by the violence of the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard;


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And the third day they threw out with their own hands the ship’s equipment (the tackle and the furniture).


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And when neither sun nor stars were visible for many days and no small tempest kept raging about us, all hope of our being saved was finally abandoned.


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Then as they had eaten nothing for a long time, Paul came forward into their midst and said, Men, you should have listened to me, and should not have put to sea from Crete and brought on this disaster and harm <i>and</i> misery <i>and</i> loss.


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But [even] now I beg you to be in good spirits <i>and</i> take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship.


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For this [very] night there stood by my side an angel of the God to Whom I belong and Whom I serve <i>and</i> worship,


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And he said, Do not be frightened, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you all those who are sailing with you.


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So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me;


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The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting <i>and</i> being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near to some land.


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So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms, and a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.


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Then fearing that we might fall off [our course] onto rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and kept wishing for daybreak to come.


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And as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and were lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow,


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


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Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the small boat, and let it fall <i>and</i> drift away.


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While they waited until it should become day, Paul entreated them all to take some food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been continually in suspense <i>and</i> on the alert without food, having eaten nothing.


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So I urge (warn, exhort, encourage, advise) you to take some food [for your safety] — it will give you strength; for not a hair is to perish from the head of any one of you.


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Having said these words, he took bread and, giving thanks to God before them all, he broke it and began to eat.


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And after they had eaten sufficiently, [they proceeded] to lighten the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.


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Now when it was day [and they saw the land], they did not recognize it, but they noticed a bay with a beach on which they [taking counsel] purposed to run the ship ashore if they possibly could.


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So they cut the cables <i>and</i> severed the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time unlashing the ropes that held the rudders and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed for the beach.


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But striking a crosscurrent (a place open to two seas) they ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and remained immovable, and the stern began to break up under the violent force of the waves.


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It was the counsel of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim to land and escape;


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But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their purpose. He commanded those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the shore,


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And the rest on heavy boards or pieces of the vessel. And so it was that all escaped safely to land.


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And the natives showed us unusual <i>and</i> remarkable kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed <i>and</i> received us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold.


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Now Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and he was laying them on the fire when a viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.


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When the natives saw the little animal hanging from his hand, they said to one another, Doubtless this man is a murderer, for though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [<f>[1]</f>the goddess of avenging] has not permitted that he should live.


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However, they were waiting, expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead; but when they had watched him a long time and saw nothing fatal <i>or</i> harmful come to him, they changed their minds and kept saying over and over that he was a god.


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In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the head man of the island, named Publius, who accepted <i>and</i> welcomed <i>and</i> entertained us with hearty hospitality for three days.


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And it happened that the father of Publius was sick in bed with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to see him, and after praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.


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After this had occurred, the other people on the island who had diseases also kept coming and were cured.


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They showed us every respect <i>and</i> presented many gifts to us, honoring us with many honors; and when we sailed, they provided <i>and</i> put on [board our ship] everything we needed.


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It was after three months’ stay there that we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers [Castor and Pollux] as its figurehead.


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And from there we made a circuit [following the coast] and reached Rhegium; and one day later a south wind sprang up, and the next day we arrived at Puteoli.


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There we found some [Christian] brethren and were entreated to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.


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And the [Christian] brethren there, having had news of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and received new courage.


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When we arrived at Rome, <i>the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but</i> Paul was permitted to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him.


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Three days after [our arrival], he called together the leading local Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, Brethren, though I have done nothing against the people or against the customs of our forefathers, yet I was turned over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.


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After they had examined me, they were ready to release me because I was innocent of any offense deserving the death penalty.


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But when the Jews protested, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, though it was not because I had any charge to make against my nation.


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This is the reason therefore why I have begged to see you and to talk with you, since it is because of the Hope of Israel (the Messiah) that I am bound with this chain.


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And they answered him, We have not received any letters about you from Judea, and none of the [Jewish] brethren coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you.


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But we think it fitting <i>and</i> are eager to hear from you what it is that you have in mind <i>and</i> believe <i>and</i> what your opinion is, for with regard to this sect it is known to all of us that it is everywhere denounced.


text:
So when they had set a day with him, they came in large numbers to his lodging. And he fully set forth <i>and</i> explained the matter to them from morning until night, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.


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And as they disagreed among themselves, they began to leave, [but not before] Paul had added one statement [more]: The Holy Spirit was right in saying through Isaiah the prophet to your forefathers:


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Go to this people and say to them, You will indeed hear <i>and</i> hear with your ears but will not understand, and you will indeed look <i>and</i> look with your eyes but will not see [not perceive, have knowledge of or become acquainted with what you look at, at all].


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For the heart (the understanding, the soul) of this people has grown dull (stupid, hardened, and calloused), and their ears are heavy <i>and</i> hard of hearing and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they may not perceive <i>and</i> have knowledge <i>and</i> become acquainted with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their souls and turn [to Me and be converted], that I may heal them. <f>ⓐ</f>


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So let it be understood by you then that [this message of] the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen [to it]! <f>ⓑ</f>


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<f>[2]</f><i>And when he had said these things, the Jews went away, arguing and disputing among themselves.</i>


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After this Paul lived there for two entire years [at his own expense] in his own rented lodging, and he welcomed all who came to him,


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Preaching to them the kingdom of God and teaching them about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness <i>and</i> quite openly, and without being molested <i>or</i> hindered.


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From Paul, a bond servant of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) called to be an apostle, (a special messenger) set apart to [preach] the Gospel (good news) of <i>and</i> from God,


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And [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly <f>[1]</f>designated the Son of God in power [in a striking, triumphant and miraculous manner] by His resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ our Lord (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith <i>and</i> make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations,


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To [you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome, called to be saints <i>and</i> designated for a consecrated life: Grace <i>and</i> spiritual blessing and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.


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First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because [the report of] your faith is made known to all the world <i>and</i> is <f>[2]</f>commended everywhere.


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For God is my witness, Whom I serve with my [whole] spirit [rendering priestly and spiritual service] in [preaching] the Gospel <i>and</i> [telling] the good news of His Son, how incessantly I always mention you when at my prayers.


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For I am yearning to see you, that I may impart <i>and</i> share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen <i>and</i> establish you;


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That is, that we may be mutually strengthened <i>and</i> encouraged <i>and</i> comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.


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I want you to know, brethren, that many times I have planned <i>and</i> intended to come to you, though thus far I have been hindered <i>and</i> prevented, in order that I might have some fruit (some result of my labors) among you, as I have among the rest of the Gentiles.


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Both to Greeks and to barbarians (to the cultured and to the uncultured), both to the wise and the foolish, I have an obligation to discharge <i>and</i> a duty to perform <i>and</i> a debt to pay.


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So, for my part, I am willing <i>and</i> eagerly ready to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome.


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For I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) <i>of Christ</i>, for it is God’s power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes <i>with</i> a personal trust <i>and</i> a confident surrender <i>and</i> firm reliance, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,


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For in the Gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith]. As it is written, The man who through faith is just <i>and</i> upright shall live <i>and</i> shall live by faith. <f>ⓐ</f>


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For God’s [holy] wrath <i>and</i> indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress <i>and</i> hinder the truth <i>and</i> make it inoperative.


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For that which is known about God is evident to them <i>and</i> made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.


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For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature <i>and</i> attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible <i>and</i> clearly discernible in <i>and</i> through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], <f>ⓑ</f>


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Because when they knew <i>and</i> recognized Him as God, they did not honor <i>and</i> glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.


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Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves].


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And by them the glory and majesty <i>and</i> excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for <i>and</i> represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.


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Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their [own] hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin],


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Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen (so be it). <f>ⓒ</f>


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For this reason God gave them over <i>and</i> abandoned them to vile affections <i>and</i> degrading passions. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural <i>and</i> abnormal one,


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And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another — men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own <f>[4]</f>bodies <i>and</i> personalities the inevitable consequences <i>and</i> penalty of their wrong-doing <i>and</i> going astray, which was [their] fitting retribution.


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And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God <i>or</i> approve of Him <i>or</i> consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base <i>and</i> condemned mind to do things not proper <i>or</i> decent <i>but</i> loathsome,


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Until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping <i>and</i> covetous greed, and malice. [They were] full of envy <i>and</i> jealousy, murder, strife, deceit <i>and</i> treachery, ill will <i>and</i> cruel ways. [They were] secret backbiters <i>and</i> gossipers,


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Slanderers, hateful to <i>and</i> hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient <i>and</i> undutiful to parents.


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[They were] without understanding, conscienceless <i>and</i> faithless, heartless <i>and</i> loveless [and] merciless.


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Though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve <i>and</i> applaud others who practice them.


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Therefore you have no excuse <i>or</i> defense <i>or</i> justification, O man, whoever you are who judges <i>and</i> condemns another. For in posing as judge <i>and</i> passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce].


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[But] we know that the judgment (adverse verdict, sentence) of God falls justly <i>and</i> in accordance with truth upon those who practice such things.


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And do you think <i>or</i> imagine, O man, when you judge <i>and</i> condemn those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment <i>and</i> elude His sentence <i>and</i> adverse verdict?


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Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with <i>and</i> presume upon <i>and</i> despise <i>and</i> underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful <i>or</i> actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (<f>[1]</f>to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)?


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But by your callous stubbornness <i>and</i> impenitence of heart you are storing up wrath <i>and</i> indignation for yourself on the day of wrath <i>and</i> indignation, when God’s righteous judgment (just doom) will be revealed.


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To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [<f>[2]</f>springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [<f>[3]</f>the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life.


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But for those who are self-seeking <i>and</i> self-willed <i>and</i> disobedient to the Truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be indignation and wrath.


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[And] there will be tribulation <i>and</i> anguish and calamity <i>and</i> constraint for every soul of man who [habitually] does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).


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But glory and honor and [heart] peace shall be awarded to everyone who [habitually] does good, the Jew first and also the Greek (Gentile).


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For God shows no partiality [<f>[4]</f>undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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All who have sinned without the Law will also perish without [regard to] the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged <i>and</i> condemned by the Law.


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For it is not merely hearing the Law [read] that makes one righteous before God, but it is the doers of the Law who will be held guiltless <i>and</i> acquitted <i>and</i> justified.


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When Gentiles who have not the [divine] Law do instinctively what the Law requires, they are a law to themselves, since they do not have the Law.


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They show that the essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts <i>and</i> are operating there, with which their consciences (sense of right and wrong) also bear witness; and their [moral] <f>[5]</f>decisions (their arguments of reason, their condemning or approving <f>[6]</f>thoughts) will accuse or perhaps defend <i>and</i> excuse [them]


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On that day when, as my Gospel proclaims, God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to <f>[7]</f>the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts). <f>ⓒ</f>


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But if you bear the name of Jew and rely upon the Law and pride yourselves in God <i>and</i> your relationship to Him,


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And know <i>and</i> understand His will and discerningly approve the better things <i>and</i> have a sense of what is vital, because you are instructed by the Law;


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And if you are confident that you [yourself] are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, and [that


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You are] a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the childish, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth —


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Well then, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you teach against stealing, do you steal (take what does not really belong to you)?


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You who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery [are you unchaste in action or in thought]? You who abhor <i>and</i> loathe idols, do you rob temples [do you appropriate to your own use what is consecrated to God, thus robbing the sanctuary and <f>[8]</f>doing sacrilege]?


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You who boast in the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law [by stealthily infringing upon or carelessly neglecting or openly breaking it]?


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For, as it is written, The name of God is maligned <i>and</i> blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you! [The words to this effect are from your own Scriptures.] <f>ⓓ</f>


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Circumcision does indeed profit if you keep the Law; but if you habitually transgress the Law, your circumcision is made uncircumcision.


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So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be credited to him as [equivalent to] circumcision?


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Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the Law will condemn you who, although you have the code in writing and have circumcision, break the Law.


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For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly <i>and</i> publicly, nor is [true] circumcision something external and physical.


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But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and [true] circumcision is of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal [matter]. His praise is not from men but from God.


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Then what advantage remains to the Jew? [How is he favored?] Or what is the value <i>or</i> benefit of circumcision?


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Much in every way. To begin with, to the Jews were entrusted the oracles (the brief communications, the intentions, the utterances) of God. <f>ⓐ</f>


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What if some did not believe <i>and</i> were without faith? Does their lack of faith <i>and</i> their faithlessness nullify <i>and</i> make ineffective <i>and</i> void the faithfulness of God <i>and</i> His fidelity [to His Word]?


text:
By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false <i>and</i> a liar, as it is written, That You may be justified <i>and</i> shown to be upright in what You say, and prevail when You are judged [by sinful men]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But if our unrighteousness thus establishes <i>and</i> exhibits the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust <i>and</i> wrong to inflict His wrath upon us [Jews]? I speak in a [purely] human way.


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But [you say] if through my falsehood God’s integrity is magnified <i>and</i> advertised <i>and</i> abounds to His glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?


text:
And why should we not do evil that good may come? — as some slanderously charge us with teaching. Such [false teaching] is justly condemned by them.


text:
Well then, are we [Jews] superior <i>and</i> better off than they? No, not at all. We have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), are under sin [held down by and subject to its power and control].


text:
As it is written, None is righteous, just <i>and</i> truthful <i>and</i> upright <i>and</i> conscientious, no, not one. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
No one understands [no one intelligently discerns <i>or</i> comprehends]; no one seeks out God. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong <i>and</i> have become unprofitable <i>and</i> worthless; no one does right, not even one!


text:
Their throat is a yawning grave; they use their tongues to deceive (to mislead and to deal treacherously). The venom of asps is beneath their lips. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And they have no experience of the way of peace [they know nothing about peace, for a peaceful way they do not even recognize]. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the murmurs and excuses of] every mouth may be hushed and all the world may be held accountable to God.


text:
For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize <i>and</i> be conscious of sin [<f>[1]</f>not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].


text:
But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently <i>and</i> altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets,


text:
Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing <i>with</i> personal trust <i>and</i> confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,


text:
Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor <i>and</i> glory <f>[2]</f>which God bestows <i>and</i> receives.


text:
[All] are justified <i>and</i> made upright <i>and</i> in right standing with God, freely <i>and</i> gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,


text:
Whom God put forward [<f>[3]</f>before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat <i>and</i> propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over <i>and</i> ignored former sins without punishment.


text:
It was to demonstrate <i>and</i> prove at the present time (<f>[4]</f>in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies <i>and</i> accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.


text:
Then what becomes of [our] pride <i>and</i> [our] boasting? It is excluded (banished, ruled out entirely). On what principle? [On the principle] of doing good deeds? No, but on the principle of faith.


text:
For we hold that a man is justified <i>and</i> made upright by faith independent of <i>and</i> distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.]


text:
Since it is one and the same God Who will justify the circumcised by faith [<f>[5]</f>which germinated from Abraham] and the uncircumcised through their [newly acquired] faith. [For it is the same trusting faith in both cases, a firmly relying faith in Jesus Christ].


text:
Do we then by [this] faith make the Law of no effect, overthrow it <i>or</i> make it a dead letter? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm <i>and</i> establish <i>and</i> uphold the Law.


text:
[But] if so, what shall we say about Abraham, our forefather humanly speaking — [what did he] find out? [How does this affect his position, and what was gained by him?]


text:
For if Abraham was justified (<f>[1]</f>established as just by acquittal from guilt) by good works [that he did, then] he has grounds for boasting. But not before God!


text:
For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed in (trusted in) God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor <i>or</i> a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him).


text:
But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).


text:
Thus David <f>[2]</f>congratulates the man <i>and</i> pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does:


text:
Blessed <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[3]</f>to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up <i>and</i> completely buried.


text:
Blessed <i>and</i> happy <i>and</i> <f>[4]</f>to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account <i>nor</i> reckon it against him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Is this blessing (happiness) then meant only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.


text:
How then was it credited [to him]? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.


text:
He received the mark of circumcision as a token <i>or</i> an evidence [and] seal of the righteousness which he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised — [faith] so that he was to be made the father of all who [truly] believe, though without circumcision, and who thus have righteousness (right standing with God) imputed to them <i>and</i> credited to their account,


text:
As well as [that he be made] the father of those circumcised persons who are not merely circumcised, but also walk in the way of that faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.


text:
For the promise to Abraham or his posterity, that he should inherit the world, did not come through [observing the commands of] the Law but through the righteousness of faith. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
If it is the adherents of the Law who are to be the heirs, then faith is made futile <i>and</i> empty of all meaning and the promise [of God] is made void (is annulled and has no power).


text:
For the Law results in [divine] wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression [of it either].


text:
Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith <i>and</i> depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable <i>and</i> valid <i>and</i> guaranteed to all his descendants — not only to the devotees <i>and</i> adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.


text:
As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
No unbelief <i>or</i> distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong <i>and</i> was empowered by faith as he gave praise <i>and</i> glory to God,


text:
Fully satisfied <i>and</i> assured that God was able <i>and</i> mighty to keep His word <i>and</i> to do what He had promised.


text:
But [they were written] for our sakes too. [Righteousness, standing acceptable to God] will be granted <i>and</i> credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,


text:
Who was betrayed <i>and</i> put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our <f>[5]</f>acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God].


text:
Therefore, since we are justified (<f>[1]</f>acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to <f>[2]</f>enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice <i>and</i> exult in our hope of experiencing <i>and</i> enjoying the glory of God.


text:
Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult <i>and</i> triumph in our troubles <i>and</i> rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure <i>and</i> affliction <i>and</i> hardship produce patient <i>and</i> unswerving endurance.


text:
And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of <f>[3]</f>character (approved faith and <f>[4]</f>tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] <f>[5]</f>joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.


text:
Such hope never disappoints <i>or</i> deludes <i>or</i> shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.


text:
While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.


text:
Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble <i>and</i> lovable <i>and</i> generous benefactor someone might even dare to die.


text:
But God shows <i>and</i> clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.


text:
Therefore, since we are now justified (<f>[6]</f>acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation <i>and</i> wrath of God.


text:
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [<f>[7]</f>resurrection] life.


text:
Not only so, but we also rejoice <i>and</i> exultingly glory in God [in His love and perfection] through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received <i>and</i> enjoy [our] reconciliation. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [<f>[8]</f>no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.


text:
[To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men’s account where there is no law [to transgress].


text:
Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves transgress [a positive command] as Adam did. Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come [in reverse, <f>[9]</f>the former destructive, the Latter saving]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But God’s free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man’s falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God’s grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound <i>and</i> overflow to <i>and</i> for [the benefit of] many.


text:
Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man’s] sin. For the sentence [following the trespass] of one [man] brought condemnation, whereas the free gift [following] many transgressions brings justification (<f>[10]</f>an act of righteousness).


text:
For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


text:
Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal <i>and</i> right standing with God and life for all men.


text:
For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, <f>[11]</f>heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).


text:
But then Law came in, [only] to expand <i>and</i> increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased <i>and</i> abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it <i>and</i> increased the more <i>and</i> superabounded,


text:
So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.


text:
What shall we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply <i>and</i> overflow?


text:
Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?


text:
We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live <i>and</i> behave in newness of life.


text:
For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God].


text:
We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective <i>and</i> inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.


text:
Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.


text:
For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].


text:
Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin <i>and</i> your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.


text:
Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings <i>and</i> be subject to its lusts <i>and</i> evil passions.


text:
Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and <f>[1]</f>faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer <i>and</i> yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and <f>[2]</f>faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.


text:
For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].


text:
What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we live not under Law but under God’s favor <i>and</i> mercy? Certainly not!


text:
Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?


text:
But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed <i>and</i> to which you were committed.


text:
And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).


text:
I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and <f>[3]</f>faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and <f>[4]</f>faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification.


text:
But then what benefit (return) did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None] for the end of those things is death.


text:
But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.


text:
For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.


text:
Do you not know, brethren — for I am speaking to men who are acquainted with the Law — that legal claims have power over a person only for as long as he is alive?


text:
For [instance] a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies, she is loosed <i>and</i> discharged from the law concerning her husband.


text:
Accordingly, she will be held an adulteress if she unites herself to another man while her husband lives. But if her husband dies, the marriage law no longer is binding on her [she is free from that law]; and if she unites herself to another man, she is not an adulteress.


text:
Likewise, my brethren, you have undergone death as to the Law through the [crucified] body of Christ, so that now you may belong to Another, to Him Who was raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.


text:
When we were living in the flesh (mere physical lives), the sinful passions that were awakened <i>and</i> aroused up by [what] the Law [makes sin] were constantly operating in our natural powers (in our bodily organs, <f>[1]</f>in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh), so that we bore fruit for death.


text:
But now we are discharged from the Law <i>and</i> have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained <i>and</i> held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life].


text:
What then do we conclude? Is the Law identical with sin? Certainly not! Nevertheless, if it had not been for the Law, I should not have recognized sin <i>or</i> have known its meaning. [For instance] I would not have known about covetousness [would have had no consciousness of sin or sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, You shall not covet <i>and</i> have an evil desire [for one thing and another]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment [to express itself], got a hold on me <i>and</i> aroused <i>and</i> stimulated all kinds of forbidden desires (lust, covetousness). For without the Law sin is dead [the sense of it is inactive and a lifeless thing].


text:
Once I was alive, but quite apart from <i>and</i> unconscious of the Law. But when the commandment came, sin lived again and I died (was sentenced by the Law to death). <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the very legal ordinance which was designed <i>and</i> intended to bring life actually proved [to mean to me] death. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For sin, seizing the opportunity <i>and</i> getting a hold on me [by taking its incentive] from the commandment, beguiled <i>and</i> entrapped <i>and</i> cheated me, and using it [as a weapon], killed me.


text:
Did that which is good then prove fatal [bringing death] to me? Certainly not! It was sin, working death in me by using this good thing [as a weapon], in order that through the commandment sin might be shown up clearly to be sin, that the extreme malignity and immeasurable sinfulness of sin might plainly appear.


text:
We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.


text:
For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice <i>or</i> accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [<f>[2]</f>which my moral instinct condemns].


text:
Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge <i>and</i> agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) <i>and</i> that I take sides with it.


text:
However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me <i>and</i> has possession of me.


text:
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]


text:
For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.


text:
Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [<f>[3]</f>fixed and operating in my soul].


text:
So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right <i>and</i> good, evil is ever present with me <i>and</i> I am subject to its insistent demands.


text:
But I discern in my bodily members [<f>[4]</f>in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [<f>[5]</f>in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh].


text:
O unhappy <i>and</i> pitiable <i>and</i> wretched man that I am! Who will release <i>and</i> deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?


text:
O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind <i>and</i> heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.


text:
Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, <i>who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit</i>. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.


text:
For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [<f>[1]</f>the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [<f>[2]</f>subdued, overcame, <f>[3]</f>deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So that the righteous <i>and</i> just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live <i>and</i> move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].


text:
For those who are according to the flesh <i>and</i> are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on <i>and</i> <f>[4]</f>pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit <i>and</i> are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on <i>and</i> <f>[5]</f>seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.


text:
Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that <f>[6]</f>comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].


text:
[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed it cannot.


text:
So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please <i>or</i> satisfy God, <i>or</i> be acceptable to Him.


text:
But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin <i>and</i> guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you].


text:
And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ <i>Jesus</i> from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.


text:
So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.


text:
For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.


text:
For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!


text:
The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.


text:
And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.


text:
[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us <i>and</i> in us <i>and</i> <f>[7]</f>for us <i>and</i> <f>[8]</f>conferred on us!


text:
For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly <i>and</i> longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].


text:
For the creation (nature) was subjected to <f>[9]</f>frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it — [yet] with the hope <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay <i>and</i> corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.


text:
We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have <i>and</i> enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).


text:
For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?


text:
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid <i>and</i> bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer <i>nor</i> how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication <i>and</i> pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings <i>and</i> groanings too deep for utterance.


text:
And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes <i>and</i> pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to <i>and</i> in harmony with God’s will. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
We are assured <i>and</i> know that [<f>[10]</f>God being a partner in their labor] all things work together <i>and</i> are [fitting into a plan] for good to <i>and</i> for those who love God and are called according to [His] design <i>and</i> purpose.


text:
For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was <f>[11]</f>aware and <f>[12]</f>loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.


text:
And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being].


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What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
He who did not withhold <i>or</i> spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely <i>and</i> graciously give us all [other] things?


text:
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]


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Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading <i>as</i> He intercedes for us?


text:
Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering <i>and</i> affliction <i>and</i> tribulation? Or calamity <i>and</i> distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?


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Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded <i>and</i> counted as sheep for the slaughter. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors <f>[13]</f><i>and</i> gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.


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For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things <f>[14]</f>impending <i>and</i> threatening nor things to come, nor powers,


text:
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


text:
I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me


text:
For I could wish that I myself were accursed <i>and</i> cut off <i>and</i> banished from Christ for the sake of my brethren <i>and</i> instead of them, my natural kinsmen <i>and</i> my fellow countrymen. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For they are Israelites, and to them belong God’s adoption [as a nation] and the glorious Presence (Shekinah). With them were the special covenants made, to them was the Law given. To them [the temple] worship was revealed and [God’s own] promises announced. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
To them belong the patriarchs, and as far as His natural descent was concerned, from them is the Christ, Who is exalted <i>and</i> supreme over all, God, blessed forever! Amen (so let it be).


text:
However, it is not as though God’s Word had failed [coming to nothing]. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel.


text:
And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called <i>and</i> counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God’s children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham’s true] descendants.


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For this is what the promise said, About this time [next year] will I return and Sarah shall have a son. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived [two sons under exactly the same circumstances] by our forefather Isaac,


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And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God’s purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works <i>or</i> what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them],


text:
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in <f>[1]</f>relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). <f>ⓕ</f>


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For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
So then [God’s gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy. [It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God’s having mercy on him.]


text:
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over.


text:
So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills.


text:
You will say to me, Why then does He still find fault <i>and</i> blame us [for sinning]? For who can resist <i>and</i> withstand His will?


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But who are you, a mere man, to criticize <i>and</i> contradict <i>and</i> answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty <i>and</i> distinction <i>and</i> honorable use, and another for menial <i>or</i> ignoble <i>and</i> dishonorable use?


text:
What if God, although fully intending to show [the awfulness of] His wrath and to make known His power <i>and</i> authority, has tolerated with much patience the vessels (objects) of [His] anger which are ripe for destruction? <f>ⓘ</f>


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And [what if] He thus purposes to make known <i>and</i> show the wealth of His glory in [dealing with] the vessels (objects) of His mercy which He has prepared beforehand for glory,


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Even including ourselves whom He has called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles (heathen)?


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Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved [I will call] My beloved. <f>ⓙ</f>


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And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the living God. <f>ⓚ</f>


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And Isaiah calls out (solemnly cries aloud) over Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant (a small part of them) will be saved [<f>[2]</f>from perdition, condemnation, judgment]!


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For the Lord will execute His sentence upon the earth [He will conclude and close His account with men completely and without delay], rigorously cutting it short in His justice. <f>ⓛ</f>


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It is as Isaiah predicted, If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed [from which to propagate descendants], we [Israel] would have fared like Sodom and have been made like Gomorrah. <f>ⓜ</f>


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What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness [who did not seek salvation by right relationship to God] have attained it by faith [a righteousness imputed by God, based on and produced by faith],


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Whereas Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law [for the securing] of righteousness (right standing with God), actually did not succeed in fulfilling the Law. <f>ⓝ</f>


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For what reason? Because [they pursued it] not through faith, relying [instead] on the merit of their works [they did not depend on faith but on what they could do]. They have stumbled over the Stumbling Stone. <f>ⓞ</f>


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As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame <i>nor</i> be disappointed in his expectations. <f>ⓟ</f>


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Brethren, [with all] my heart’s desire <i>and</i> goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved.


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I bear them witness that they have a [certain] zeal <i>and</i> enthusiasm for God, but it is not enlightened <i>and</i> according to [correct and vital] knowledge.


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For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a <i>righteousness (a means of salvation)</i> of their own, they did not obey <i>or</i> submit themselves to God’s righteousness.


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For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in <i>and</i> adheres to <i>and</i> relies on Him.


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For Moses writes that the man who [can] practice the righteousness (perfect conformity to God’s will) which is based on the Law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;


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Or who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we could be saved by our own efforts]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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But what does it say? The Word (God’s message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach, <f>ⓒ</f>


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Because if you acknowledge <i>and</i> confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.


text:
For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) <i>and</i> confirms [his] salvation.


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The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame <i>or</i> be disappointed. <f>ⓓ</f>


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[No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].


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But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?


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And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] <f>ⓕ</f>


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But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed (had faith in) what he has heard from us? <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).


text:
But I ask, Have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God’s message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Again I ask, Did Israel not understand? [Did the Jews have no warning that the Gospel was to go forth to the Gentiles, to all the earth?] First, there is Moses who says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown (revealed) Myself to those who did not [consciously] ask for Me. <f>ⓙ</f>


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But of Israel he says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a people unyielding <i>and</i> disobedient and self-willed [to a faultfinding, contrary, and contradicting people]. <f>ⓚ</f>


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I ask then: Has God totally rejected <i>and</i> disowned His people? Of course not! Why, I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin! <f>ⓐ</f>


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No, God has not rejected <i>and</i> disowned His people [whose destiny] He had marked out <i>and</i> appointed <i>and</i> foreknown from the beginning. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Lord, they have killed Your prophets; they have demolished Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.


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But what is God’s reply to him? I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So too at the present time there is a remnant (a small believing minority), selected (chosen) by grace (by God’s unmerited favor and graciousness).


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But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].


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What then [shall we conclude]? Israel failed to obtain what it sought [God’s favor by obedience to the Law]. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it).


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As it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, [that has continued] down to this very day. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And David says, Let their table (their feasting, banqueting) become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a <f>[1]</f>just retribution [<f>[2]</f>rebounding like a boomerang upon them]; <f>ⓔ</f>


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Let their eyes be darkened (dimmed) so that they cannot see, and make them bend their back [stooping beneath their burden] forever. <f>ⓕ</f>


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So I ask, Have they stumbled so as to fall [to their utter spiritual ruin, irretrievably]? By no means! But through their false step <i>and</i> transgression salvation [has come] to the Gentiles, so as to arouse Israel [to see and feel what they forfeited] and so to make them jealous.


text:
Now if their stumbling (their lapse, their transgression) has so enriched the world [at large], and if [Israel’s] failure means such riches for the Gentiles, think what an enrichment <i>and</i> greater advantage will follow their full reinstatement!


text:
But now I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I lay great stress on my ministry <i>and</i> magnify my office,


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In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous [in order to stir them up to imitate, copy, and appropriate], and thus managing to save some of them.


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For if their rejection <i>and</i> exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance <i>and</i> admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead!


text:
Now if the first handful of dough offered as the firstfruits [Abraham and the patriarchs] is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass [the nation of Israel]; and if the root [Abraham] is consecrated (holy), so are the branches. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
But if some of the branches were broken off, while you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them to share the richness [of the root and sap] of the olive tree,


text:
Do not boast over the branches <i>and</i> pride yourself at their expense. If you do boast <i>and</i> feel superior, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root [that supports] you.


text:
That is true. But they were broken (pruned) off because of their unbelief (their lack of real faith), and you are established through faith [because you do believe]. So do not become proud <i>and</i> conceited, but rather stand in awe <i>and</i> be reverently afraid.


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For if God did not spare the natural branches [because of unbelief], neither will He spare you [if you are guilty of the same offense].


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Then note <i>and</i> appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s gracious kindness to you — provided you continue in His grace <i>and</i> abide in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (pruned away).


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And even those others [the fallen branches, Jews], if they do not persist in [clinging to] their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.


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For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural [branches] back on [the original parent stock of] their own olive tree.


text:
Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth <i>and</i> mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the <f>[3]</f>full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,


text:
And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage <i>and</i> benefit. But from the point of view of God’s choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.


text:
For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]


text:
Just as you were once disobedient <i>and</i> rebellious toward God but now have obtained [His] mercy, through their disobedience,


text:
So they also now are being disobedient [when you are receiving mercy], that they in turn may one day, through the mercy you are enjoying, also receive mercy [that they may share the mercy which has been shown to you — through you as messengers of the Gospel to them].


text:
For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike].


text:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!


text:
For who has known the mind of the Lord <i>and</i> who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor? <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back <i>or</i> that he could claim a recompense?


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For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).


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I appeal to you therefore, brethren, <i>and</i> beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service <i>and</i> spiritual worship.


text:
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, <i>even</i> the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].


text:
For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate <i>and</i> think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.


text:
For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function <i>or</i> use,


text:
So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another].


text:
Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith;


text:
[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching;


text:
He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity <i>and</i> liberality; he who gives aid <i>and</i> superintends, with zeal <i>and</i> singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness <i>and</i> joyful eagerness.


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[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.


text:
Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence <i>and</i> showing honor to one another.


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Never lag in zeal <i>and</i> in earnest endeavor; be aglow <i>and</i> burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.


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Rejoice <i>and</i> exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering <i>and</i> tribulation; be constant in prayer.


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Contribute to the needs of God’s people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality.


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Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.


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Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others’ joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others’ grief].


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Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] <i>and</i> give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself <i>or</i> be wise in your own conceits. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest <i>and</i> proper <i>and</i> noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God’s] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Let every person be loyally subject to the governing (civil) authorities. For there is no authority except from God [by His permission, His sanction], and those that exist do so by God’s appointment. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore he who resists <i>and</i> sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed <i>and</i> arranged [in divine order]. And those who resist will bring down judgment upon themselves [receiving the penalty due them].


text:
For civil authorities are not a terror to [people of] good conduct, but to [those of] bad behavior. Would you have no dread of him who is in authority? Then do what is right and you will receive his approval <i>and</i> commendation.


text:
For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, [you should dread him and] be afraid, for he does not bear <i>and</i> wear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant to execute His wrath (punishment, vengeance) on the wrongdoer.


text:
Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath <i>and</i> escape punishment, but also as a matter of principle <i>and</i> for the sake of conscience.


text:
For this same reason you pay taxes, for [the civil authorities] are official servants under God, devoting themselves to attending to this very service.


text:
Render to all men their dues. [Pay] taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.


text:
Keep out of debt <i>and</i> owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one’s fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].


text:
The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements <i>and</i> is the fulfilling of the Law.


text:
Besides this you know what [a critical] hour this is, how it is high time now for you to wake up out of your sleep (rouse to reality). For salvation (final deliverance) is nearer to us now than when we first believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ, the Messiah).


text:
The night is far gone and the day is almost here. Let us then drop (fling away) the works <i>and</i> deeds of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light.


text:
Let us live <i>and</i> conduct ourselves honorably <i>and</i> becomingly as in the [open light of] day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy.


text:
But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).


text:
As for the man who is a weak believer, welcome him [into your fellowship], but not to criticize his opinions <i>or</i> pass judgment on his scruples <i>or</i> perplex him with discussions.


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One [man’s faith permits him to] believe he may eat anything, while a weaker one [limits his] eating to vegetables.


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Let not him who eats look down on <i>or</i> despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains criticize <i>and</i> pass judgment on him who eats; for God has accepted <i>and</i> welcomed him.


text:
Who are you to pass judgment on <i>and</i> censure another’s household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand <i>and</i> be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him <i>and</i> make him stand.


text:
One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike [sacred]. Let everyone be fully convinced (satisfied) in his own mind.


text:
He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.


text:
None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for]


text:
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.


text:
For Christ died and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.


text:
Why do you criticize <i>and</i> pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon <i>or</i> despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.


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For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.


text:
Then let us no more criticize <i>and</i> blame <i>and</i> pass judgment on one another, but rather decide <i>and</i> endeavor never to put a stumbling block <i>or</i> an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother.


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I know and am convinced (persuaded) as one in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is [forbidden as] essentially unclean (defiled and unholy in itself). But [none the less] it is unclean (defiled and unholy) to anyone who thinks it is unclean.


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But if your brother is being pained <i>or</i> his feelings hurt <i>or</i> if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt <i>or</i> cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died!


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Do not therefore let what seems good to you be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.]


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[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.


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So let us then definitely aim for <i>and</i> eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another.


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You must not, for the sake of food, undo <i>and</i> break down and destroy the work of God! Everything is indeed [ceremonially] clean <i>and</i> pure, but it is wrong for anyone to hurt the conscience of others <i>or</i> to make them fall by what he eats.


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The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble <i>or</i> hurts his conscience <i>or</i> offends or weakens him.


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Your personal convictions [on such matters] — exercise [them] as in God’s presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, <f>[1]</f>to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do].


text:
But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions <i>and</i> he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate <i>and</i> proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].


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We who are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings <i>and</i> the frailties <i>and</i> the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves.


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Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good <i>and</i> for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].


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For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches <i>and</i> abuses of those who reproached <i>and</i> abused you fell on Me. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to <i>and</i> cherish hope.


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Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony <i>and</i> such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,


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That together you may [unanimously] with united hearts <i>and</i> one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


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Welcome <i>and</i> receive [to your hearts] one another, then, even as Christ has welcomed <i>and</i> received you, for the glory of God.


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For I tell you that Christ (the Messiah) became a servant <i>and</i> a minister to the circumcised (the Jews) in order to show God’s truthfulness <i>and</i> honesty by confirming (verifying) the promises [given] to our fathers,


text:
And [also in order] that the Gentiles (nations) might glorify God for His mercy [not covenanted] to them. As it is written, Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles and sing praises to Your name. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And further Isaiah says, There shall be a <f>[1]</f>Sprout from the Root of Jesse, He Who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles hope. <f>ⓔ</f>


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May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound <i>and</i> be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.


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Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish <i>and</i> counsel <i>and</i> instruct one another also.


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Still on some points I have written to you the more boldly <i>and</i> unreservedly by way of reminder. [I have done so] because of the grace (the unmerited favor) bestowed on me by God


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In making me a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I act in the priestly service of the Gospel (the good news) of God, in order that the sacrificial offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable [to God], consecrated <i>and</i> made holy by the Holy Spirit.


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In Christ Jesus, then, I have legitimate reason to glory (exult) in my work for God [in what through Christ Jesus I have accomplished concerning the things of God].


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For [of course] I will not venture (presume) to speak thus of any work except what Christ has actually done through me [as an instrument in His hands] to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed,


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[Even as my preaching has been accompanied] with the power of signs and wonders, [and all of it] by the power of the Holy Spirit. [The result is] that starting from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel [faithfully executing, accomplishing, carrying out to the full the good news] of Christ (the Messiah) in its entirety.


text:
Thus my ambition has been to preach the Gospel, not where Christ’s name has already been known, lest I build on another man’s foundation;


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But [instead I would act on the principle] as it is written, They shall see who have never been told of Him, and they shall understand who have never heard [of Him]. <f>ⓕ</f>


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But now since I have no further opportunity for work in these regions, and since I have longed for <f>[2]</f>enough years to come to you,


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I hope to see you in passing [through Rome] as I go [on my intended trip] to Spain, and to be aided on my journey there by you, after I have enjoyed your company for a little while.


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For the present, however, I am going to Jerusalem to bring aid (relief) for the saints (God’s people there).


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For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make some contribution for the poor among the saints of Jerusalem.


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They were pleased to do it; and surely they are in debt to them, for if these Gentiles have come to share in their [the Jerusalem Jews’] spiritual blessings, then they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.


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When therefore I have completed this mission and have delivered to them [at Jerusalem] what has been raised, I shall go on by way of you to Spain.


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And I know that when I do come to you, I shall come in the abundant blessing <i>of the Gospel</i> of Christ.


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I appeal to you [I entreat you], brethren, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love [given by] the Spirit, to unite with me in earnest wrestling in prayer to God in my behalf.


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[Pray] that I may be delivered (rescued) from the unbelievers in Judea and that my mission of relief to Jerusalem may be acceptable <i>and</i> graciously received by the saints (God’s people there),


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So that by God’s will I may subsequently come to you with joy (with a happy heart) and be refreshed [by the interval of rest] in your company.


text:
Now I introduce <i>and</i> commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae,


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That you may receive her in the Lord [with a Christian welcome], as saints (God’s people) ought to receive one another. And help her in whatever matter she may require assistance from you, for she has been a helper of many including myself [shielding us from suffering].


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Who risked their lives [endangering their very necks] for my life. To them not only I but also all the churches among the Gentiles give thanks.


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[Remember me] also to the church [that meets] in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was a firstfruit (first convert) to Christ in Asia.


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Remember me to Andronicus and Junias, my tribal kinsmen and once my fellow prisoners. They are men held in high esteem among the apostles, who also were in Christ before I was.


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Greet Apelles, that one tried <i>and</i> approved in Christ (the Messiah). Remember me to those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.


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Salute those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet my dear Persis, who has worked so hard in the Lord.


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Remember me to Rufus, eminent in the Lord, also to his mother [who has been] a mother to me as well.


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Greet one another with a holy (consecrated) kiss. All the churches of Christ (the Messiah) wish to be remembered to you.


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I appeal to you, brethren, to be on your guard concerning those who create dissensions and difficulties <i>and</i> cause divisions, in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have been taught. [I warn you to turn aside from them, to] avoid them.


text:
For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites <i>and</i> base desires, and by ingratiating and flattering speech, they beguile the hearts of the unsuspecting <i>and</i> simpleminded [people].


text:
For while your loyalty <i>and</i> obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you well versed <i>and</i> wise as to what is good and innocent <i>and</i> guileless as to what is evil.


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And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you.


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Timothy, my fellow worker, wishes to be remembered to you, as do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my tribal kinsmen.


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


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Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you in the faith which is in accordance with my Gospel and the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ (the Messiah), according to the revelation (the unveiling) of the mystery of the plan of redemption which was kept in silence <i>and</i> secret for long ages,


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But is now disclosed and through the prophetic Scriptures is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, [to win them] to obedience to the faith,


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To [the] only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One)! Amen (so be it).


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Paul, summoned by the will <i>and</i> purpose of God to be an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,


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To the church (assembly) of God which is in Corinth, to those consecrated <i>and</i> purified <i>and</i> made holy in Christ Jesus, [who are] selected <i>and</i> called to be saints (God’s people), together with all those who in any place call upon <i>and</i> give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:


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


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I thank my God at all times for you because of the grace (the favor and spiritual blessing) of God which was bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,


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[So] that in Him in every respect you were enriched, in full power <i>and</i> readiness of speech [to speak of your faith] and complete knowledge <i>and</i> illumination [to give you full insight into its meaning].


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In this way [our] witnessing concerning Christ (the Messiah) was so confirmed <i>and</i> established <i>and</i> made sure in you


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That you are not [consciously] falling behind <i>or</i> lacking in any special spiritual endowment <i>or</i> Christian grace [<f>[1]</f>the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait <i>and</i> watch [constantly living in hope] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ <i>and</i> [His] being made visible to all.


text:
And He will establish you to the end [keep you steadfast, give you strength, and guarantee your vindication; He will be your warrant against all accusation or indictment so that you will be] guiltless <i>and</i> irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).


text:
God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship <i>and</i> participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


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But I urge <i>and</i> entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony <i>and</i> full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions <i>or</i> factions <i>or</i> divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions <i>and</i> judgments.


text:
For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions <i>and</i> wrangling <i>and</i> factions among you.


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What I mean is this, that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.


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Is Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?


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[Yes] I did baptize the household of Stephanas also. More than these, I do not remember that I baptized anyone.


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For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force <i>and</i> emptied of its power <i>and</i> rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).


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For the story <i>and</i> message of the cross is sheer absurdity <i>and</i> folly to those who are perishing <i>and</i> on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.


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For it is written, I will baffle <i>and</i> render useless <i>and</i> destroy the learning of the learned <i>and</i> the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever <i>and</i> the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate <i>and</i> nullify [them] <i>and</i> bring [them] to nothing. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time <i>and</i> age? Has not God shown up the nonsense <i>and</i> the folly of this world’s wisdom?


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For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive <i>and</i> recognize <i>and</i> know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).


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For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs <i>and</i> miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy <i>and</i> wisdom,


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We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal <i>and</i> an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd <i>and</i> utterly unphilosophical nonsense.


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But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.


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[This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.


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For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates <i>and</i> standards, not many influential <i>and</i> powerful, not many of high <i>and</i> noble birth.


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[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.


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And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn <i>and</i> insignificant and branded <i>and</i> treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose <i>and</i> bring to nothing the things that are,


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But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].


text:
So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts <i>and</i> proudly rejoices <i>and</i> glories, boast <i>and</i> proudly rejoice <i>and</i> glory in the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony <i>and</i> evidence <i>or</i> <f>[1]</f><i>mystery and secret</i> of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy <i>and</i> wisdom;


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For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.


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And I was in (<f>[2]</f>passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [<f>[3]</f>after I had come] among you.


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And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [<f>[4]</f>a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],


text:
Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age <i>or</i> of this world nor of the leaders <i>and</i> rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing <i>and</i> are doomed to pass away.


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But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God — [that wisdom] which God devised <i>and</i> decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].


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None of the rulers of this age <i>or</i> world perceived <i>and</i> recognized <i>and</i> understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.


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But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [<f>[5]</f>who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Yet to us God has unveiled <i>and</i> revealed them by <i>and</i> through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring <i>and</i> examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the <f>[6]</f>divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].


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For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.


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Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize <i>and</i> comprehend <i>and</i> appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.


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And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining <i>and</i> interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].


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But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept <i>or</i> welcome <i>or</i> admit into his heart the gifts <i>and</i> teachings <i>and</i> revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned <i>and</i> estimated <i>and</i> appreciated.


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But the spiritual man tries all things [he <f>[7]</f>examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern <i>or</i> appraise <i>or</i> get an insight into him].


text:
For who has known <i>or</i> understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide <i>and</i> instruct Him <i>and</i> give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) <i>and</i> do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. <f>ⓑ</f>


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However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [<f>[1]</f>unable to talk yet!]


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I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],


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For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy <i>and</i> wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual <i>and</i> of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard <i>and</i> like mere (unchanged) men?


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For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men?


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What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task:


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I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow <i>and</i> [He] gave the increase.


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So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow <i>and</i> become greater.


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He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor.


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For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with <i>and</i> for God; <i>you</i> are God’s <f>[2]</f>garden <i>and</i> vineyard <i>and</i> field under cultivation, [you are] God’s building. <f>ⓐ</f>


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According to the grace (the special endowment for my task) of God bestowed on me, like a skillful architect <i>and</i> master builder I laid [the] foundation, and now another [man] is building upon it. But let each [man] be careful how he builds upon it,


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For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,


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The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose <i>and</i> declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test <i>and</i> critically appraise the character <i>and</i> worth of the work each person has done.


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If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward.


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But if any person’s work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Do you not discern <i>and</i> understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, <f>[3]</f>collectively as a church and also individually]?


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If anyone <f>[4]</f>does hurt to God’s temple <i>or</i> corrupts it [<f>[5]</f>with false doctrines] <i>or</i> destroys it, God will <f>[6]</f>do hurt to him <i>and</i> bring him to the corruption of death <i>and</i> destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [<f>[7]</f>the believing church and its individual believers] are.


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Let no person deceive himself. If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For this world’s wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness; <f>ⓓ</f>


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And again, The Lord knows the thoughts <i>and</i> reasonings of the [humanly] wise <i>and</i> recognizes how futile they are. <f>ⓔ</f>


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So let no one exult proudly concerning men [boasting of having this or that man as a leader], for all things are yours,


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Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the universe or life or death, or the immediate <i>and</i> <f>[8]</f>threatening present or the [subsequent and uncertain] future — all are yours,


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So then, let us [apostles] be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards (trustees) of the mysteries (the secret purposes) of God.


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Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].


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But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I should be put on trial by you [on this point], <i>and</i> that you or any other human tribunal should investigate <i>and</i> question <i>and</i> cross-question me. I do not even put myself on trial <i>and</i> judge myself.


text:
I am not conscious of anything against myself, <i>and</i> I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated <i>and</i> acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines <i>and</i> judges me.


text:
So do not make any hasty <i>or</i> premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness and disclose <i>and</i> expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God.


text:
Now I have applied all this [about parties and factions] to myself and Apollos for your sakes, brethren, so that from what I have said of us [as illustrations], you may learn [to think of men in accordance with Scripture and] not to go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up <i>and</i> inflated with pride <i>and</i> boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another.


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For who separates you from the others [as a faction leader]? [Who makes you superior and sets you apart from another, giving you the preeminence?] What have you that was not given to you? If then you received it [from someone], why do you boast as if you had not received [but had gained it by your own efforts]?


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[<f>[1]</f>You behave as if] you are already filled <i>and</i> think you have enough [you are full and content, feeling no need of anything more]! Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts and graces]! [Without any counsel or instruction from us, in your conceit], you have ascended your thrones <i>and</i> come into your kingdom without including us! And would that it were true <i>and</i> that you did reign, so that we might be sharing the kingdom with you!


text:
For it seems to me that God has made an exhibit of us apostles, exposing us to view last [of all, like men in a triumphal procession who are] sentenced to death [and displayed at the end of the line]. For we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater] with both men and angels [as spectators].


text:
We are [looked upon as] fools on account of Christ <i>and</i> for His sake, but you are [supposedly] so amazingly wise <i>and</i> prudent in Christ! We are weak, but you are [so very] strong! You are highly esteemed, but we are in disrepute <i>and</i> contempt!


text:
To this hour we have gone both hungry and thirsty; we [<f>[2]</f>habitually] wear but one undergarment [and shiver in the cold]; we are roughly knocked about and wander around homeless.


text:
And we still toil unto weariness [for our living], working hard with our own hands. When men revile us [<f>[3]</f>wound us with an accursed sting], we bless them. When we are persecuted, we take it patiently <i>and</i> endure it.


text:
When we are slandered <i>and</i> defamed, we [try to] answer softly <i>and</i> bring comfort. We have been made and are now the rubbish <i>and</i> filth of the world [the offscouring of all things, the scum of the earth].


text:
After all, though you should have ten thousand teachers (guides to direct you) in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the glad tidings (the Gospel).


text:
For this very cause I sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and trustworthy child in the Lord, who will recall to your minds my methods of proceeding <i>and</i> course of conduct <i>and</i> way of life in Christ, such as I teach everywhere in each of the churches.


text:
Some of you have become conceited <i>and</i> arrogant <i>and</i> pretentious, counting on my not coming to you.


text:
But I will come to you [and] shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will perceive <i>and</i> understand not what the talk of these puffed up <i>and</i> arrogant spirits amount to, but their force (<f>[4]</f>the moral power and excellence of soul they really possess).


text:
For the kingdom of God consists of <i>and</i> is based on not talk but power (<f>[5]</f>moral power and excellence of soul).


text:
Now which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of correction, or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?


text:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, impurity of a sort that is condemned <i>and</i> does not occur even among the heathen; for a man has [his own] father’s wife. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And you are proud <i>and</i> arrogant! And you ought rather to mourn (bow in sorrow and in shame) until the person who has done this [shameful] thing is removed from your fellowship <i>and</i> your midst!


text:
As for my attitude, though I am absent [from you] in body, I am present in spirit, and I have already decided <i>and</i> passed judgment, as if actually present,


text:
In the name of the Lord Jesus <i>Christ</i>, on the man who has committed such a deed. When you and my own spirit are met together with the power of our Lord Jesus,


text:
You are to deliver this man over to Satan <f>[1]</f>for physical discipline [to destroy carnal lusts which prompted him to incest], that [his] spirit may [yet] be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.


text:
[About the condition of your church] your boasting is not good [indeed, it is most unseemly and entirely out of place]. Do you not know that [just] a little leaven will ferment the whole lump [of dough]?


text:
Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed.


text:
Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of vice <i>and</i> malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened [bread] of purity (nobility, honor) <i>and</i> sincerity and [unadulterated] truth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I wrote you in my [previous] letter not to associate [closely and habitually] with unchaste (impure) people —


text:
Not [meaning of course that you must] altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy graspers and cheats <i>and</i> thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world <i>and</i> human society altogether!


text:
But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler <i>or</i> a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.


text:
What [business] of mine is it <i>and</i> what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not those inside [the church] upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment [passing censuring sentence on them as the facts require]?


text:
God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside. Drive out that wicked one from among you [expel him from your church].


text:
Does any of you dare, when he has a matter of complaint against another [brother], to go to law before unrighteous men [men neither upright nor right with God, laying it before them] instead of before the saints (the people of God)?


text:
Do you not know that the saints (the believers) will [one day] judge <i>and</i> govern the world? And if the world [itself] is to be judged <i>and</i> ruled by you, are you unworthy <i>and</i> incompetent to try [such petty matters] of the smallest courts of justice?


text:
Do you not know also that we [Christians] are to judge the [very] angels <i>and</i> pronounce opinion between right and wrong [for them]? How much more then [as to] matters pertaining to this world <i>and</i> of this life only!


text:
If then you do have such cases of everyday life to decide, why do you appoint [as judges to lay them before] those who [from the standpoint] of the church count for least <i>and</i> are without standing?


text:
I say this to move you to shame. Can it be that there really is not one man among you who [in action is governed by piety and integrity and] is wise <i>and</i> competent enough to decide [the private grievances, disputes, and quarrels] between members of the brotherhood,


text:
But brother goes to law against brother, and that before [Gentile judges who are] unbelievers [without faith or trust in the Gospel of Christ]?


text:
Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another at all is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of positive moral loss for you). Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong <i>and</i> be deprived of what is your due? Why not rather be cheated (defrauded and robbed)?


text:
But [instead it is you] yourselves who wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren [by so treating them]!


text:
Do you not know that the unrighteous <i>and</i> the wrongdoers will not inherit <i>or</i> have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure <i>and</i> immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality,


text:
Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers <i>and</i> slanderers, nor extortioners <i>and</i> robbers will inherit <i>or</i> have any share in the kingdom of God.


text:
And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God.


text:
Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything <i>or</i> be brought under its power.


text:
Food [is intended] for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will finally end [the functions of] both <i>and</i> bring them to nothing. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body [<f>[1]</f>to save, sanctify, and raise it again].


text:
Do you not see <i>and</i> know that your bodies are members (bodily parts) of Christ (the Messiah)? Am I therefore to take the parts of Christ and make [them] parts of a prostitute? Never! Never!


text:
Or do you not know <i>and</i> realize that when a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? The two, it is written, shall become one flesh. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Shun immorality <i>and</i> all sexual looseness [flee from impurity in thought, word, or deed]. Any other sin which a man commits is one outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.


text:
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,


text:
You were bought with a price [purchased with a <f>[2]</f>preciousness and paid for, <f>[3]</f>made His own]. So then, honor God <i>and</i> bring glory to Him in your body.


text:
Now as to the matters of which you wrote me. It is well [and by that I mean advantageous, expedient, profitable, and wholesome] for a man not to touch a woman [to cohabit with her] <i>but</i> to remain unmarried.


text:
But because of the temptation to impurity <i>and</i> to avoid immorality, let each [man] have his own wife and let each [woman] have her own husband.


text:
The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights (goodwill, kindness, and what is due her as his wife), and likewise the wife to her husband.


text:
For the wife does not have [exclusive] authority <i>and</i> control over her own body, but the husband [has his rights]; likewise also the husband does not have [exclusive] authority <i>and</i> control over his body, but the wife [has her rights].


text:
Do not refuse <i>and</i> deprive <i>and</i> defraud each other [of your due marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves unhindered to prayer. But afterwards resume marital relations, lest Satan tempt you [to sin] through your lack of restraint of sexual desire. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But I am saying this more as a matter of permission <i>and</i> concession, not as a command <i>or</i> regulation.


text:
I wish that all men were like I myself am [in this matter of self-control]. But each has his own special gift from God, one of this kind and one of another.


text:
But to the unmarried people and to the widows, I declare that it is well (good, advantageous, expedient, and wholesome) for them to remain [single] even as I do.


text:
But if they have not self-control (restraint of their passions), they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame [with passion and tortured continually with ungratified desire].


text:
But to the married people I give charge — not I but the Lord — that the wife is not to separate from her husband.


text:
But if she does [separate from and divorce him], let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband. And [I charge] the husband [also] that he should not put away <i>or</i> divorce his wife.


text:
To the rest I declare — I, not the Lord [for Jesus did not discuss this] — that if any brother has a wife who does not believe [in Christ] and she consents to live with him, he should not leave <i>or</i> divorce her.


text:
And if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she should not leave <i>or</i> divorce him.


text:
For the unbelieving husband is set apart (separated, withdrawn from heathen contamination, and affiliated with the Christian people) by union with his consecrated (set-apart) wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart <i>and</i> separated through union with her consecrated husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean (unblessed heathen, <f>[1]</f>outside the Christian covenant), but as it is they are <f>[2]</f>prepared for God [pure and clean].


text:
But if the unbelieving partner [actually] leaves, let him do so; in such [cases the remaining] brother or sister is not morally bound. But God has called us to peace.


text:
For, wife, how can you be sure of converting <i>and</i> saving your husband? Husband, how can you be sure of converting <i>and</i> saving your wife?


text:
Only, let each one [seek to conduct himself and regulate his affairs so as to] lead the life which the Lord has allotted <i>and</i> imparted to him and to which God has invited <i>and</i> summoned him. This is my order in all the churches.


text:
Was anyone at the time of his summons [from God] already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the evidence of circumcision. Was anyone at the time [God] called him uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised.


text:
For circumcision is nothing <i>and</i> counts for nothing, neither does uncircumcision, but [what counts is] keeping the commandments of God.


text:
Everyone should remain after God calls him in the station <i>or</i> condition of life in which the summons found him.


text:
Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that trouble you. But if you are able to gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.


text:
For he who as a slave was summoned in [to union with] the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, just so he who was free when he was called is a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).


text:
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for by Christ]; then do not yield yourselves up to become [in your own estimation] slaves to men [but consider yourselves slaves to Christ].


text:
So, brethren, in whatever station <i>or</i> state <i>or</i> condition of life each one was when he was called, there let him continue with <i>and</i> close to God.


text:
Now concerning the virgins (the marriageable <f>[3]</f>maidens) I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion <i>and</i> advice as one who by the Lord’s mercy is rendered trustworthy <i>and</i> faithful.


text:
I think then, because of the impending distress [that is even now setting in], it is well (expedient, profitable, and wholesome) for a person to remain as he <i>or</i> she is.


text:
But if you do marry, you do not sin [in doing so], and if a virgin marries, she does not sin [in doing so]. Yet those who marry will have physical <i>and</i> earthly troubles, and I would like to spare you that.


text:
I mean, brethren, the appointed time has been <f>[4]</f>winding down <i>and</i> it has grown very short. From now on, let even those who have wives be as if they had none,


text:
And those who weep <i>and</i> mourn as though they were not weeping <i>and</i> mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not possess anything,


text:
And those who deal with this world [<f>[5]</f>overusing the enjoyments of this life] as though they were not absorbed by it <i>and</i> as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world (the present world order) is passing away.


text:
My desire is to have you free from all anxiety <i>and</i> distressing care. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord — how he may please the Lord;


text:
And he is drawn in diverging directions [his interests are divided <i>and</i> he is distracted from his devotion to God]. And the unmarried woman or girl is concerned <i>and</i> anxious about the matters of the Lord, how to be wholly separated <i>and</i> set apart in body and spirit; but the married woman has her cares [centered] in earthly affairs — how she may please her husband.


text:
Now I say this for your own welfare <i>and</i> profit, not to put [a halter of] restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly <i>and</i> in good order and to secure your undistracted <i>and</i> undivided devotion to the Lord.


text:
But if any man thinks that he is not acting properly toward <i>and</i> in regard to his virgin [that he is preparing disgrace for her or incurring reproach], in case she is passing the bloom of her youth and if there is need for it, let him do what to him seems right; he does not sin; let them marry.


text:
But whoever is firmly established in his heart [strong in mind and purpose], not being forced by necessity but having control over his own will <i>and</i> desire, and has resolved this in his heart to keep his own virginity, he is doing well.


text:
So also then, he [the father] who gives his virgin (his daughter) in marriage does well, and he [the father] who does not give [her] in marriage does better.


text:
A wife is bound to her husband by law as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she will, only [provided that he too is] in the Lord.


text:
But in my opinion [a widow] is happier (more blessed and <f>[6]</f>to be envied) if she does not remarry. And also I think I have the Spirit of God.


text:
Now about food offered to idols: of course we know that all of us possess knowledge [concerning these matters. Yet mere] knowledge causes people to be puffed up (to bear themselves loftily and be proud), but love (affection and goodwill and benevolence) edifies <i>and</i> builds up <i>and</i> encourages one to grow [to his full stature].


text:
If anyone imagines that he has come to know <i>and</i> understand much [of divine things, without love], he does not yet perceive <i>and</i> recognize <i>and</i> understand as strongly <i>and</i> clearly, <i>nor</i> has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought <i>or</i> as is necessary.


text:
But if one loves God truly [<f>[1]</f>with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [<f>[2]</f>recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him].


text:
In this matter, then, of eating food offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing (has no real existence) and that there is no God but one. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For although there may be so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many of them, both of gods and of lords <i>and</i> masters,


text:
Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life], and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through <i>and</i> by Whom are all things and through <i>and</i> by Whom we [ourselves exist]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Nevertheless, not all [believers] possess this knowledge. But some, through being all their lives until now accustomed to [thinking of] idols [as real and living], still consider the food [offered to an idol] as that sacrificed to an [actual] god; and their weak consciences become defiled <i>and</i> injured if they eat [it].


text:
Now food [itself] will not cause our acceptance by God <i>nor</i> commend us to Him. Eating [food offered to idols] gives us no advantage; neither do we come short <i>or</i> become any worse if we do not eat [it].


text:
Only be careful that this power of choice (this permission and liberty to do as you please) which is yours, does not [somehow] become a hindrance (cause of stumbling) to the weak <i>or</i> overscrupulous [giving them an impulse to sin].


text:
For suppose someone sees you, a man having knowledge [of God, with an intelligent view of this subject and] reclining at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged <i>and</i> emboldened [to violate his own conscientious scruples] if he is weak <i>and</i> uncertain, and eat what [to him] is for the purpose of idol worship?


text:
And so by your enlightenment (your knowledge of spiritual things), this weak man is ruined (is lost and perishes) — the brother for whom Christ (the Messiah) died!


text:
And when you sin against your brethren in this way, wounding <i>and</i> damaging their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.


text:
Therefore, if [my eating a] food is a cause of my brother’s falling <i>or</i> of hindering [his spiritual advancement], I will not eat [such] flesh forever, lest I cause my brother to be tripped up <i>and</i> fall <i>and</i> to be offended.


text:
Am I not an apostle (a special messenger)? Am I not free (unrestrained and exempt from any obligation)? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you [yourselves] not [the product and proof of] my workmanship in the Lord?


text:
Even if I am not considered an apostle (a special messenger) by others, at least I am one to you; for you are the seal (the certificate, the living evidence) of my apostleship in the Lord [confirming and authenticating it].


text:
This is my [real ground of] defense (my vindication of myself) to those who would put me on trial <i>and</i> cross-examine me.


text:
Have we not the right also to take along with us a Christian sister as wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter)?


text:
Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from doing manual labor for a livelihood [in order to go about the work of the ministry]?


text:
[Consider this:] What soldier at any time serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of the fruit of it? Who tends a flock and does not partake of the milk of the flock?


text:
Do I say this only on human authority <i>and</i> as a man reasons? Does not the Law endorse the same principle?


text:
For in the Law of Moses it is written, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it [only] for oxen that God cares? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Or does He speak certainly <i>and</i> entirely for our sakes? [Assuredly] it is written for our sakes, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher ought to thresh in expectation of partaking of the harvest.


text:
If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?


text:
If others share in this rightful claim upon you, do not we [have a still better and greater claim]? However, we have never exercised this right, but we endure everything rather than put a hindrance in the way [of the spread] of the good news (the Gospel) of Christ.


text:
Do you not know that those men who are employed in the services of the temple get their food from the temple? And that those who tend the altar share with the altar [in the offerings brought]? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.


text:
But I have not made use of any of these privileges, nor am I writing this [to suggest] that any such provision be made for me [now]. For it would be better for me to die than to have anyone make void <i>and</i> deprive me of my [ground for] glorifying [in this matter].


text:
For if I [merely] preach the Gospel, that gives me no reason to boast, for I feel compelled of necessity to do it. Woe is me if I do not preach the glad tidings (the Gospel)!


text:
For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay (my reward); but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly <i>and</i> under compulsion, I am [still] entrusted with a [sacred] trusteeship <i>and</i> commission.


text:
What then is the [actual] reward that I get? Just this: that in my preaching the good news (the Gospel), I may offer it [absolutely] free of expense [to anybody], not taking advantage of my rights <i>and</i> privileges [as a preacher] of the Gospel.


text:
For although I am free in every way from anyone’s control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more [for Christ].


text:
To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to men under the Law, [I became] as one under the Law, though not myself being under the Law, that I might win those under the Law.


text:
To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God <i>and</i> lawless toward Him, but that I am [especially keeping] within <i>and</i> committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.


text:
To the weak (wanting in discernment) I have become weak (wanting in discernment) that I might win the weak <i>and</i> overscrupulous. I have [in short] become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ].


text:
And I do this for the sake of the good news (the Gospel), in order that I may become a participator in it <i>and</i> share in its [blessings along with you].


text:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] <i>and</i> make it yours.


text:
Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately <i>and</i> restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither.


text:
Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air <i>and</i> striking without an adversary.


text:
But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel <i>and</i> things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].


text:
For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under <i>and</i> protected by the cloud [in which God’s Presence went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God];


text:
And they all drank the same spiritual (supernaturally given) drink. For they drank from a spiritual Rock which followed them [produced by the sole power of God Himself without natural instrumentality], and the Rock was Christ. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with the great majority of them, for they were overthrown <i>and</i> strewn down along [the ground] in the wilderness. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Now these things are examples (warnings and admonitions) for us not to desire <i>or</i> crave <i>or</i> covet <i>or</i> lust after evil <i>and</i> carnal things as they did. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Do not be worshipers of false gods as some of them were, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink [the sacrifices offered to the golden calf at Horeb] and rose to sport (to dance and give way to jesting and hilarity). <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
We must not gratify evil desire <i>and</i> indulge in immorality as some of them did — and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell <i>dead</i> in a single day! <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
We should not tempt the Lord [try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him, and exploit His goodness] as some of them did — and were killed by poisonous serpents; <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did — and were <f>[1]</f>put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death). <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish <i>and</i> fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period).


text:
Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin].


text:
For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you <i>and</i> laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not <f>[2]</f>adjusted and <f>[3]</f>adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted <i>and</i> tried <i>and</i> assayed beyond your ability <i>and</i> strength of resistance <i>and</i> power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to <f>[4]</f>a landing place), that you may be capable <i>and</i> strong <i>and</i> powerful to bear up under it patiently.


text:
Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).


text:
I am speaking as to intelligent (sensible) men. Think over <i>and</i> make up your minds [for yourselves] about what I say. [I appeal to your reason and your discernment in these matters.]


text:
The cup of blessing [of wine at the Lord’s Supper] upon which we ask [God’s] blessing, does it not mean [that in drinking it] we participate in <i>and</i> share a fellowship (a communion) in the blood of Christ (the Messiah)? The bread which we break, does it not mean [that in eating it] we participate in <i>and</i> share a fellowship (a communion) in the body of Christ?


text:
For we [no matter how] numerous we are, are one body, because we all partake of the one Bread [the One Whom the communion bread represents].


text:
Consider those [physically] people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners of the altar [united in their worship of the same God]? <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is [intrinsically changed by the fact and amounts to] anything <i>or</i> that an idol itself is a [living] thing?


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No, I am suggesting that what the pagans sacrifice they offer [in effect] to demons (to evil spiritual powers) and not to God [at all]. I do not want you to fellowship <i>and</i> be partners with diabolical spirits [by eating at their feasts]. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
You cannot drink the Lord’s cup and the demons’ cup. You cannot partake of the Lord’s table and the demons’ table.


text:
Shall we thus provoke the Lord to jealousy <i>and</i> anger <i>and</i> indignation? Are we stronger than He [that we should defy Him]? <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
All things are legitimate [permissible — and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] <i>and</i> edifying [to spiritual life].


text:
Let no one then seek his own good <i>and</i> advantage <i>and</i> profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor].


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[As to meat offered to idols] eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question <i>or</i> investigating on the grounds of conscientious scruples,


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In case one of the unbelievers invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is served to you without examining into its source because of conscientious scruples.


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But if someone tells you, This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol, do not eat it, out of consideration for the person who informed you, and for conscience’s sake —


text:
I mean for the sake of his conscience, not yours, [do not eat it]. For why should another man’s scruples apply to me <i>and</i> my liberty of action be determined by his conscience?


text:
If I partake [of my food] with thankfulness, why am I accused <i>and</i> spoken evil of because of that for which I give thanks?


text:
So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor <i>and</i> glory of God.


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Do not let yourselves be [hindrances by giving] an offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God [<f>[5]</f>do not lead others into sin by your mode of life];


text:
Just as I myself strive to please [to accommodate myself to the opinions, desires, and interests of others, adapting myself to] all men in everything I do, not aiming at <i>or</i> considering my own profit <i>and</i> advantage, but that of the many in order that they may be saved.


text:
Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate <i>and</i> follow Christ (the Messiah).


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I appreciate <i>and</i> commend you because you always remember me in everything and keep firm possession of the traditions (the substance of my instructions), just as I have [verbally] passed them on to you.


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But I want you to know <i>and</i> realize that Christ is the Head of every man, the head of a woman is her husband, and the Head of Christ is God.


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Any man who prays or prophesies (teaches, refutes, reproves, admonishes, and comforts) with his head covered dishonors his Head (Christ).


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And any woman who [publicly] prays or prophesies (teaches, refutes, reproves, admonishes, or comforts) when she is bareheaded dishonors her head (her husband); it is the same as [if her head were] shaved.


text:
For if a woman will not wear [a head] covering, then she should cut off her hair too; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her head shorn or shaven, let her cover [her head].


text:
For a man ought not to wear anything on his head [in church], for he is the image and [reflected] glory of God [<f>[1]</f>his function of government reflects the majesty of the divine Rule]; but woman is [the expression of] man’s glory (majesty, preeminence). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Neither was man created on account of <i>or</i> for the benefit of woman, but woman on account of <i>and</i> for the benefit of man. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
<f>[2]</f>Therefore she should [be subject to his authority and should] have a covering on her head [as a token, a symbol, of her submission to authority, <f>[3]</f>that she may show reverence as do] the angels [and not displease them].


text:
Nevertheless, in [the plan of] the Lord <i>and</i> from His point of view woman is not apart from <i>and</i> independent of man, nor is man aloof from <i>and</i> independent of woman;


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For as woman was made from man, even so man is also born of woman; and all [whether male or female go forth] from God [as their Author].


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Consider for yourselves; is it proper <i>and</i> decent [according to your customs] for a woman to offer prayer to God [publicly] with her head uncovered?


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Does not <f>[4]</f>the native sense of propriety (experience, common sense, reason) itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is a dishonor [humiliating and degrading] to him,


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But if a woman has long hair, it is her ornament <i>and</i> glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.


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Now if anyone is disposed to be argumentative <i>and</i> contentious about this, we hold to <i>and</i> recognize no other custom [in worship] than this, nor do the churches of God generally.


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But in what I instruct [you] next I do not commend [you], because when you meet together, it is not for the better but for the worse.


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For in the first place, when you assemble as a congregation, I hear that there are cliques (divisions and factions) among you; and I in part believe it,


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For doubtless there have to be factions <i>or</i> parties among you in order that they who are genuine <i>and</i> of approved fitness may become evident <i>and</i> plainly recognized among you.


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For in eating each one [hurries] to get his own supper first [not waiting for the poor], and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.


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What! Do you have no houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God <i>and</i> mean to show contempt for it, while you humiliate those who are poor (have no homes and have brought no food)? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, [most certainly] I will not!


text:
For I received from the Lord Himself that which I passed on to you [it was given to me personally], that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was treacherously delivered up <i>and</i> while His betrayal was in progress took bread,


text:
And when He had given thanks, He broke [it] and said, <i>Take, eat</i>. This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.


text:
Similarly when supper was ended, He took the cup also, saying, This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink [it], to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance.


text:
For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing <i>and</i> signifying <i>and</i> proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death until He comes [again].


text:
So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord.


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Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.


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For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating <i>and</i> recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ’s] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself.


text:
That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death.


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For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged <i>and</i> penalty decreed [by the divine judgment].


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But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined <i>and</i> chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.


text:
If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together to bring judgment [on yourselves]. About the other matters, I will give you directions [personally] when I come.


text:
Now about the spiritual gifts (the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed.


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You know that when you were heathen, you were led off after idols that could not speak [habitually] as impulse directed <i>and</i> whenever the occasion might arise.


text:
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking under the power <i>and</i> influence of the [Holy] Spirit of God can [ever] say, Jesus be cursed! And no one can [really] say, Jesus is [my] Lord, except by <i>and</i> under the power <i>and</i> influence of the Holy Spirit.


text:
Now there are distinctive varieties <i>and</i> distributions of endowments (gifts, <f>[1]</f>extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.


text:
And there are distinctive varieties of service <i>and</i> ministration, but it is the same Lord [Who is served].


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And there are distinctive varieties of operation [of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires <i>and</i> energizes them all in all.


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But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good <i>and</i> profit.


text:
To one is given in <i>and</i> through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge <i>and</i> understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit;


text:
To another [<f>[2]</f>wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit;


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To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (<f>[3]</f>the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern <i>and</i> distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues.


text:
All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired <i>and</i> brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses.


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For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).


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For by [<f>[4]</f>means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and <f>[5]</f>by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit.


text:
If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body?


text:
If the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body?


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If the whole body were an eye, where [would be the sense of] hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where [would be the sense of] smell?


text:
But as it is, God has placed <i>and</i> arranged the limbs <i>and</i> organs in the body, each [particular one] of them, just as He wished <i>and</i> saw fit <i>and</i> with the best adaptation.


text:
And the eye is not able to say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.


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But instead, there is [absolute] necessity for the parts of the body that are considered the more weak.


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And those [parts] of the body which we consider rather ignoble are [the very parts] which we invest with additional honor, and our unseemly parts <i>and</i> those unsuitable for exposure are treated with seemliness (modesty and decorum),


text:
Which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so adjusted (mingled, harmonized, and subtly proportioned the parts of) the whole body, giving the greater honor <i>and</i> richer endowment to the inferior parts which lack [apparent importance],


text:
So that there should be no division <i>or</i> discord <i>or</i> lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in <i>and</i> care for one another.


text:
And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it.


text:
Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally <i>and</i> distinct [each with his own place and function].


text:
So God has appointed some in the church [<f>[6]</f>for His own use]: first apostles (special messengers); second prophets (inspired preachers and expounders); third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; [speakers in] different (unknown) tongues.


text:
Are all apostles (special messengers)? Are all prophets (inspired interpreters of the will and purposes of God)? Are all teachers? Do all have the power of performing miracles?


text:
But earnestly desire <i>and</i> zealously cultivate the greatest <i>and</i> best gifts <i>and</i> graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all — love].


text:
If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such <f>[1]</f>as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.


text:
And if I have prophetic powers (<f>[2]</f>the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths <i>and</i> mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).


text:
Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned <i>or</i> <f>[3]</f><i>in order that I may glory</i>, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.


text:
Love endures long <i>and</i> is patient and kind; love never is envious <i>nor</i> boils over with jealousy, is not boastful <i>or</i> vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.


text:
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) <i>and</i> does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights <i>or</i> its own way, <i>for</i> it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy <i>or</i> fretful <i>or</i> resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].


text:
It does not rejoice at injustice <i>and</i> unrighteousness, but rejoices when right <i>and</i> truth prevail.


text:
Love bears up under anything <i>and</i> everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].


text:
Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (<f>[4]</f>the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled <i>and</i> pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed <i>and</i> cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].


text:
For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).


text:
But when the complete <i>and</i> perfect (total) comes, the incomplete <i>and</i> imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).


text:
When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways <i>and</i> have put them aside.


text:
For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as <f>[5]</f>in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality <i>and</i> face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know <i>and</i> understand <f>[6]</f>fully <i>and</i> clearly, even in the same manner as I have been <f>[7]</f>fully <i>and</i> clearly known <i>and</i> understood [<f>[8]</f>by God].


text:
And so faith, hope, love abide [faith — conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things; hope — joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love — true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.


text:
Eagerly pursue <i>and</i> seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]; and earnestly desire <i>and</i> cultivate the spiritual endowments (gifts), especially that you may prophesy (<f>[1]</f>interpret the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching).


text:
For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands <i>or</i> catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths <i>and</i> hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].


text:
But [on the other hand], the one who prophesies [who <f>[2]</f>interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for their upbuilding <i>and</i> constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.


text:
He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies <i>and</i> improves himself, but he who prophesies [<f>[3]</f>interpreting the divine will and purpose and teaching with inspiration] edifies <i>and</i> improves the church <i>and</i> promotes growth [in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, and happiness].


text:
Now I wish that you might all speak in [unknown] tongues, but more especially [I want you] to prophesy (to be inspired to preach and interpret the divine will and purpose). He who prophesies [who is inspired to preach and teach] is greater (more useful and more important) than he who speaks in [unknown] tongues, unless he should interpret [what he says], so that the church may be edified <i>and</i> receive good [from it].


text:
Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in [unknown] tongues, how shall I make it to your advantage unless I speak to you either in revelation (disclosure of God’s will to man) in knowledge or in prophecy or in instruction?


text:
If even inanimate musical instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone [listening] know <i>or</i> understand what is played?


text:
Just so it is with you; if you in the [unknown] tongue speak words that are not intelligible, how will anyone understand what you are saying? For you will be talking into empty space!


text:
There are, I suppose, all these many [to us unknown] tongues in the world [somewhere], and none is destitute of [its own power of] expression <i>and</i> meaning.


text:
But if I do not know the force <i>and</i> significance of the speech (language), I shall seem to be a foreigner to the one who speaks [to me], and the speaker who addresses [me] will seem a foreigner to me.


text:
So it is with yourselves; since you are so eager <i>and</i> ambitious to possess spiritual endowments <i>and</i> manifestations of the [Holy] Spirit, [concentrate on] striving to excel <i>and</i> to abound [in them] in ways that will build up the church.


text:
Therefore, the person who speaks in an [unknown] tongue should pray [for the power] to interpret <i>and</i> explain what he says.


text:
For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the <f>[4]</f>Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody].


text:
Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the <f>[5]</f>Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind <i>and</i> understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind <i>and</i> understanding also.


text:
Otherwise, if you bless <i>and</i> render thanks with [your] spirit [<f>[6]</f>thoroughly aroused by the Holy Spirit], how can anyone in the position of an outsider <i>or</i> he who is not gifted with [interpreting of unknown] tongues, say the Amen to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
To be sure, you may give thanks well (nobly), but the bystander is not edified [it does him no good].


text:
I thank God that I speak in [strange] tongues (languages) more than any of you <i>or</i> all of you put together;


text:
Nevertheless, in public worship, I would rather say five words with my understanding <i>and</i> intelligently in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a [strange] tongue (language).


text:
Brethren, do not be children [immature] in your thinking; continue to be babes in [matters of] evil, but in your minds be mature [men].


text:
It is written in the Law, By men of strange languages <i>and</i> by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and not even then will they listen to Me, says the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Thus [unknown] tongues are meant for a [supernatural] sign, not for believers but for unbelievers [on the point of believing], while prophecy (inspired preaching and teaching, interpreting the divine will and purpose) is not for unbelievers [on the point of believing] but for believers.


text:
Therefore, if the whole church assembles and all of you speak in [unknown] tongues, and the ungifted <i>and</i> uninitiated or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are demented?


