English: Unlocked Literal Bible for 1 Corinthians, 1 John, 1 Peter, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Corinthians, 2 John, 2 Peter, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, 3 John, Acts, Colossians, Ephesians, Galatians, Hebrews, James, John, Jude, Luke, Mark, Matthew, Philemon, Philippians, Revelation, Romans, Titus

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©2017 Wycliffe Associates
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Matthew

1

¹The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.

²Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.

⁴Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse.

⁶Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.

⁷Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa.

⁸Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram an ancestor of Uzziah.

⁹Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

¹⁰Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah.

¹¹Josiah was an ancestor of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

¹²After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel was an ancestor of Zerubbabel.

¹³Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.

¹⁴Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.

¹⁵Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob.

¹⁶Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

¹⁷All the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

¹⁸The birth of Jesus Christ happened in the following way. His mother, Mary, was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.¹⁹But Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to publicly disgrace her, so he intended to divorce her quietly.

²⁰As he thought about these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, because the one who is conceived in her is conceived by the Holy Spirit.²¹She will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

²²Now all this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,²³"Behold, the virgin will become pregnant and will bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel"—which being translated is "God with us."

²⁴Joseph got up from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and he took her as his wife.²⁵But he did not know her until she gave birth to a son. Then he called his name Jesus.

2

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, learned men from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying,²"Where is he who was born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

⁴Herod brought together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and he asked them, "Where is the Christ to be born?"⁵They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what was written by the prophet:

⁶'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are not the least among the rulers of Judah,

for from you will come one who rules,

who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

⁷Then Herod secretly called the learned men to ask them exactly what time the star had appeared.⁸He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search carefully for the young child. When you have found him, bring me a report so that I also may come and worship him."

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star that they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood still over where the young child was.¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy.

¹¹They went into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.¹²God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they departed to their own country by another way.

¹³After they had departed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Remain there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."¹⁴That night Joseph rose and took the young child and his mother and departed into Egypt.¹⁵He remained there until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I have called my Son."

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been mocked by the learned men, was very angry. He sent and killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time that he had determined exactly from the learned men.

¹⁷Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸"A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children,

and she refused to be comforted,

because they were no more."

¹⁹When Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,²⁰"Get up and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."²¹Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After God warned him in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee²³and went and lived in a city called Nazareth. This fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

3

¹In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying,²"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,

"The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.'"

⁴Now John wore clothing of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.⁵Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan River went out to him.⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to him for baptism, he said to them, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath that is coming?⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance.⁹Do not think of saying among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham even out of these stones.

¹⁰Already the ax has been placed against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.¹¹I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who comes after me is mightier than I, and I am not worthy even to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather his wheat into the storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out."

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.¹⁴But John kept trying to stop him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"¹⁵Jesus responded and said to him, "Permit it now, for it is right for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John permitted him.

¹⁶After he was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting upon him.¹⁷Behold, a voice came out of the heavens saying, "This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him."

4

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.²When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.³The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."

⁴But Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.'"

⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple building,⁶and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

'He will command his angels to take care of you,'

and

'They will carry you in their hands,

so that you will not hit your foot against a stone.'"

⁷Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"

⁸Again, the devil took him up to a very high hill and showed him all the kingdoms of the world along with all their glory.⁹He said to him, "All these things I will give you, if you fall down and worship me."

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, "Go away from here, Satan! For it is written, 'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'"

¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

¹²Now when Jesus heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.¹³He left Nazareth and went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the Sea of Galilee in the territories of Zebulun and Naphtali.

¹⁴This happened to fulfill what was said by Isaiah the prophet:

¹⁵"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles!

¹⁶The people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,

upon them has a light arisen."

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

¹⁸As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.¹⁹Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."²⁰Immediately they left the nets and followed him.

²¹As Jesus was going on from there he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and John his brother. They were in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their nets. He called them,²²and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³Jesus went about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people.²⁴The news about him went out into all of Syria, and the people brought to him all those who suffered from various diseases and pains, those who were possessed by demons, the epileptics, and the paralytics. Jesus healed them.²⁵Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

5

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.²He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

⁵Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

⁷Blessed are the merciful,

for they will obtain mercy.

⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake.¹²Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For in this way people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

¹³"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again? It is never again good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but rather on the lampstand, and it shines for everyone in the house.¹⁶Let your light shine before people in such a way that they see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

¹⁷"Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy them, but to fulfill them.¹⁸For truly I say to you that until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will in any way pass away from the law, until all things have been accomplished.

¹⁹Therefore whoever breaks the least one of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.²⁰For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹"You have heard that it was said to them in ancient times, 'Do not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will be subject to judgment.'²²But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'You worthless person!' will be subject to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be subject to the fire of hell.

²³Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has anything against you,²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go on your way. First be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

²⁵Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way to court, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.²⁶Truly I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the last penny you owe.

²⁷"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

²⁹If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into hell.³⁰If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members should perish than that your whole body should go into hell.

³¹It was also said, 'Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'³²But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on account of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress. Whoever marries her after she has been divorced commits adultery.

³³"Again, you have heard that it was said to those in ancient times, 'Do not swear a false oath, but carry out your oaths to the Lord.'³⁴But I say to you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;³⁵nor by the earth, for it is the footstool for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶Neither swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.³⁷But let your speech be 'Yes, yes,' or 'No, no.' Anything that is more than this is from the evil one.

³⁸"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'³⁹But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Instead, whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

⁴⁰If anyone wishes to bring a lawsuit against you and takes away your tunic, let that person also have your cloak.⁴¹Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.⁴²Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from anyone who wishes to borrow from you.

⁴³"You have heard that it was said, 'You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'⁴⁴But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ¹⁴⁵so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you get? Do not even the tax collectors do the same thing?⁴⁷If you greet only your brothers, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same thing?⁴⁸Therefore you must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

¹The best ancient copies do not have Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you .

6

¹"Watch out that you do not do your acts of righteousness before people to be seen by them, or else you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.²So when you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before yourself as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full.

³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing⁴so that your alms may be given in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.⁶But you, when you pray, enter your inner chamber. Shut the door and pray to your Father, who is in secret. Then your Father who sees in secret will reward you.⁷When you pray, do not make useless repetitions as the pagans do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

⁸Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him.

⁹Therefore pray like this:

'Our Father in heaven,

may your name be honored as holy.

¹⁰May your kingdom come.

May your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us today our daily bread.

¹²Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³Do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.' ¹

¹⁴For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.¹⁵But if you do not forgive their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

¹⁶"When you fast, do not have a sad face as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to people to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full.¹⁷But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face¹⁸so that you may not appear to people to be fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.²⁰Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal.²¹For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

²²The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore, if your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.²³But if your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in you is actually darkness, how great is that darkness!²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

²⁵Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. For is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?²⁶Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they are?

²⁷Which one of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his lifespan?²⁸Why are you anxious about clothing? Think about the lilies in the fields, how they grow. They do not labor, and they do not spin cloth.²⁹Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

³⁰If God so clothes the grass in the fields, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith?³¹Therefore do not be anxious and say, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What clothes will we wear?'

³²For the Gentiles search for these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.³⁴Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough evil of its own.

¹The best ancient copies do not have For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen .

7

¹"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.²For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the measure that you measure, it will be measured out to you.

³Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not take notice of the log that is in your own eye?⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?⁵You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye.

⁶Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs. Otherwise they may trample them underfoot, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

⁷"Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.⁸For everyone who asks, receives; everyone who seeks, finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened.⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone?¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

¹¹Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him?¹²Therefore, whatever things you want people to do to you, you should also do to them, for this is the law and the prophets.

¹³"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many people who go through it.¹⁴But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

¹⁵"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but are truly ravenous wolves.¹⁶By their fruits you will know them. Do people gather grapes from a thornbush or figs from thistles?¹⁷In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces bad fruit.

¹⁸A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.¹⁹Every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.²⁰So then, you will recognize them by their fruits.

²¹Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven.²²Many people will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, in your name drive out demons, and in your name do many miracles?'²³Then will I openly declare to them, 'I never knew you! Get away from me, you who practice lawlessness!'

²⁴"Therefore, everyone who hears my words and obeys them will be like a wise man who built his house upon a rock.²⁵The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall down, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶But everyone who hears my words and does not obey them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand.²⁷The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew and struck that house, and it fell, and its destruction was complete."

²⁸It came about that when Jesus finished speaking these words, the crowds were astonished by his teaching,²⁹for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

8

¹When Jesus had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him.²Behold, a leper came to him and bowed before him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

³Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean." Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

⁴Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any man. Go on your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

⁵When he was coming into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, begging him⁶and saying, "Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible agony."

⁷Then Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

⁸The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof. Only say the word and my servant will be healed.⁹For I also am a man under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, "Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone with such faith in Israel.

¹¹I tell you, many will come from the east and the west, and they will recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.¹²But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."¹³Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so may it be done for you." And the servant was healed at that very hour.

¹⁴When Jesus had come into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.¹⁵Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and started serving him.

¹⁶When evening had come, the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.¹⁷This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

"He took our illnesses

and bore our diseases."

¹⁸Now when Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave instructions to leave for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.¹⁹Then a scribe came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."

²⁰Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

²¹Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father."

²²But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

²³When Jesus had entered a boat, his disciples followed him into it.²⁴Behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But Jesus was asleep.²⁵The disciples came to him and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!"

²⁶Jesus said to them, "Why are you afraid, you of little faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. Then there was a great calm.

²⁷The men marveled and said, "What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?"

²⁸When Jesus had come to the other side and to the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They were coming out of the tombs and were very violent, so that no traveler could pass that way.²⁹Behold, they cried out and said, "What do we have to do with you, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the set time?"

³⁰Now a herd of many pigs was there feeding, not too far away from them.³¹The demons kept pleading with Jesus and saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into that herd of pigs."

³²Jesus said to them, "Go!" The demons came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep hill into the sea and they died in the water.

³³Those who had been tending the pigs ran away and they went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the men who had been possessed by demons.³⁴Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

9

¹Jesus entered a boat, crossed over, and came into his own city.²Behold, they brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Son, be encouraged. Your sins have been forgiven."

³Behold, some of the scribes said among themselves, "This man is blaspheming."⁴Jesus knew their thoughts and said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?⁵For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?⁶But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, ... " he said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your mat, and go to your house."

⁷Then the man got up and went away to his house.⁸When the crowds saw this, they were afraid and glorified God, who had given such authority to people.⁹As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's tent. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him.

¹⁰As Jesus sat down to eat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and dined with Jesus and his disciples.¹¹When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

¹²When Jesus heard this, he said, "People who are strong in body do not need a physician; only those who are sick do.¹³You should go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous to repent, but sinners."

¹⁴Then the disciples of John came to him and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees often fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

¹⁵Jesus said to them, "Can the sons of the wedding hall mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

¹⁶No man puts a piece of new cloth on an old garment, for the patch will tear away from the garment, and a worse tear will be made.

¹⁷Neither do people put new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed. Instead, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both will be preserved."

¹⁸While Jesus was saying these things to them, behold, an official came and bowed down to him. He said, "My daughter has just now died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."¹⁹Then Jesus got up and followed him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰Behold, a woman who suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his garment.²¹For she had said to herself, "If only I touch his clothes, I will be made well."

²²But Jesus turned and saw her, and said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed from that hour.

²³When Jesus came into the official's house, he saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion.²⁴He said, "Go away, for the girl is not dead, but she is asleep." But they laughed at him in mockery.

²⁵When the crowd had been put outside, he entered the room and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.²⁶The news about this spread into all that region.

²⁷As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him. They kept shouting and saying, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

²⁸When Jesus had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?"

They said to him, "Yes, Lord."

²⁹Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done to you according to your faith,"³⁰and their eyes were opened. Then Jesus strictly commanded them and said, "See that no one knows about this."³¹But the two men went out and spread the news about this throughout that region.

³²As those two men were going away, behold, a mute man possessed by a demon was brought to Jesus.³³When the demon had been driven out, the mute man spoke. The crowds were astonished and said, "This has never been seen before in Israel!"

³⁴But the Pharisees were saying, "By the ruler of the demons, he drives out demons."

³⁵Jesus went about all the cities and the villages. He continued teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness.³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were troubled and discouraged. They were like sheep without a shepherd.

³⁷He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.³⁸Therefore urgently pray to the Lord of the harvest, so that he may send out laborers into his harvest."

10

¹Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal all kinds of disease and all kinds of sickness.

²Now the names of the twelve apostles were these. The first, Simon (whom he also called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;³Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;⁴Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him.

⁵These twelve Jesus sent out. He instructed them and said, "Do not go to any place where Gentiles live, and do not enter any town of the Samaritans.⁶Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel;⁷and as you go, preach and say, 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'

⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.⁹Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper in your belts.¹⁰Do not take a traveling bag for your journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff, for a laborer deserves his food.

¹¹Whatever city or village you enter, find who is worthy in it, and stay there until you leave.¹²As you enter into the house, greet it.¹³If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

¹⁴As for those who do not receive you or listen to your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.¹⁵Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

¹⁶"See, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.¹⁷Watch out for people! They will deliver you up to councils, and they will whip you in their synagogues.¹⁸Then you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

¹⁹When they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you will speak, for what to say will be given to you at that time.²⁰For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you.

²¹Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.²²You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But whoever endures to the end, that person will be saved.²³When they persecute you in this city, flee to the next, for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man has come.

²⁴"A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a servant above his master.²⁵It is enough for the disciple that he should be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much worse will be the names they call the members of his household!

²⁶Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known.²⁷What I tell you in the darkness, say in the daylight, and what you hear softly in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. Instead, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.³⁰But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.

³²Therefore everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.³³But he who denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

³⁴"Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.³⁵For I came to set

a man against his father,

and a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

³⁶A man's enemies will be those of his own household.

³⁷He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.³⁸He who does not pick up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.³⁹He who finds his life will lose it. But he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰"He who welcomes you welcomes me, and he who welcomes me also welcomes him who sent me.⁴¹He who welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and he who welcomes a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

⁴²Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will in no way lose his reward."

11

¹It came about that when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.²Now when John heard in the prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent a message by his disciples³and said to him, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?"

⁴Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you see and hear.⁵The blind are receiving sight, the lame are walking, lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing again, the dead are being raised back to life, and the gospel is being preached to the poor.⁶Blessed is anyone who does not stumble because of me."

⁷As these men went on their way, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, "What did you go out in the desert to see—a reed being shaken by the wind?⁸But what did you go out to see—a man dressed in soft clothing? Really, those who wear soft clothing live in kings' houses.

⁹But what did you go out to see—a prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet.¹⁰This is he of whom it was written,

'See, I am sending my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.'

¹¹Truly I say to you that among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is.¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force.

¹³For all the prophets and the law have been prophesying until John;¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come.¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁶To what should I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces calling out to the others,¹⁷saying:

'We played a flute for you,

and you did not dance.

We mourned,

and you did not weep.'

¹⁸For John came not eating bread or drinking wine, and they say, 'He has a demon.'¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her deeds."

²⁰Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles were done, because they had not repented.²¹"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.²²But I tell you it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.

²³You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if in Sodom there had been done the miracles that were done in you, it would still have remained until today.²⁴But I say to you that it will be easier for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

²⁵At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children.²⁶Yes, Father, for this was pleasing in your sight.²⁷All things have been entrusted to me from my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.²⁹Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

12

¹At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and eat them.²But when the Pharisees saw that, they said to Jesus, "See, your disciples do what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath."

³But Jesus said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was hungry, and the men who were with him?⁴He went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which was unlawful for him to eat and unlawful for those who were with him, but lawful only for the priests.

⁵Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath but are guiltless?⁶But I say to you that one greater than the temple is here.

⁷If you had known what this meant, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁹Then Jesus left from there and went into their synagogue.¹⁰Behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" so that they might accuse him of sinning.

¹¹Jesus said to them, "What man would there be among you, who, if he had just one sheep, and if this sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not take hold of it and raise it out?¹²How much more valuable, then, is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

¹³Then Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored to health, just like the other hand.¹⁴But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him. They were seeking how they might destroy him.

¹⁵Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. Many people followed him, and he healed them all.¹⁶He commanded them not to make him known to others,¹⁷that it might be fulfilled, what had been said through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸"See, my servant whom I have chosen;

my beloved one, in whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

¹⁹He will not strive nor cry aloud;

neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

²⁰He will not break any bruised reed;

he will not quench any smoking flax,

until he leads justice to victory,

²¹and in his name the Gentiles will have hope."

²²Then someone blind and mute, possessed by a demon, was brought to Jesus. He healed him, with the result that the mute man spoke and saw.²³All the crowds were amazed and said, "Can this man be the Son of David?"

²⁴But when the Pharisees heard of this miracle, they said, "This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons."

²⁵But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.

²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.

²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.²⁹How can anyone enter the house of the strong man and take away his belongings without tying up the strong man first? Then he will steal his belongings from his house.³⁰The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

³¹Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.³²Whoever speaks any word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, that will not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.

³³Make a tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.³⁴You offspring of vipers, since you are evil, how can you say good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.³⁵The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil.

³⁶I say to you that in the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they will have said.³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

³⁸Then certain scribes and Pharisees answered Jesus and said, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

³⁹But Jesus answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the big fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here.

⁴²The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here.

⁴³When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it.⁴⁴Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' Having returned, it finds the house empty—it had been swept clean and put in order.⁴⁵Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first. It will be just like that with this evil generation."

⁴⁶While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him.⁴⁷Someone said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you."

⁴⁸But Jesus answered and said to him who told him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?"⁴⁹Then he stretched out his hand toward his disciples and said, "See, here are my mother and my brothers!⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother."

13

¹On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.²A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it while the whole crowd stood on the beach.

³Then Jesus said many things to them in parables. He said, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow seed.⁴As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured them.⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil. Immediately they sprang up because the soil had no depth.⁶But when the sun had risen, they were scorched because they had no root, and they withered away.

⁷Other seeds fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked them.⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

¹⁰The disciples came and said to Jesus, "Why do you talk to the crowd in parables?"

¹¹Jesus answered and said to them, "You have been given the privilege of understanding mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.¹²For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

¹³This is why I talk to them in parables:

Though they are seeing,

they do not see;

and though they are hearing,

they do not hear, or understand.

¹⁴To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, that which says,

'Listening, you will hear, but you will never understand;

seeing, you will see, but you will never know.

¹⁵For the heart of this people has become dull,

and with their ears they hardly hear,

and they have shut their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn again,

and I would heal them.'

¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.¹⁷Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that you see and did not see them. They desired to hear the things that you hear and did not hear them.

¹⁸Listen then to the parable of the farmer who sowed his seed.¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the seed that was sown beside the road.

²⁰What was sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,²¹yet he has no root in himself and he endures for a while. When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he quickly falls away.

²²What was sown among the thorn plants, this is the person who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.²³The seed that was sown on the good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands it. He bears fruit and produces a crop, yielding in one case a hundred, in another sixty, and in another thirty times as much as was planted."

²⁴Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.²⁵But while people slept, his enemy came and also sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away.²⁶When the blades sprouted and then produced their crop, then the weeds appeared also.

²⁷The servants of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How does it now have weeds?'

²⁸"He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'

"The servants said to him, 'So do you want us to go and pull them out?'

²⁹"The landowner said, 'No. Because while you are pulling out the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them.³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First pull out the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

³¹Then Jesus presented another parable to them. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.³²This seed is indeed the smallest of all seeds. But when it has grown, it is greater than the garden plants. It becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches."

³³Jesus then told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen."

³⁴All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; and he said nothing to them without a parable.³⁵This was in order that what had been said through the prophet might be fulfilled, when he said,

"I will open my mouth in parables.

I will say things that were hidden from the foundation of the world."

³⁶Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."

³⁷Jesus answered and said, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.³⁸The field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰Therefore, as the weeds are gathered up and consumed by fire, so will it be at the end of the age.⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness.⁴²They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.⁴³Then will the righteous people shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

⁴⁴"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it and hid it. In his joy he goes, sells everything he possesses, and buys that field.⁴⁵Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a merchant looking for valuable pearls.⁴⁶When he found one very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything that he possessed and bought it.

⁴⁷"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and that gathered all kinds of fish.⁴⁸When it was filled, the fishermen drew it up on the beach. Then they sat down and gathered the good ones into containers, but the bad ones they threw away.

⁴⁹It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous.⁵⁰They will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

⁵¹"Have you understood all these things?"

The disciples said to him, "Yes."

⁵²Then Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is the owner of a house, who draws out old and new things from his treasure."⁵³Then it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from that place.

⁵⁴Then Jesus entered his own region and taught the people in their synagogue. The result was that they were astonished and said, "Where does this man get his wisdom and these miraculous powers from?⁵⁵Is not this man the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?⁵⁶Are not all his sisters with us? Where did he get all these things?"

⁵⁷They were offended by him.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own family."

⁵⁸He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

14

¹About that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus.²He said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead. Therefore these powers are at work in him."

³For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.⁴For John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her as your wife."⁵Herod would have killed him, but he feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet.

⁶But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst and pleased Herod.⁷In response, he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.

⁸After being instructed by her mother, she said, "Give me here, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist."⁹The king was grieved by her request, but because of his oath and because of all those at dinner with him, he ordered that it should be done.

¹⁰He sent and beheaded John in the prison.¹¹Then his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she took it to her mother.¹²Then his disciples came, took up the corpse, and buried it. After this, they went and told Jesus.

¹³Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place. When the crowds heard of it, they followed him on foot from the cities.¹⁴Then Jesus came before them and saw the large crowd. He had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵When the evening had come, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour has already passed. Dismiss the crowds, so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

¹⁶But Jesus said to them, "They have no need to go away. You give them something to eat."

¹⁷They said to him, "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish."

¹⁸Jesus said, "Bring them to me."

¹⁹Then Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. Looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd.²⁰They all ate and were filled. Then they took up what remained of the broken pieces of food—twelve baskets full.²¹Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds.²³After he had sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.²⁴But the boat was now a long way from land, being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was blowing against them.

²⁵In the fourth watch of the night Jesus approached them, walking on the sea.²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled and said, "It is a ghost," and they cried out in fear.

²⁷But Jesus spoke to them right away and said, "Be brave! It is I! Do not be afraid."

²⁸Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

²⁹Jesus said, "Come."

So Peter got out from the boat and walked on the water to go to Jesus.

³⁰But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out and said, "Lord, save me!"

³¹Jesus immediately stretched out his hand, took hold of Peter, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

³²Then when Jesus and Peter went into the boat, the wind ceased blowing.³³Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, "Truly you are the Son of God."

³⁴When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.³⁵When the men in that place recognized Jesus, they sent messages everywhere into the surrounding area, and they brought to him everyone who was sick.³⁶They begged him that they might just touch the edge of his garment, and as many as touched it were healed.

15

¹Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They said,²"Why do your disciples violate the traditions of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

³He answered and said to them, "Then why do you violate the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions?

⁴For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother will surely die.'⁵But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever help you would have received from me is now a gift given to God,"⁶that person does not need to honor his father.' In this way you have made void the word of God ¹ for the sake of your traditions.

⁷You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said,

⁸'This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

⁹They worship me in vain

because they teach as their doctrines the commandments of people.'"

¹⁰Then he called the crowd to himself and said to them, "Listen and understand—¹¹Nothing that enters into the mouth defiles a person. Instead, what comes out of the mouth, this is what defiles a person."

¹²Then the disciples came and said to Jesus, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"

¹³Jesus answered and said, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides. If a blind person guides another blind person, both will fall into a pit."

¹⁵Peter responded and said to Jesus, "Explain this parable to us."

¹⁶Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?¹⁷Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then goes out into the latrine?

¹⁸But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. They are the things that defile a person.¹⁹For from the heart proceed evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander.²⁰These are the things that defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person."

²¹Then Jesus went away from there and withdrew toward the regions of the cities of Tyre and Sidon.²²Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region. She shouted out and said, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."

²³But Jesus answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting after us."

²⁴But Jesus answered and said, "I was not sent to anyone except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

²⁵But she came and bowed down before him, saying, "Lord, help me."

²⁶He answered and said, "It is not proper to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

²⁷She said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat some of the crumbs that fall from their masters' tables."

²⁸Then Jesus answered and said to her, "Woman, great is your faith; let it be done for you just as you wish." Her daughter was healed from that hour.

²⁹Jesus left that place and went near to the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a hill and sat there.³⁰Large crowds came to him. They brought with them lame, blind, mute, and crippled people, and many others who were sick. They presented them at Jesus' feet, and he healed them.³¹So the crowd marveled when they saw the mute persons speak, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They glorified the God of Israel.

³²Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have stayed with me for three days already and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away without eating, or they may faint on the way."

³³The disciples said to him, "Where can we get enough loaves of bread in such a deserted place to satisfy so large a crowd?"

³⁴Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"

They said, "Seven, and a few small fish."

³⁵Then Jesus commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.

³⁶He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples. The disciples gave them to the crowd.³⁷The people all ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.³⁸Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.³⁹Then Jesus sent the crowds away and got into the boat and went into the region of Magadan.

¹The best ancient copies have the word of God ; some other ancient copies have the commandment. It is difficult to choose the better reading.

16

¹The Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from the sky.²But he answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'

³When it is morning, you say, 'It will be foul weather, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.⁴An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then Jesus left them and went away.

⁵When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.⁶Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

⁷The disciples reasoned among themselves and said, "It is because we took no bread."

⁸Jesus was aware of this and said, "You of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves and say that it is because you have taken no bread?

⁹Do you not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered up?¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up?

¹¹How is it that you do not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? Watch out and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."¹²Then they understood that he was not telling them to beware of yeast in bread, but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

¹³Now when Jesus came to the regions near Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

¹⁴They said, "Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

¹⁵He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

¹⁶Answering, Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

¹⁷Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.¹⁸I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. The gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."²⁰Then Jesus commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

²¹From that time Jesus started to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, be killed, and be raised back to life on the third day.

²²Then Peter took him aside and rebuked him, saying, "May this be far from you, Lord! May this never happen to you!"

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you do not think about the things of God, but about the things of people."

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.²⁶For what does it profit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life?

²⁷For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels. Then he will reward every person according to his deeds.²⁸Truly I say to you, there are some of you standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

17

¹Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up a high mountain by themselves.²He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his garments became as brilliant as the light.

³Behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.⁴Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you desire, I will make here three shelters—one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

⁵While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, there was a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

⁶When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were very afraid.⁷Then Jesus came and touched them and said, "Get up and do not be afraid."⁸Then they looked up but saw no one except Jesus only.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Report this vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

¹⁰His disciples asked him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

¹¹Jesus answered and said, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things.¹²But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him. Instead, they did whatever they wanted to him. In the same way, the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands."¹³Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

¹⁴When they had come to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said,¹⁵"Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers severely. For he often falls into the fire or the water.¹⁶I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him."

¹⁷Jesus answered and said, "Unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I have to stay with you? How long must I bear with you? Bring him here to me."¹⁸Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that hour.

¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"

²⁰Jesus said to them, "Because of your small faith. For I truly say to you, if you have faith even as small as a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."²¹¹

²²While they stayed in Galilee, Jesus said to his disciples, "The Son of Man will be given over into the hands of people,²³and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up." The disciples were deeply grieved.

²⁴When they had come to Capernaum, the men who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the two-drachma tax?"

²⁵He said, "Yes."

When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first and said, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect tolls or taxes? From their sons or from others?"

²⁶"From others," Peter answered.

"Then the sons are free," Jesus said.

²⁷"But so that we do not cause the tax collectors to stumble, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and draw in the fish that comes up first. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to the tax collectors for me and you."

¹The best ancient copies do not have v. 21, But this kind of demon does not go out except with prayer and fasting .

18

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

²Jesus called to himself a little child, set him among them,³and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no way enter the kingdom of heaven.

⁴Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.⁵Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name receives me.⁶But whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a large millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be sunk into the depths of the sea.

⁷"Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that those stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom those stumbling blocks come!⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire having two hands or two feet.

⁹If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to be thrown into the fiery hell having both eyes.

¹⁰See that you do not despise any of these little ones. For I say to you that in heaven their angels always look on the face of my Father who is in heaven.¹¹¹

¹²What do you think? If anyone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go off seeking the one that went astray?¹³If he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.¹⁴In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

¹⁵"If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you will have gained your brother.¹⁶But if he does not listen to you, take one or two others along with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be confirmed.

¹⁷And if he refuses to listen to them, tell the matter to the church. If he also refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.

¹⁸I tell you truly, whatever things you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.¹⁹Again I tell you truly, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in their midst."

²¹Then Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?"

²²Jesus said to him, "I do not tell you seven times, but until seventy times seven.

²³Therefore the kingdom of heaven is similar to a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.²⁴As he began the settling, one servant was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.²⁵But since he did not have the means to repay, his master commanded him to be sold, together with his wife and children and everything that he had, and payment to be made.

²⁶So the servant fell down, bowed down before him, and said, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'²⁷So the master of that servant, since he was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.

²⁸But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii. He took hold of him, began to choke him, and said, 'Pay me what you owe.'

²⁹"But his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you.'

³⁰But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he should pay him what he owed.³¹When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved. They came and told their master everything that had happened.

³²"Then that servant's master called him and said to him, 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'

³⁴His master was angry and handed him over to the torturers until he would pay all that was owed.³⁵So also my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

¹The best ancient Greek copies do not have the sentence that some translations include, For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost .

19

¹It came about that when Jesus had finished these words, he departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea that is beyond the Jordan River.²Great crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³Pharisees came to him, testing him, saying to him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?"

⁴Jesus answered and said, "Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female?

⁵He who made them also said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and join to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.'⁶So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one tear apart."

⁷They said to him, "Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of divorce and then to send her away?"

⁸He said to them, "For your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not that way.⁹I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." ¹

¹⁰The disciples said to Jesus, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is not good to marry."

¹¹But Jesus said to them, "Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it is given.¹²For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this teaching, let him accept it."

¹³Then some little children were brought to him so that he would lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.¹⁴But Jesus said, "Permit the little children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such ones."¹⁵He placed his hands on the children, and then he went away from there.

¹⁶Behold, a man came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good thing must I do that I may have eternal life?"

¹⁷Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good, but if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

¹⁸The man said to him, "Which commandments?"

Jesus said, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,

¹⁹honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself."

²⁰The young man said to him, "All these things I have obeyed. What do I still need?"

²¹Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."²²But when the young man heard what Jesus said, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.

²³Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.²⁴Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

²⁵When the disciples heard it, they were very astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"

²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

²⁷Then Peter answered and said to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?"

²⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, in the new age when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹Every one who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or land for my name's sake will receive one hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.³⁰But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

¹The best ancient copies do not have and the man who marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery .

20

¹"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.²After he had agreed with the laborers for one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

³He went out again about the third hour and saw other laborers standing idle in the marketplace.⁴To them he said, 'You also, go into the vineyard, and I will give you what is right.' So they went to work.

⁵Again he went out about the sixth hour and again the ninth hour, and did the same.⁶Once more about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle. He said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all the day long?'

⁷"They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.'

"He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'

⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.'

⁹"When the laborers who had been hired at the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.¹⁰When the first laborers came, they thought that they would receive more, but they also received one denarius each.

¹¹When they received their wages, they complained about the landowner.¹²They said, 'These last laborers have spent only one hour in work, but you have made them equal to us, we who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'

¹³"But the owner answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for one denarius?¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go your way. I choose to give to these last hired laborers just the same as to you.

¹⁵Is it not lawful for me to do as I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am good?'¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first last." ¹

¹⁷As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,¹⁸"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death¹⁹and will deliver him to the Gentiles for them to mock, to flog, and to crucify him. But on the third day he will be raised up."

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down before him and asked for something from him.

²¹Jesus said to her, "What do you wish?"

She said to him, "Command that these my two sons may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left hand, in your kingdom."

²²But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?"

They said to him, "We are able."

²³He said to them, "My cup you will indeed drink. But to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."²⁴When the other ten disciples heard this, they were very angry with the two brothers.

²⁵But Jesus called them to himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their important men exercise authority over them.²⁶But it must not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your servant,²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

²⁹As they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed him.³⁰There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us."³¹The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be quiet, but they cried out even more loudly, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us."

³²Then Jesus stood still and called to them and said, "What do you wish me to do for you?"

³³They said to him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."³⁴Then Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

¹The best ancient copies do not have Many are called, but few are chosen .

21

¹As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,²saying to them, "Go into the next village, and you will immediately find a donkey tied up there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.³If anyone says anything to you about that, you will say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and that person will immediately send them with you."

⁴Now all this happened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying,

⁵"Tell the daughter of Zion,

'See, your King is coming to you,

Humble and riding on a donkey—

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

⁶Then the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them.⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat upon the cloaks.⁸Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches off the trees and spread them in the road.

⁹Then the crowds that went before Jesus and those that followed him were shouting,

"Hosanna to the son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!"

¹⁰When Jesus had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred and said, "Who is this?"

¹¹The crowds answered, "This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

¹²Then Jesus entered the temple. He cast out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.¹³He said to them, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."

¹⁴Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the marvelous things that he did, and when they heard the children shouting in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became very angry.

¹⁶They said to him, "Do you hear what they are saying?"

Jesus said to them, "Yes! But have you never read,

'Out of the mouths of little children and nursing infants

you have prepared praise'?"

¹⁷Then Jesus left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

¹⁸Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he was hungry.¹⁹Seeing a fig tree along the roadside, he went to it and found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, "May there be no fruit from you ever again," and immediately the fig tree withered.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they marveled and said, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?"

²¹Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but you will even say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and it will be done.²²Whatever you ask for in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When Jesus had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority?"

²⁴Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question. If you tell me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵The baptism of John—from where did it come? From heaven or from men?"

They discussed among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

²⁶But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the crowd, because they all view John as a prophet."²⁷Then they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."

He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go labor today in the vineyard.'

²⁹"The son answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind and went.

³⁰"Then the man went to the second son and said the same thing. He answered and said, 'I will go, sir,' but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two sons did his father's will?"

They said, "The first one."

Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. But you, even when you saw this, you did not repent afterward and believe him.

³³"Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner. He planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a watchtower, and rented it out to vine growers. Then he went into another country.³⁴When the time of the fruit harvest approached, he sent some servants to the vine growers to collect his fruit.

³⁵But the vine growers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned still another.³⁶Again, the owner sent other servants, more than the first, but the vine growers treated them in the same way.³⁷After that, the owner sent his own son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

³⁸"But when the vine growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take over the inheritance.'³⁹So they took him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine growers?"

⁴¹They said to him, "He will violently destroy those wicked people, and he will then rent out the vineyard to other vine growers, men who will give him his share of crops at the harvest time."

⁴²Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures,

'The stone which the builders rejected

has been made the cornerstone.

This was from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

⁴³Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that produces its fruits.⁴⁴Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But anyone on whom it falls will be crushed."

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood he was speaking about them.⁴⁶Seeking to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowd, because the people regarded him as a prophet.

22

¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,²"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a marriage feast for his son.³He sent out his servants to call those who had been invited to come to the marriage feast, but they would not come.

⁴Again the king sent other servants, saying, 'Tell them who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast."'

⁵But they paid no attention and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.⁶The others seized the king's servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.⁷The king was angry, and he sent his soldiers and they destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.⁹Therefore go to the highway crossings and invite as many people to the marriage feast as you can find.'¹⁰The servants went out to the highways and gathered together all the people they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.¹²The king said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' But the man was speechless.

¹³Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind this man hand and foot, and throw him out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and the grinding of teeth.'¹⁴For many people are called, but few are chosen."

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and planned how they might entrap Jesus in his own talk.¹⁶Then they sent to him their disciples, together with the Herodians. They said to Jesus, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and that you teach God's way in truth. You care for no one's opinion, and you do not show partiality between people.¹⁷So tell us, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

¹⁸But Jesus understood their wickedness and said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?¹⁹Show me the coin for the tax." Then they brought a denarius to him.

²⁰Jesus said to them, "Whose image and name are these?"

²¹They said to him, "Caesar's."

Then Jesus said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

²²When they heard it, they marveled. Then they left him and went away.

²³On that day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him,²⁴saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry his wife and raise children for his brother.'

²⁵There were seven brothers. The first married and then died. Having left no children, he left his wife to his brother.²⁶Then the second brother did the same thing, then the third, all the way to the seventh brother.²⁷After them all, the woman died.²⁸Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven brothers? For they all had married her."

²⁹But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God.³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Instead, they are like angels in heaven.

³¹But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,³²'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."³³When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

³⁴But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.³⁵One of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question, testing him—³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

³⁷Jesus said to him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'³⁸This is the great and first commandment.

³⁹And a second commandment is like it—'Love your neighbor as yourself.'⁴⁰On these two commandments depend the whole law and the prophets."

⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were still gathered together, Jesus asked them a question.⁴²He said, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?"

They said to him, "The son of David."

⁴³Jesus said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,

⁴⁴'The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool"'?

⁴⁵If David then calls the Christ 'Lord,' how is he David's son?"⁴⁶No one was able to answer him a word, and no man dared ask him any more questions from that day on.

23

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.²He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.³Therefore whatever they command you to do, do these things and observe them. But do not imitate their deeds, for they say things but then do not do them.

⁴Yes, they bind heavy burdens that are difficult to carry, and then they put them on people's shoulders. But they themselves will not move a finger to carry them.⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by people. For they make their phylacteries wide, and they enlarge the edges of their garments.

⁶They love the places of honor at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues,⁷and special greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people.

⁸But you must not be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers.⁹And call no man on earth your father, for you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.¹⁰Neither must you be called 'teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Christ.

¹¹But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.¹²Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against people. For you do not enter it yourselves, and neither do you allow those about to enter to do so.¹⁴¹¹⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you go over sea and land to make one convert, and when he has become one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you.

¹⁶"Woe to you, you blind guides, you who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound to his oath.'¹⁷You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?

¹⁸And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is bound to his oath.'¹⁹You blind people! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?

²⁰Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.²¹The one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who lives in it.²²And the one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.

²³"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, but you have left undone the weightier matters of the law—justice and mercy and faithfulness. But these you ought to have done and not to have left the other undone.²⁴You blind guides, you who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

²⁵"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.²⁶You blind Pharisee! Clean first the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become clean also.

²⁷"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.²⁸In the same way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

²⁹"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous.³⁰You say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'³¹Therefore you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

³²You also fill up the measure of your fathers.³³You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of hell?

³⁴Therefore, see, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some you will whip in your synagogues and chase from city to city.³⁵The result is that upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.³⁶Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

³⁷"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often did I long to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!³⁸See, your house is left to you desolate.³⁹For I say to you, you will not see me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

¹The best ancient copies do not have verse 14 (some copies add the verse after verse 12). Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, while you make a show of long prayers. You will therefore receive greater condemnation .

24

¹Jesus went out from the temple and was going on his way. His disciples came to him to point out to him the buildings of the temple.²But he answered and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left on another that will not be torn down."

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

⁴Jesus answered and said to them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.⁵For many will come in my name. They will say, 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.

⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must happen; but the end is not yet.⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.⁸But all these things are only the beginning of birth pains.

⁹Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. You will be hated by all the nations for my name's sake.¹⁰Then many will stumble, and betray one another and hate one another.¹¹Many false prophets will rise up and lead many astray.

¹²Because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved.¹⁴This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come.

¹⁵"Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (let the reader understand),¹⁶"let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,¹⁷let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house,¹⁸and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak.

¹⁹But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!²⁰Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on a Sabbath.²¹For there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be again.²²Unless those days had been shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

²³Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There is the Christ!' do not believe it.²⁴For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.²⁵See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out to the wilderness. Or, 'See, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.²⁷For as the lightning shines out from the east and flashes all the way to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.²⁸Wherever a dead animal is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹"But immediately after the tribulation of those days

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give its light,

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

³⁰Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.³¹He will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

³²"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.³³So also, when you see all these things, you should know that he is near, at the very gates.

³⁴Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all of these things will have happened.³⁵Heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁶But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

³⁷As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark,³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away—so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

⁴⁰Then two men will be in a field—one will be taken, and one will be left.⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a mill—one will be taken, and one will be left.⁴²Therefore be on your guard, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

⁴³But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been on guard and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.⁴⁴Therefore you must also be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour that you do not expect.

⁴⁵"So who is the faithful and wise servant whom his master has set over his household in order to give them their food at the right time?⁴⁶Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing that when he comes.⁴⁷Truly I say to you that the master will set him over all his possessions.

⁴⁸But if an evil servant says in his heart, 'My master has been delayed,'⁴⁹and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,⁵⁰then the master of that servant will come on a day that the servant does not expect and at an hour that he does not know.⁵¹His master will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

25

¹"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.²Five of them were foolish and five were wise.³For when the foolish virgins took their lamps, they did not take any oil with them.⁴But the wise virgins took containers of oil along with their lamps.

⁵Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all got sleepy and slept.⁶But at midnight there was a cry, 'Look, the bridegroom! Go out and meet him.'

⁷Then all those virgins rose up and trimmed their lamps.⁸The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.'

⁹"But the wise answered and said, 'Since there will not be enough for us and you, go instead to those who sell and buy some for yourselves.'

¹⁰While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

¹¹"Afterward the other virgins also came and said, 'Master, master, open for us.'

¹²"But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'¹³Watch therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour.

¹⁴"For it is like when a man was about to go into another country. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them.¹⁵To one of them he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to yet another he gave one talent. Each one received an amount according to his own ability, and that man went on his journey.¹⁶The one who received the five talents went at once and worked with them and gained another five talents.

¹⁷In the same way, the one who had received two talents gained another two.¹⁸But the servant who had received one talent went away, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money.

¹⁹Now after a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.²⁰The servant who had received the five talents came and brought another five talents. He said, 'Master, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five talents more.'

²¹"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.'

²²"The servant who had received two talents came and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have gained two more talents.'

²³"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things. I will put you in charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.'

²⁴"Then the servant who had received one talent came and said, 'Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap where you did not sow, and you harvest where you did not scatter.²⁵I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have here what belongs to you.'

²⁶"But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sowed and harvest where I have not scattered.²⁷Therefore you should have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

²⁸Therefore take away the talent from him and give it to the servant who has ten talents.²⁹For to everyone who possesses more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from anyone who does not possess anything, even what he does have will be taken away.³⁰Throw the worthless servant out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.³³He will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right hand, 'Come, you who have been blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;³⁶I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you cared for me; I was in prison and you came to me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you a drink?³⁸When did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you?³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?'

⁴⁰"Then the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, what you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.'

⁴¹Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels,⁴²because I was hungry, but you did not give me food; I was thirsty, but you did not give me a drink;⁴³I was a stranger, but you did not take me in; naked, but you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, but you did not care for me.'

⁴⁴"Then they will also answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve you?'

⁴⁵"Then he will answer them and say, 'Truly I say to you, what you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'⁴⁶These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

26

¹It came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples,²"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be given over to be crucified."

³Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.⁴They plotted together to arrest Jesus stealthily and kill him.⁵For they were saying, "Not during the festival, so that a riot does not arise among the people."

⁶Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,⁷as he was reclining at table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it upon his head.⁸But when his disciples saw it, they became angry and said, "What is the reason for this waste?⁹This could have been sold for a large amount and given to the poor."

¹⁰But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, "Why are you causing trouble for this woman? For she has done a beautiful thing for me.¹¹You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

¹²For when she poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.¹³Truly I say to you, wherever this good news is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

¹⁴Then one of the twelve, who was named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests¹⁵and said, "What are you willing to give me to turn him over to you?" They weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him.¹⁶From that moment he sought an opportunity to turn him over to them.

¹⁷Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?"

¹⁸He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples."'"¹⁹The disciples did as Jesus directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

²⁰When evening came, he sat down to eat with the twelve disciples.²¹As they were eating, he said, "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me."

²²They were very sorrowful, and each one began to ask him, "Surely not I, Lord?"

²³He answered, "The one who dips his hand with me in the dish is the one who will betray me.²⁴The Son of Man will go, just as it is written about him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born."

²⁵Judas, who would betray him said, "Is it I, Rabbi?"

He said to him, "You have said it yourself."

²⁶As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat. This is my body."

²⁷He took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them and said, "Drink it, all of you.²⁸For this is my blood of the covenant that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.²⁹But I say to you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

³⁰When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.³¹Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away tonight because of me, for it is written,

'I will strike the shepherd

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

³²But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

³³But Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."

³⁴Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."

³⁵Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." All the other disciples said the same thing.

³⁶Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him and began to become sorrowful and troubled.³⁸Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch with me."

³⁹He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will."⁴⁰He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "What, could you not watch with me for one hour?⁴¹Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

⁴²He went away a second time and prayed. He said, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done."⁴³He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.⁴⁴So leaving them again, he went away and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

⁴⁵Then Jesus came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.⁴⁶Arise, let us go. Look, the one who is betraying me is near."

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came. A large crowd came with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. They came with swords and clubs.⁴⁸Now the man who was going to betray Jesus had given them a signal, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Seize him."

⁴⁹Immediately he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and he kissed him.

⁵⁰Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come to do." Then they came, laid hands on Jesus, and seized him.

⁵¹Behold, one of those who was with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.⁵²Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back in its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.⁵³Do you think that I could not call upon my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels?⁵⁴But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, that this must happen?"

⁵⁵At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to seize me like a robber? Every day I sat teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me.⁵⁶But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples abandoned him and fled.

⁵⁷Those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered together.⁵⁸But Peter followed him from a distance to the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death.⁶⁰They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward⁶¹and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.'"

⁶²The high priest stood up and said to him, "Do you have no answer? What is it that they are testifying against you?"⁶³But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, "I command you by the living God, tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."

⁶⁴Jesus replied to him, "You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.⁶⁶What do you think?"

They answered and said, "He is deserving of death."

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face and beat him with their fists, while some slapped him⁶⁸and said, "Prophesy to us, you Christ. Who is it that struck you?"

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him and said, "You were also with Jesus of Galilee."

⁷⁰But he denied it in front of them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."

⁷¹When he went out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to those there, "This man was also with Jesus of Nazareth."

⁷²He again denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man!"

⁷³After a little while those who were standing by came and said to Peter, "Surely you are also one of them, for the way you speak gives you away."

⁷⁴Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know the man," and immediately a rooster crowed.

⁷⁵Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said, "Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times." Then he went outside and wept bitterly.

27

¹Now when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death.²They bound him, led him away, and delivered him to Pilate the governor.

³Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,⁴and said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."

But they said, "What is that to us? See to that yourself."

⁵Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went out and hanged himself.

⁶The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, "It is not lawful to put this into the treasury because it is the price of blood."⁷They discussed the matter together, and they bought with the money the potter's field in which to bury strangers.⁸For this reason that field has been called, "The Field of Blood" to this day.

⁹Then that which had been spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the sons of Israel,¹⁰and they gave it for the potter's field, as the Lord had directed me."

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered him, "You say so."

¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.¹³Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they accuse you of?"¹⁴But he did not answer even one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

¹⁵Now at the festival it was the custom of the governor to set free one prisoner chosen by the crowd.¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. ¹

¹⁷So when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Who do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"¹⁸He knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because of envy.

¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him and said, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man. For I have suffered much today because of a dream I had about him."

²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.²¹The governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?"

They said, "Barabbas."

²²Pilate said to them, "What should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"

They all answered, "Crucify him."

²³Then he said, "Why, what evil has he done?"

But they cried out even louder, "Crucify him."

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but instead a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it."

²⁵All the people said, "May his blood be on us and our children."²⁶Then he set Barabbas free for them, but he scourged Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the government headquarters and they gathered the whole company of soldiers.²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.²⁹They made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. They knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

³⁰They spat on him, and they took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.³¹When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.

³²As they came out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to go with them so that he might carry his cross.³³They came to a place called Golgotha, which means "The Place of a Skull."³⁴They gave him wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he would not drink.

³⁵When they had crucified him, they divided up his garments by casting lots,³⁶and they sat and kept guard over him.³⁷Above his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews."

³⁸Two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right of him and one on the left.³⁹Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads⁴⁰and saying, "You who were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"

⁴¹In the same way the chief priests were mocking him, along with the scribes and elders, and said,⁴²"He saved others, but he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel. Let him come down off the cross, and then we will believe in him.

⁴³He trusts in God, let God rescue him now, if God consents to release him. For he even said, 'I am the Son of God.'"⁴⁴In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also insulted him.

⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.⁴⁶About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

⁴⁷When some of those who were standing there heard it, they said, "He is calling for Elijah."

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed staff, and gave it to him to drink.⁴⁹The rest of them said, "Leave him alone. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save him."⁵⁰Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.

⁵¹Behold, the curtain of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks split apart.⁵²The tombs were opened, and the bodies of the holy people who had fallen asleep were raised.⁵³They came out of the tombs after his resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.

⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they became very afraid and said, "Truly this was the Son of God."⁵⁵Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to attend to his needs were there watching from a distance.⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.⁵⁸He approached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

⁵⁹Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and went away.⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²The next day, which was the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together with Pilate.⁶³They said, "Sir, we remember that when that deceiver was alive, he said, 'After three days will I rise again.'⁶⁴Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, otherwise his disciples may come and steal him and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "Take a guard. Go and make it as secure as you know how."⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and placing the guard.

¹Many ancient copies do not have Jesus .

28

¹Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.²Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came and rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.⁴The guards shook with fear and became like dead men.

⁵The angel addressed the women and said to them, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who has been crucified.⁶He is not here, but is risen, just as he said. Come see the place where the Lord was lying.⁷Go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has risen from the dead. See, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.' See, I have told you."

⁸The women quickly left the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.⁹Behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" The women came, took hold of his feet and worshiped him.¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee. There they will see me."

¹¹Now while the women were going, behold, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all the things that had happened.¹²When the priests had met with the elders and discussed the matter with them, they gave a large amount of money to the soldiers¹³and told them, "Say to others, 'The disciples of Jesus came by night and stole his body while we were sleeping.'

¹⁴If this report reaches the governor, we will persuade him and take any worries away from you."¹⁵So the soldiers took the money and did as they had been instructed. This report spread widely among the Jews and continues even today.

¹⁶But the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.

¹⁸Jesus came to them and spoke to them and said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Baptize them into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

²⁰Teach them to obey all the things that I have commanded you. See, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Mark

1

¹This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

²As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

"Look, I am sending my messenger before your face,

the one who will prepare your way.

³The voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.'"

⁴John came, baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.⁵The whole country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.⁶John wore a coat of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷He was preaching, saying, "One will come after me who is more powerful than I; the strap of his sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.⁸I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

⁹It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River.¹⁰As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove.¹¹A voice came out of the heavens: "You are my beloved Son. I am very pleased with you."

¹²Then the Spirit compelled him to go out into the wilderness.¹³He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels served him.

¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.¹⁵He said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the gospel."

¹⁶When he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea, for they were fishermen.¹⁷Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."¹⁸Then immediately they left the nets and followed him.

¹⁹As Jesus was walking on a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and John his brother; they were in the boat mending the nets.²⁰He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and they followed him.

²¹Then they came into Capernaum, and on the Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught.²²They were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as someone who has authority and not as the scribes.

²³Just then a man in their synagogue who had an unclean spirit cried out,²⁴saying, "What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God!"

²⁵Jesus rebuked the demon and said, "Be quiet and come out of him!"²⁶The unclean spirit threw him into convulsions and went out from him while crying out with a loud voice.

²⁷All the people were amazed, so they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him!"²⁸The news about him went out everywhere into the whole region of Galilee.

²⁹After coming out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John.³⁰Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.³¹So he came, took her by the hand, and raised her up; the fever left her, and she started serving them.

³²That evening after the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons.³³The whole city gathered together at the door.³⁴He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, but he did not allow the demons to speak because they knew him.

³⁵He got up very early, while it was still dark; he left and went out into a solitary place and there he prayed.³⁶Simon and those who were with him searched for him.³⁷They found him and they said to him, "Everyone is looking for you."

³⁸He said, "Let us go elsewhere, out into the surrounding towns, so that I may preach there also. That is why I came out here."³⁹He went throughout all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

⁴⁰A leper came to him. He was begging him; he knelt down and said to him, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

⁴¹Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying to him, "I am willing. Be clean."⁴²Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

⁴³Jesus strictly warned him and sent him away.⁴⁴He said to him, "Be sure to say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

⁴⁵But he went out and began to declare it freely and spread the word, so much so that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but he stayed out in remote places. Yet people were still coming to him from everywhere.

2

¹When Jesus came back to Capernaum after a few days, it was heard that he was at home.²So many gathered there that there was no more space, not even at the door, and he spoke the word to them.

³Then some men came to him who were bringing a paralyzed man; four people were carrying him.⁴When they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof that was above Jesus, and after they made an opening, they lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

⁵Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there, and they reasoned in their hearts,⁷"How can this man speak this way? He blasphemes! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

⁸Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking within themselves. He said to them, "Why are you thinking this in your hearts?⁹Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take up your mat and walk'?

¹⁰But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he said to the paralytic,¹¹"I say to you, get up, take up your mat, and go to your house."

¹²He got up and immediately took up the mat, and went out of the house in front of everyone, so that they were all amazed and they gave glory to God, and they said, "We never saw anything like this."

¹³He went out again by the lake, and all the crowd came to him, and he taught them.¹⁴As he passed by, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's tent and he said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him.

¹⁵Jesus was having a meal in Levi's house and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with him and his disciples, for there were many and they followed him.¹⁶When the scribes, who were Pharisees, saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

¹⁷When Jesus heard this, he said to them, "People who are strong in body do not need a physician; only people who are sick need one. I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners."

¹⁸Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and said to him, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"

¹⁹Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

²⁰But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and in those days, they will fast.²¹No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment. Otherwise the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and there is a worse tear.

²²No one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and the wineskins are lost. Instead, new wine is put into fresh wineskins."

²³On the Sabbath day Jesus went through some grainfields, and his disciples began picking heads of grain as they made their way.²⁴The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing something that is not lawful on the Sabbath day?"

²⁵He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry—he and the men who were with him—²⁶how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the presence, which is unlawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he even gave some to those who were with him?"

²⁷Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath.²⁸Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath."

3

¹Again Jesus walked into the synagogue, and there was a man with a withered hand.²Some people watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath so that they could accuse him.

³Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand here in the middle of everyone."⁴Then he said to the people, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath day or to do harm; to save a life or to kill?" But they were silent.

⁵He looked around at them with anger, and he was grieved by their hardness of heart, and he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.⁶The Pharisees went out and immediately began to plot with the Herodians as to how they might put him to death.

⁷Then Jesus, with his disciples, went to the sea, and a great crowd of people followed from Galilee and from Judea⁸and from Jerusalem and from Idumea and beyond the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. When they heard about the things he was doing, a great crowd came to him.

⁹He told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not press against him.¹⁰For he healed many, so that everyone who had afflictions eagerly approached him in order to touch him.

¹¹Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, and they said, "You are the Son of God."¹²He strictly ordered them not to make him known.

¹³He went up on the mountain, and he called for those he wanted, and they came to him.¹⁴He appointed the twelve (whom he named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them to proclaim the message,¹⁵and to have authority to cast out demons.¹⁶He appointed the twelve: Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;

¹⁷James son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder";¹⁸and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,¹⁹and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him.

²⁰Then he went home, and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat bread.²¹When his family heard about it, they went out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

²²The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul" and "By the ruler of the demons he drives out demons."

²³Jesus called them to himself and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan?²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.²⁵If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

²⁶If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he is not able to stand, but has come to an end.²⁷But no one can enter into the house of a strong man and steal his belongings without tying up the strong man first, and then he will plunder his house.

²⁸Truly I say to you, all sins of the sons of men will be forgiven, even all the blasphemies which they utter,²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."

³⁰Jesus said this because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

³¹Then his mother and his brothers came and stood outside. They sent for him, summoning him.³²A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside, and they are looking for you."

³³He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"³⁴He looked around at those who were sitting in a circle around him and said, "See, here are my mother and my brothers!³⁵For whoever does the will of God, that person is my brother, and sister, and mother."

4

¹Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a large crowd gathered around him. He stepped into a boat that was on the sea, and he sat down in it. The whole crowd was on the shore beside the sea.²He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching, this is what he said to them.

³"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.⁴As he sowed, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and devoured it.⁵Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. Immediately it sprang up, because it did not have deep soil.

⁶But when the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they dried up.⁷Other seed fell among the thorn plants. The thorn plants grew up and choked it, and it did not produce a crop.

⁸Other seed fell into good soil, and it produced a crop growing up and increasing and yielding thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times."⁹Then he said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!"

¹⁰When Jesus was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.¹¹He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those outside everything is in parables,

¹²so that when they look,

yes they look,

but do not see,

and so that when they hear,

yes they hear,

but do not understand,

or else they would turn

and God would forgive them."

¹³He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?¹⁴The sower sows the word.¹⁵These are the ones beside the road, where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

¹⁶And these are the seed sown on the rocky ground; who, when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy.¹⁷But they do not have root in themselves, but they endure for a while. Afterward when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away.

¹⁸Still others are the ones sown among the thorns. They are those who hear the word,¹⁹but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, and it is unproductive.²⁰Those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word, accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much."

²¹Jesus said to them, "Do you bring a lamp inside the house to put it under a basket or under the bed? You bring it in and you put it on a lampstand.²²For nothing is hidden that will not be known, and nothing is secret that will not come out into the open.²³If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"

²⁴He said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear, for the measure you use will be measured to you, and more will be added to you.²⁵Because whoever has, to him will be given more, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken."

²⁶He also said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who sows his seed on the ground.²⁷He sleeps at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.²⁸The earth bears grain by itself: First the blade, then the ear, then the mature grain in the ear.²⁹When the crop is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle because the harvest has come."

³⁰Again he said, "To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it?³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.³²Yet, when it is sown, it grows and becomes greater than all the garden plants, and it forms large branches, so that the birds of heaven can make their nests in its shade."

³³With many parables like this he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to understand,³⁴and he did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone, he explained everything to his own disciples.

³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."³⁶So they left the crowd, taking Jesus with them, just as he was, in the boat. There were other boats going along with him.³⁷Just then a violent windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was almost full of water.

³⁸But Jesus himself was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him up, saying, "Teacher, do you not care that we are about to die?"

³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

⁴⁰Then he said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith?"

⁴¹They were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, because even the wind and the sea obey him?"

5

¹They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.²When Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came up to him out of the tombs.

³The man lived in the tombs. No one could restrain him anymore, not even with a chain.⁴He had been bound many times with shackles and with chains. He tore the chains apart and his shackles were shattered. No one had the strength to subdue him.

⁵Every night and day in the tombs and in the mountains, he cried out and cut himself with sharp stones.⁶When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran to him and bowed down before him.

⁷He cried out with a loud voice, "What do I have to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you by God himself, do not torment me."⁸For he had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit."

⁹He asked him, "What is your name?"

He answered him, "My name is Legion, for we are many."

¹⁰He begged him again and again not to send them out of the region.

¹¹Now a great herd of pigs was there feeding on the hill,¹²and they begged him, saying, "Send us into the pigs; let us enter into them."¹³So he allowed them; the unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep hill into the sea, and about two thousand pigs drowned in the sea.

¹⁴Then those who were feeding the pigs ran away and reported what had happened in the city and in the countryside, and so people went out to see what had happened.¹⁵Then they came to Jesus and they saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

¹⁶Those who had seen what happened to the demon-possessed man told them about it in detail, and they also told them about the pigs.¹⁷Then they started to beg him to leave their region.

¹⁸When he was getting into the boat, the demon-possessed man begged him that he might be with him.¹⁹But Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go to your house and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, and how he has shown you mercy."²⁰So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis the great things that Jesus had done for him, and everyone was amazed.

²¹Now when Jesus had crossed over again to the other side in the boat, a great crowd gathered around him, as he was beside the sea.²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came, and when he saw him, fell at his feet.²³He begged again and again, saying, "My little daughter is near death. I beg you, come and lay your hands on her that she may be made well and live."²⁴So he went with him, and a great crowd followed him and pressed close around him.

²⁵Now a woman was there who had a flow of blood for twelve years.²⁶She had suffered much from many doctors and had spent everything that she had, but instead of getting better she grew worse.²⁷When she had heard the reports about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.

²⁸For she said, "If I touch just his clothes, I will be healed."²⁹When she touched him, the bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her affliction.

³⁰Jesus immediately realized in himself that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?"

³¹His disciples said to him, "You see this crowd pressed around you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'"

³²But Jesus looked around to see who had done it.

³³The woman, knowing what had happened to her, feared and trembled. She came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.³⁴He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction."

³⁵While he was speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any longer?"

³⁶But when Jesus overheard the message that was spoken, he said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid. Just believe."³⁷He did not permit anyone to accompany him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.³⁸They came to the house of the leader of the synagogue and he saw there people making a lot of noise; they were weeping and wailing loudly.

³⁹When he entered the house, he said to them, "Why are you upset and why do you weep? The child is not dead but sleeps."⁴⁰They began to mock him. But he put them all outside and took the father of the child and the mother and those who were with him, and he went in where the child was.

⁴¹He took the hand of the child and said to her, "Talitha, koum!" which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, get up."⁴²Immediately the child got up and walked (for she was twelve years of age). They were immediately astonished with overwhelming amazement.⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know about this. Then he told them to give her something to eat.

6

¹He went out from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.²When the Sabbath came, he taught in the synagogue. Many people heard him and they were amazed. They said, "Where did he get these teachings?" "What is this wisdom that has been given to him?" "What are these miracles that he does with his hands?"³"Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are his sisters not here with us?" They were offended by Jesus. ¹

⁴Then Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household."⁵He could not do any mighty work, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.⁶He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around the villages teaching.

⁷Then he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits,⁸and instructed them to take nothing for their journey, except a staff—no bread, no bag, and no money in their belts—⁹but to wear sandals, and not to wear two tunics.

¹⁰He said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, remain until you go away from there.¹¹If any town will not receive you or listen to you, when you leave that place, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony to them."

¹²They went out and proclaimed that people should repent.¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

¹⁴King Herod heard this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."¹⁵Some others said, "He is Elijah." Still others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets in ancient times."

¹⁶But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

¹⁷For Herod sent to have John arrested and he had him bound in prison on account of Herodias (his brother Philip's wife), because he had married her.

¹⁸For John told Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."¹⁹But Herodias held on to anger against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not,²⁰for Herod feared John; he knew that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. Listening to him made him greatly perplexed, yet he heard him gladly.

²¹Then an opportunity came when Herod had his birthday and he made a dinner for his officials and for the commanders and leaders of Galilee.²²The daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced for them, and she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you."

²³He swore to her saying, "Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."

²⁴She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask him for?"

She said, "The head of John the Baptist."

²⁵She immediately hurried back to the king, and she asked, saying, "I want you to give me, right now, the head of John the Baptist on a wooden platter."

²⁶Though this deeply grieved the king, he could not refuse her request because of the oath he had made and because of his dinner guests.²⁷So the king sent a soldier from his guard and commanded him to bring him John's head. The guard went and beheaded him in the prison.²⁸He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.²⁹When his disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.

³⁰The apostles came together with Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught.³¹Then he said to them, "Come away by yourselves into a deserted place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.³²So they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

³³But they saw them leaving and many recognized them, and they ran there together on foot from all the towns, and they arrived there before them.³⁴When they came ashore, he saw a great crowd and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.

³⁵When the hour was late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.³⁶Send them away so that they may go into the nearby countryside and villages to buy something to eat for themselves."

³⁷But he answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."

They said to him, "Can we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?"

³⁸He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see."

When they found out, they said, "Five loaves and two fish."

³⁹He commanded all the people to sit down in groups upon the green grass.⁴⁰They sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.⁴¹He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

⁴²They all ate until they were satisfied.⁴³They took up broken pieces of bread, twelve baskets full, and also pieces of the fish.⁴⁴There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

⁴⁵Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he sent the crowd away.⁴⁶After taking leave of them, he went up the mountain to pray.⁴⁷Evening came, and the boat was now in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on land.

⁴⁸He saw that they were straining against the oars, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea, and he wanted to pass by them.⁴⁹But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought he was a ghost and cried out,⁵⁰because they saw him and were troubled. Immediately he spoke to them and said to them, "Be courageous! It is I! Do not be afraid!"

⁵¹He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased blowing. They were completely amazed.⁵²For they had not understood what the loaves meant. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

⁵³When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored the boat.⁵⁴When they came out of the boat, the people recognized him immediately,⁵⁵and they ran throughout the whole region and began to bring the sick on their mats to wherever they heard he was.

⁵⁶Wherever he entered into villages, or cities, or into the country, they would put the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch the edge of his garment, and as many as touched him were healed.

¹The man called Joses here is called Joseph in Matthew 27:56. The name Joseph represents how the name was spelled in Hebrew, and the name Joses represents how his name was spelled in Greek.

7

¹The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him.

²They saw that some of his disciples ate bread with hands that were unclean, that is, unwashed.³(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands carefully, because they hold to the tradition of the elders.⁴When the Pharisees come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they bathe themselves, and they hold to many other things they have received, such as the washing of cups, pots, copper vessels, and the couches upon which they eat.)

⁵The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unclean hands?"

⁶But he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied well about you hypocrites. As it is written,

'This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me.

⁷In vain they worship me,

teaching the commands of men as their doctrines.'

⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold on to the tradition of men."⁹He also said to them, "How well you reject the commandment of God so you may keep your tradition!¹⁰For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother will surely be put to death.'

¹¹But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever help you would have received from me is Corban"' (that is to say, 'a Gift'),¹²then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother.¹³You are making the word of God void by your tradition which you have handed down. And many similar things you do."

¹⁴He called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand.¹⁵There is nothing from outside of a person that can defile him when it enters into him. It is what comes out of the person that defiles him."¹⁶¹

¹⁷Now when Jesus left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable.¹⁸Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not know that whatever enters into a person from outside cannot defile him,¹⁹because it cannot go into his heart, but it goes into his stomach and then passes out into the latrine?" With this statement Jesus declared all foods clean.

²⁰He said, "It is that which comes out of the person that defiles him.²¹For from within a person, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,²²adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, folly.²³All these evils come from within, and they are what defile a person."

²⁴He got up from there and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There he went into a house, and he wanted no one to know where he was, yet he could not be hidden.²⁵But immediately ² a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him and came and fell down at his feet.²⁶Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by descent. She begged him to cast out the demon from her daughter.

²⁷He said to her, "Let the children first be fed. For it is not proper to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."

²⁸But she answered and said to him, "Yes, Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

²⁹He said to her, "Because of what you have said, you are free to go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."³⁰She went back to her house and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.

³¹Then he went out again from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee up into the region of the Decapolis.³²They brought to him someone who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.

³³Then taking him aside away from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and then he spit and touched his tongue.³⁴Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is to say, "Open!"³⁵At once his ears were opened, the bond of his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

³⁶Jesus ordered them to tell no one. But the more he ordered them, the more abundantly they proclaimed it.³⁷They were extremely astonished, saying, "He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

¹The best ancient copies do not have verse 16. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear .

²Some ancient copies do not have the words, But immediately .

8

¹In those days, there was again a great crowd, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and said to them,²"I have compassion on the crowd because they continue to be with me already for three days and have nothing to eat.³If I send them away to their home without eating, they may faint on the way. Some of them have come a long way."

⁴His disciples answered him, "Where can we get enough loaves of bread in such a deserted place to satisfy these people?"

⁵He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"

They said, "Seven."

⁶He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them. He gave them to his disciples to set before them, and they set them before the crowd.

⁷They also had a few small fish, and after he gave thanks for them, he commanded the disciples to serve these as well.⁸They ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the remaining broken pieces, seven large baskets.⁹There were about four thousand people. Then he sent them away.¹⁰Immediately he got into the boat with his disciples, and they went into the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹Then the Pharisees came out and began to argue with him. They sought from him a sign from heaven, to test him.¹²He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."¹³Then he left them, got into a boat again, and went away to the other side.

¹⁴Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread with them. They had no more than one loaf of bread in the boat.¹⁵He instructed them, saying, "Keep watch and be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

¹⁶The disciples were arguing with one another about having no bread.

¹⁷When he understood this, he asked them, "Why are you arguing about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Do you have hardened hearts?

¹⁸You have eyes; do you not see? You have ears; do you not hear? Do you not remember?¹⁹When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces of bread did you take up?"

They said to him, "Twelve."

²⁰"When I broke the seven loaves among the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces of bread did you take up?"

They said to him, "Seven."

²¹He said, "Do you not yet understand?"

²²They came to Bethsaida. The people there brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.²³Jesus took hold of the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. When he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"

²⁴He looked up, and said, "I see men who look like walking trees."

²⁵Then he again laid his hands upon his eyes, and the man opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw all things clearly.²⁶Jesus sent him away to his home and said, "Do not enter the village."

²⁷Jesus went out with his disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, "Who do the people say that I am?"

²⁸They answered him and said, "John the Baptist. Others say, 'Elijah,' and others, 'One of the prophets.'"

²⁹He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter said to him, "You are the Christ."

³⁰Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

³¹He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and would be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and would be killed, and after three days rise up.³²He spoke that message openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³But Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and then he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of people."³⁴Then he called the crowd and his disciples together, and he said to them, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

³⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.³⁶What does it profit a person to gain the whole world and then forfeit his life?³⁷What can a person give in exchange for his life?

³⁸Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

9

¹He said to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of you who are standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power."

²Six days later, Jesus took Peter and James and John with him up a high mountain, alone by themselves. Then he was transfigured before them.³His garments became radiantly brilliant, extremely white, whiter than any bleacher on earth could bleach them.

⁴Then Elijah with Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.⁵Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here, and so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."⁶(For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.)

⁷A cloud came and overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."⁸Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them, but only Jesus.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he commanded them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.¹⁰So they kept the matter to themselves, but they discussed among themselves what "rising from the dead" could mean.

¹¹They asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

¹²He said to them, "Elijah does come first to restore all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised?¹³But I say to you that Elijah has come, and they did whatever they wanted to him, just as it is written about him."

¹⁴When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes were arguing with them.¹⁵As soon as they saw Jesus, the whole crowd was amazed, and as they ran up to him, they greeted him.¹⁶He asked his disciples, "What are you arguing with them about?"

¹⁷Someone in the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak.¹⁸It seizes him and it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out of him, but they could not."

¹⁹He answered them, "Unbelieving generation, how long will I have to stay with you? How long will I bear with you? Bring him to me."

²⁰They brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw him into a convulsion. The boy fell on the ground and foamed at the mouth.²¹Jesus asked his father, "For how much time has he been like this?"

The father said, "Since childhood.

²²It has often thrown him into the fire or into the waters and tried to destroy him. If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us."

²³Jesus said to him, "'If you are able'? All things are possible for the one who believes."

²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe! Help my unbelief!"

²⁵When Jesus saw the crowd running to them, he rebuked the unclean spirit and said, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter into him again."

²⁶It cried out and convulsed the boy greatly and then came out. The boy looked like one who was dead, so that many said, "He is dead."²⁷But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and the boy stood up.

²⁸When Jesus came into the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"

²⁹He said to them, "This kind cannot be cast out except by prayer."

³⁰They went out from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know where they were,³¹for he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man will be given over into the hands of men, and they will put him to death. When he has been put to death, after three days he will rise again."³²But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.

³³Then they came to Capernaum. After he entered the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"³⁴But they were silent. For they had been arguing with one another on the way about who was the greatest.³⁵Sitting down, he called the twelve together and he said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

³⁶He took a little child and placed him in their midst. He took him in his arms and said to them,³⁷"Whoever receives such a child in my name receives me; whoever receives me does not receive me but the one who sent me."

³⁸John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we stopped him, because he does not follow us."

³⁹But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name and can soon afterwards say anything bad about me.

⁴⁰Whoever is not against us is for us.⁴¹Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

⁴²Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea.⁴³If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than to have two hands and to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.⁴⁴¹

⁴⁵If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame than to have your two feet and be thrown into hell.⁴⁶²

⁴⁷If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out. It is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,⁴⁸where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.

⁴⁹For everyone will be salted with fire.⁵⁰Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

¹The best ancient copies do not have this phrase, and verse 44 is not included in the ULB, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out. This phrase does appear in verse 48.

²The best ancient copies do not have this phrase, and verse 46 is not included in the ULB, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not put out. This phrase does appear in verse 48.

10

¹Jesus left that place and went to the region of Judea and to the area beyond the Jordan River, and the crowds came to him again. He was teaching them again, as he was accustomed to do.²Then Pharisees came to him to test him and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"

³He answered, "What did Moses command you?"

⁴They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and then to send her away."

⁵"It was because of your hard hearts that he wrote you this law," Jesus said to them.⁶"But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.'

⁷'For this reason

a man will leave his father and mother

and be united to his wife,

⁸and the two will become one flesh.'

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no man tear apart."

¹⁰When they were in the house, the disciples asked him again about this.¹¹He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.¹²If she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."

¹³Then they brought their little children to him so that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.¹⁴But when Jesus noticed it, he was angry and said to them, "Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like them.

¹⁵Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will definitely not enter it."¹⁶Then he took the children into his arms and blessed them as he placed his hands on them.

¹⁷When he began his journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him and asked, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

¹⁸Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.¹⁹You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

²⁰The man said, "Teacher, all these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth."

²¹Jesus looked at him and loved him. He said to him, "One thing you lack. You must sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."²²But because of this statement he looked very sad and he went away sorrowful, because he had many possessions.

²³Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!"²⁴The disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter into the kingdom of God!²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

²⁶They were greatly astonished and said to each other, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God."

²⁸Peter began to speak to him: "Look, we have left everything and have followed you."

²⁹Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel³⁰who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.³¹But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

³²They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going ahead of them. The disciples were amazed, and those who were following behind were afraid. Then Jesus took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what would soon happen to him.³³"See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and give him over to the Gentiles.³⁴They will mock him, spit on him, whip him, and put him to death. But after three days he will rise."

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you."

³⁶He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³⁷They said, "Allow us to sit with you in your glory, one at your right hand and the other at your left."

³⁸But Jesus replied to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I will drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I will be baptized?"

³⁹They said to him, "We are able."

Jesus said to them, "The cup that I will drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you also will be baptized.

⁴⁰But who is to sit at my right hand or at my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."

⁴¹When the other ten disciples heard about this, they began to be very angry with James and John.⁴²Jesus called them to himself and said, "You know those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

⁴³But it is not this way among you. Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be the slave of all.⁴⁵For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

⁴⁶They came to Jericho. As he left Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, sat by the road.⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout and to say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁸Many rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

⁴⁹Jesus stopped and commanded him to be called. They called the blind man, saying, "Be brave! Get up! He is calling for you."⁵⁰He threw aside his coat, sprang up, and came to Jesus.

⁵¹Jesus answered him and said, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The blind man said, "Rabboni, I want to receive my sight."

⁵²Then Jesus said to him, "Go. Your faith has healed you." Immediately he could see again, and he followed him on the road.

11

¹Now as they came to Jerusalem, they were close to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, and Jesus sent out two of his disciples²and said to them, "Go into the village opposite us. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.³If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you should say, 'The Lord has need of it and will immediately send it back here.'"

⁴They went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.⁵Some people were standing there and said to them, "What are you doing, untying that colt?"⁶They spoke to them as Jesus told them, and the people let them go their way.

⁷They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.⁸Many people spread their garments on the road, and others spread branches they had cut from the fields.⁹Those who went before him and those who followed shouted,

"Hosanna! Blessed is the one

who comes in the name of the Lord.

¹⁰Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!

Hosanna in the highest!"

¹¹Then Jesus entered into Jerusalem and went into the temple and looked around at everything. Now the time being late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.¹²The next day while they were going out from Bethany, he was hungry.

¹³Seeing from far away a fig tree that had leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it, and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.¹⁴He said to it, "No one will ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.

¹⁵They came to Jerusalem, and he entered the temple and began to cast out the sellers and the buyers in the temple. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.¹⁶He did not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple that could be sold.

¹⁷He taught them and said, "Is it not written,

'My house will be called

a house of prayer for all the nations'?

But you have made it a den of robbers."

¹⁸The chief priests and the scribes heard what he had said, and they looked for a way to destroy him. For they feared him because the entire crowd was amazed at his teaching.¹⁹When evening came, they left the city.

²⁰As they walked by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.²¹Peter remembered and said, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered away."

²²Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God.²³Truly I say to you that if anyone says to this mountain, 'Get up and cast yourself into the sea,' and if he does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he said will happen, that is what God will do.

²⁴Therefore I say to you: Everything you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.²⁵When you stand and pray, you must forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your trespasses."²⁶¹

²⁷They came to Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him.²⁸They said to him, "By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you the authority to do them?"

²⁹Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Tell me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.³⁰The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer me."

³¹They discussed between themselves and argued and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'³²But if we say, 'From men,' ... ." They were afraid of the people, for everyone was convinced that John was a prophet.³³Then they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."

Then Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

¹The best ancient copies of Mark do not have this sentence: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses .

12

¹Then Jesus began to teach them in parables. He said, "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, and dug a pit for a winepress. He built a watchtower and then leased the vineyard to vine growers. Then he went away on a journey.²At the right time, he sent a servant to the vine growers to receive from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.³But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

⁴Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head and treated him shamefully.⁵He sent yet another, and this one they killed. They treated many others in the same way, beating some and killing others.

⁶He had still one more person to send, a beloved son. He was the last one he sent to them. He said, 'They will respect my son.'

⁷"But the vine growers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'

⁸They seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.⁹Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine growers and will give the vineyard to others.

¹⁰Have you not read this scripture?

'The stone which the builders rejected

has been made the cornerstone.

¹¹This was from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"

¹²After this the Jewish leaders sought a way to arrest Jesus because they understood that he spoke the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. So they left him and went away.

¹³Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him to trap him with words.¹⁴When they came, they said to him, "Teacher, what people think is not a concern to you because you do not show partiality to anyone. You truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or not?"

¹⁵But Jesus knew their hypocrisy and said to them, "Why do you test me? Bring me a denarius so I can look at it."

¹⁶They brought one to Jesus. He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"

They said, "Caesar's."

¹⁷Jesus said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." They marveled at him.

¹⁸Then Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying,¹⁹"Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If a man's brother dies and leaves a wife behind him, but had no child, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up children for his brother.'

²⁰There were seven brothers; the first took a wife and then died, having no children.²¹Then the second took her and died, leaving no child, and the third in the same way.²²The seven left no children. Last of all, the woman also died.²³In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven brothers had her as their wife."

²⁴Jesus said, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures nor the power of God?²⁵For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven.

²⁶But concerning the dead that are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account about the bush, how God spoke to him and said, 'I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'?²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite mistaken."

²⁸One of the scribes came and heard their discussion; he saw that Jesus answered them well. He asked him, "What commandment is the most important of all?"

²⁹Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.³⁰You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'³¹The second commandment is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other greater commandment than these."

³²The scribe said, "Good, Teacher! You have truly said that God is one, and that there is no other besides him.³³To love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is even more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had given a wise answer, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one dared to ask Jesus any more questions.

³⁵While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, "How is it that the scribes say the Christ is the son of David?³⁶David himself, in the Holy Spirit, said,

'The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies under your feet."'

³⁷David himself calls him 'Lord,' so how can the Christ be David's son?" The large crowd gladly listened to him.

³⁸In his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes and be greeted in the marketplaces,³⁹and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts.⁴⁰They also devour widows' houses, and they pray long prayers for people to see. These men will receive greater condemnation."

⁴¹Then Jesus sat down across from an offering box in the temple area; he was watching people as they dropped their money into the box. Many rich people put in large amounts of money.⁴²Then a poor widow came and put in two mites, worth about a penny.

⁴³He called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them who contributed to the offering box.⁴⁴For all of them gave out of their abundance. But this widow, out of her poverty, put in all of the money which she had to live on."

13

¹As Jesus was walking away from the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, look at the wonderful stones and wonderful buildings!"

²Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down."

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately,⁴"Tell us, when will these things happen? What will be the sign when all these things are about to happen?"

⁵Jesus began to say to them, "Be careful that no one leads you astray.⁶Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he,' and they will lead many astray.

⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; these things must happen, but the end is not yet.⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many places, and famines. These are the beginnings of birth pains.

⁹"Be on your guard. They will give you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before both governors and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them.¹⁰But the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.

¹¹When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry about what you should say. For in that hour, what you should say will be given to you; it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.¹²Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.¹³You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But whoever endures to the end, that person will be saved.

¹⁴"When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be standing" (let the reader understand), "let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,¹⁵let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house or take anything out of it,¹⁶and let him who is in the field not return to take his cloak.

¹⁷But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days!¹⁸Pray that it might not occur in the winter.¹⁹For those will be days of great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of creation, which God created, until now, no, nor ever will be again.²⁰Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those whom he chose, he cut short the days.

²¹Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it.²²For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will give signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.²³Be on guard! I have told you all these things ahead of time.

²⁴"But after the tribulation of those days,

'the sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give its light,

²⁵the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers that are in the heavens

will be shaken.'

²⁶Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.²⁷Then he will send his angels and he will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.

²⁸"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.²⁹So also, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near, close to the gates.

³⁰Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all of these things occur.³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.³²But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.

³³"Be alert! Watch, because you do not know what time it is. ¹³⁴It is like a man who goes on a journey—he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge of the house, each one with his work, and he commands the doorkeeper to stay alert.

³⁵Therefore stay alert because you do not know when the master of the house will come home; it could be in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning.³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.³⁷What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch!"

¹Some ancient copies of the Greek text read: Be alert! Watch and pray .

14

¹It was now two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking ways to stealthily arrest Jesus and then kill him.²For they were saying, "Not during the festival, so that a riot does not arise among the people."

³While Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which was pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the nard on his head.⁴But there were some who were angry. They spoke among themselves and said, "What is the reason for the waste of this perfume?⁵This perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor." Then they scolded her.

⁶But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She has done a beautiful thing for me.⁷You always have the poor with you, and whenever you desire you can do good to them, but you will not always have me.⁸She has done what she could. She has anointed my body for burial.⁹Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be spoken of, in memory of her."

¹⁰Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went away to the chief priests so that he might give him over to them.¹¹When the chief priests heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. He began looking for an opportunity to give him over to them.

¹²On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go to prepare, so you may eat the Passover meal?"

¹³He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man bearing a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.¹⁴Where he enters a house, follow him in and say to the owner of that house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

¹⁵He will show you a large furnished upper room that is ready. Make the preparations for us there."¹⁶The disciples left and went to the city. They found everything as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁷When it was evening, he came with the twelve.¹⁸As they were lying down at the table and eating, Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, one of you eating with me will betray me."

¹⁹They were all very sorrowful, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"

²⁰Jesus answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, the one now dipping bread with me in the bowl.²¹For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him. But woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born."

²²As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it. He gave it to them and said, "Take this. This is my body."²³He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.²⁴He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, the blood that is poured out for many.²⁵Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

²⁶When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.²⁷Jesus said to them, "All of you will fall away, for it is written,

'I will strike the shepherd

and the sheep will be scattered.'

²⁸But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."

²⁹Peter said to him, "Even if all fall away, I will not."

³⁰Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today—yes, this very night—before the rooster crows twice you will deny me three times."

³¹But Peter said emphatically, "If I must die with you, I will not deny you." They all made the same promise.

³²They came to the place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray."³³He took Peter, James, and John with him and began to be distressed and deeply troubled.³⁴He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and watch."

³⁵Going a little farther, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him.³⁶He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible with you. Remove this cup from me. But not my will, but yours."

³⁷He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch for one hour?³⁸Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."³⁹Again he went away and prayed, and he used the same words.

⁴⁰When he came back again, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.⁴¹He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.⁴²Get up; let us go. Look, the one who is betraying me is near."

⁴³While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, and a large crowd was with him with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.⁴⁴Now his betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard."⁴⁵When Judas arrived, immediately he came up to Jesus and said, "Rabbi," and he kissed him.⁴⁶Then they laid hands on him and seized him.

⁴⁷But one of them who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸Jesus said to them, "Do you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to arrest me?⁴⁹When I was daily with you and I was teaching in the temple, you did not arrest me. But this was done that the scriptures might be fulfilled."⁵⁰All those with Jesus left him and ran away.

⁵¹A young man, wearing only a linen garment that was wrapped around him, was following Jesus. When the men seized him,⁵²he left the linen garment and ran away naked.

⁵³They led Jesus to the high priest. There were gathered with him all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.⁵⁴Now Peter followed him from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He sat among the officers, warming himself near the fire.

⁵⁵Now the chief priests and the entire Jewish council were seeking testimony against Jesus so they might put him to death. But they did not find any.⁵⁶For many brought false testimony against him, but even their testimony did not agree.

⁵⁷Some stood up and brought false testimony against him; they said,⁵⁸"We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'"⁵⁹Yet even their testimony did not agree.

⁶⁰The high priest stood up among them and asked Jesus, "Have you no answer? What is it these men testify against you?"⁶¹But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest questioned him and said, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"

⁶²Jesus said, "I am;

and you will see the Son of Man

when he sits at the right hand of power

and comes with the clouds of heaven."

⁶³The high priest tore his garments and said, "Do we still need witnesses?⁶⁴You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?" They all condemned him as one who deserved death.

⁶⁵Some began to spit on him and to cover his face and strike him with their fists and say to him, "Prophesy!" The officers took him and beat him.

⁶⁶While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came to him.⁶⁷She saw Peter warming himself, and she looked closely at him and said, "You were also with the Nazarene, Jesus."

⁶⁸But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about." Then he went out into the gateway. And the rooster crowed. ¹

⁶⁹But the servant girl saw him and began to say again to those who stood there, "This man is one of them!"

⁷⁰But he denied it again. After a little while, those who stood there were saying to Peter, "Surely you are one of them, for you also are a Galilean."

⁷¹But he began to put himself under curses and to swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about."

⁷²The rooster immediately crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the words that Jesus had said to him: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times," and he broke down and wept.

¹Some ancient copies do not have, And the rooster crowed .

15

¹Early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes and the entire Jewish council, consulted together. Then they bound Jesus and led him away. They handed him over to Pilate.²Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

He answered him, "You say so."

³The chief priests were accusing him of many things.

⁴Pilate again asked him, "Do you give no answer? See how many things they are accusing you of!"⁵But Jesus no longer answered Pilate, and that amazed him.

⁶Now at the time of the festival, Pilate usually released to them one prisoner, a prisoner they requested.⁷There was a man called Barabbas in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion.⁸The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to do for them as he had done in the past.

⁹Pilate answered them and said, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"¹⁰For he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him.¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to cry out that Barabbas should be released instead.

¹²Pilate answered them again and said, "What then should I do with the King of the Jews?"

¹³They shouted again, "Crucify him!"

¹⁴Pilate said to them, "What evil has he done?"

But they shouted more and more, "Crucify him."

¹⁵Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd, so he released Barabbas to them. He scourged Jesus and then handed him over to be crucified.

¹⁶The soldiers led him inside the courtyard (which is the government headquarters), and they called together the whole company of soldiers.¹⁷They put a purple robe on Jesus, and they twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on him.¹⁸They began to salute him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

¹⁹They were striking his head with a reed staff and spitting on him. They went to their knees and they bowed down before him.²⁰When they had mocked him, they took off of him the purple robe and put his own garments on him, and then led him out to crucify him.²¹A certain man, Simon of Cyrene, was coming in from the country (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus), and they forced him to carry his cross.

²²The soldiers brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which is translated "Place of a Skull").²³They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not drink it.²⁴They crucified him and divided up his garments by casting lots to determine what piece each soldier would take.

²⁵It was the third hour when they crucified him.²⁶On a sign they wrote the charge against him, "The king of the Jews."²⁷With him they crucified two robbers, one on the right of him and one on his left.²⁸¹

²⁹Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,³⁰save yourself and come down from the cross!"

³¹In the same way the chief priests were mocking him with each other, along with the scribes, and said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself.³²Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.

³³At the sixth hour, darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.³⁴At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is interpreted, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"³⁵Some of those standing by heard his words and said, "Look, he is calling for Elijah."

³⁶Someone ran, put sour wine on a sponge, put it on a reed staff, and gave it to him to drink. The man said, "Let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."³⁷Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and died.

³⁸The curtain of the temple was split in two from the top to the bottom.

³⁹When the centurion who stood and faced Jesus saw that he had died in this way, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God."⁴⁰There were also women who looked on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joses), ² and Salome.⁴¹When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.

⁴²When evening had come, because it was the Day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,⁴³Joseph of Arimathea came there. He was a respected member of the council who was waiting for the kingdom of God. He boldly went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.⁴⁴Pilate was amazed that Jesus was already dead; he called the centurion and asked him if Jesus was dead.

⁴⁵When Pilate learned from the centurion that Jesus was dead, he gave the body to Joseph.⁴⁶Joseph had bought a linen cloth. He took him down from the cross, wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of a rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw the place where Jesus was buried.

¹The best ancient copies do not have Mark 15:28, The scripture was fulfilled that says, 'He was counted with the lawless ones.'

²The man called Joses here is called Joseph in Mark 6:3. The name Joseph represents how the name was spelled in Hebrew, and the name Joses represents how his name was spelled in Greek.

16

¹When the Sabbath day was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices that they might come and anoint Jesus' body.²Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb when the sun had come up.

³They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large.

⁵They entered the tomb and saw a young man dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶He said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. Look at the place where they had laid him.⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

⁸They went out and ran from the tomb; they were trembling and amazed. They said nothing to anyone because they were so afraid.

⁹¹ [Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.¹⁰She went and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and weeping.¹¹They heard that he was alive and that he had been seen by her, but they did not believe.

¹²After these things he appeared in a different form to two of them as they were walking out into the country.¹³They went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

¹⁴Jesus later appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he rose from the dead.¹⁵He said to them, "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the entire creation.¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved, and he who does not believe will be condemned.

¹⁷These signs will go with those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons. They will speak in new languages.¹⁸They will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."

¹⁹After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.²⁰The disciples left and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the signs that went with them.] ²

¹The best ancient copies do not have Mark 16:9-20.

²See the note on Mark 16:9.

Luke

1

¹Many have taken on the work of putting together an account of the things that have been accomplished among us,²just as they were passed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.³So it seemed good to me also, because I have accurately investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,⁴so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zechariah from the division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.⁶They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.⁷But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days.

⁸Now it came about that Zechariah was in God's presence, carrying out the priestly duties in the order of his division.⁹According to the customary way of choosing which priest would serve, he had been chosen by lot to enter into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.¹⁰The whole crowd of people was praying outside at the hour when the incense was burned.

¹¹Now an angel of the Lord appeared to him and stood at the right side of the incense altar.¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell on him.¹³But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son. You will call his name John.

¹⁴You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.

¹⁶Many of the descendants of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.¹⁷He will go before the face of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him."

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in her days."¹⁹The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, to bring you this good news.²⁰Behold! You will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place. This is because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at the right time."

²¹Now the people were waiting for Zechariah. They were surprised that he was spending so much time in the temple.²²But when he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the temple. He kept on making signs to them and remained silent.²³It came about that when the days of his service were over, he went to his house.

²⁴After these days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and for five months she kept herself hidden. She said,²⁵"This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked at me with favor in order to take away my shame before people."

²⁶In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth,²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, who was a descendant of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.²⁸He came to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."²⁹But she was very confused by his words, and she wondered what kind of greeting this could be.

³⁰The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.³¹See, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. You will call his name 'Jesus.'³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom."

³⁴Mary said to the angel, "How will this happen, since I have not known any man?"

³⁵The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

³⁶See, your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. This is the sixth month for her, she who was called barren.³⁷For nothing will be impossible for God."

³⁸Mary said, "See, I am the female servant of the Lord. Let it be for me according to your message." Then the angel left her.

³⁹Then Mary arose in those days and quickly went into the hill country, to a city in Judea.⁴⁰She went into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.⁴¹Now it happened that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb jumped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

⁴²She cried out with a loud shout and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.⁴³Why has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?⁴⁴For see, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.⁴⁵Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of the things that were told her from the Lord."

⁴⁶Mary said,

"My soul praises the Lord,

⁴⁷and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

⁴⁸For he has looked

at the low condition of his female servant.

For see, from now on all generations will call me blessed.

⁴⁹For the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and his name is holy.

⁵⁰His mercy lasts from generation to generation

for those who fear him.

⁵¹He has displayed strength with his arm;

he has scattered those who were proud

about the thoughts of their hearts.

⁵²He has thrown down princes from their thrones

and he has raised up those of low condition.

⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things,

but the rich he has sent away empty-handed.

⁵⁴He has given help to Israel his servant,

so as to remember to show mercy

⁵⁵(as he said to our fathers)

to Abraham and his descendants forever."

⁵⁶Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her house.

⁵⁷Now the time had come for Elizabeth to deliver her baby and she gave birth to a son.⁵⁸Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹Now it happened on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the child. They would have called him "Zechariah," after the name of his father.⁶⁰But his mother answered and said, "No. He will be called John."⁶¹They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name."

⁶²They made signs to his father as to how he wanted him to be named.⁶³His father asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." They all were astonished at this.

⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed. He spoke and praised God.⁶⁵Fear came on all who lived around them. All these matters were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea.⁶⁶All who heard them stored them in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child become?" For the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸"Praised be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to help

and he has accomplished redemption for his people.

⁶⁹He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

⁷⁰(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago),

⁷¹salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us.

⁷²He will do this to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³the oath that he swore

to Abraham our father.

⁷⁴He swore to grant to us that we,

having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies,

would serve him without fear

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness

before him all our days.

⁷⁶Yes, and you, child,

will be called a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the face of the Lord

to prepare his paths,

to prepare people for his coming,

⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people

by the forgiveness of their sins.

⁷⁸This will happen because

of the tender mercy of our God,

because of which the sunrise

from on high will come to help us,

⁷⁹to shine on those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death.

He will do this to guide our feet

into the path of peace."

⁸⁰Now the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

2

¹Now in those days, it came about that Caesar Augustus sent out a decree ordering that a census be taken of all the people living in the world.²This was the first census made while Quirinius was governor of Syria.³So everyone went to his own city to be registered for the census.

⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David.⁵He went there to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant.

⁶Now it came about that while they were there, the time came for her to deliver her baby.⁷She gave birth to a son, her firstborn child, and she wrapped him in long strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸There were shepherds in that region who were staying in the fields, guarding their flock at night.⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

¹⁰Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, because I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people.¹¹Today a Savior was born for you in the city of David! He is Christ the Lord!¹²This is the sign that will be given to you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."

¹³Suddenly there was together with the angel a great multitude from heaven, praising God and saying,

¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,

and may there be peace on earth

among people with whom he is pleased." ¹

¹⁵It came about that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."¹⁶They hurried there and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger.

¹⁷After they had seen him, they made known what had been said to them about this child.¹⁸All who heard it were amazed at what was spoken to them by the shepherds.¹⁹But Mary kept thinking about all the things she had heard, treasuring them in her heart.²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for everything that they had heard and seen, just as it had been spoken to them.

²¹When it was the end of the eighth day, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name he had been given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²²When the required number of days for their purification had passed, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.²³As it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb will be set apart to the Lord."²⁴So they offered a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

²⁵Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

²⁷Led by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple. When the parents brought in the infant Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,²⁸he took him into his arms and praised God, and he said,

²⁹"Now let your servant depart in peace, Lord,

according to your word.

³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,

³¹which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

³²A light for revelation to the Gentiles

and glory to your people Israel."

³³His father and mother ² were amazed at what was said about him.³⁴Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the downfall and rising up of many people in Israel and for a sign that is rejected—³⁵and a sword will pierce your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

³⁶A prophetess named Anna was there. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in her days. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her virginity,³⁷and was a widow for eighty-four years. She never left the temple but was serving with fastings and prayers, night and day.³⁸At that very hour she came near to them and began giving thanks to God, and she spoke about the child to everyone who had been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹When they had finished everything they were required to do according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.⁴⁰The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

⁴¹His parents went every year to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.⁴²When he was twelve years old, they again went up at the customary time for the festival.⁴³After they had stayed the full number of days for the feast, they began to return home. But the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and his parents did not know it.⁴⁴They assumed that he was with the group that was traveling with them, so they traveled a day's journey. Then they started to search carefully for him among their relatives and friends.

⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem and started to search carefully for him there.⁴⁶It came about that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.⁴⁷All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

⁴⁸When they saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."⁴⁹He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be about my Father's business?" ³⁵⁰But they did not understand what he meant by those words.

⁵¹Then he went back home with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵²But Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature, and increased in favor with God and people.

¹Some ancient Greek copies have different spellings that suggest two possible meanings of the last phrase of verse 14, the second being preferred. The suggestions are: good will toward people or among people with whom he (God) is pleased .

²Some copies of the ancient Greek text have his father's name, Joseph .

³Some scholars translate "about my Father's business" as in my Father's house.

3

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

³He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

"A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

'Make ready the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley will be filled,

and every mountain and hill will be made low,

and the crooked roads will be made straight,

and the uneven places will be built into roads,

⁶and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'"

⁷So John said to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to run away from the wrath that is coming?

⁸Therefore, produce fruits that are worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.

⁹Even now the ax is set against the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire."

¹⁰Then the crowds kept asking him, saying, "What then are we to do?"

¹¹He answered and said to them, "If someone has two tunics, he should share with a person who has none, and the one having food should do the same."

¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?"

¹³He said to them, "Do not collect more money than you have been ordered to collect."

¹⁴Some soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?"

He said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, and do not accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your wages."

¹⁵Now as the people were eagerly expecting the Christ to come, everyone was wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.¹⁶John answered by saying to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand to thoroughly clear off his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse. But he will burn up the chaff with fire that can never be put out."

¹⁸With many other exhortations also, John was announcing the good news to the people.¹⁹When Herod the tetrarch had been reproved for marrying his brother's wife Herodias, and for all the other evil things that Herod had done,²⁰he added this to them all, that he locked John up in prison.

²¹Now it came about, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while he was praying, the heavens opened,²²and the Holy Spirit in bodily form came down on him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved Son. I am pleased with you."

²³When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years of age. He was the son (as it was assumed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph.

²⁵Joseph was the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda.

²⁷Joda was the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Neri,²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi.

³⁰Levi was the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon.

³³Nahshon was the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah.

³⁶Shelah was the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

4

¹Then Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,²where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of that time he was hungry.

³The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."

⁴Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

⁵Then the devil led Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant of time.⁶The devil said to him, "I will give to you all this authority and all their glory, for they have been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want.⁷So then, if you will bow down and worship me, it will be yours."

⁸But Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'You will worship the Lord your God, and you will serve only him.'"

⁹Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on the very highest point of the temple building, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.¹⁰For it is written,

'He will give orders to his angels regarding you,

to protect you,'

¹¹and, 'They will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

¹²Answering him, Jesus said, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

¹³When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he went away and left him until another time.

¹⁴Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire surrounding region.¹⁵Then he began to teach in their synagogues and he was praised by all.

¹⁶He came into Nazareth, where he had been raised, and, as was his custom, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read aloud.¹⁷The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he anointed me

to announce good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free those who are oppressed,

¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

²⁰Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.²¹He began to speak to them: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

²²Everyone there spoke well of him and they were amazed at the gracious words which were coming out of his mouth, and they asked, "Is this not the son of Joseph?"

²³He said to them, "Surely you will say this proverb to me, 'Doctor, heal yourself. Whatever we heard that you did in Capernaum, do the same in your hometown.'"²⁴But he said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is received in his own hometown.

²⁵But in truth I tell you that there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months and a great famine came upon all the land.²⁶But Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath in Sidon, to a widow living there.²⁷There were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet, but none of them were cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

²⁸All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things.²⁹They got up, forced him out of the town, and led him to the cliff of the hill on which their town was built, so they might throw him off the cliff.³⁰But he passed through the middle of them and he went to another place.

³¹Then he went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and he began to teach them on the Sabbath.³²They were astonished at his teaching, because he spoke with authority.

³³Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,³⁴"Ah! What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

³⁵Jesus rebuked the demon, saying, "Do not speak! Come out of him!" When the demon had thrown the man down in the middle of them, he came out of him, and did not harm him in any way.

³⁶All the people were very amazed, and they kept talking about it with one another. They said, "What kind of words are these? He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out."³⁷So news about him began to spread into every part of the surrounding region.

³⁸Then Jesus left the synagogue and entered into the house of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever, and they pleaded with him on her behalf.³⁹So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and started serving them.

⁴⁰When the sun was setting, people brought to Jesus everyone who was sick with various kinds of diseases. He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.⁴¹Demons also came out from many of them, crying out and saying, "You are the Son of God!" Jesus rebuked the demons and would not let them speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

⁴²When daybreak came, he went out into a solitary place. Crowds of people were looking for him and came to the place where he was. They tried to keep him from going away from them.⁴³But he said to them, "I must also preach the gospel about the kingdom of God to many other cities, because this is the reason I was sent here."

⁴⁴Then he continued to preach in the synagogues throughout Judea.

5

¹Now it happened while the people were crowding around Jesus and listening to the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.²He saw two boats pulled up by the edge of the lake. The fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.³Jesus got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put it out in the water a short distance from the land. Then he sat down and taught the people out of the boat.

⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Take the boat out into the deeper water and let down your nets for a catch."

⁵Simon answered and said, "Master, we have labored all night and caught nothing, but at your word, I will let down the nets."⁶When they had done this, they gathered a very large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.⁷So they motioned to their partners in the other boat that they should come and help them. They came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

⁸But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish which they had taken. ¹⁰And so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid, because from now on you will catch men."

¹¹When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

¹²It came about that while he was in one of the cities, a man full of leprosy was there. When he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, saying, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

¹³Then Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing. Be clean." Immediately the leprosy left him.

¹⁴He instructed him to tell no one but told him, "Go on your way, and show yourself to the priest and offer a sacrifice for your cleansing, according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."

¹⁵But the report about him spread even farther, and large crowds of people came together to hear him teach and to be healed of their sicknesses.¹⁶But he often withdrew into the deserted places and prayed.

¹⁷It came about on one of those days that he was teaching, and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal.

¹⁸Now some men came carrying on a mat a man who was paralyzed, and they looked for a way to bring him inside in order to lay him down in front of Jesus.¹⁹They could not find a way to bring him in because of the crowd, so they went up to the housetop and let the man down through the tiles, on his mat, into the midst of the people, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰Seeing their faith, Jesus said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

²¹The scribes and the Pharisees began to question this, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

²²But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking, answered and said to them, "Why are you questioning this in your hearts?²³Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,"—he said to the paralyzed man—"I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go to your house."

²⁵Immediately he got up in front of them and picked up the mat on which he was lying. Then he went away to his house, glorifying God.

²⁶Everyone was amazed and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

²⁷After these things happened, Jesus went out from there and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax collector's tent. He said to him, "Follow me."²⁸So Levi got up and followed him, leaving everything behind.

²⁹Then Levi gave a big banquet in his house for Jesus. There were many tax collectors there and other people who were reclining at the table and eating with them.³⁰But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"

³¹Jesus answered them, "People who are well do not need a physician; only those who are sick.³²I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

³³They said to him, "The disciples of John often fast and pray, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same. But your disciples eat and drink."

³⁴Jesus said to them, "Can anyone make the wedding attendants of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is still with them?³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, then in those days they will fast."

³⁶Then Jesus also spoke a parable to them. "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to mend an old garment. If he does that, he will tear the new garment, and the piece of cloth from the new garment will not fit with the cloth of the old garment.

³⁷No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does that, the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine will be spilled, and the wineskins will be destroyed.³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.³⁹No one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.'"

6

¹Now it happened on a Sabbath that Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them between their hands, and eating the grain.²But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing something that is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?"

³Answering them, Jesus said, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and the men who were with him?⁴He went into the house of God and took the bread of the presence and ate some of it, and also gave some to the men who were with him to eat, even though it was only lawful for the priests to eat it."⁵Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

⁶It happened on another Sabbath that he went into the synagogue and taught the people there. A man was there whose right hand was withered.⁷The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him closely to see whether he would heal someone on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.⁸But he knew what they were thinking and he said to the man whose hand was withered, "Get up and stand here in the middle of everyone." So the man got up and stood there.

⁹Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?"¹⁰Then he looked around at them all and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was restored.¹¹But they were filled with senseless rage, and they talked to each other about what they might do to Jesus.

¹²It happened in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray. He continued all night in prayer to God.¹³When it was day, he called his disciples to him, and he chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles.

¹⁴The names of the apostles were Simon (whom he also named Peter) and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,¹⁵Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,¹⁶Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

¹⁷Then Jesus came down the mountain with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.¹⁸They had come to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. People who were troubled with unclean spirits were also healed.¹⁹Everyone in the crowd kept trying to touch him because power to heal was coming out from him, and he healed them all.

²⁰Then he looked at his disciples and said,

"Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when people hate you,

and when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

²³Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because you will surely have a great reward in heaven, for their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.

²⁴But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort.

²⁵Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry later.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep later.

²⁶Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

²⁷"But I say to you who are listening, love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.²⁸Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you.

²⁹To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer him also the other. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either.³⁰Give to everyone who asks you. If someone takes away something that belongs to you, do not ask him to give it back to you.

³¹As you want people to do to you, you should do the same to them.³²If you only love people who love you, what reward is there for you? For even sinners love those who love them.³³If you do good only to people who do good to you, what reward is there for you? For even sinners do the same.³⁴If you only lend to people from whom you hope to be repaid, what reward is there for you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back the same amount.

³⁵But love your enemies and do good to them. Lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind toward unthankful and evil people.³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

³⁷Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.

³⁸Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount—pressed down, shaken together and spilling over—will pour into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

³⁹Then he also told them a parable. "Can a blind person guide another blind person? If he did, they would both fall into a pit, would they not?⁴⁰A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

⁴¹Why do you look at the tiny piece of straw that is in your brother's eye, but you do not notice the log that is in your own eye?⁴²How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the piece of straw that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not even see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the piece of straw that is in your brother's eye.

⁴³For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit, nor is there a rotten tree that produces good fruit.⁴⁴For each tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. For people do not gather figs from a thornbush, nor do they gather grapes from a briar bush.

⁴⁵The good man from the good treasure of his heart produces what is good, and the evil man from the evil treasure of his heart produces what is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and yet you do not obey the things that I say?⁴⁷Every person who comes to me and hears my words and obeys them, I will tell you what he is like.⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep in the ground and built the house's foundation on solid rock. When a flood came, the torrent of water flowed against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.

⁴⁹But the person who hears my words and does not obey them, he is like a man who built a house on top of the ground without a foundation. When the torrent of water flowed against that house, it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was complete."

7

¹After Jesus had finished everything he was saying in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

²Now a centurion had a slave who was highly regarded by him, and he was sick and about to die.³When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.⁴When they had come to Jesus, they asked him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him,⁵because he loves our nation, and he is the one who built the synagogue for us."

⁶So Jesus continued on his way with them. But when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, because I am not worthy for you to come under my roof.⁷For this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you, but just say a word and my servant will be healed.⁸For I also am a man who is under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him said, "I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."¹⁰When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant was healthy.

¹¹Soon after that, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.¹²As he came near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a rather large crowd from the town was with her.¹³When the Lord saw her, he was deeply moved with compassion for her and said to her, "Do not cry."¹⁴Then he went up and touched the wooden frame on which they carried the body, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

¹⁶Then fear overcame all of them, and they kept praising God, saying, "A great prophet has been raised among us" and "God has looked upon his people."¹⁷This news about Jesus spread throughout the whole of Judea and all the neighboring regions.

¹⁸John's disciples told him about all these things. Then John called two of his disciples¹⁹and sent them to the Lord to say, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"

²⁰When they had come near to Jesus, the men said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to say, 'Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?'"

²¹In that hour he healed many people from sicknesses and afflictions and from evil spirits, and to many blind people he gave sight.²²Jesus answered and said to them, "After you have gone on your way, report to John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are receiving sight, lame people are walking, lepers are being cleansed, deaf people are hearing, people who have died are being raised back to life, and the poor are being told good news.²³The person who does not stop believing in me because of my actions is blessed."

²⁴After John's messengers had gone away, Jesus began to say to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? Look, those who wear splendid clothing and who live in luxury are in kings' palaces.²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

²⁷This is he of whom it is written,

'See, I am sending my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way before you.'

²⁸I say to you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is."

²⁹(When all the people heard this, including the tax collectors, they declared that God is righteous, because they had been baptized with the baptism of John.³⁰But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

³¹"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?³²They are like children playing in the marketplace, who sit and call to one another and say,

'We played a flute for you,

and you did not dance.

We sang a funeral song,

and you did not cry.'

³³For John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'³⁴The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, he is a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'³⁵But wisdom is justified by all her children."

³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. So after Jesus entered into the Pharisee's house, he reclined at the table to eat.³⁷Behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. When she found out that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.³⁸As she stood behind him near his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with her hair and kissed them and anointed them with perfumed oil.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he thought to himself, saying, "If this man were a prophet, then he would know who and what type of woman is touching him, that she is a sinner."

⁴⁰Jesus responded and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

He said, "Say it, Teacher!"

⁴¹Jesus said, "A certain moneylender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.⁴²When they could not pay him, he forgave them both. Therefore, which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon answered him and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave the most."

Jesus said to him, "You have judged correctly."

⁴⁴Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, "You see this woman. I have entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but from the time I came in she did not stop kissing my feet.

⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil.⁴⁷For this reason I say to you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven—for she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little."

⁴⁸Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹Those reclining together began to say among themselves, "Who is this that even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

8

¹It happened soon afterward that Jesus began traveling around to different cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,²as well as certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been driven out;³Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's manager; Susanna; and many others, who, out of their possessions, provided for their needs.

⁴While a large crowd of people was gathering, and people were coming to him from town after town, he told a parable:⁵"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell beside the road and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky devoured it.⁶Some fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.

⁷Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up together with the seed and choked it.⁸But some fell on good soil and produced a crop that was a hundred times greater." After Jesus had said these things, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

⁹His disciples asked him what this parable meant.¹⁰He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but for others I speak in parables, so that

'seeing they may not see,

and hearing they may not understand.'

¹¹Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.¹²The ones along the road are those who have heard, but then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so they may not believe and be saved.¹³The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But they have no root; they believe for a while, and in a time of testing they fall away.

¹⁴The seeds that fell among the thorns are people who hear the word, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.¹⁵But the seed that fell on the good soil, these are the ones who, hearing the word with an honest and good heart, hold it securely and bear fruit with patient endurance.

¹⁶"No one lights a lamp and covers it with a bowl or puts it under a bed. Rather, he puts it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters may see the light.¹⁷For nothing is hidden that will not be made known, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come into the light.¹⁸So listen carefully, for to the one who has, more will be given to him, but the one who does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him."

¹⁹Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd.²⁰He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."²¹But Jesus answered and said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

²²Now one day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." They set sail.²³But as they sailed he fell asleep. A terrible windstorm came down on the lake, and their boat was filling with water, and they were in danger.

²⁴Then Jesus' disciples came over to him and woke him up, saying, "Master! Master! We are about to die!"

He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

²⁵Then he said to them, "Where is your faith?"

But they were afraid and amazed, and they asked one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

²⁶They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.²⁷When Jesus stepped on the land, he was met by a certain man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but among the tombs.

²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and he said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me."²⁹For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him, and though he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and he would be driven by the demon into the wilderness.

³⁰Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered into him.

³¹They kept begging him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

³²Now a large herd of pigs was there feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him to let them go into them, and he gave them permission.³³So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and told about it in the city and countryside.³⁵So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out. He was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

³⁶Then those who had seen it told them how the man who had been possessed by demons had been healed.³⁷Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were overwhelmed with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.

³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone out begged him to let him go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,³⁹"Return to your home and give a full account of what God has done for you." The man went on his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.⁴¹Behold, a man named Jairus, who was one of the leaders of the synagogue, came and fell down at Jesus' feet, and he begged him to come to his house⁴²because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve years of age, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds of people pressed together around him.

⁴³Now a woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years ¹ and could not be healed by anyone.⁴⁴She came behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who was it who touched me?"

When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds of people are all around you and they are pressing in against you."

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone did touch me, for I know that power has gone out from me."

⁴⁷When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people she declared why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.⁴⁸Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace."

⁴⁹While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's house, saying, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any longer."

⁵⁰But when Jesus heard this, he answered Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be healed."

⁵¹When he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father of the child and her mother.⁵²Now all were mourning and wailing for her, but he said, "Do not weep; she is not dead but asleep."⁵³But they began to mock him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But he took her by the hand and called out, saying, "Child, get up!"⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He ordered them to get her something to eat.⁵⁶Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Scholars are divided whether the phrase and had spent all her money on physicians should be included here.

9

¹He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.²He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

³He said to them, "Take nothing for your journey—no staff, no wallet, no bread, no money, and no extra tunic.⁴Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave.

⁵Wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."⁶Then they departed and went through the villages, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere.

⁷Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,⁸and others said that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen.⁹Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who is this about whom I hear such things?" And so he tried to see him.

¹⁰When the apostles returned, they told him everything they had done. Then he took them with him, and they went away privately to a town called Bethsaida.¹¹But when the crowds heard about this, they followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he cured those who needed healing.

¹²Now the day was about to come to an end, and the twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and food, because we are here in an isolated place."

¹³But he said to them, "You give them something to eat."

They said, "We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people."

¹⁴(There were about five thousand men.) He said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each."

¹⁵So they did this, and made the people sit down.¹⁶Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, he blessed them and broke them into pieces, and he gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.¹⁷They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over was picked up—twelve baskets of broken pieces.

¹⁸It came about while Jesus was praying by himself, the disciples were with him. He questioned them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"

¹⁹They answered, "John the Baptist. But others say Elijah, and others say that one of the prophets from long ago has risen."

²⁰Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

²¹But he warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,²²saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and he will be killed and on the third day be raised."

²³Then he said to them all, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.²⁴Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.²⁵What profit is there for a person to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit himself?

²⁶Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.²⁷But truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

²⁸Now about eight days after Jesus said these words, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.²⁹As he was praying, the form of his face was changed, and his clothes became brilliant white.

³⁰Behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah,³¹who appeared in glory, talking with him about his departure, which he was about to bring to completion in Jerusalem.

³²Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men who were standing with him.³³As they were going away from Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud.³⁵A voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, the one who is chosen; listen to him."³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

³⁷Now on the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.³⁸Behold, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.³⁹You see, a spirit takes control over him and he suddenly screams; it causes him to have convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him and it bruises him badly.⁴⁰I begged your disciples to force it out, but they could not."

⁴¹Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long must I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."⁴²While the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

⁴³Then they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While they all were marveling at everything he was doing, he said to his disciples,⁴⁴"Let these words go deeply into your ears: The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men."⁴⁵But they did not understand this statement. It was hidden from them, so they could not know its meaning, and yet they were afraid to ask about this statement.

⁴⁶Then an argument started among them about which of them would be the greatest.⁴⁷But Jesus, knowing the reasoning in their hearts, took a little child and put him by his side⁴⁸and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For whoever is least among you all is the one who is great."

⁴⁹John answered, "Master, we saw someone forcing out demons in your name and we prevented him, because he does not follow along with us."⁵⁰"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "because whoever is not against you is for you."

⁵¹When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.⁵²He sent messengers on ahead of him, and they went and entered into a Samaritan village to prepare everything for him.⁵³But the people there did not welcome him because he had set his face to go to Jerusalem.

⁵⁴When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?"⁵⁵But he turned and rebuked them,⁵⁶and they went on to another village.

⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."

⁵⁸Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

⁵⁹Then he said to another, "Follow me."

But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

⁶⁰But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim far and wide the kingdom of God."

⁶¹Then someone else said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those in my home."

⁶²Jesus replied to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

10

¹Now after these things, the Lord appointed seventy ¹ others, and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.²He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

³Go on your way. See, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.⁴Do not carry a money bag, or a traveler's bag, or sandals, and greet no one on the road.

⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, 'May peace be on this house!'⁶If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him, but if not, it will return to you.⁷Remain in that same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸Whatever town you enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you⁹and heal the sick that are there. Say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come close to you.'

¹⁰Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,¹¹'Even the dust from your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you! But know this: The kingdom of God is near.'¹²I say to you that on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

¹³Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.¹⁴But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.¹⁵You, Capernaum, do you think you will be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.

¹⁶The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

¹⁷The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons submitted to us in your name."

¹⁸Jesus said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven as lightning.¹⁹See, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will in any way hurt you.²⁰Nevertheless do not rejoice only in this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice even more that your names are engraved in heaven."

²¹At that same hour he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit and said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you concealed these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to those who are untaught, like little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well pleasing in your sight.

²²"All things have been entrusted to me from my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

²³Then he turned around to the disciples and said privately, "Blessed are those who see the things that you see.²⁴I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see the things you see, and they did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and they did not hear them."

²⁵Behold, an expert in the law stood up so that he might test him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

²⁶Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

²⁷He gave an answer and he said, "You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

²⁸Jesus said to him, "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."

²⁹But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

³⁰Jesus answered him and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell among robbers, who stripped him of his belongings, and beat him, and left him half dead.

³¹By chance a certain priest was going down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.³²In the same way, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion.³⁴He approached him and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.³⁵The next day he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said, 'Take care of him, and whatever extra you spend, when I return, I will repay you.'

³⁶Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"

³⁷He said, "The one who showed mercy to him."

Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

³⁸Now as they were traveling along, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and heard his word.

⁴⁰But Martha was overly busy with preparing to serve a meal. She came up to Jesus and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

⁴¹But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,⁴²but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, which will not be taken away from her."

¹Many of the best ancient copies read seventy but some read seventy-two.

11

¹It happened one day that Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."

²Jesus said to them, "When you pray say,

'Father, may your name be honored as holy.

May your kingdom come.

³Give us our daily bread each day.

⁴Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive everyone who is in debt to us.

Do not lead us into temptation.'"

⁵Jesus said to them, "Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend to me three loaves of bread,⁶since a friend of mine just came in from the road, and I do not have anything to set before him'?⁷Then the one inside who answered him may say, 'Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children, along with me, are in bed. I am not able to get up and give bread to you.'⁸I say to you, even if he does not get up and give bread to you because you are his friend, yet because of your shameless persistence, he will get up and give you as many loaves of bread as you need.

⁹I also say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.¹⁰For every asking person receives; and the seeking person finds; and to the person who knocks, it will be opened.

¹¹Which father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? ¹¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will you give a scorpion to him?¹³Therefore, if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

¹⁴Now Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.¹⁵But some of the people said, "By Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he is driving out demons."

¹⁶Others tested him and sought from him a sign from heaven.

¹⁷But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is made desolate, and a house divided against itself falls.

¹⁸If Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I cast out demons by Beelzebul.¹⁹If I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? Because of this, they will be your judges.²⁰But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

²¹When a strong man who is fully armed guards his own palace, his possessions are safe,²²but when a stronger man overcomes him, the stronger man takes away the armor in which the man trusted and plunders the man's possessions.²³The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.

²⁴When an unclean spirit has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest. Finding none, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'²⁵Having returned, it finds the house had been swept clean and put in order.²⁶Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all come in to live there. Then the final condition of that man becomes worse than the first."

²⁷It happened that, as he said these things, a certain woman raised her voice above the crowd and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you."

²⁸But he said, "Rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

²⁹As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, though no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.³⁰For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so too the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.

³¹The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and see, someone greater than Solomon is here.

³²The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation of people and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and see, someone greater than Jonah is here.

³³No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.³⁴Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, the whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness.³⁵Therefore, watch out that the light in you is not darkness.³⁶If then your whole body is full of light, not having any member in darkness, then your whole body will be like when a lamp shines its brightness on you."

³⁷When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to eat with him at his house, so Jesus went in and reclined.³⁸The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not first wash before dinner.

³⁹But the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of cups and bowls, but the inside of you is filled with robbery and evil.⁴⁰You senseless men! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside?⁴¹Give what is inside as alms, and then all things will be clean for you.

⁴²"But woe to you Pharisees, because you tithe mint and rue and every other garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. It is necessary to act justly and love God, without failing to do the other things also.

⁴³Woe to you Pharisees, for you love the front seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.⁴⁴Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it."

⁴⁵One of the experts in the law said to him, "Teacher, what you say insults us too."⁴⁶Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law! For you put people under burdens that are hard to carry, but you do not touch the burdens with one of your own fingers.

⁴⁷Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.⁴⁸So you are witnesses and you consent to the works of your ancestors, for they indeed killed them and you build their tombs.

⁴⁹For this reason also, God's wisdom said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles, and they will persecute and kill some of them.'⁵⁰As a result, this generation will be charged for all the blood of the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,⁵¹from Abel's blood to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, this generation will be held responsible.

⁵²Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key of knowledge; you do not enter in yourselves, and you hinder those who are entering."

⁵³After Jesus left there, the scribes and the Pharisees opposed him and argued with him about many things,⁵⁴lying in wait to catch him in something he might say.

¹The best ancient copies have the shorter reading. Some ancient copies have a longer reading, which also is found in Matthew 7:9: Which father among you, if your son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? Or a fish, will give him a snake?

12

¹In the meantime, when many thousands of the people were gathered together so much that they trampled on each other, he began to say to his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

²But there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be known.³So whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

⁴I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that they have no more that they can do.⁵But I will warn you about whom to fear. Fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear him.

⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.⁷But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.

⁸I say to you, everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God,⁹but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.¹⁰Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

¹¹When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you will speak in your defense, or what you will say,¹²for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say."

¹³Then someone from the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

¹⁴Jesus said to him, "Man, who appointed me a judge or a mediator over you?"¹⁵He said to them, "Watch that you keep yourselves from all greedy desires, because a person's life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions."

¹⁶Then Jesus told them a parable, saying, "The field of a rich man yielded abundantly,¹⁷and he reasoned with himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I do not have a place to store my crops?'¹⁸He said, 'This is what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all of my grain and other goods.¹⁹I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods stored up for many years. Rest easy, eat, drink, be merry."'

²⁰But God said to him, 'Foolish man, tonight your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'²¹That is what someone is like who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

²²Jesus said to his disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.²³For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.

²⁴Think about the ravens, that they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn, but God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than the birds!²⁵Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his lifespan?²⁶If then you are not able to do such a very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷Think about the lilies—how they grow. They do not labor, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.²⁸If God so clothes the grass in the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

²⁹Do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not be anxious.³⁰For all the nations of the world seek these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

³¹But seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.³²Do not fear, little flock, because your Father is very pleased to give you the kingdom.

³³Sell your possessions and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which will not wear out—treasure in the heavens that does not run out, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys.³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

³⁵"Keep your loins girded and your lamps lit,³⁶and be like people waiting expectantly for their master when he returns from the marriage feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open the door for him.

³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will gird himself to serve and have them sit down at the table, and he will come and serve them.³⁸If the master comes in the second watch of the night, or if even in the third watch, and finds them ready, blessed are those servants.

³⁹But understand this, that if the master of the house had known the hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.⁴⁰You also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

⁴¹Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable only to us, or also to everyone?"

⁴²The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his lord will set over his other servants to give them their portion of food at the right time?⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing that when he comes.⁴⁴Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his property.

⁴⁵But if that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his return,' and begins to beat the male servants and female servants and to eat and drink and to become drunk,⁴⁶the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect and in an hour that he does not know and will cut him in pieces and appoint a place for him with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷That servant, having known his lord's will and not having prepared or done according to his will, will be beaten with many blows.⁴⁸But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating, he will be beaten with a few blows. But everyone who has been given much, from them much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

⁴⁹"I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled.⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am distressed until it is completed!

⁵¹Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.⁵²For from now on there will be five in one house divided—three people against two, and two people against three.⁵³They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

⁵⁴Jesus was saying to the crowds also, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens.⁵⁵When a south wind is blowing, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens.⁵⁶Hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the heavens, but how is it that you do not know how to interpret the present time?

⁵⁷Why do you not judge what is right for yourselves?⁵⁸For when you go with your adversary before the magistrate, on the way make an effort to be reconciled with him so that he does not drag you to the judge, and so that the judge does not deliver you to the officer, and the officer does not throw you into prison.⁵⁹I say to you, you will never come out from there until you have paid the very last bit of money."

13

¹At that time, some people there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their own sacrifices.²Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?³No, I tell you. But if you do not repent, all of you will perish in the same way.

⁴Or those eighteen people in Siloam on whom a tower fell and killed them, do you think they were worse sinners than other men in Jerusalem?⁵No, I say. But if you do not repent, all of you will also perish."

⁶Jesus told this parable, "Someone had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came and looked for fruit on it but found none.⁷The man said to the gardener, 'Look, for three years I have come and tried to find fruit on this fig tree and found none. Cut it down. Why let it waste the ground?'

⁸"The gardener answered and said, 'Sir, leave it alone this year while I dig around it and put manure on it.⁹If it bears fruit next year, good; but if it does not, cut it down!'"

¹⁰Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues during the Sabbath.¹¹Behold, a woman was there who for eighteen years had a spirit of weakness. She was bent over and was not able to straighten up completely.

¹²When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are freed from your weakness."¹³He placed his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight again and glorified God.

¹⁴But the synagogue ruler was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. So the ruler answered and said to the crowd, "There are six days in which it is necessary to labor. Come and be healed then, not on the Sabbath day."

¹⁵The Lord answered him and said, "Hypocrites! Does not each of you untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it to drink on the Sabbath?¹⁶So too this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, should her bonds not be untied on the Sabbath day?"

¹⁷As he said these things, all those who opposed him were ashamed, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things he did.

¹⁸Then Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like, and what can I compare it to?¹⁹It is like a mustard seed that a man took and threw into his garden, and it grew into a big tree, and the birds of heaven built their nests in its branches."

²⁰Again he said, "To what can I compare the kingdom of God?²¹It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the flour was leavened."

²²Then Jesus traveled through the towns and villages, teaching and making his way toward Jerusalem.²³Someone said to him, "Lord, are only a few people to be saved?"

So he said to them,

²⁴"Struggle to enter through the narrow door, because, I say to you, many will try to enter, but will not be able to enter.

²⁵Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, then you will stand outside and pound the door and say, 'Lord, Lord, let us in.'

"He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you or where you are from.'

²⁶"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank in front of you and you taught in our streets.'

²⁷"But he will reply, 'I say to you, I do not know where you are from. Get away from me, all you workers of unrighteousness!'

²⁸There will be crying and the grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, but you are thrown out.²⁹They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and be seated at a table in the kingdom of God.³⁰Know this, those who are least important will be first, and those who are most important will be last."

³¹In that same hour, some Pharisees came and said to him, "Go and leave here because Herod wants to kill you."

³²Jesus said, "Go and tell that fox, 'Look, I cast out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and the third day I will reach my goal.'³³In any case, it is necessary for me to continue on today, tomorrow, and the following day, since it is not acceptable for a prophet to be destroyed outside of Jerusalem.

³⁴Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to you. How often I desired to gather your children the way a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you did not desire this.³⁵See, your house is abandoned. I say to you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

14

¹It happened one Sabbath, when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, that they were watching him closely.²Behold, there in front of him was a man who was suffering from edema.³Jesus asked the experts in the Jewish law and the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?"

⁴But they kept silent. So Jesus took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away.⁵He said to them, "Which of you who has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?"⁶They were not able to give an answer to these things.

⁷When Jesus noticed how those who were invited chose the seats of honor, he spoke a parable, saying to them,⁸"When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the place of honor, because someone may have been invited who is more honored than you.⁹When the person who invited both of you arrives, he will say to you, 'Give this other person your place,' and then in shame you will proceed to take the lowest place.

¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹²Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, as they may also invite you in return, and you will be repaid.

¹³But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,¹⁴and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the just."

¹⁵When one of them who sat at the table with Jesus heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

¹⁶But Jesus said to him, "A certain man prepared a large dinner and invited many.¹⁷At the dinner hour, he sent his servant to say to those who were invited, 'Come, because everything is now ready.'

¹⁸"They all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.'

¹⁹"Another said, 'I have bought five pairs of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.'

²⁰"Then another man said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'

²¹"The servant came and told his master these things. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

²²"The servant said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and yet there is still room.'

²³"The master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.²⁴For I say to you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

²⁵Now large crowds were going with him, and he turned and said to them,²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.²⁷Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸For which of you who desires to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to calculate if he has what he needs to complete it?²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him,³⁰saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

³¹Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take advice about whether he is able with ten thousand men to fight the other king who comes against him with twenty thousand men?³²If not, while the other army is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace.³³So therefore, any one of you who does not give up all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

³⁴Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again?³⁵It is of no use for the soil or even for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

15

¹Now all the tax collectors and other sinners were coming to Jesus to listen to him.²Both the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled to each other, saying, "This man welcomes sinners, and even eats with them."

³Jesus spoke this parable to them, saying,⁴"Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and then loses one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the lost one until he finds it?⁵Then when he has found it, he lays it across his shoulders and rejoices.

⁶When he comes to the house, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.'⁷I say to you that even so, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

⁸"Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she were to lose one coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she has found it?⁹When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost.'¹⁰Even so, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

¹¹Then Jesus said, "A certain man had two sons,¹²and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of the wealth that falls to me.' So he divided his property between them.

¹³Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he owned and went to a country far away, and there he wasted all his wealth by living recklessly.¹⁴Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine spread through that country, and he began to be in need.

¹⁵He went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.¹⁶He was longing to eat the carob pods that the pigs ate because no one gave him anything.

¹⁷But when the young son came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, and I am here, perishing from hunger!¹⁸I will get up and leave here and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired servants."'

²⁰So the young son got up and left and came toward his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and he ran and embraced him and kissed him.²¹The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²"The father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet.²³Then bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let us feast and be merry!²⁴For my son was dead, and now he is alive. He was lost, and now he is found.' Then they began to be merry.

²⁵"Now his older son was out in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.²⁶He called to one of the servants and asked what these things might be.²⁷The servant said to him, 'Your brother has come home and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him in good health.'

²⁸"The older son was angry and would not go in, and his father came out and pleaded with him.²⁹But the older son answered and said to his father, 'Look, these many years I slaved for you, and I never neglected a command of yours, and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might be merry with my friends,³⁰but when your son came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed for him the fattened calf.'

³¹"The father said to him, 'Child, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.³²But it was proper for us to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead, and is now alive; he was lost, and has now been found.'"

16

¹Jesus also said to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this manager was wasting his possessions.²So the rich man called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'

³"The manager said to himself, 'What should I do, since my master is taking away my management job? I do not have strength to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.⁴I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my management job, people will welcome me into their houses.'

⁵"Then the manager called for each one of his master's debtors, and he asked the first one, 'How much do you owe to my master?'⁶He said, 'A hundred baths of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.'

⁷"Then the manager said to another, 'How much do you owe?' He said, 'A hundred cors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

⁸"The master then commended the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own people than are the sons of light.⁹I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰"He who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and he who is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.¹¹If you have not been faithful in using unrighteous wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?¹²If you have not been faithful in using other people's property, who will give you money of your own?

¹³"No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

¹⁴Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.¹⁵He said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. That which is exalted among men is detestable in the sight of God.

¹⁶The law and the prophets were in effect until John came. From that time on, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone tries to force their way into it.¹⁷But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to become invalid.

¹⁸"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

¹⁹"Now there was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and was enjoying every day his great wealth.²⁰A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,²¹and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²²It came about that the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,²³and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side.

²⁴So he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'

²⁵"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.²⁶Besides all this, a great chasm has been put in place, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot, and no one can cross over from there to us.'

²⁷"The rich man said, 'I beg you, Father Abraham, that you would send him to my father's house—²⁸for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that it may not be that they come into this place of torment.'

²⁹"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.'

³⁰"The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone would go to them from the dead, they will repent.'

³¹"But Abraham said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'"

17

¹Jesus said to his disciples, "It is certain there will be stumbling blocks, but woe to that person through whom they come!²It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

³Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.⁴If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him!"

⁵The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

⁶The Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

⁷But which of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'?⁸Will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and put a belt around your clothes and serve me until I have finished eating and drinking. Then afterward you will eat and drink'?

⁹He does not thank the servant because he did the things that were commanded, does he?¹⁰Even so you also, when you have done everything that you are commanded, should say, 'We are unworthy servants. We have only done what we ought to do.'"

¹¹It came about that as he traveled to Jerusalem, he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee.¹²As he entered into a certain village, there he was met by ten men who were lepers. They stood far away from him¹³and they lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." As they went away they were cleansed.¹⁵When one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God.¹⁶He fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷Then Jesus said, "Were not the ten cleansed? Where are the nine?¹⁸Were there no others who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?"¹⁹He said to him, "Arise, and go. Your faith has made you well."

²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with careful observing.²¹Neither will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For look, the kingdom of God is within you."

²²He said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.²³Then they will say to you, 'Look, there! Look, here!' But do not go out or run after them,²⁴for as the lightning shines brightly when it flashes from one part of the sky to another part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

²⁵But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.²⁶As it happened in the days of Noah, even so will it also happen in the days of the Son of Man.²⁷They ate, they drank, they married, and they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark—and the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸In the same way, even as it happened in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.²⁹But in the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰After the same manner it will be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.³¹In that day let him who is on the housetop not go down to get his goods out of the house, and in the same way let him who is in the field not return.

³²Remember Lot's wife.³³Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it.

³⁴I tell you, in that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, and the other will be left.³⁵There will be two women grinding grain together. One will be taken, and the other will be left."³⁶¹

³⁷They asked him, "Where, Lord?"

He said to them, "Where there is a body, there will the vultures also be gathered together."

¹Luke 17:36 the best ancient copies do not have verse 36, There will be two in the field; one will be taken and the other left .

18

¹Then he spoke a parable to them about how they should always pray and not become discouraged,²saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect people.

³Now there was a widow in that city, and she came often to him, saying, 'Help me get justice against my opponent.'

⁴For a long time he was not willing to help her, but after a while he said to himself, 'Though I do not fear God or respect man,⁵yet because this widow causes me trouble, I will help her get justice, so that she does not wear me out by her constant coming.'"

⁶Then the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says.⁷Now will not God also bring justice to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?⁸I say to you that he will bring justice to them speedily. Even so, when the Son of Man comes, will he indeed find faith on the earth?"

⁹Then he also spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and who despised other people:¹⁰"Two men went up into the temple to pray—the one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.

¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed these things about himself, 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.¹²I fast two times every week. I give tithes of all that I get.'

¹³But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but hit his breast, saying, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'¹⁴I say to you, this man went back down to his house justified rather than the other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."

¹⁵The people were also bringing to him their infants so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Permit the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them. For the kingdom of God belongs to such ones.¹⁷Truly I say to you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will definitely not enter it."

¹⁸A certain ruler asked him, saying, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

¹⁹Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone.²⁰You know the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not testify falsely, honor your father and mother."

²¹The ruler said, "All these things I have obeyed from the time I was a youth."

²²When Jesus heard that, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. You must sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me."

²³But when the ruler heard these things, he became extremely sad, for he was very rich.

²⁴Then Jesus, seeing him, ¹ said, "How difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!²⁵For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

²⁶Those hearing it said, "Then who can be saved?"

²⁷Jesus answered, "The things which are impossible with people are possible with God."

²⁸Peter said, "Well, we have left everything that is our own and have followed you."

²⁹Jesus then said to them, "Truly, I say to you that there is no one who has left house, or wife, or brothers, or parents, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,³⁰who will not receive much more in this time, and in the age to come, eternal life."

³¹After he gathered the twelve to himself, he said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all the things that have been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.³²For he will be given over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and shamefully treated, and spit upon.³³After whipping him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again."

³⁴They understood none of these things, and this word was hidden from them, and they did not understand the things that were said.

³⁵It came about that, as Jesus approached Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road begging,³⁶and hearing a crowd going by, he asked what was happening.³⁷They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

³⁸So the blind man cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."³⁹The ones who were walking ahead rebuked the blind man, telling him to be quiet. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me."

⁴⁰Jesus stood still and commanded that the man be brought to him. Then when the blind man was near, Jesus asked him,⁴¹"What do you want me to do for you?"

He said, "Lord, I want to receive my sight."

⁴²Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you."⁴³Immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God. All the people, when they saw this, gave praise to God.

¹Some ancient Greek copies have the phrase: seeing that he had become sad .

19

¹Jesus entered and was passing through Jericho.²Behold, there was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.

³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd, because he was small in height.⁴So he ran on ahead of the people and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, because Jesus was about to pass that way.

⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."⁶So he hurried and came down and welcomed him joyfully.⁷When everyone saw this, they all complained, saying, "He has gone in to visit a man who is a sinner."

⁸Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, the half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I will restore four times the amount."

⁹Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the people who are lost."

¹¹As they heard these things, he continued speaking and told a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and they thought that the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately.¹²He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then to return.

¹³He called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Conduct business until I come back.'

¹⁴"But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man reign over us.'¹⁵It happened when he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what profit they had made by doing business.

¹⁶"The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.'

¹⁷"The nobleman said to him, 'Well done, good servant. Because you were faithful in very little, you will have authority over ten cities.'

¹⁸"The second came, saying, 'Your mina, lord, has made five minas.'

¹⁹"The nobleman said to him, 'You take charge over five cities.'

²⁰"Another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept safely in a cloth,²¹for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person. You take up what you did not put in, and you reap what you did not sow.'

²²"The nobleman said to him, 'By your own words I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I am a demanding person, taking up what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow.²³Then why did you not put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I would have collected it with interest?'

²⁴The nobleman said to them that stood by, 'Take away from him the mina, and give it to him that has the ten minas.'

²⁵"They said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas.'

²⁶"'I say to you, that everyone who has will be given more, but from him that has not, even that which he has will be taken away.²⁷But these enemies of mine, those who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and kill them before me.'"

²⁸When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

²⁹It came about that when he came near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the mountain that is called Olives, he sent two of the disciples,³⁰saying, "Go into the next village. As you enter, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me.³¹If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord has need of it.'"

³²Those who were sent went and found the colt just as Jesus had told them.

³³As they were untying the colt, the owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

³⁴They said, "The Lord has need of it."³⁵They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks upon the colt and set Jesus on it.³⁶As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road.

³⁷As he was now approaching the place where the Mount of Olives descends, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, saying,

³⁸"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

³⁹Some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples."

⁴⁰Jesus answered and said, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out."

⁴¹When Jesus approached the city, he wept over it,⁴²saying, "If only you had known in this day, even you, the things which bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

⁴³For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build a barricade around you and surround you and press in on you from every side.⁴⁴They will strike you down to the ground, and your children with you. They will not leave one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

⁴⁵Jesus entered the temple and began to cast out those who were selling,⁴⁶saying to them, "It is written, 'My house will be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers."

⁴⁷So Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking to destroy him, as were the leaders of the people,⁴⁸but they could not find a way to do it because all the people were listening to him intently.

20

¹It came about one day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel that the chief priests and the scribes came to him with the elders.²They spoke, saying to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is who gave you this authority."

³He answered and said to them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me.⁴The baptism of John: Was it from heaven or from men?"

⁵They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?'⁶But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."

⁷So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

⁸Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

⁹He told the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to vine growers, and went into another country for a long time.¹⁰At the appointed time he sent a servant to the vine growers, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vine growers beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹He then sent yet another servant and they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.¹²He also sent yet a third and they also wounded him, and threw him out.

¹³So the lord of the vineyard said, 'What will I do? I will send my beloved son. Maybe they will respect him.'

¹⁴"But when the vine growers saw him, they discussed among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'

¹⁵They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the lord of the vineyard do to them?¹⁶He will come and destroy these vine growers, and will give the vineyard to others."

When they heard it, they said, "May it never be!"

¹⁷But Jesus looked at them, and said, "What is the meaning of that which is written:

'The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone'?

¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed."

¹⁹So the scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him in that very hour, for they knew that he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.²⁰Watching him carefully, they sent out spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might find fault with his speech, so as to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor.

²¹They asked him, saying, "Teacher, we know that you say and teach rightly, and are not partial to anyone, but you teach the truth about the way of God.²²Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

²³But Jesus understood their craftiness, and said to them,²⁴"Show me a denarius. Whose image and name is on it?"

They said, "Caesar's."

²⁵He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."²⁶They were not able to find fault with what he had said in front of the people, but marveling at his answer, they were silent.

²⁷When some of the Sadducees came to him, the ones who say that there is no resurrection,²⁸they asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and being childless, the man should take the brother's wife, and raise up children for his brother.

²⁹There were seven brothers and the first took a wife, and died childless,³⁰and the second as well.³¹The third took her, and in the same way the seven also left no children and died.³²Afterward the woman also died.³³In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as their wife."

³⁴Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.³⁵But those who are regarded as worthy in that age to receive the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.³⁶Neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

³⁷But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the place concerning the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.³⁸Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because all live to him."

³⁹Some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have answered well."⁴⁰For they did not dare ask him any more questions.

⁴¹Jesus said to them, "How do they say that the Christ is David's son?⁴²For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,

The Lord said to my Lord,

'Sit at my right hand,

⁴³until I make your enemies

your footstool.'

⁴⁴David therefore calls the Christ 'Lord,' so how is he David's son?"

⁴⁵In the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,⁴⁶"Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk in long robes and love special greetings in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at feasts.⁴⁷They also devour widows' houses, and for a show they make long prayers. Men like this will receive greater condemnation."

21

¹Jesus looked up and saw the rich men who were putting their gifts into the treasury.²He saw a certain poor widow putting in two mites.³So he said, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them.⁴All of these gave gifts out of their abundance. But this widow, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on."

⁵As some spoke of the temple, how it was decorated with beautiful stones and offerings, he said,⁶"As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another which will not be torn down."

⁷So they asked him, saying, "Teacher, when will these things happen? What will be the sign when these things are about to happen?"⁸Jesus answered, "Be careful that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not go after them.⁹When you hear of wars and riots, do not be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end will not happen immediately."

¹⁰Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues. There will be terrifying events and great signs from heaven.

¹²But before all of these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you over to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors because of my name.¹³It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.

¹⁴Therefore resolve in your hearts not to prepare your defense ahead of time,¹⁵for I will give you words and wisdom that all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict.

¹⁶But you will be given over also by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.¹⁷You will be hated by everyone because of my name.¹⁸But not a hair from your head will perish.¹⁹In your endurance you will gain your lives.

²⁰"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that its desolation is near.²¹Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the city leave it, and those who are out in the country must not enter the city.²²For these are days of vengeance, so that all the things that are written will be fulfilled.

²³Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days! For there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people.²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

²⁵"There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and on the earth. The nations will be in distress, anxious because of the roar of the sea and waves.²⁶There will be men fainting from fear and from expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

²⁷Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.²⁸But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is coming near."

²⁹Jesus told them a parable, "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.³⁰When they sprout buds, you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.³¹So also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

³²Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁴"But pay attention to yourselves, so that your hearts are not burdened with excessive drinking and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day does not close on you suddenly³⁵like a trap. For it will come upon everyone living on the face of the whole earth.

³⁶But be alert at all times, praying that you may be strong enough to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

³⁷So during the days he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and stayed on the mountain that is called Olives.³⁸All of the people came early in the morning to hear him in the temple.

22

¹Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread was approaching, which is called the Passover.²The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they could put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.

³Then Satan entered into Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.⁴Judas went to the chief priests and captains and discussed with them how he would betray Jesus to them.

⁵They were glad and agreed to give him money.⁶He consented and looked for an opportunity to give him over to them away from the crowd.

⁷Then came the day of unleavened bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.⁸So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare for us the Passover meal, so that we may eat it."

⁹They said to him, "Where do you want us to make preparations?"

¹⁰He answered them, "Look, when you have entered the city, a man bearing a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he goes into.¹¹Then say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room, where I will eat the Passover with my disciples?"'

¹²He will show you a large furnished upper room. Make the preparations there."¹³So they went, and found everything as he had said to them. Then they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁴When the hour came, he sat down with the apostles.¹⁵Then he said to them, "I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.¹⁶For I say to you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

¹⁷Then Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, "Take this, and share it among yourselves.¹⁸For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the kingdom of God comes."

¹⁹Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."²⁰He took the cup in the same way after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

²¹But pay attention. The hand of the one who betrays me is with me at the table.²²For the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined. But woe to that man through whom he is betrayed!"²³They began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who would do this.

²⁴Then there arose also a quarrel among them about which of them was considered to be greatest.²⁵He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles are lords over them, and the ones who have authority over them are called doers of good deeds.

²⁶But it must not be like this with you. Instead, let the greatest among you become like the youngest and the one who leads like the one who serves.²⁷For who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as one who serves.

²⁸But you are the ones who have continued with me in my trials.²⁹I set you over a kingdom, even as my Father has set me over a kingdom,³⁰that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹"Simon, Simon, be aware, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat.³²But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. After you have turned back again, strengthen your brothers."

³³Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death."

³⁴Jesus replied, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day before you deny three times that you know me."

³⁵Then Jesus said to them, "When I sent you out without a purse, a bag of provisions, or sandals, did you lack anything?"

They answered, "Nothing."

³⁶Then he said to them, "But now, the one who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a bag of provisions. The one who does not have a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.

³⁷For I say to you, what is written about me must be fulfilled, 'He was counted with the lawless ones.' For what is predicted about me is being fulfilled."

³⁸Then they said, "Lord, look! Here are two swords."

He said to them, "It is enough."

³⁹Jesus went, as he often did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.⁴⁰When they arrived, he said to them, "Pray that you do not enter into temptation."

⁴¹He went away from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed,⁴²saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done."

⁴³Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.⁴⁴Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.

⁴⁵When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of their sorrow⁴⁶and asked them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray, that you may not enter into temptation."

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, behold, a crowd appeared, with Judas, one of the twelve, leading them. He came near to Jesus to kiss him,⁴⁸but Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

⁴⁹When those who were around Jesus saw what was happening, they said, "Lord, should we strike with the sword?"⁵⁰Then one of them struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

⁵¹Jesus said, "That is enough!" He touched his ear, and healed him.

⁵²Jesus said to the chief priests, to the captains of the temple, and to elders who came against him, "Do you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?⁵³When I was daily with you in the temple, you did not lay your hands on me. But this is your hour, and the authority of darkness."

⁵⁴Seizing him, they led him away and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed from a distance.⁵⁵After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them.

⁵⁶A certain female servant saw him as he sat in the light of the fire and looked straight at him and said, "This man also was with him."

⁵⁷But Peter denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him."

⁵⁸After a little while someone else saw him, and said, "You are also one of them."

But Peter said, "Man, I am not."

⁵⁹After about an hour another man insisted and said, "Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean."

⁶⁰But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." Immediately, while he was speaking, a rooster crowed.

⁶¹Turning, the Lord looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, when he said to him, "Before a rooster crows today you will deny me three times."⁶²Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

⁶³Then the men holding Jesus in custody mocked and beat him.⁶⁴They put a cover over him and asked him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?"⁶⁵They spoke many other things against Jesus, blaspheming him.

⁶⁶As soon as it was day, the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. They led him into the Council⁶⁷and said, "If you are the Christ, tell us."

But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe,

⁶⁸and if I ask you, you will not answer.

⁶⁹But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God."

⁷⁰They all said, "Then you are the Son of God?"

Jesus said to them, "You say that I am."

⁷¹They said, "Why do we still need a witness? For we ourselves have heard from his own mouth."

23

¹The whole company of them rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate.²They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man misleading our nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king."

³Pilate asked him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered him and said, "You say so."

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no guilt in this man."

⁵But they were insisting, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place."

⁶So when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.⁷When he learned that he was under Herod's authority, he sent Jesus to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem in those days.

⁸When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, because he had wanted to see him for a long time. He had heard about him and he hoped to see some sign done by him.⁹Herod questioned Jesus in many words, but Jesus answered him nothing.¹⁰The chief priests and the scribes stood, vigorously accusing him.

¹¹Herod with his soldiers showed Jesus contempt and they mocked him. Then they dressed him in splendid clothes and sent him back to Pilate.¹²For Herod and Pilate had become friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been enemies with each other.

¹³Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the crowd of people¹⁴and said to them, "You brought to me this man like a man who is misleading the people. And see, I, having questioned him before you, find no guilt in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

¹⁵No, nor does Herod, for he sent him back to us, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.¹⁶I will therefore punish him and release him."¹⁷¹

¹⁸But they cried out all together, saying, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!"¹⁹Barabbas was a man who had been put into prison for a certain rebellion in the city and for murder.

²⁰Pilate addressed them again, desiring to release Jesus.²¹But they shouted, saying, "Crucify him, crucify him."²²He said to them a third time, "Why, what evil has this man done? I have found no guilt deserving death in him. Therefore after punishing him, I will release him."

²³But they were insistent with loud voices, demanding for him to be crucified. Their voices convinced Pilate.²⁴So Pilate decided to grant their demand.²⁵He released the one they asked for who had been put in prison for rebellion and murder. But he delivered up Jesus to their will.

²⁶As they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry, following Jesus.

²⁷A great crowd of the people, and of women who grieved and mourned for him, were following him.²⁸But turning to them, Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

²⁹For see, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that did not bear, and the breasts that did not nurse.'

³⁰Then they will begin to say to the mountains,

'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.'

³¹For if they do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

³²Other men, two criminals, were led away with him to be put to death.

³³When they came to the place that is called "The Skull," there they crucified him and the criminals—one on his right and one on his left.³⁴Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Then they cast lots, dividing up his garments.

³⁵The people stood watching while the rulers also were mocking him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the chosen one."

³⁶The soldiers also ridiculed him, approaching him, offering him vinegar,³⁷and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself."³⁸There was also a sign over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

³⁹One of the criminals who was hanging there insulted him by saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us."

⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?⁴¹We indeed are here justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds. But this man did nothing wrong."

⁴²Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

⁴³Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour⁴⁵as the sun turned dark. Then the curtain of the temple was split in two.

⁴⁶Crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, he died.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Surely this was a righteous man."

⁴⁸When all the multitudes who came together to witness this sight saw the things that were done, they returned beating their breasts.⁴⁹But all those who knew him, and the women who followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council. He was a good and righteous man.⁵¹This man had not agreed with their plan and action. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he was looking for the kingdom of God.

⁵²This man, approaching Pilate, asked for the body of Jesus.⁵³He took it down, wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.

⁵⁴It was the Day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was about to begin.⁵⁵The women who had come with Jesus out of Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.⁵⁶They returned and prepared spices and ointments.

Then on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

¹The best ancient copies do not have Luke 23:17, Now Pilate was obligated to release to the Jews one prisoner at the feast .

24

¹Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared.²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.³They entered in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴It happened that, while they were confused about this, suddenly, two men stood by them in bright shining garments.⁵As the women were terrified and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to the women, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

⁶He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee,⁷saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."

⁸The women remembered his words⁹and returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and all the rest.¹⁰Now Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them reported these things to the apostles.

¹¹But this message seemed like idle talk to the apostles, and they did not believe the women.¹²Yet Peter rose up and ran to the tomb, and, stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves. Peter then departed to his home, wondering what had happened.

¹³Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.¹⁴They discussed with each other about all the things that had happened.

¹⁵It happened that, while they discussed and questioned together, Jesus himself approached and went with them.¹⁶But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

¹⁷Jesus said to them, "What are these matters you two are discussing as you walk?" They stood there looking sad.

¹⁸One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only person in Jerusalem who does not know the things which have happened there these days?"

¹⁹Jesus said to them, "What things?"

They answered him, "The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

²⁰and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him.

²¹But we hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Yes, and what is more, it is now the third day since all these things happened.

²²But also, some women of our company amazed us, having been at the tomb early in the morning.²³When they did not find his body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.²⁴Some men who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said. But they did not see him."

²⁵Jesus said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?"²⁷Then beginning from Moses and through all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as though he were going further.²⁹But they compelled him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is almost over." So Jesus went in to stay with them.

³⁰It happened that, when he had sat down with them to eat, he took the bread, blessed it, and breaking it, he gave it to them.³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight.³²They said one to another, "Was not our heart burning within us, while he spoke to us on the way, while he opened to us the scriptures?"

³³They rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them,³⁴saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon."³⁵So they told the things that happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

³⁶As they spoke these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace be to you."³⁷But they were terrified and filled with fear and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

³⁸Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your heart?³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me having."⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

⁴¹They still could not believe it because of joy, and they were amazed. Jesus said to them, "Do you have anything to eat?"⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish,⁴³and he took it and ate it before them.

⁴⁴He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you when I was with you, that all that was written in the law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

⁴⁵Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the scriptures.⁴⁶He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day.⁴⁷Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.⁴⁹See, I am sending you what my Father promised. But remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."

⁵⁰Then Jesus led them out until they were near Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed them.⁵¹It happened that, while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵²So they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.⁵³They were continually in the temple, blessing God.

John

1

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.²This one was in the beginning with God.³All things were made through him, and without him there was not one thing made that has been made.

⁴In him was life, and the life was the light of men.⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

⁶There was a man who was sent from God, whose name was John.⁷He came as a witness to testify about the light, that all might believe through him.⁸John was not the light, but came that he might testify about the light.

⁹The true light, which gives light to all men, was coming into the world.

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.¹¹He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.

¹²But to as many as received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.¹³These were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his glory, glory as of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.¹⁵John testified about him and cried out, saying, "This was the one of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is greater than I am, for he was before me.'"

¹⁶For from his fullness we have all received grace after grace.¹⁷For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.¹⁸No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made God known.

¹⁹This is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"²⁰He confessed—he did not deny, but confessed—"I am not the Christ."²¹So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." They said, "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."

²²Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"²³He said, "I am a voice, crying in the wilderness: 'Make the way of the Lord straight,' just as Isaiah the prophet said."

²⁴Now some from the Pharisees were sent,²⁵and they asked him and said to him, "Why do you baptize, then, if you are not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet?"

²⁶John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water. But among you stands someone you do not know.²⁷He is the one who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."²⁸These things were done in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!³⁰This is the one of whom I said, 'The one who comes after me is more than me, for he was before me.'³¹I did not know him, but it was so that he could be revealed to Israel that I came baptizing with water."

³²John testified, saying, "I saw the Spirit coming down like a dove from heaven, and it stayed upon him.³³I did not recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'³⁴I have both seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

³⁵Again, the next day, as John was standing with two of his disciples,³⁶they saw Jesus walking by, and John said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

³⁷His two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.³⁸Then Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They replied, "Rabbi" (which is translated "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"³⁹He said to them, "Come and see." Then they came and saw where he was staying; they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and then followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.⁴¹He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated "Christ").⁴²He brought him to Jesus, and Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated "Peter").

⁴³The next day, when Jesus wanted to leave to go to Galilee, he found Philip and said to him, "Follow me."⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.⁴⁵Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, "He of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets, we have found him: Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

⁴⁶Nathaniel said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and said about him, "See, a true Israelite, in whom is no deceit!"⁴⁸Nathaniel said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."

⁴⁹Nathaniel replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"⁵⁰Jesus replied and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you underneath the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than this."⁵¹Then he said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

2

¹Three days later, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.²Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding.

³When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."⁴Jesus said to her, "Woman, why do you come to me? My time has not yet come."⁵His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he says to you, do it."

⁶Now there were six stone water pots there used for the Jewish ceremonial washing, each containing two to three metretes.⁷Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." So they filled them up to the brim.⁸Then he told the servants, "Take some out now and take it to the head waiter." So they did.

⁹The head waiter tasted the water that had become wine, but he did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew). Then he called the bridegroom¹⁰and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first and then the cheaper wine when they are drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now."

¹¹This first sign Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

¹²After this Jesus, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and they stayed there for a few days.

¹³Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.¹⁴He found sellers of oxen and sheep and pigeons in the temple, and the money changers were sitting there.

¹⁵So he made a whip of cords and drove all of them out from the temple, including both the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the money changers and turned their tables over.¹⁶To the pigeon sellers he said, "Take these things away from here. Stop making the house of my Father a marketplace."

¹⁷His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

¹⁸Then the Jewish authorities responded and said to him, "What sign will you show us, since you are doing these things?"¹⁹Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

²⁰Then the Jewish authorities said, "This temple was built in forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"²¹However, he was speaking about the temple of his body.²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the scripture and this statement that Jesus had spoken.

²³Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he did.²⁴But Jesus did not trust in them because he knew them all,²⁵because he did not need anyone to testify to him about man, for he knew what was in man.

3

¹Now there was a Pharisee whose name was Nicodemus, a Jewish leader.²This man came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher that came from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."

³Jesus replied to him, "Truly, truly, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

⁴Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"

⁵Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'⁸The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

⁹Nicodemus replied and said to him, "How can these things be?"¹⁰Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?¹¹Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. Yet you do not accept our testimony.

¹²If I told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?¹³No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.

¹⁴Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,¹⁵so that all who believe in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world in order to condemn the world, but in order to save the world through him.¹⁸He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

¹⁹This is the reason for the judgment: The light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.²¹However, he who practices the truth comes to the light so that it may be plainly seen that his deeds have been done in God."

²²After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea. There he spent some time with them and baptized.²³Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near to Salim because there was much water there. People were coming to him and were being baptized,²⁴for John had not yet been thrown in prison.

²⁵Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washing.²⁶They went to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, about whom you have testified, look, he is baptizing, and they are all going to him."

²⁷John replied, "A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but instead, 'I have been sent before him.'

²⁹The bride belongs to the bridegroom. Now the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the voice of the bridegroom. This, then, is my joy made complete.³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹"He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks about the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.³²He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.³³He who has received his testimony has confirmed that God is true.

³⁴For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God. For he does not give the Spirit by measure.³⁵The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.³⁶He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God stays on him."

4

¹Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was making and baptizing more disciples than John²(although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were),³he left Judea and went back again to Galilee.

⁴But it was necessary for him to go through Samaria.⁵So he came to a town of Samaria, called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

⁶The well of Jacob was there. Jesus was tired from his journey and sat by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

⁷A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me some water to drink."⁸For his disciples had gone away into the town to buy food.

⁹Then the Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, are asking me, being a Samaritan woman, for something to drink?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

¹¹The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not have a bucket and the well is deep. Where then do you have the living water?¹²You are not greater, are you, than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?"

¹³Jesus replied and said to her, "Everyone who drinks from this water will be thirsty again,¹⁴but whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will not ever be thirsty again. Instead, the water that I will give him will become a fountain of water in him, springing up to eternal life."

¹⁵The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I may not become thirsty and not have to come here to draw water."

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back here."

¹⁷The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband."

Jesus replied, "You have said correctly, 'I have no husband,'

¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true."

¹⁹The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet.²⁰Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where people have to worship."

²¹Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, that an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.²²You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

²³However, the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to be his worshipers.²⁴God is Spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

²⁵The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (the one called Christ). When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

²⁶Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one speaking to you."

²⁷At that moment his disciples returned. Now they were wondering why he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you speaking with her?"

²⁸So the woman left her water pot, went back to the town, and said to the people,²⁹"Come, see a man who told me everything that I have ever done. This could not be the Christ, could it?"³⁰They left the town and came to him.

³¹In the meantime, the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."³²But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."³³So the disciples said to each other, "No one has brought him anything to eat, have they?"

³⁴Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.³⁵Do you not say, 'There are four more months and then the harvest comes'? I am saying to you, look up and see the fields, for they are already ripe for harvest!³⁶He who is harvesting receives wages and gathers fruit for everlasting life, so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

³⁷For in this the saying, 'One sows, and another reaps,' is true.³⁸I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

³⁹Many of the Samaritans in that city believed in him because of the report of the woman who was testifying, "He told me everything that I have done."⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.

⁴¹Many more believed because of his word.⁴²They said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard, and we know that this one is indeed the Savior of the world."

⁴³After those two days, he departed from there for Galilee.⁴⁴For Jesus himself declared that a prophet has no honor in his own country.⁴⁵When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all the things that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival, for they had also gone to the festival.

⁴⁶Now he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. There was a certain royal official whose son in Capernaum was ill.⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Jesus and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

⁴⁸Jesus then said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe."⁴⁹The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."⁵⁰Jesus said to him, "Go. Your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went away.

⁵¹While he was going down, his servants met him, saying that his son was living.⁵²So he asked them the hour when he began to improve. They replied to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."

⁵³Then the father realized that it was at that hour that Jesus had said to him, "Your son lives." So he himself and his whole household believed.⁵⁴This was the second sign that Jesus did when he came out of Judea to Galilee.

5

¹After this there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.²Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate there is a pool, which in the Aramaic language is called Bethesda, and it has five roofed porches.³A large number of people who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed were lying there. ¹⁴²

⁵A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years.⁶When Jesus saw him lying there, and after he realized that he had been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healthy?"

⁷The sick man replied, "Sir, I do not have anyone to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. When I come, another steps down before me."⁸Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk."

⁹Immediately the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was a Sabbath.

¹⁰So the Jews said to him who was healed, "It is the Sabbath and you are not permitted to carry your mat."¹¹He replied, "He who made me healthy said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'"

¹²They asked him, "Who is the man that said to you, 'Pick it up and walk'?"¹³However, the one who was healed did not know who it was because Jesus had gone away secretly, for there was a crowd in the place.

¹⁴Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "See, you have become healthy! Do not sin anymore, so that something worse will not happen to you."¹⁵The man went away and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him healthy.

¹⁶Now because of these things the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the Sabbath.¹⁷Jesus replied to them, "My Father is working even now, and I, too, am working."¹⁸Because of this, the Jews sought even more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.

¹⁹Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, the Son can do nothing of himself, except only what he sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father is doing, the Son does in the same way.²⁰For the Father loves the Son and he shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.

²¹For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to anyone he wishes.²²For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son²³so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

²⁴Truly, truly, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but he has passed from death to life.

²⁵"Truly, truly, I tell you the time is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has also given to the Son so that he has life in himself,²⁷and the Father has given the Son authority to carry out judgment because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸Do not be amazed at this, for there is a time coming in which everyone who is in the tombs will hear his voice²⁹and will come out: those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

³⁰"I can do nothing from myself. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous because I am not seeking my own will but the will of him who sent me.³¹If I should testify about myself, my testimony would not be true.³²There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony that he gives about me is true.

³³You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth.³⁴But the testimony that I receive is not from man. I say these things that you might be saved.³⁵John was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you were willing to rejoice in his light for a while.

³⁶Yet the testimony that I have is greater than that of John, for the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me that the Father has sent me.³⁷The Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You have neither heard his voice nor seen his form at any time.³⁸You do not have his word remaining in you, for you are not believing in the one whom he has sent.

³⁹You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and these same scriptures testify about me,⁴⁰and you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

⁴¹I do not receive glory from men,⁴²but I know that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.

⁴³I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another should come in his own name, you would receive him.⁴⁴How can you believe, you who accept glory from one another but are not seeking the glory that comes from the only God?

⁴⁵Do not think that I myself will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have hoped.⁴⁶If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.⁴⁷If you do not believe his writings, how are you going to believe my words?"

¹The best ancient copies do not have the phrase, waiting for the moving of the water .

²The best ancient copies do not have verse 4, For an angel of the Lord went down and stirred up the water at certain times and whoever stepped in while the water was stirring was healed from whatever disease he suffered from .

6

¹After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.²A great crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on those who were sick.³Jesus went up the mountain and there he sat down with his disciples.

⁴(Now the Passover, the Jewish festival, was near.)⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where are we going to buy bread so that these may eat?"⁶(But Jesus said this to test Philip, for he himself knew what he was going to do.)

⁷Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be sufficient for each one to have even a little."⁸One of the disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to Jesus,⁹"There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish, but what are these among so many?"

¹⁰Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.¹¹Then Jesus took the loaves and after giving thanks, he gave it to those who were sitting. He did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted.¹²When the people were filled, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the broken pieces which remain, so that nothing will be lost."

¹³So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.¹⁴Then, when the people saw this sign that he did, they said, "This truly is the prophet who is to come into the world."¹⁵When Jesus realized that they were about to come and seize him by force to make him king, he withdrew again up the mountain by himself.

¹⁶When it became evening, his disciples went down to the sea.¹⁷They got into a boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was dark by this time, and Jesus had not yet come to them.¹⁸A strong wind was blowing, and the sea was getting rough.

¹⁹When they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid.²⁰But he said to them, "It is I! Do not be afraid."²¹Then they were willing to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land where they were going.

²²The next day, the crowd that had been standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except the one, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples but that his disciples had gone away alone.²³However, there were some boats that came from Tiberias close to the place where they had eaten the bread loaves after the Lord had given thanks.

²⁴When the crowd discovered that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum seeking Jesus.²⁵After they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

²⁶Jesus replied to them, saying, "Truly, truly, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate some of the bread loaves and were filled.²⁷Do not labor for the food that perishes, but labor for the food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you, for God the Father has set his seal on him."

²⁸Then they said to him, "What must we do, so that we may do the works of God?"²⁹Jesus replied and said to them, "This is the work of God: That you believe in the one whom he has sent."

³⁰So they said to him, "What sign then will you do, so that we may see and believe you? What will you do?³¹Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

³²Then Jesus replied to them, "Truly, truly, it was not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven.³³For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."³⁴So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

³⁵Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.³⁶But I told you that indeed you have seen me, and you do not believe.³⁷Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and he who comes to me I will certainly not throw out.

³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.³⁹This is the will of him who sent me, that I would lose not one of all those whom he has given me, but will raise them up on the last day.⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day."

⁴¹Then the Jews grumbled about him because he had said, "I am the bread that has come down from heaven."⁴²They said, "Is not this Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

⁴³Jesus replied and said to them, "Stop grumbling among yourselves.⁴⁴No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.⁴⁵It is written in the prophets, 'Everyone will be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

⁴⁶Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God—he has seen the Father.⁴⁷Truly, truly, he who believes has eternal life.

⁴⁸I am the bread of life.⁴⁹Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

⁵⁰This is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat some of it and not die.⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats some of this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

⁵²The Jews became angry among themselves and began to argue, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"⁵³Then Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves.

⁵⁴Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.⁵⁵For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.⁵⁶He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

⁵⁷As the living Father sent me, and as I live because of the Father, so he who eats me, he will also live because of me.⁵⁸This is the bread that has come down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. He who eats this bread will live forever."⁵⁹But Jesus said these things in the synagogue while he was teaching in Capernaum.

⁶⁰Then many of his disciples who heard this said, "This is a difficult saying; who can hear it?"⁶¹Jesus, because he knew in himself that his disciples were grumbling at this, said to them, "Does this offend you?

⁶²Then what if you should see the Son of Man going up to where he was before?⁶³It is the Spirit who makes alive; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life.

⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones that would not believe and who it was who would betray him.⁶⁵He said, "It is because of this that I said to you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father."

⁶⁶Because of this, many of his disciples went away and no longer walked with him.⁶⁷Then Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have words of eternal life,⁶⁹and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God." ¹

⁷⁰Jesus said to them, "Did not I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"⁷¹Now he spoke of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he, one of the twelve, who would betray Jesus.

¹The phrase the Holy One of God is in the best ancient copies. Some later copies add an additional description and they read: the Christ, the Holy One of God .

7

¹After these things Jesus traveled about in Galilee, for he did not want to go into Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him.²Now the Jewish Festival of Shelters was near.

³His brothers therefore said to him, "Leave this place and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works that you do.⁴No one does anything in secret if he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world."

⁵For even his brothers did not believe in him.⁶Jesus therefore said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

⁸You go up to the festival; I am not going to this festival because my time has not yet been fulfilled."⁹After he said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰But when his brothers had gone up to the festival, then he also went up, not publicly but in secret.¹¹The Jews were looking for him at the festival and said, "Where is he?"

¹²There was much discussion among the crowds about him. Some said, "He is a good man." Others said, "No, he leads the crowds astray."¹³Yet no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews.

¹⁴When the festival was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach.¹⁵Then the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this man know so much? He has never been educated."¹⁶Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but is of him who sent me.

¹⁷If anyone wishes to do his will, he will know about this teaching, whether it comes from God, or whether I speak from myself.¹⁸Whoever speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of him who sent him, that person is true, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

¹⁹Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?"²⁰The crowd answered, "You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?"

²¹Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel because of it.²²Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the ancestors), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.

²³If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses is not broken, why are you angry with me because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath?²⁴Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteously."

²⁵Some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is not this the one they seek to kill?²⁶See, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. It cannot be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ, can it?²⁷Yet we know where this one is from. But when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."

²⁸Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, "You both know me and know where I come from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, and you do not know him.²⁹I know him because I come from him and he sent me."

³⁰They were trying to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come.³¹But many in the crowd believed in him, and they said, "When the Christ comes, will he do more signs than what this one has done?"³²The Pharisees heard the crowds whispering these things about Jesus, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

³³Jesus then said, "I am still with you for a short amount of time, and then I go to him who sent me.³⁴You will seek me but you will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come."

³⁵The Jews therefore said among themselves, "Where will this man go that we will not be able to find him? Will he go to the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?³⁶What is this word that he said, 'You will seek me but will not find me; where I go, you will not be able to come'?"

³⁷Now on the last, great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.³⁸He who believes in me, just as the scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his belly."

³⁹But he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him would receive; the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

⁴⁰Some of the crowd, when they heard these words, said, "This is indeed the prophet."⁴¹Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Does the Christ come from Galilee?⁴²Have the scriptures not said that the Christ will come from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"

⁴³So there arose a division in the crowds because of him.⁴⁴Some of them would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him.

⁴⁵Then the officers came back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?"⁴⁶The officers answered, "Never has anyone spoken like this."

⁴⁷So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?⁴⁸Have any of the rulers believed in him, or any of the Pharisees?⁴⁹But this crowd that does not know the law, they are cursed."

⁵⁰Nicodemus (one of the Pharisees, who came to him earlier) said to them,⁵¹"Does our law judge a man before hearing from him and knowing what he does?"⁵²They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee."

⁵³¹ [Then everyone went to his own house.

¹The best ancient copies do not have John 7:53-8:11.

8

¹¹ Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.²Early in the morning he came to the temple again, and all the people came; he sat down and taught them.³The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. They placed her in the middle.

⁴Then they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.⁵Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such people; what do you say about her?"⁶They said this in order to trap him so that they might have something to accuse him about, but Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger.

⁷When they continued asking him questions, he stood up and said to them, "The one among you who has no sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."⁸Again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger.

⁹When they heard it, they left one by one, beginning with the oldest. Finally Jesus was left alone, with the woman who had been in the middle.¹⁰Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?"¹¹She said, "No one, Lord." Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."] ²

¹²Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life."¹³The Pharisees said to him, "You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true."

¹⁴Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true. I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I came from or where I am going.¹⁵You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.¹⁶Yet if I judge, my judgment is true because I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent me.

¹⁷Yes, and in your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true.¹⁸I am he who testifies about myself, and the Father who sent me testifies about me."

¹⁹They said to him, "Where is your father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither me nor my Father; if you had known me, you would have known my Father also."²⁰He said these words in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come.

²¹So again he said to them, "I am going away; you will seek me and will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come."²²The Jews said, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I am going you cannot come'?"

²³Jesus said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.²⁴Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins."

²⁵They said therefore to him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "What I have said to you from the beginning.²⁶I have many things to speak and to judge about you. However, he who sent me is true; and the things that I heard from him, these things I say to the world."²⁷They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father.

²⁸Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM, and that I do nothing of myself. As the Father taught me, I speak these things.²⁹He who sent me is with me, and he has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him."³⁰As Jesus was saying these things, many believed in him.

³¹Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples;³²and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."³³They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves of anyone; how can you say, 'You will be set free'?"

³⁴Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.³⁵The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.³⁶Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free.

³⁷I know that you are Abraham's descendants; you seek to kill me because my word has no place in you.³⁸I say what I have seen with my Father, and you also do what you heard from your father."

³⁹They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.⁴⁰Yet, now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.⁴¹You do the works of your father." They said to him, "We were not born in sexual immorality; we have one Father: God."

⁴²Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me.⁴³Why do you not understand my words? It is because you cannot hear my words.⁴⁴You are of your father, the devil, and you wish to do the desires 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 lie, he speaks from his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies.

⁴⁵Yet, because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.⁴⁶Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?⁴⁷He who is of God hears the words of God; you do not hear them because you are not of God."

⁴⁸The Jews answered and said to him, "Do we not truly say that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"⁴⁹Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

⁵⁰I do not seek my glory; there is one seeking and judging.⁵¹Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

⁵²The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham and the prophets died; but you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.'⁵³You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? The prophets also died. Who do you make yourself out to be?"

⁵⁴Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me—about whom you say that he is your God.⁵⁵You have not known him, but I know him. If I would say, 'I do not know him,' I would be like you, a liar. However, I know him and keep his word.⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced at seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."

⁵⁷The Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?"⁵⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."⁵⁹Then they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

¹See the note on John 7:53.

²See the note on John 7:53.

9

¹Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.²His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?"

³Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents, but so that the works of God would be revealed in him.⁴We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one will be able to work.⁵While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

⁶After Jesus said these things, he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and smeared the mud on his eyes.⁷He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "Sent"). So the man went away, washed, and came back seeing.

⁸Then the man's neighbors and those who had seen him previously as a beggar were saying, "Is not this the man that used to sit and beg?"⁹Some said, "It is he." Others said, "No, but he is like him." But he said, "I am the one."

¹⁰They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?"¹¹He answered, "The man who is 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 received my sight."¹²They said to him, "Where is he?" He replied, "I do not know."

¹³They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees.¹⁴Now it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.¹⁵Then again the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I now can see."

¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" So there was a division among them.¹⁷So they asked the blind man again, "What do you say about him, since he opened your eyes?" The blind man said, "He is a prophet."¹⁸Now the Jews still did not believe about him that he was blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.

¹⁹They asked the parents, "Is this your son whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"²⁰So his parents answered them, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.²¹How he now sees, we do not know, and who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him, he is an adult. He can speak for himself."

²²His parents said these things, because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already agreed that if anyone would confess him to be the Christ, he would be thrown out of the synagogue.²³Because of this, his parents said, "He is an adult, ask him."

²⁴So for a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."²⁵Then that man replied, "I do not know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I see."

²⁶Then they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"²⁷He answered, "I have told you already, and you did not listen! Why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become his disciples too, do you?"

²⁸They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from."

³⁰The man answered and said to them, "This is remarkable, that you do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes.³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if someone worships God and does his will, he listens to him.

³²Since the world began it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."³⁴They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and you are teaching us?" Then they threw him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out of the synagogue. He found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"³⁶He replied and said, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"³⁷Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and it is the one who is speaking with you."³⁸The man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

³⁹Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world so that those who do not see may see and so that those who see may become blind."⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, "Are we also blind?"⁴¹Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin, but now you say, 'We see,' so your sin remains."

10

¹"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter through the gate into the sheep pen, but climbs up some other way, that man is a thief and a robber.²He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

³The gatekeeper opens for him. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

⁵They will not follow a stranger but instead they will avoid him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."⁶Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what these things were that he was saying to them.

⁷Then Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep.⁸Everyone who came before me is a thief and a robber, but the sheep did not listen to them.

⁹I am the gate. If anyone enters in through me, he will be saved; he will go in and out and will find pasture.¹⁰The thief does not come except to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they will have life and have it abundantly.

¹¹I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹²The hired servant is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and escapes, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.¹³He runs away because he is a hired servant and does not care for the sheep.

¹⁴I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me.¹⁵The Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.¹⁶I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice so that there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷This is why the Father loves me: I lay down my life so that I may take it again.¹⁸No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

¹⁹A division again occurred among the Jews because of these words.²⁰Many of them said, "He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to him?"²¹Others said, "These are not the words of a demon-possessed man. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

²²Then it was time for the Festival of the Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter,²³and Jesus was walking in the temple in the porch of Solomon.²⁴Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, "How long will you hold us doubting? If you are the Christ, tell us openly."

²⁵Jesus replied to them, "I told you, but you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these testify concerning me.²⁶Yet you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

²⁷My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.²⁸I give them eternal life; they will never die, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all others, and no one is able to snatch them out of the hand of the Father.³⁰I and the Father are one."³¹Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

³²Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works are you stoning me?"³³The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a man, are making yourself God."

³⁴Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?³⁵If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),³⁶do you say to him whom the Father set apart and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

³⁷If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me.³⁸But if I am doing them, even if you do not believe me, believe in the works so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and that I am in the Father."³⁹They tried to seize him again, but he went away out of their hand.

⁴⁰He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and he stayed there.⁴¹Many people came to him and they said, "John indeed did no signs, but all the things that John has said about this man are true."⁴²Many people believed in him there.

11

¹Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.²It was Mary who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

³The sisters then sent for Jesus, saying, "Lord, see, he whom you love is sick."⁴When Jesus heard it, he said, "This sickness is not to death, but instead it is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.⁶So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed two more days in the place where he was.⁷Then after this, he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."

⁸The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, right now the Jews are trying to stone you, and you are going back there again?"⁹Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of light in a day? If someone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.

¹⁰However, if he walks at night, he will stumble because the light is not in him."¹¹He said these things, and after these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may wake him out of sleep."

¹²The disciples therefore said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."¹³Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he was speaking about the sleep of resting.¹⁴Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there so that you may believe. Let us go to him."¹⁶Thomas, who was called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go so that we may die with Jesus."

¹⁷When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.¹⁹Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them about their brother.²⁰Then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

²¹Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.²²Even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, he will give to you."²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

²⁴Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he dies, will live;²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

²⁷She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."²⁸When she had said this, she went away and called her sister Mary privately. She said, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."²⁹When she heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him.³¹So when the Jews, who were with her in the house and who were comforting her, saw Mary getting up quickly and going out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.³²When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and was troubled;³⁴he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see."³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, "See how much he loved Lazarus!"³⁷But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of a blind man, also have made this man not die?"

³⁸Then Jesus again, being deeply moved in himself, went to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.³⁹Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of Lazarus, the one who had died, said to Jesus, "Lord, by this time the body will be decaying, for he has been dead for four days."⁴⁰Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that, if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you listened to me.⁴²I knew that you always listen to me, but it is because of the crowd that is standing around me that I said this, so that they may believe that you have sent me."

⁴³After he had said this, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"⁴⁴The dead man came out; his feet and hands were bound with cloths, and his face was bound about with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."

⁴⁵Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.⁴⁶But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus had done.

⁴⁷Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council together and said, "What will we do? This man does many signs.⁴⁸If we leave him alone like this, all will believe in him; the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

⁴⁹However, a certain man among them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing.⁵⁰You do not consider that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perishes."

⁵¹Now this he said not from himself. Instead, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;⁵²and not only for the nation, but so that the children of God who are scattered would be gathered together into one.⁵³So from that day onward they planned how to put Jesus to death.

⁵⁴No longer did Jesus walk openly among the Jews, but he departed from there into the country near to the wilderness into a town called Ephraim. There he stayed with the disciples.⁵⁵Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country before the Passover in order to purify themselves.

⁵⁶They were looking for Jesus and speaking one with another as they stood in the temple: "What do you think? That he will not come to the festival?"⁵⁷Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given an order that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he should report it so that they might seize him.

12

¹Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.²So they made him a dinner there, and Martha was serving, but Lazarus was one of those who were lying down at the table with Jesus.³Then Mary took a litra of perfume made of very precious pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus with it, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

⁴Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one who would betray him, said,⁵"Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"⁶Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had the moneybag and would steal from what was put in it.

⁷Jesus said, "Allow her to keep what she has for the day of my burial.⁸You will always have the poor with you. But you will not always have me."

⁹Now a large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, and they came, not only for Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.¹⁰The chief priests conspired together so that they might also put Lazarus to death;¹¹for it was because of him that many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

¹²On the next day a great crowd came to the festival. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,¹³they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet him and cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel."

¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it was written,

¹⁵"Do not fear, daughter of Zion;

see, your King is coming,

sitting on the colt of a donkey."

¹⁶His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

¹⁷Now the crowd testified that they had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him up from the dead.¹⁸It was also for this reason that the crowd went out to meet him, because they heard that he had done this sign.¹⁹The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "Look, you can do nothing good; see, the world has gone after him."

²⁰Now certain Greeks were among those who were going up to worship at the festival.²¹These went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."²²Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip, and they told Jesus.

²³Jesus answered them and said, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.²⁴Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it will bear much fruit.

²⁵He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.²⁶If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

²⁷Now my soul is troubled and what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this reason I came to this hour.²⁸Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven and said, "I have glorified it and I will glorify it again."²⁹Then the crowd that stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him."

³⁰Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for me, but for you.³¹Now is the judgment of this world: Now will the ruler of this world be thrown out.

³²When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself."³³He said this to indicate what kind of death he would die.

³⁴The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ will stay forever. How can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"³⁵Jesus then said to them, "The light will still be with you for a short amount of time. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may be sons of light."

Jesus said these things and then departed and hid from them.

³⁷Although Jesus had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him³⁸so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, in which he said:

"Lord, who has believed our report,

and to whom has the arm

of the Lord been revealed?"

³⁹For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah had also said,

⁴⁰"He has blinded their eyes,

and he has hardened their heart,

otherwise they would see with their eyes

and understand with their hearts,

and turn, and I would heal them."

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because he saw the glory of Jesus and spoke of him.⁴²But despite that, many of the rulers believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess it so that they would not be banned from the synagogue.⁴³They loved the glory that comes from people more than the glory that comes from God.

⁴⁴Jesus cried out and said, "The one who believes in me believes not only in me but also in him who sent me,⁴⁵and the one who sees me sees him who sent me.

⁴⁶I have come as a light into the world, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.⁴⁷If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world.

⁴⁸The one who rejects me and who does not receive my words has one who judges him. The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.⁴⁹For I did not speak for myself, but it is the Father who sent me, who has given me the command about what to say and what to speak.⁵⁰I know that his command is eternal life, so that is what I say—just as the Father has spoken to me, so I speak."

13

¹Now it was before the Festival of the Passover. Jesus knew that his hour had come to go out of this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.²Now the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot son of Simon to betray Jesus. So during dinner,

³Jesus—who knew that the Father had given everything over into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God—⁴got up from dinner and took off his outer clothing. Then he took a towel and wrapped it around himself.⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and dry them with the towel that he had put around himself.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"⁷Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand this later."⁸Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."⁹Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, do not only wash my feet, but also my hands and my head."

¹⁰Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed has no need, except to wash his feet, but he is completely clean; you are clean, but not everyone."¹¹(For Jesus knew who would betray him; that is why he said, "Not all of you are clean.")

¹²So when Jesus had washed their feet and taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done for you?¹³You call me 'teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are speaking correctly, because so I am.¹⁴If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash the feet of one another.¹⁵For I have given you an example so that you should also do just as I did for you.

¹⁶Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is a messenger greater than he who sent him.¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.¹⁸I am not speaking about all of you; I know those whom I have chosen—but this is so that the scripture will be fulfilled: 'He who eats my bread lifted up his heel against me.'

¹⁹I tell you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe that I AM.²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

²¹When Jesus said this, he was troubled in spirit. He testified and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me."²²The disciples looked at each other, wondering of whom he was speaking.

²³One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying down at the table against Jesus' side.²⁴Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him who he is speaking about."²⁵So he leaned back against the side of Jesus and said to him, "Lord, who is it?"

²⁶Then Jesus answered, "It is the one for whom I will dip the piece of bread and give it him." So when he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.²⁷Then after the bread, Satan entered into him, so Jesus said to him, "What you are doing, do it quickly."

²⁸Now no one who was lying down at the table knew why he said this to him.²⁹Some thought that, since Judas had the moneybag, Jesus said to him, "Buy what we need to have for the festival," or that he should give something to the poor.³⁰After Judas received the bread, he went out immediately. It was night.

³¹When Judas was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.³²If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify the Son in himself, and he will glorify him at once.³³Little children, I am with you for still a short amount of time. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' Now I also say this to you.

³⁴I am giving you a new commandment, that you should love one another; as I have loved you, so also you should love one another.³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another."

³⁶Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later."³⁷Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."³⁸Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow before you have denied me three times."

14

¹"Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.²In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going to prepare a place for you.³If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am you will also be.

⁴You know the way to where I am going."⁵Thomas said to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"⁶Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.⁷If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you know him and have seen him."

⁸Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."⁹Jesus said to him, "I have been with you for such a long time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from my own authority, but the Father living in me is doing his work.¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, or else believe because of the works themselves.

¹²Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will do the works that I do, and he will do greater works than these because I am going to the Father.¹³Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father will be glorified in the Son.¹⁴If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

¹⁵If you love me, you will keep my commandments,¹⁶and I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Comforter so that he will be with you forever—¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come back to you.¹⁹Yet a short amount of time and the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will also live.²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, and that I am in you.

²¹He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and I will show myself to him."²²Judas (not Iscariot) said to Jesus, "Lord, why is it that you will show yourself to us and not to the world?"

²³Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and we will make our home with him.²⁴He who does not love me does not keep my words. The word that you hear is not from me but from the Father who sent me.

²⁵I have said these things to you, while I am staying with you.²⁶However, the Comforter—the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and he will remind you of everything that I said to you.²⁷I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give it as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid.

²⁸You heard that I said to you, 'I am going away, and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I am.²⁹Now I have told you before it happens so that, when it happens, you will believe.

³⁰I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me,³¹but in order that the world will know that I love the Father, I do just as the Father commanded me. Let us get up and go from here."

15

¹"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.²He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.

³You are already clean because of the message that I have spoken to you.⁴Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.⁶If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up, and they gather the branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned up.⁷If you remain in me, and if my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

⁸My Father is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit and so prove that you are my disciples.⁹As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.

¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, as I have kept the commandments of my Father and remain in his love.¹¹I have spoken these things to you so that my joy will be in you and so that your joy will be made full.

¹²This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.¹³No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends.

¹⁴You are my friends if you do the things that I command you.¹⁵No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father I have made known to you.

¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. This is so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.¹⁷These things I command you, so that you love one another.

¹⁸If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.¹⁹If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world and because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

²⁰Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will also keep yours.²¹They will do all these things to you because of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.²²If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

²³He who hates me also hates my Father.²⁴If I had not done the works that no one else did among them, they would have no sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.²⁵But this is in order to fulfill the word that is written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'

²⁶When the Comforter comes—whom I will send to you from the Father, that is, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.²⁷You also must testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

16

¹"I have spoken these things to you so that you will not fall away.²They will throw you out of the synagogues. But the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think that he is offering a service to God.

³They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me.⁴I have spoken these things to you so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you about these things in the beginning, because I was with you.

⁵But now I go to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.⁷But truly I tell you, it is better for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

⁸When he comes, the Comforter will prove the world to be wrong about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment—⁹about sin, because they do not believe in me;¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see me;¹¹and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹²I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.¹³But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak from himself. But he will say whatever he hears, and he will tell you things that are to come.¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and he will tell it to you.

¹⁵Everything that the Father has is mine. Therefore, I said that the Spirit will take from what is mine and he will tell it to you.¹⁶In a short amount of time you will no longer see me, and after another short amount of time you will see me."

¹⁷Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What is this that he says to us, 'A short amount of time you will no longer see me and after another short amount of time you will see me,' and, 'Because I go to the Father'?"¹⁸Therefore they said, "What is this that he says, 'A short amount of time'? We do not know what he is talking about."

¹⁹Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, "Is this what you are asking each other, what I meant by saying, 'In a short amount of time and you will no longer see me, and again in a short amount of time and you will see me'?²⁰Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will be glad. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.²¹When a woman gives birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers her tribulation because of her joy that a man has been born into the world.

²²So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your heart will be glad, and no one will be able to take away your joy from you.²³On that day you will not ask me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.²⁴Until now you have not asked anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be fulfilled.

²⁵"I have said these things to you in figures of speech, but the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but instead I will tell you plainly about the Father.

²⁶On that day you will ask in my name and I do not say to you that I will pray to the Father for you,²⁷for the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and because you have believed that I came from God.²⁸I came from the Father, and I have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and I am going to the Father."

²⁹His disciples said, "See, now you are speaking plainly and you are not using figures of speech.³⁰Now we know that you know all things, and you do not need anyone to ask you questions. Because of this, we believe that you have come from God."³¹Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now?

³²See, the hour is coming, yes, and has indeed come, when you will be scattered, everyone to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.³³I have spoken these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have tribulation. But have courage! I have conquered the world."

17

¹After Jesus said these things, he lifted up his eyes to the heavens and said, "Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son so that the Son will glorify you—²just as you gave him authority over all flesh so that he would give eternal life to everyone whom you have given him.

³This is eternal life: That they know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.⁴I glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work that you have given me to do.⁵Now, Father, glorify me along with yourself with the glory that I had with you before the world was made.

⁶I revealed your name to the people whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.⁷Now they know that everything that you have given me comes from you,⁸for I have given them all the words that you gave me. They received them and truly knew that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

⁹I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.¹⁰Everything that is mine is yours, and yours is mine, and I am glorified in them.¹¹I am no longer in the world, but these people are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me so that they will be one, just as we are one.

¹²While I was with them, I kept them safe in your name, which you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was destroyed, except for the son of destruction, so that the scriptures would be fulfilled.¹³Now I am coming to you, but I am saying these things in the world so that they will have my joy fulfilled in themselves.¹⁴I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

¹⁵I do not ask for you to take them away from the world, but for you to keep them safe from the evil one.¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.¹⁷Set them apart by the truth. Your word is truth.

¹⁸Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.¹⁹For their sakes I have set myself apart, so that they themselves may also be set apart in truth.

²⁰I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word²¹so that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world will believe that you have sent me.

²²The glory that you gave me, I have given to them, so that they will be one, just as we are one:²³I in them, and you in me—that they may be brought to complete unity, so that the world will know that you sent me, and that you have loved them just as you loved me.

²⁴Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

²⁵Righteous Father, the world did not know you, but I know you; and these know that you sent me.²⁶I made your name known to them, and I will make it known so that the love with which you have loved me will be in them, and I will be in them."

18

¹After Jesus spoke these words, he went out with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Brook, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered.²Now Judas, who was going to betray him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.³Then Judas, leading a company of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

⁴Then Jesus, having known all the things that would happen to him, went forward and asked them, "Who are you looking for?"⁵They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am." Judas, who betrayed him, was also standing with the soldiers.

⁶So when he said to them, "I am," they went backward and fell to the ground.⁷Then again he asked them, "Who are you looking for?" Again they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

⁸Jesus answered, "I told you that I am. So if you are looking for me, let these go."⁹This was in order to fulfill the word that he said: "Of those whom you have given me, I lost no one."

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Now the name of the servant was Malchus.¹¹Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword back into its sheath. Should I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

¹²So a company of soldiers and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, seized Jesus and tied him up.¹³They led him first to Annas, for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.¹⁴Now Caiaphas was the one who had given the advice to the Jews that it would be better that one man die for the people.

¹⁵Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest;¹⁶but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and he brought Peter in.

¹⁷Then the female servant, the doorkeeper, said to Peter, "Are you not also one of the disciples of this man?" He said, "I am not."¹⁸Now the servants and the officers were standing there, and they had made a charcoal fire, for it was cold, and they were warming themselves. Peter was also with them, standing there and warming himself.

¹⁹The high priest then asked Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.²⁰Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world. I was always teaching in synagogues and in the temple where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.²¹Why did you ask me? Ask those who have heard me about what I said. Look, these people know what I said."

²²When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing there struck Jesus and said, "Is that how you answer the high priest?"²³Jesus answered him, "If I spoke wrongly, testify about the wrong, but if rightly, why do you hit me?"²⁴Then Annas sent him tied up to Caiaphas the high priest.

²⁵Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. The people then said to him, "Are you not also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "I am not."²⁶One of the servants of the high priest, who was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?"²⁷Then Peter denied it again; and immediately the rooster crowed.

²⁸Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the government headquarters. It was early in the morning, and they did not enter the government headquarters so that they would not be defiled but would be able to eat the Passover.²⁹So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation are you bringing against this man?"³⁰They answered and said to him, "If this man was not an evildoer, we would not have given him over to you."

³¹Pilate therefore said to them, "Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."³²They said this so that the word of Jesus would be fulfilled which he had spoken to indicate by what kind of death he would die.

³³Then Pilate entered the government headquarters again and called Jesus, and he said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"³⁴Jesus answered, "Do you speak from yourself, or did others speak to you about me?"³⁵Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and the chief priests gave you over to me. What did you do?"

³⁶Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, then my servants would fight so that I would not be given over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here."³⁷Pilate then said to him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

³⁸Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" When he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in this man.³⁹But you have the custom that I release one person to you at the Passover. So do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?"⁴⁰Then they cried out again and said, "Not this man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.

19

¹Then Pilate took Jesus and whipped him.²The soldiers wove a crown of thorns. They put it on the head of Jesus and dressed him with a purple garment.³They came to him and said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and they struck him.

⁴Then Pilate went outside again and said to them, "See, I am bringing him outside to you so that you will know that I find no guilt in him."⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, "Look, here is the man!"

⁶When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw Jesus, they cried out and said, "Crucify him, crucify him!"

Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him."

⁷The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he has to die because he claimed to be the Son of God."⁸When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid,⁹and he entered the government headquarters again and said to Jesus, "Where do you come from?" But Jesus gave him no answer.

¹⁰Then Pilate said to him, "Are you not speaking to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and authority to crucify you?"¹¹Jesus answered him, "You do not have any authority over me except for what has been given to you from above. Therefore, he who gave me over to you has a greater sin."

¹²At this answer, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar."

¹³When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place called "The Pavement," but in the Aramaic language, "Gabbatha."

¹⁴Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, at about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews, "See, here is your king!"

¹⁵They cried out, "Away with him, away with him; crucify him!"

Pilate said to them, "Should I crucify your King?"

The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

¹⁶Then Pilate gave Jesus over to them to be crucified.

¹⁷Then they took Jesus, and he went out, carrying the cross for himself, to the place called "The Place of a Skull," which in the Aramaic language is called "Golgotha."¹⁸They crucified Jesus there, and with him two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹Pilate also wrote a sign and put it on the cross. There it was written: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.²⁰Many of the Jews read this sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. The sign was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.

²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This one said, "I am King of the Jews."'"

²²Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, divided them into four shares, one for each of them; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.²⁴Then they said to each other, "Let us not tear it, but instead let us cast lots for it to decide whose it will be." This happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled which said,

"They divided my garments among themselves

and cast lots for my clothing."

This is what the soldiers did.

²⁵Now standing beside Jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, see, your son!"²⁷Then he said to the disciple, "See, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

²⁸After this, knowing that everything was now accomplished and so that the scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."²⁹A container full of sour wine was placed there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop staff and lifted it up to his mouth.³⁰When Jesus had taken the sour wine, he said, "It is finished." He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was especially important), asked Pilate to break their legs and to remove them.³²Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the second man who had been crucified with Jesus.³³When they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs.

³⁴However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.³⁵The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that what he said is true so that you may also believe.

³⁶For these things happened in order to fulfill scripture, "Not one of his bones will be broken."³⁷Again, another scripture says, "They will look at him whom they pierced."

³⁸After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, since he was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate if he could take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission. So Joseph came and took away his body.³⁹Nicodemus also came—he who at first had come to Jesus by night. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about one hundred litras.

⁴⁰So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, as was the custom of the Jews to bury bodies.⁴¹Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden was a new tomb in which no person had yet been buried.⁴²Because it was the day of preparation for the Jews and because the tomb was close by, they laid Jesus in it.

20

¹Now early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, and she saw the stone rolled away from the tomb.²So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, "They took away the Lord out from the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

³Then Peter and the other disciple went out, and they were going to the tomb.⁴They both ran together, and the other disciple quickly ran ahead of Peter and arrived at the tomb first.⁵Then stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go inside.

⁶Simon Peter then arrived after him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there⁷and the cloth that had been on his head. It was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a place by itself.

⁸Then the other disciple, the one who first arrived at the tomb, also went in, and he saw and believed.⁹For until that time they still did not know the scripture that he should rise from the dead.¹⁰So the disciples went back home again.

¹¹But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped down into the tomb.¹²She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the foot of where the body of Jesus had lain.¹³They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

She said to them, "Because they took away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him."

¹⁴When she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?"

She thought that he was the gardener, so she said to him, "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away."

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni" (which is to say "Teacher").

¹⁷Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet gone up to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them that I will go up to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God."

¹⁸Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that he had said these things to her.

¹⁹On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle of them and said to them, "Peace to you."²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹Jesus then said to them again, "Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you."²²When Jesus had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.²³Whoever's sins you forgive, they are forgiven; whoever's sins you keep back, they are kept back."

²⁴Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.²⁵The other disciples later said to him, "We have seen the Lord."

He said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

²⁶After eight days his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came while the doors were closed, and stood among them, and said, "Peace to you."²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger and see my hands. Reach here with your hand and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe."

²⁸Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God."

²⁹Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and believed."

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, signs that have not been written in this book,³¹but these have been written so that you would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so that believing, you would have life in his name.

21

¹After these things Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how he revealed himself:²Simon Peter was together with Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus.³Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We, too, will come with you." They went and got into a boat, but they caught nothing during the whole night.

⁴Now, when it was already early in the morning, Jesus stood on the beach, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus.⁵So Jesus said to them, "Young men, do you have anything to eat?"

They answered him, "No."

⁶He said to them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they threw their net and were not able to draw it in because of the large number of fish.

⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied up his outer garment (for he was undressed), and threw himself into the sea.⁸The other disciples came in the boat (for they were not far from the land, about two hundred cubits off), and they were pulling the net full of fish.⁹When they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire there and fish laid on it, with bread.

¹⁰Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught."¹¹Simon Peter then went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them, but even with so many, the net was not torn.

¹²Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.¹³Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and the fish also.¹⁴This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he had risen from the dead.

¹⁵After they ate breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"

Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."

¹⁶He said to him again a second time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter said to him, "Yes Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Shepherd my sheep."

¹⁷He said to him a third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was sorrowful because Jesus had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" He said to him, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

¹⁸Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you become old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you and carry you where you will not want to go."

¹⁹Now Jesus said this in order to indicate with what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After he had said this, he said to Peter, "Follow me."

²⁰Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had also leaned back against the side of Jesus at the dinner and who had said, "Lord, who is the one who will betray you?"²¹Peter saw him and then said to Jesus, "Lord, what will this man do?"

²²Jesus said to him, "If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you? Follow me."

²³So this statement spread among the brothers, that that disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to Peter that the other disciple would not die, but, "If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?"

²⁴This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and who wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.²⁵There are also many other things that Jesus did. If each one were written down, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Acts

1

¹The former account I wrote, Theophilus, told all that Jesus began to do and to teach,²until the day that he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.³After his suffering, he presented himself alive to them with many convincing proofs. For forty days he appeared to them, and he spoke about the kingdom of God.

⁴When he was meeting together with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, about which he said, "You heard from me⁵that John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days."

⁶When they were assembled together they asked him, "Lord, is this the time you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"⁷He said to them, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has determined by his own authority.⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

⁹When the Lord Jesus had said these things, as they were looking up, he was raised up, and a cloud hid him from their eyes.¹⁰While they were looking intensely to heaven as he went, suddenly, two men stood by them in white clothing.¹¹They said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return in the same manner as you saw him going into heaven."

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain that is called Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.¹³When they arrived, they went up into the upper chamber, where they were staying. They were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.¹⁴They all were devoted with one purpose to prayer, together with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

¹⁵In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers, about 120 names, and said,¹⁶"Brothers, it was necessary that the scripture should be fulfilled, that the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who guided the ones who arrested Jesus.

¹⁷For he was one of us and received a share of this ministry."¹⁸(Now this man bought a field with the earnings he received for his wickedness, and there he fell headfirst, and his body burst open, and all his intestines poured out.¹⁹All those living in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language "Akeldama," that is, "Field of Blood.")

²⁰"For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

'Let his field be made desolate,

and do not let even one person live there';

'Let someone else take his position of leadership.'

²¹It is necessary, therefore, that one of the men who accompanied us all the time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,²²beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was taken up from us, become a witness with us of his resurrection."²³They put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴They prayed and said, "You, Lord, know the hearts of all people, so reveal which of these two is the one whom you have chosen²⁵to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."²⁶They cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

2

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in the same place.²Suddenly a sound like the rush of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.³There appeared to them tongues like fire that were distributed, and they sat upon each one of them.⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them the ability.

⁵Now there were Jews who were living in Jerusalem, godly men, from every nation under heaven.⁶When this sound was heard, the multitude came together and was confused because everyone heard them speaking in his own language.⁷They were amazed and marveled; they said, "Really, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

⁸Why is it that we are hearing them, each in our own language in which we were born?⁹Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and Asia,¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,¹¹Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our languages about the mighty works of God."

¹²They were all amazed and perplexed; they said to one another, "What does this mean?"¹³But others mocked and said, "They are full of new wine."

¹⁴But Peter stood with the eleven, raised his voice, and declared to them, "Men of Judea and all of you who live at Jerusalem, let this be known to you; pay attention to my words.¹⁵For these people are not drunk as you assume, for it is only the third hour of the day.

¹⁶But this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷'It will be in the last days,' God says,

'I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.

Your sons and your daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

and your old men will dream dreams.

¹⁸Surely on my servants

and my female servants in those days

I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.

¹⁹I will show wonders in the sky above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.

²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the great and remarkable

day of the Lord comes.

²¹It will be that everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

²²Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited to you by God with the mighty deeds and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.²³This man was handed over by God's predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and you, by the hand of lawless men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross.²⁴But God raised him up, freeing him from the agonies of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

²⁵For David says about him,

'I saw the Lord always before my face,

for he is beside my right hand

so that I should not be moved.

²⁶Therefore my heart was glad

and my tongue rejoiced.

Also, my flesh will live in hope.

²⁷For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

neither will you allow

your Holy One to see decay.

²⁸You have made known to me the ways of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your face.'

²⁹Brothers, it is proper for me to speak to you confidently about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.³⁰Therefore, he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of the fruit of his loins on his throne.³¹He saw what was to happen in the future and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.

³²This Jesus—God raised him up, of which we all are witnesses.³³Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you see and hear.

³⁴For David did not ascend to the heaven, but he says,

'The Lord said to my Lord,

"Sit at my right hand

³⁵until I make your enemies

the footstool for your feet."'

³⁶Therefore, let all the house of Israel certainly know that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pierced in their hearts, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what must we do?"

³⁸Then Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.³⁹For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many people as the Lord our God will call."

⁴⁰With many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."⁴¹Then they received his word and were baptized, and there were added in that day about three thousand souls.⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.

⁴³Fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common,⁴⁵and they sold their property and possessions and distributed them to all, according to the needs anyone had.

⁴⁶So day after day they devoted themselves with one purpose in the temple. They also broke bread in homes, and they shared food together with glad and generous hearts,⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people, and every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

3

¹Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.²Now a man who was lame from his mother's womb was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful. They would place him there every day so he could ask those who were going into the temple for alms.³When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for alms.

⁴Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, "Look at us."⁵The lame man looked at them, expecting to receive something from them.⁶But Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I will give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

⁷Taking him by the right hand, Peter raised him up, and immediately the man's feet and ankles were made strong.⁸Leaping up, the lame man stood and began to walk; and he entered with Peter and John into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God.¹⁰They noticed that it was the man who had been asking people for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement because of what had happened to him.

¹¹As he was holding on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly marveling.¹²When Peter saw this, he answered the people, "You Israelite men, why do you marvel? Why do you fix your eyes on us, as if we made him walk by our own power or godliness?

¹³The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. He is the one whom you handed over and rejected before the face of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.¹⁴You rejected the Holy and Righteous One, and you asked instead for a murderer to be given to you.

¹⁵You killed the Founder of life, whom God raised from the dead—and we are witnesses of this.¹⁶On the basis of faith in his name, his name made this man, whom you see and know, strong. The faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.¹⁸But the things which God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he has now fulfilled.

¹⁹Repent, therefore, and turn, so that your sins may be blotted out,²⁰so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, Jesus.

²¹He is the One heaven must receive until the time of the restoration of all things, about which God spoke from ancient times by the mouth of his holy prophets.²²Moses indeed said, 'The Lord God will raise up a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to everything he tells you.²³It will happen that every person who does not listen to that prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.'

²⁴Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who came after him, they spoke out and announced these days.²⁵You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, as he said to Abraham, 'In your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed.'²⁶After God raised up his servant, he sent him to you first, in order to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."

4

¹As Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them.²They were deeply troubled because Peter and John were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.³They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next morning, since it was now evening.⁴But many of the people who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men who believed was about five thousand.

⁵It came about on the next day that their rulers, elders, and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem.⁶Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and all who were relatives of the high priest.⁷When they had set Peter and John in their midst, they asked them, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"

⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "You rulers of the people, and elders,⁹if we are on trial today concerning a good deed done to a sick man, and by what means this man was healed,¹⁰let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that this man stands before you healthy in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.

¹¹Jesus Christ is the stone which you builders rejected but which has been made the cornerstone.¹²There is no salvation in any other person, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

¹³Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were ordinary, uneducated men, they were surprised, becoming aware that Peter and John had been with Jesus.¹⁴Because they saw the man who was healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this.

¹⁵But after they had commanded the apostles to leave the council meeting, they talked among themselves.¹⁶They said, "What should we do with these men? For a remarkable sign has been done through them, and this is evident to everyone who lives in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.¹⁷But in order that it spreads no further among the people, let us warn them not to speak anymore to anyone in this name."¹⁸Then they called them in and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

¹⁹But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is proper in the sight of God to obey you rather than him, you judge.²⁰We are not able to stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard."

²¹After further warning Peter and John, they let them go. They were unable to find any excuse to punish them, because all of the people were glorifying God for what had been done.²²The man who had experienced this sign of healing was more than forty years old.

²³After they were set free, Peter and John came to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.²⁴When they heard it, they raised their voices with one purpose to God and said, "Lord, you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.²⁵You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David,

'Why did the Gentile nations rage,

and the peoples imagine useless things?'

²⁶You said,

'The kings of the earth set themselves together,

and the rulers gathered together

against the Lord, and against his Christ.'

²⁷Indeed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.²⁸They gathered together to do all that your hand and your plan had decided in advance would happen.

²⁹Now, Lord, look upon their warnings and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness.³⁰Stretch out your hand to heal and to give signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."³¹After they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

³²The great number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. No one said that anything he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.³³With great power the apostles were proclaiming their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

³⁴There was no person among them who lacked anything, for all who owned title to lands or houses sold them and brought the money from the things that were sold³⁵and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each one according to their need.

³⁶Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite, a man from Cyprus,³⁷sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

5

¹Now a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a piece of property,²and he kept back part of the sale money (his wife also knew it), and brought the other part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.

³But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?⁴While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own, and after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why did you put it in your heart to do this? You have not lied to men, but to God."⁵Hearing these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard it.⁶The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him.

⁷After about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.⁸Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." She said, "Yes, for so much."

⁹Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."¹⁰She immediately fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and carried her out and buried her beside her husband.¹¹Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard these things.

¹²Many signs and wonders were taking place among the people through the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon's Porch.¹³But none of the rest had the courage to join them; however, they were held in high esteem by the people.

¹⁴Still more believers were being added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women,¹⁵so that they even carried the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, so that as Peter came by, his shadow might fall on some of them.¹⁶There also came together a great number of people from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

¹⁷But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees); and they were filled with jealousy¹⁸and laid hands on the apostles, and held them in custody in the common prison.

¹⁹Yet during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them out, and said,²⁰"Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life."²¹When they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and taught. But the high priest came, and those who were with him, and called the council together, all the elders of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have the apostles brought.

²²But the officers that went did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported,²³"We found the prison securely shut and the guards standing at the door, but when we had opened it, we found no one inside."

²⁴Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them as to what would come of it.²⁵Then someone came and told them, "The men whom you put in the prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people."

²⁶So the captain went with the officers and brought them back, but without violence, for they feared the people, that they might be stoned.²⁷When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest interrogated them,²⁸saying, "We ordered you with a command not to teach in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and desire to bring this man's blood upon us."

²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.³¹God exalted him to his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.³²We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."

³³When the council members heard this, they were furious and they wanted to kill the apostles.³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the council and gave a command to take the men outside for a little while.

³⁵Then he said to them, "Men of Israel, pay close attention to what you propose to do with these people.³⁶For before these days, Theudas rose up claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who had been obeying him were scattered and came to nothing.³⁷After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all who had been obeying him were scattered.

³⁸Now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or work is of men, it will be overthrown.³⁹But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; you may even find that you are fighting against God." So they were persuaded.

⁴⁰Then they called the apostles in and beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.⁴¹They went away from before the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.⁴²Thereafter every day, in the temple and from house to house, they were continuously teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ is Jesus.

6

¹Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint by the Grecian Jews began against the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of help.

²The twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, "It is not right for us to give up the word of God in order to serve tables.³You should therefore choose, brothers, seven men from among yourselves, men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.⁴As for us, we will always continue in prayer and in the ministry of the word."

⁵Their speech pleased the whole multitude. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch.⁶The believers brought these men before the apostles, who prayed and then placed their hands upon them.

⁷So the word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly, and a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith.

⁸Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.⁹But there arose some people who belonged to the synagogue called the synagogue of the Freedmen, of the Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia. These people were debating with Stephen.

¹⁰But they were not able to stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.¹¹Then they bribed some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."

¹²They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they approached Stephen and seized him and brought him before the council.¹³They brought false witnesses, who said, "This man does not stop speaking words against this holy place and the law.¹⁴For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us."¹⁵Everyone who sat in the council fixed their eyes on him and saw his face was like the face of an angel.

7

¹The high priest said, "Are these things true?"²Stephen said,

"Brothers and fathers, listen to me: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran;

³he said to him, 'Leave your land and your relatives, and go into the land that I will show you.'

⁴"Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran; from there, after his father died, God brought him into this land, where you live now.⁵He gave none of it as an inheritance to him, no, not even enough to set a foot on. But he promised—even though Abraham had no child yet—that he would give the land as a possession to him and to his descendants after him.

⁶God was speaking to him like this, that his descendants would live for a while in a foreign land, and that the inhabitants there would bring them into slavery and mistreat them for four hundred years.⁷'But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, 'and after that they will come out and worship me in this place.'⁸Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹"Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him into Egypt; but God was with him¹⁰and rescued him from all his tribulation. He gave Joseph favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him governor over Egypt and over all his household.

¹¹"Now a famine and great tribulation came over all Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could find no food.¹²But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first trip.¹³On their second trip Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh.

¹⁴Joseph sent his brothers back to invite Jacob his father to come to Egypt, along with all his relatives, seventy-five persons in all.¹⁵So Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers.¹⁶They were carried over to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a price in silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

¹⁷"As the time of the promise approached, the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,¹⁸until there arose another king over Egypt, a king who did not know about Joseph.¹⁹He deceived our people and mistreated our fathers, forcing them to expose their newborn infants so they would not be kept alive.

²⁰"At that time Moses was born; he was very beautiful before God and was nourished for three months in his father's house.²¹When he was placed outside, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son.

²²Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and works.

²³"But when he was about forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel.²⁴Seeing an Israelite being mistreated, Moses defended him and avenged him who was oppressed by striking the Egyptian:²⁵he thought that his brothers would understand that God, by his hand, was giving them salvation, but they did not understand.

²⁶On the next day he appeared to them when they were fighting, and he tried to make peace between them, saying, 'Men, you are brothers; why are you wronging one another?'

²⁷"But the one who had wronged his neighbor pushed him away, and said, 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us?²⁸Would you like to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?'

²⁹Moses ran away after hearing this statement; he became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

³⁰"When forty years were past, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.

³¹When Moses saw the fire, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look at it, the voice of the Lord came, saying,³²'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look.

³³"The Lord said to him, 'Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.³⁴I have certainly seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them; now come, I will send you to Egypt.'

³⁵"This Moses whom they rejected, when they said, 'Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?'—he was the one whom God sent as both a ruler and deliverer. God sent him by the hand of the angel who appeared to Moses in the bush.³⁶Moses led them out of Egypt, after doing miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Sea of Reeds, and in the wilderness during forty years.

³⁷"It is the same Moses who said to the people of Israel, 'God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, a prophet like me.'

³⁸This is the man who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who had spoken to him on Mount Sinai, who was with our fathers, and who received living words to give to us.

³⁹"But our fathers refused to obey him; they pushed him away from themselves, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt.⁴⁰At that time they said to Aaron, 'Make us gods who will lead us. As for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.'

⁴¹So they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced because of the work of their hands.⁴²But God turned and gave them up to worship the stars in the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets,

'Did you bring me offerings and sacrifices

during the forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?

⁴³You accepted the tabernacle of Molech

and the star of the god Rephan,

and the images that you made to worship them:

and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'

⁴⁴"Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as God commanded when he spoke to Moses, that he should make it like the pattern that he had seen.⁴⁵Later, our fathers, under Joshua, received the tabernacle and brought it with them when they took possession of the land. God took the land from the nations and drove them out before the face of our fathers. The tabernacle remained in the land until the time of David,⁴⁶who found favor in the sight of God, and he asked if he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob ¹.

⁴⁷But it was Solomon who built the house for God.

⁴⁸"However, the Most High does not live in houses made with hands, as the prophet says,

⁴⁹'Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is the footstool for my feet.

What kind of house can you build for me? says the Lord,

or what is the place for my rest?

⁵⁰Did my hand not make all these things?'

⁵¹"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; you act just as your fathers acted.⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed the prophets who appeared in advance of the coming of the Righteous One; and you have now become the betrayers and murderers of him also,⁵³you people who received the law that angels had ordained, but you did not keep it."

⁵⁴Now when the council members heard these things, they were furious in their hearts and they ground their teeth at Stephen.⁵⁵But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up intently into heaven and saw the glory of God; and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.⁵⁶Stephen said, "Look, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

⁵⁷At this the council members covered their ears, and shouting out with a loud voice, they rushed at him with one purpose.⁵⁸They forced him out of the city and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their outer clothing at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹As they were stoning Stephen, he was calling out to the Lord and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."⁶⁰He knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.

¹The phrase: the house of Jacob, is found in many ancient copies. Other ancient texts have the phrase: the God of Jacob .

8

¹Saul was in agreement with his death.

So there began on that day a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

²Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.³But Saul tried to destroy the church. He would enter house after house, drag off both men and women, and put them in prison.

⁴Yet the believers who had been scattered went about preaching the word.⁵Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

⁶Crowds of people were giving close attention to what was being said by Philip; with one mind they heard him, and they saw the signs he did.⁷Unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.⁸So there was much joy in that city.

⁹But there was a certain man in the city named Simon, who had earlier been practicing sorcery; he used to astonish the people of Samaria while claiming that he was an important person.¹⁰All the Samaritans, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him; they said, "This man is that power of God which is called Great."¹¹They listened to him because he had astonished them for a long time with his sorceries.

¹²But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.¹³Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized he stayed with Philip constantly. When he saw signs and mighty works taking place, he was amazed.

¹⁴Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John.¹⁵When they had come down, they prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit.¹⁶For until that time, the Holy Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money.¹⁹He said, "Give me this authority, too, that whoever I place my hands on might receive the Holy Spirit."

²⁰But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish along with you, because you thought to obtain the gift of God with money.²¹You have no part or allotted portion in this matter, because your heart is not right with God.²²Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, so that he might perhaps forgive you for the intention of your heart.²³For I see that you are in the poison of bitterness and in the bonds of unrighteousness."

²⁴Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

²⁵When they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

²⁶Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and said, "Arise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This road is in a desert.)²⁷He arose and went. Behold, there was a man from Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship.²⁸He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹The Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and stay close to this chariot."

³⁰So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

³¹Then he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" He invited Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him.

³²Now the passage of the scripture which the Ethiopian was reading was this,

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,

and like a lamb before his shearer is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

³³In his humiliation

justice was taken away from him.

Who can give a full account of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth."

³⁴So the eunuch asked Philip, and said, "I beg you, tell me who is the prophet speaking about, himself, or someone else?"³⁵Philip began to speak, and beginning with this scripture he proclaimed the gospel about Jesus to him.

³⁶As they went on the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water here. What prevents me from being baptized?"³⁷¹³⁸So the Ethiopian commanded the chariot to stop. They went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and Philip baptized him.

³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.⁴⁰But Philip appeared at Azotus and he went through that region, proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

¹The best ancient copies do not have Acts 8:37, Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized." The Ethiopian answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" .

9

¹But Saul, still speaking threats even of murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest²and asked him for letters for the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³As he was traveling, it happened that as he came near to Damascus, suddenly there shone all around him a light out of heaven;⁴and he fell upon the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

⁵Saul replied, "Who are you, Lord?" The Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;⁶but rise, enter into the city, and it will be told you what you must do."⁷The men who traveled with Saul stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.

⁸Saul arose from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.⁹For three days he was without sight, and he neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" He said, "See, I am here, Lord."

¹¹The Lord said to him, "Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.¹²He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, so that he might see again."

¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.¹⁴He has authority from the chief priests to put in bonds everyone here who calls upon your name."

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel;¹⁶for I will show him how much he must suffer for the cause of my name."

¹⁷So Ananias departed, and entered into the house. Laying his hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road when you were coming, has sent me so that you might receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."¹⁸Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he received his sight; he arose and was baptized;¹⁹and he ate and was strengthened.

He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days.

²⁰Right away he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying that he is the Son of God.²¹All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who destroyed those in Jerusalem who called on this name? He has come here to take them bound to the chief priests."²²But Saul became more and more powerful, and he was causing distress among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

²³After many days, the Jews planned together to kill him.²⁴But their plan became known to Saul. They watched the gates day and night in order to kill him.²⁵But his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

²⁶When he had come to Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.²⁷But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and he told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how at Damascus Saul had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

²⁸He was with them, going in and out around Jerusalem. He spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus²⁹and debated with the Grecian Jews; but they kept trying to kill him.³⁰When the brothers learned of this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

³¹So then, the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the church grew in numbers.³²Now it came about that, as Peter went throughout the whole region, he came down also to God's holy people who lived in the town of Lydda.

³³There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been in his bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.³⁴Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed," and right away he got up.³⁵So everyone who lived in Lydda and in Sharon saw the man and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶Now there was in Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha (which is translated "Dorcas"). This woman was full of good works and merciful deeds that she did for the poor.³⁷It came about in those days that she fell sick and died; when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, pleading with him, "Come to us without delay."³⁹Peter arose and went with them. When he had arrived, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing him the tunics and garments that Dorcas had made while she had been with them.

⁴⁰Peter put them all out of the room, knelt down, and prayed; then, turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, arise." Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.⁴¹Peter then gave her his hand and raised her up; and when he called God's holy people and the widows, he presented her alive to them.⁴²This matter became known throughout all Joppa, and many people believed on the Lord.⁴³It happened that Peter stayed for many days in Joppa with a man named Simon, a tanner.

10

¹Now there was a certain man in the city of Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Company of Soldiers.²He was a devout man, one who feared God with all his household, gave many alms to the people, and prayed to God constantly.

³About the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him. The angel said to him, "Cornelius!"⁴Cornelius stared at the angel and was very afraid and said, "What is it, sir?"

The angel said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have gone up as a memorial offering into God's presence.

⁵Now send men to the city of Joppa to bring a man named Simon who is called Peter.⁶He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside."

⁷When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his house servants, and a devout soldier from among those who served him.⁸Cornelius told them all that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

⁹Now on the next day at about the sixth hour, as they were on their journey and were approaching the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray.¹⁰He then became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the people were cooking some food, a trance came on him,¹¹and he saw the sky open and a certain container descending, something like a large sheet coming down to the earth, let down by its four corners.¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and things that crawled on the earth, and birds of the sky.

¹³Then a voice spoke to him: "Rise, Peter, kill and eat."

¹⁴But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that was defiled and unclean."

¹⁵But the voice came to him again a second time: "What God has made clean, you must not call defiled."¹⁶This happened three times; then the container was immediately taken back up into the sky.

¹⁷Now while Peter was very confused about what the vision that he had seen could mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius stood before the gate, after they had asked their way to the house.¹⁸They called out and asked whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

¹⁹While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. ¹²⁰Arise and go down and go with them. Do not hesitate to go with them, because I have sent them."

²¹So Peter went down to the men and said, "I am he whom you are seeking. Why have you come?"

²²They said, "A centurion named Cornelius, a righteous man and one who fears God, and is well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, so he could listen to a message from you."²³So Peter invited them to come in and stay with him.

On the next morning he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴On the following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them; he had called together his relatives and his close friends.

²⁵It came about that when Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet to worship him.²⁶But Peter helped him up, saying, "Stand up! I too am a man."

²⁷While Peter was talking with him, he went in and found many people gathered together.²⁸He said to them, "You yourselves know that it is not lawful for a Jewish man to associate with or to visit a foreigner. But God has shown me that I should not call any man defiled or unclean.²⁹That is why I came without arguing, when I was sent for. So I ask you why you sent for me."

³⁰Cornelius said, "Four days ago at this very hour, I was praying at the ninth hour in my house; and see, a man stood before me in bright clothing.³¹He said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard by God, and your alms have reminded God about you.³²So send someone to Joppa, and call to you a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying in the house of a tanner named Simon, by the seaside.' ²³³So at once I sent for you. You are kind to have come. Now then, we are all here present in the sight of God to hear everything that you have been instructed by the Lord to say." ³

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I understand that God is not partial.³⁵Instead, in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

³⁶You know the message that he sent to the people of Israel, when he announced the good news about peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all—³⁷you yourselves know the events that took place, which occurred throughout all Judea, beginning in Galilee, after the baptism that John announced;³⁸the events concerning Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹We are witnesses of all the things Jesus did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,⁴⁰but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen,⁴¹not by all the people, but to the witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

⁴²He commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify that this is the one who has been chosen by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.⁴³About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

⁴⁴While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all of those who were listening to his message.⁴⁵The people who belonged to the circumcision group of believers—all of those who came with Peter—were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out also on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶For they heard these Gentiles speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,⁴⁷"Can anyone keep water from these people so they should not be baptized, these people who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?"⁴⁸Then he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for several days.

¹Some ancient copies have, two men are looking for you or some men are looking for you .

²Some ancient copies add: When he comes, he will speak to you .

³Instead of instructed by the Lord to say, some ancient copies have, instructed by God to say .

11

¹Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.²When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, they who belonged to the circumcision group criticized him;³they said, "You associated with uncircumcised men and ate with them!"

⁴But Peter started to explain the matter to them in detail, saying,⁵"I was praying in the city of Joppa, and in a trance I saw a vision of a container coming down, like a large sheet let down from heaven by its four corners. It descended to me.⁶I gazed at it and I thought about it. I saw the four-legged animals of earth, wild beasts, things that crawled, and birds of the sky.

⁷Then I heard a voice say to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat!'

⁸I said, 'Not so, Lord; for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.'

⁹But the voice answered again from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call defiled.'¹⁰This happened three times, and then everything was taken back up into heaven again.

¹¹"Behold, right away there were three men standing in front of the house where we were; they had been sent from Caesarea to me.¹²The Spirit commanded me to go with them, and that I should make no distinction regarding them. These six brothers went with me, and we went into the man's house.¹³He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send men to Joppa and bring back Simon who is called Peter.¹⁴He will speak to you a message by which you will be saved—you and all your household.'

¹⁵As I began to speak to them, the Holy Spirit came on them, just as on us in the beginning.¹⁶I remembered the words of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized with water; but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

¹⁷Then if God gave to them the same gift as he gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could oppose God?"

¹⁸When they heard these things, they said nothing in response, but they glorified God and said, "Then God has given repentance for life to the Gentiles also."

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that arose over Stephen spread as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jews.²⁰But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to Greeks, proclaiming to them the gospel about the Lord Jesus.²¹The hand of the Lord was with them; a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

²²News about them came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch.²³When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad and he encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart.²⁴For he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵Barnabas then went out to Tarsus to search carefully for Saul.²⁶When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. It came about that for an entire year they gathered together with the church and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

²⁷Now in these days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.²⁸One of them, Agabus by name, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that a great famine would occur over all the world. This happened in the days of Claudius.

²⁹So the disciples, as each one was able, determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brothers in Judea.³⁰They did this; they sent money to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

12

¹Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church so that he might mistreat them.²He killed James the brother of John with the sword.

³After he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. That was during the days of unleavened bread.⁴After arresting him, he put him in prison, assigning him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him; he was intending to bring him to the people after the Passover.

⁵So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was made earnestly to God for him by those in the church.⁶On the night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison.

⁷Behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared by him, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him and said, "Get up quickly," and his chains fell off his hands.⁸The angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." Peter did so. The angel said to him, "Put on your outer garment and follow me."

⁹So Peter followed the angel and went out. He did not know that what was done by the angel was real. He thought he was seeing a vision.¹⁰After they had passed by the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city; it opened for them by itself. They went out and went down a street, and the angel left him right away.

¹¹When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the Lord has sent his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting."¹²When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

¹³When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.¹⁴When she recognized Peter's voice, out of joy she failed to open the gate; instead, she came running into the room; she reported that Peter was standing at the gate.¹⁵So they said to her, "You are insane." But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

¹⁶But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.¹⁷Peter motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and he told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said, "Report these things to James and the brothers." Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸Now when it became day, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers over what had happened to Peter.¹⁹After Herod had searched for him and could not find him, he questioned the guards and ordered them to be put to death.

Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

²⁰Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They went to him with one purpose, and after persuading Blastus, the king's assistant, to help them, they asked for peace because their country received its food from the king's country.²¹On a set day Herod dressed himself in royal clothing and sat on a throne; he made a speech to them.

²²The people shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man!"²³Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory; he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴But the word of God increased and multiplied.

²⁵So when Barnabas and Saul had completed their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, ¹ bringing with them John, also called Mark.

¹Some ancient copies read, they returned to Jerusalem .

13

¹Now in the church in Antioch, there were some prophets and teachers. They were Barnabas, Simeon (who is called Niger), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, to do the work to which I have called them."³After they had fasted, prayed, and laid their hands on these men, they sent them off.

⁴So Barnabas and Saul, having been sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; from there they sailed away to Cyprus.⁵While they were in the city of Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John for an assistant.

⁶When they had gone through the whole island to Paphos, they found a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, whose name was Bar-Jesus.⁷This magician associated with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul, because he sought to hear the word of God.⁸But Elymas "the magician" (that is how his name is translated) opposed them; he tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

⁹But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, stared at him intensely¹⁰and said, "You son of the devil, you are full of all kinds of deceit and wickedness. You are an enemy of every kind of righteousness. You will never stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord, will you?

¹¹Now look, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will become blind. You will not see the sun for a while." Immediately there fell on Elymas a mist and darkness; he started going around seeking people to lead him by the hand.¹²After the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

¹³Now Paul and his friends set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem.¹⁴Paul and his friends traveled from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia. There they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.¹⁵After the reading of the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if you have any message of encouragement for the people here, say it."

¹⁶So Paul stood up and motioned with his hand; he said, "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they stayed in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm he led them out of it.¹⁸For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹

¹⁹After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave our people their land for an inheritance.²⁰All these events took place over 450 years. After all these things, God gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.

²¹Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, to be king for forty years.²²After God removed him from the kingship, he raised up David to be their king. It was about David that God testified, saying, 'I have found David son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, who does all I want him to do.'

²³From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised to do.²⁴Before the arrival of Jesus, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.²⁵As John was finishing his work, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But listen, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'

²⁶Brothers, children of the offspring of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the message about this salvation has been sent.²⁷For they who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him, and they fulfilled the voices of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning him.

²⁸Even though they found no reason for the death penalty, they called on Pilate to kill him.²⁹When they had completed all the things that were written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

³⁰But God raised him from the dead.³¹He was seen for many days by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These people are now his witnesses to the people.

³²So we tell you the good news: The promise that came to our fathers³³God has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

'You are my Son,

today I have become your Father.'

³⁴As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way:

'I will give you the holy and sure blessings

promised to David.'

³⁵This is why he also says in another Psalm,

'You will not allow your Holy One

to see decay.'

³⁶For when David had served the purpose of God in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was laid with his fathers and his body experienced decay.³⁷But he whom God raised up experienced no decay.

³⁸So let it be known to you, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. The law of Moses could not make you righteous.³⁹But by this man God makes righteous everyone who believes.

⁴⁰So then be careful that the thing the prophets spoke about does not happen to you:

⁴¹'Look, you despisers,

and be astonished and then perish;

For I am doing a work in your days,

a work that you would never believe,

even if someone announces it to you.'"

⁴²As Paul and Barnabas left, the people begged them that they might speak these same words again the next Sabbath.⁴³When the synagogue meeting ended, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

⁴⁴On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of the Lord.⁴⁵When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with envy and spoke against the things that were said by Paul and insulted him.

⁴⁶But Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing you push it away from yourselves and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, see, we will turn to the Gentiles.⁴⁷For so has the Lord commanded us, saying,

'I have appointed you as a light for the Gentiles,

that you should bring salvation

to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"

⁴⁸As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.⁴⁹The word of the Lord was spread out through the whole region.

⁵⁰But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and threw them out of their region.⁵¹But Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust from their feet against them. Then they went to the city of Iconium.⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

¹Some ancient copies read, For about forty years he cared for them in the wilderness .

14

¹It came about in Iconium that Paul and Barnabas entered together into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a way that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.²But the Jews who were disobedient stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and made them bitter against the brothers.

³So they stayed there for a long time, speaking boldly with the Lord's power, while he gave evidence about the message of his grace. He did this by granting signs and wonders to be done by the hands of Paul and Barnabas.⁴But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.

⁵Both Gentiles and Jews (together with their leaders) made an attempt to mistreat them and to stone them,⁶but as soon as they learned about this, they fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region,⁷where they continued to proclaim the gospel.

⁸At Lystra a certain man sat, powerless in his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked.⁹This man heard Paul speaking. Paul fixed his eyes on him and saw that he had faith to be made well.¹⁰So he said to him in a loud voice, "Stand up on your feet." Then the man jumped up and walked around.

¹¹When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the dialect of Lycaonia, "The gods have become like men and come down to us."¹²They called Barnabas "Zeus," and Paul "Hermes," because he was the main speaker.¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and wreaths to the gates; he and the multitudes wanted to offer sacrifice.

¹⁴But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothing and quickly went out into the crowd, crying out,¹⁵"Men, why are you doing these things? We also are human beings, with the same nature as you. We are telling you good news that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.¹⁶In the past ages, he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

¹⁷But still, he did not leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you the rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness."¹⁸Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas barely kept the multitudes from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and persuaded the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking that he was dead.²⁰Yet as the disciples were standing around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day, he went to Derbe with Barnabas.

²¹After they had proclaimed the gospel in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch.²²They kept strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, "We must enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations."

²³When they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.²⁴Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.²⁵When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.²⁶From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had now completed.

²⁷When they arrived in Antioch and gathered the church together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles.²⁸They stayed for a long time with the disciples.

15

¹Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and taught the brothers, saying, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."²This brought Paul and Barnabas into a sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas, along with some others from among them, were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders about this question.

³They therefore, being sent by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria and announced the conversion of the Gentiles. They brought great joy to all the brothers.⁴When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things that God had done with them.

⁵But certain men who believed, who belonged to the group of Pharisees, stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses."⁶So the apostles and the elders gathered together to consider this matter.

⁷After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.⁸God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.⁹He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

¹⁰Now therefore why do you test God, that you should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?¹¹But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they were."

¹²All the multitude kept silent while they listened to Barnabas and Paul report the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them.

¹³After they stopped speaking, James answered, saying,

"Brothers, listen to me.

¹⁴Simon has told how God first graciously helped the Gentiles in order to take from them a people for his name.

¹⁵The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written,

¹⁶'After these things I will return,

and I will build again the tabernacle of David,

which has fallen down;

I will set up and restore its ruins again,

¹⁷so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,

including all the Gentiles called by my name.'

¹⁸This is what the Lord says,

who has done these things

that have been known from ancient times. ¹

¹⁹Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.²⁰But we will write to them that they must keep away from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, and from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.²¹For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient generations and he is preached in the synagogues every Sabbath."

²²Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were leaders of the brothers, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

²³They wrote this with their hands,

²⁴Because we have heard that certain men have gone out from us, with no orders from us, and have disturbed you with words that upset your souls,²⁵it seemed good to us, who have come to one mind, to choose men and to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,²⁶men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will report to you the same things in their own words.²⁸For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:²⁹that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, blood, things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you avoid these things, you will do well.

³⁰So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; after they gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.³¹When they had read it, they rejoiced because of the encouragement.³²Judas and Silas, also prophets, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

³³After they had spent some time there, they were sent away in peace from the brothers to those who had sent them.³⁴²³⁵But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching (along with many others) the word of the Lord.

³⁶After some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return now and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."³⁷Barnabas wanted to also take with them John, who was called Mark.³⁸But Paul thought it was not good to take Mark, who had left them in Pamphylia and did not go further with them in the work.

³⁹Then there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.⁴⁰But Paul chose Silas and left, after he was entrusted by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.⁴¹Then he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

¹There are some copies of the ancient Greek text that have a slightly different meaning, This is what the Lord says, to whom are known all his deeds from ancient times .

²The best ancient copies do not have verse 34 (See: Acts 15:40), But it seemed good to Silas to remain there .

16

¹Paul also came to Derbe and to Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.²He was well spoken of by the brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium.³Paul wanted him to travel with him, so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴As they were going along through the cities, they were passing along the decrees to obey that were decided on by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily.

⁶Paul and his companions went through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia, since they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the word in the province of Asia.⁷When they came near Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus prevented them.⁸So passing by Mysia, they came down to the city of Troas.

⁹A vision appeared to Paul in the night: A man of Macedonia was standing there, begging him and saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us."¹⁰When Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day we came to Neapolis.¹²From there we went to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the most important city in the district and a Roman colony, and we stayed in this city for several days.

¹³On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.¹⁵When she and her house were baptized, she pleaded with us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she persuaded us.

¹⁶It came about that, as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain slave girl who had a spirit of divination encountered us. She brought her masters much gain by fortunetelling.¹⁷This woman followed after Paul and us and shouted, saying, "These men are servants of the Most High God. They proclaim to you the way of salvation."¹⁸She did this for many days. But Paul, being greatly annoyed by her, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out at that same hour.

¹⁹When her masters saw that their hope of profit was now gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.²⁰When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men are causing trouble in our city. They are Jews.²¹They proclaim customs that are not lawful for Romans to accept or practice."

²²Then the crowd rose up together against Paul and Silas; the magistrates tore their garments off them and commanded them to be beaten with rods.²³When they had laid many blows upon them, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to guard them securely.²⁴After he got this command, the jailer threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.²⁶Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were unfastened.

²⁷The jailer was awakened from sleep and saw the open prison doors; he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had escaped.

²⁸But Paul shouted with a loud voice, saying, "Do not harm yourself, because we are all here."

²⁹The jailer called for lights and rushed in and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas,³⁰and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

³¹They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

³²They spoke the word of the Lord to him, together with everyone in his house.³³Then the jailer took them at the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he and those in his entire house were baptized immediately.³⁴Then as he brought Paul and Silas up into his house and he set food before them, he rejoiced greatly with those of his house, that he had believed in God.

³⁵Now when it was day, the magistrates sent word to the guards, saying, "Let those men go."

³⁶The jailer reported the words to Paul, saying, "The magistrates have sent word to me to let you go. Now therefore come out, and go in peace."

³⁷But Paul said to them, "They have publicly beaten us without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens—and they threw us into prison. Do they now want to send us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out."

³⁸The guards reported these words to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Romans, they were afraid.³⁹The magistrates came and apologized to them and brought them out, asking them to go away from the city.

⁴⁰So Paul and Silas went out of the prison and came to the house of Lydia. When Paul and Silas saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed from the city.

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¹Now when they had passed through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.²Paul, as his custom was, went to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures.

³He was opening the scriptures and explaining that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead. He said, "This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Christ."⁴Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women.

⁵But the unbelieving Jews, being moved with jealousy, took certain wicked men from the marketplace, gathered a crowd together, and set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring Paul and Silas out to the people.⁶But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain other brothers before the officials of the city, crying, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.⁷These men whom Jason has welcomed act against the decrees of Caesar; they say that there is another king—Jesus."

⁸They troubled the crowd and the officials of the city who heard these things.⁹But after they took security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

¹⁰That night the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.¹¹Now these people were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.¹²Therefore many of them believed, including some influential Greek women and many men.

¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God at Berea, they went there and stirred up and troubled the crowds.¹⁴Then immediately, the brothers sent Paul to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy stayed there.¹⁵Those who were leading Paul took him as far as the city of Athens. As they left Paul there, they received from him instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible.

¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.¹⁷So he reasoned every day in the synagogue with the Jews and others who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace with those who happened to be there.

¹⁸But also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. Some said, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be one who calls people to follow strange gods," because he was proclaiming the gospel about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹They took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know this new teaching which you were speaking?²⁰For you bring some strange things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things mean."²¹(Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing but either telling or listening about something new.)

²²So Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said,

"You men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way.

²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.

²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples built with hands.²⁵Neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives people life and breath and everything else.

²⁶From one man he made every nation of people to live on the surface of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their living areas,²⁷so that they should search for God and perhaps they may feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us.

²⁸For in him we live and move and have our being, just as one of your own poets has said: 'For we also are his offspring.'

²⁹"Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the qualities of deity are like gold, or silver, or stone—images created by the art and imagination of man.

³⁰Therefore God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent.³¹This is because he has set a day when he will judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. God has given proof of this man to everyone by raising him from the dead."

³²Now when the men of Athens heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked Paul; but others said, "We will listen to you again about this matter."³³After that, Paul left them.³⁴But certain men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

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¹After these things Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.²There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to them,³and because he worked at the same trade, he stayed with them and labored, for they were tentmakers by trade.

⁴So Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade both Jews and Greeks.⁵Now when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.⁶But when the Jews opposed and insulted him, Paul shook out his garment at them and said to them, "May your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

⁷Then he left from there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a man who worshiped God. His house was next to the synagogue.⁸Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard about it believed and were baptized.

⁹The Lord said to Paul in the night in a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.¹⁰For I am with you, and no one will try to harm you, for I have many people in this city."¹¹Paul lived there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹²But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, the Jews rose up with one mind against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat;¹³they said, "This man persuades people to worship God contrary to the law."

¹⁴Yet when Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "You Jews, if indeed it were a matter of wrong or a wicked crime, it would be reasonable to put up with you.¹⁵But since these are questions about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of these matters."

¹⁶Gallio made them leave the judgment seat.¹⁷So they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio did not care what they did.

¹⁸Paul, after staying there for many more days, left the brothers and sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. Before he left the seaport, Cenchreae, he had his hair cut off because of a vow he had taken.¹⁹When they came to Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

²⁰When they asked Paul to stay a longer time, he declined.²¹But taking his leave of them, he said, "I will return again to you if it is God's will." He then set sail from Ephesus.

²²When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the Jerusalem church and then went down to Antioch.²³After having spent some time there, Paul departed and went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, came to Ephesus. He was eloquent in speech and mighty in the scriptures.²⁵Apollos had been instructed in the teachings of the Lord. Being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, but he knew only the baptism of John.²⁶Apollos began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

²⁷When he desired to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples in Achaia to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who believed by grace.²⁸Apollos powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, showing by the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

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¹It came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to the city of Ephesus, and found certain disciples there.²Paul said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

They said to him, "No, we did not even hear about the Holy Spirit."

³Paul said, "Into what then were you baptized?"

They said, "Into John's baptism."

⁴So Paul replied, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance. He told the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."

⁵When the people heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.⁶Then when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.⁷In all they were about twelve men.

⁸Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.⁹But when some Jews were hardened and disobedient, they began to speak evil of the Way before the crowd. So Paul left them and took the disciples with him, reasoning with them every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.¹⁰This continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

¹¹God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,¹²so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

¹³But there were Jewish exorcists traveling through the area. They called on the name of the Lord Jesus so they could have power over evil spirits when they said, "By the Jesus whom Paul proclaims, I command you to come out."¹⁴The Jewish high priest, whose name was Sceva, had seven sons who were doing this.

¹⁵An evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"¹⁶The evil spirit in the man leaped on the exorcists and subdued them and beat them up. Then they fled out of that house naked and wounded.¹⁷This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived at Ephesus. They became very afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honored.

¹⁸Also, many of the believers came and confessed and gave a full account of the evil things they had done.¹⁹Many who practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of everyone. When they counted the value of them, it was fifty thousand pieces of silver.²⁰So the word of the Lord spread very widely in powerful ways.

²¹Now after these things were completed, Paul decided in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem; he said, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."²²Paul sent to Macedonia two of those who served him, Timothy and Erastus. But he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

²³At about that time there was no small disturbance in Ephesus concerning the Way.²⁴A certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in much business for the craftsmen.²⁵So he gathered together the workmen of that occupation and said, "Men, you know that in this business we make much money.

²⁶You see and hear that, not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people. He is saying that gods made by hands are not gods.²⁷Not only is there danger that our trade will be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis might be regarded as worthless, and her greatness would be brought to nothing, she whom all Asia and the world worship."

²⁸When they heard this, they were filled with anger and cried out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians."²⁹The whole city was filled with confusion, and the people rushed with one mind into the theater. They had seized Paul's travel companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, who came from Macedonia.

³⁰Paul wanted to enter in among the crowd of people, but the disciples prevented him.³¹Also, some of the officials of the province of Asia who were his friends sent him a message pleading with him not to enter the theater.³²Some people were shouting one thing, and some another, for the crowd was in confusion. Most of them did not even know why they had come together.

³³Some of the crowd advised Alexander, whom the Jews were pushing forward. So Alexander motioned with his hand, wanting to give a defense to the assembly.³⁴But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all cried out for about two hours with one voice, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians."

³⁵When the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, "You men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven?³⁶Seeing then that these things are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash.³⁷For you have brought these men to this court who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess.

³⁸Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have an accusation against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. Let them accuse one another.³⁹But if you are seeking anything more, it should be resolved in the regular assembly.⁴⁰For we are in danger of being accused of rioting today, and there is no cause we can give to justify this uproar." When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. ¹

¹Some Greek copies number this last sentence as verse 41.

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¹After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples and after he encouraged them, he said farewell and left to go into Macedonia.²When he had gone through those regions and had spoken many words of encouragement to them, he came to Greece.³After he had spent three months there, a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to sail for Syria, so he decided to return through Macedonia.

⁴Accompanying him as far as Asia were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both from the Thessalonian believers; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.⁵But these men had gone before us and were waiting for us at Troas.⁶We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and in five days we came to them in Troas. There we stayed for seven days.

⁷On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke to the believers. He was planning to leave the next day, so he prolonged his message until midnight.⁸There were many lamps in the upper room where we had come together.

⁹In the window was sitting a young man named Eutychus, who fell into a deep sleep. As Paul spoke even longer, this young man, still sleeping, fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.¹⁰But Paul went down, stretched himself out on him, and embraced him. Then he said, "Do not be upset any more, for he is alive."

¹¹Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking with them much longer until dawn, he left.¹²They brought back the boy alive and were greatly comforted.

¹³We ourselves went ahead of Paul by ship and sailed away to Assos, where we planned to take Paul on board. This is what he himself desired to do, because he planned to go by land.¹⁴When he met us at Assos, we took him onto the ship and went to Mitylene.

¹⁵Then we sailed from there and arrived the next day opposite the island of Chios. The following day we touched at the island of Samos, and the day after we came to the city of Miletus.¹⁶For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not spend any time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if it were at all possible for him to do so.

¹⁷From Miletus he sent men to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.¹⁸When they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I always spent my time with you.¹⁹I kept serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind and with tears, and in trials that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.²⁰You know how I did not keep back from declaring to you anything that was useful, and how I taught you in public and from house to house,²¹testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus.

²²Now look, I am going to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,²³except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that chains and afflictions await me.²⁴But I do not consider my life valuable to myself, if only I may finish the race and complete the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

²⁵Now look, I know that you all, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.²⁶Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of any man.²⁷For I did not hold back from declaring to you the whole will of God.

²⁸Therefore be careful about yourselves, and about all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers. Be careful to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. ¹²⁹I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth to draw away the disciples after them.

³¹So be on guard. Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each one of you night and day with tears.³²Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are being sanctified.

³³I coveted no man's silver, gold, or clothing.³⁴You yourselves know that these hands served my own needs and the needs of those who were with me.³⁵In all things I gave you an example of how you should help the weak by laboring, and of how you should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, words that he himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

³⁶After he had spoken in this way, he knelt down and prayed with them all.³⁷There was a lot of crying and they embraced Paul and kissed him.³⁸They were in anguish most of all because of what he had said, that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.

¹Instead of with his own blood , some ancient copies read, with the blood of his own Son .

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¹When we had gone away from them and set sail, we took a straight course to the city of Cos, and the next day to the city of Rhodes, and from there to the city of Patara.²When we found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

³After sighting Cyprus, leaving it on the left side of the boat, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo.⁴After we found the disciples, we stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit they kept urging Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

⁵When our days there were over, we left and went on our way, and they all, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. Then we knelt down on the beach, prayed,⁶and said farewell to each other. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

⁷When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day.⁸On the next day we left and went to Caesarea. We entered the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and we stayed with him.⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰As we stayed there for some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.¹¹He came to us and took Paul's belt. With it he tied his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who owns this belt, and they will hand him over into the hands of the Gentiles.'"

¹²When we heard these things, both we and the people who lived in that place pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready, not only to be tied up, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

¹⁴Since Paul would not be persuaded, we remained silent and then we said, "May the will of the Lord be done."

¹⁵After these days, we picked up our bags and went up to Jerusalem.¹⁶There also went with us some of the disciples from Caesarea. They brought with them a man named Mnason, a man from Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.

¹⁷When we had arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers welcomed us gladly.¹⁸The next day Paul went with us to James, and all the elders were present.¹⁹When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰When they heard it, they glorified God, and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands have believed among the Jews. They are all zealous to keep the law.²¹They have been told about you, that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children, and not to walk according to the traditional ways.

²²What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.²³So do what we say to you. We have four men who made a vow.²⁴Take these men and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, so that they may shave their heads. So everyone will know that the things they have been told about you are false. They will learn that you also live correctly, obeying the law.

²⁵But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote about our decision that they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality."²⁶Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them. Then they went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering would be presented for each of them.

²⁷When the seven days were almost finished, some Jews from Asia, seeing Paul in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him.²⁸They were shouting, "Men of Israel, help us. This is the man who teaches all men everywhere things that are against the people, the law, and this place. Besides, he has also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰All the city was excited, and the people ran together and laid hold of Paul. They dragged him out of the temple, and the doors were immediately shut.³¹As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the chief captain of the company of soldiers, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

³²Right away he took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.³³Then the chief captain approached and laid hold of Paul, and commanded him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.

³⁴Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and others another. Since the captain could not learn the truth because of all the noise, he ordered that Paul be brought into the fortress.³⁵When he came to the steps, he was carried by the soldiers because of the crowd's violence.³⁶For the crowd of people followed after and kept shouting out, "Away with him!"

³⁷As Paul was about to be brought into the fortress, he said to the chief captain, "Is it permitted for me to say something to you?"

The captain said, "Do you know Greek?

³⁸Are you not then the Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion and led the four thousand men of the 'Assassins' out into the wilderness?"

³⁹Paul said, "I am a Jew, from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I am a citizen of no unimportant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."

⁴⁰When the captain had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned with the hand to the people. When there was a deep silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language. He said,

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¹"Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense which I will now make to you."

²When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in the Hebrew language, they became quiet. He said,

³"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. I was instructed according to the strict ways of the law of our fathers. I am zealous for God, just as all of you are today.⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding up and delivering to prison both men and women,⁵as the high priest and all the elders can testify. I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus, and I went there to bring them back in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶It happened that when I was traveling and nearing Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light from heaven began to shine around me.⁷I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'

⁸I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?'

He said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'

⁹Those who were with me saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who spoke to me.¹⁰I said, 'What should I do, Lord?'

The Lord said to me, 'Arise and go into Damascus. There you will be told everything that has been appointed for you to do.'

¹¹I could not see because of that light's brightness, and being led by the hands of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

¹²There I met a man named Ananias, a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there.¹³He came to me, stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' In that very hour I saw him.

¹⁴Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice coming from his own mouth.¹⁵For you will be a witness for him to all men about what you have seen and heard.¹⁶Now why are you waiting? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

¹⁷After I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the temple, a trance came on me.¹⁸I saw him say to me, 'Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'

¹⁹I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you in every synagogue.²⁰When the blood of Stephen your witness was spilled, I also was standing by and agreeing, and I was guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.'²¹But he said to me, 'Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"

²²They listened to him until that statement. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not right that he should live."²³As they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and throwing dust into the air,²⁴the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought into the fortress. He ordered that he should be questioned with scourging, so that he himself might know why they were shouting against him like that.

²⁵When they had tied him up with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and who has not been put on trial?"

²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the chief captain and told him, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen."

²⁷The chief captain came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?"

Paul said, "Yes."

²⁸The chief captain answered, "It was only with a large amount of money that I acquired citizenship."

But Paul said, "I was born a Roman citizen."

²⁹Then the men who were going to question him left him immediately. The chief captain also was afraid, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had tied him up.

³⁰On the next day, the chief captain wanted to know for certain about the Jews' accusations against Paul. So he untied his bonds and ordered the chief priests and all the council to meet. Then he brought Paul down and placed him in their midst.

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¹Paul looked directly at the council members and said, "Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until this day."²The high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

³Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Are you sitting to judge me by the law, yet order me to be struck, against the law?"

⁴Those who stood by said, "Is this how you insult God's high priest?"

⁵Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, 'You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

⁶When Paul saw that the one part of the council were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he spoke loudly in the council: "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is because I have the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being judged."⁷When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, no angels, and no spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge all of them.

⁹So a large uproar occurred, and some of the scribes belonging to the Pharisees stood up and argued, saying, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"¹⁰When there arose a great argument, the chief captain feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, so he commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among the council members, and bring him into the fortress.

¹¹The following night the Lord stood beside him and said, "Have courage, for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

¹²When it became day, some Jews formed a conspiracy and put themselves under an oath, saying that they would not eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul.¹³There were more than forty men who formed this conspiracy.

¹⁴They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have sworn a great oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.¹⁵Now, therefore, let the council formally request the chief captain to bring him down to you, as if you would decide his case more precisely. As for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes here."

¹⁶But Paul's sister's son heard that they were lying in wait, so he went and entered the fortress and told Paul.

¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the chief captain, for he has something to report to him."

¹⁸So the centurion took the young man and brought him to the chief captain and said, "Paul the prisoner called me to him, and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you."

¹⁹The chief captain took him by the hand to a private place and asked him, "What is it that you have to report to me?"

²⁰The young man said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring down Paul tomorrow to the council, as if they were going to ask more precisely about his case.²¹But do not be persuaded by them, because there are more than forty men who are lying in wait for him. They have put themselves under oath neither to eat nor to drink until they have killed him. Even now they are ready, waiting for your approval."

²²So the chief captain let the young man go, after instructing him, "Tell no one that you have reported these things to me."

²³Then he called to him two of the centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen also, and two hundred spearmen. You will leave at the third hour of the night."²⁴He also ordered them to provide animals which Paul could ride and to take him safely to Felix the governor.

²⁵Then he wrote a letter like this:²⁶"Claudius Lysias,²⁷This man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with soldiers and rescued him, since I learned that he was a Roman citizen.

²⁸I wanted to know why they accused him, so I took him down to their council.²⁹I learned that he was being accused about questions concerning their own law, but that there was no accusation against him that deserved death or imprisonment.³⁰Then it was reported to me that there was a plot against the man, so I immediately sent him to you and instructed his accusers also to bring their charges against him in your presence.

³¹So the soldiers obeyed their orders. They took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.³²On the next day, most of the soldiers left the horsemen to go with him and they themselves returned to the fortress.³³When the horsemen reached Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.

³⁴When the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he learned that he was from Cilicia,³⁵he said, "I will hear you fully when your accusers come here." Then he commanded him to be kept in Herod's government headquarters.

24

¹After five days, Ananias the high priest, certain elders, and an orator named Tertullus went there. These men brought charges against Paul before the governor.²When Paul stood before the governor, Tertullus began to accuse him and said to the governor, "Because of you we have great peace, and your foresight brings good reform to our nation;³so with all thankfulness we welcome everything that you do, most excellent Felix.

⁴So that I detain you no more, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.⁵For we have found this man to be a pest and one who causes all the Jews throughout the world to rebel. He is a leader of the Nazarene sect.⁶He even tried to desecrate the temple, so we arrested him. ¹

⁷²⁸When you examine Paul about all these matters, you will be able to learn about all the things of which we are accusing him."⁹The Jews also joined in the accusation, affirming that these charges were true.

¹⁰But when the governor motioned for Paul to speak, Paul answered, "I understand that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, and so I gladly explain myself to you.

¹¹You can learn for yourself that it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.¹²When they found me in the temple, I did not argue with anyone, and I did not stir up a crowd, either in the synagogues, or in the city.¹³They cannot prove to you the accusations they are now making against me.

¹⁴But I confess this to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things that are according to the law and that has been written in the prophets.¹⁵I have a hope in God, which these men also have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.¹⁶So I always strive to have a blameless conscience before God and human beings.

¹⁷Now after many years I came to give alms to my nation and present sacrifices.¹⁸When I did this, certain Jews from Asia found me in a purification ceremony in the temple, not with a crowd or an uproar.¹⁹These men ought to be before you now and accuse me, if they have anything.

²⁰Or else, these same men should say what wrong they found in me when I stood before the Jewish council,²¹unless it is about this one thing that I shouted out when I stood among them, 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'"

²²Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, postponed the hearing. He said, "When Lysias the commander comes down from Jerusalem, I will decide your case."²³Then he commanded the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, but to have some freedom so that none of his friends would be prevented from attending to his needs.

²⁴After some days, Felix returned with Drusilla his wife, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and he heard from him about faith in Christ Jesus.²⁵But when Paul reasoned with him about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, "Go away for now. But when I have time later on, I will send for you."

²⁶At the same time he hoped that Paul would give money to him, so he often sent for him and spoke with him.²⁷But when two years passed, Porcius Festus became the governor after Felix, but Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews, so he left Paul bound.

¹Some ancient copies add, We wanted to judge him according to our law .

²Some ancient copies have for verse 7 and the beginning of verse 8, 7 But Lysias, the officer, came and took him by force out of our hands, 8 commanding his accusers to come to you .

25

¹Now, Festus entered the province, and after three days, he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem.²The chief priests and the prominent Jews brought their charges against Paul, and they asked Festus earnestly—³asking him to do them a favor against Paul—to summon him to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

⁴Festus answered that Paul was being held in custody at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there soon.⁵"Therefore, those who can," he said, "should go there with us. If there is something wrong with the man, you should accuse him."

⁶Festus stayed not more than eight or ten days and then he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he sat on the judgment seat and commanded Paul to be brought to him.⁷When he arrived, the Jews from Jerusalem stood nearby, and they brought many serious charges which they could not prove.

⁸Paul defended himself and said, "I have committed no sin against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."

⁹But Festus wanted to gain the favor of the Jews, and so he answered Paul and said, "Do you want to go up to Jerusalem and to be judged by me about these things there?"¹⁰Paul said, "I stand before the judgment seat of Caesar where I must be judged. I have wronged no Jews, just as you also very well know.

¹¹Though if I have done wrong and if I have done what is worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if their accusations are nothing, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."¹²After Festus talked with the council, he answered, "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"

¹³Now after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay an official visit to Festus.¹⁴After they had been there for many days, Festus presented Paul's case to the king; he said, "A certain man was left behind here by Felix as a prisoner.¹⁵When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against this man to me, and they asked for a sentence of condemnation against him.¹⁶I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had faced his accusers and received an opportunity to defend himself against the charges.

¹⁷Therefore, when they came together here, I did not wait, but the next day I sat in the judgment seat and I ordered the man to be brought in.¹⁸When the accusers stood up, they charged him with nothing that I considered wickedness.¹⁹Instead, they had certain disputes with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claims to be alive.²⁰I was perplexed about how to investigate this matter, and so I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there about these charges.

²¹But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody while awaiting the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held in custody until I could send him to Caesar."²²Agrippa spoke to Festus: "I would also like to listen to this man." "Tomorrow," Festus said, "you will hear him."

²³So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with much ceremony; they came into the hall with the military officers and with the prominent men of the city. When Festus spoke the command, Paul was brought to them.²⁴Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you men who are here with us, you see this man; all the multitude of Jews appealed to me in Jerusalem and here also, and they shouted to me that he should no longer live.

²⁵I found he had done nothing worthy of death; but because he appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him to Rome.²⁶But I do not have anything certain to write to my lord. For this reason, I have brought him to you, especially to you, King Agrippa, so that I might have something more to write about the case.²⁷For it seems unreasonable for me to send a prisoner and to not also state the charges against him."

26

¹So Agrippa said to Paul, "You may speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.

²"I consider myself happy, King Agrippa, to make my case before you today against all the accusations of the Jews,³especially because you are an expert in all the Jewish customs and questions. So I beg you to hear me patiently.

⁴Truly, all the Jews know how I lived from my youth in my own nation and at Jerusalem.⁵They have known about me from the beginning, if they are willing to admit it, that I lived as a Pharisee, the strictest party of our religion.

⁶Now I stand here to be judged because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.⁷It is this promise that our twelve tribes hope to receive as they worship God earnestly night and day, and it is for this hope, king, that the Jews are accusing me.⁸Why should any of you judge it to be incredible that God raises the dead?

⁹Now indeed, I myself thought that I should do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.¹⁰I did these in Jerusalem. I locked up in prison many of God's holy people by the authority I received from the chief priests; and when they were killed, I cast my vote against them.¹¹I punished them many times in all the synagogues, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was furiously enraged against them, and I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

¹²While I was doing this, I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests;¹³and on the way there, in the middle of the day, king, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun, and it shone around both me and the men who were traveling with me.¹⁴When we all fell to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me that said in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick a goad.'

¹⁵Then I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord replied, 'I am Jesus whom you persecute.¹⁶Now get up and stand on your feet; because for this purpose I appeared to you, to appoint you to be a servant and a witness concerning the things that you know about me now and the things that I will show to you later;¹⁷and I will rescue you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you,¹⁸to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, so that they may receive from God the forgiveness of sins and the inheritance that I give to them who are sanctified by faith in me.'

¹⁹Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the heavenly vision;²⁰but, to those in Damascus first, and then at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, I gave them the message that that they should repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance.²¹For this cause the Jews arrested me in the temple and tried to kill me.

²²Therefore I have received the help that comes from God until this very day, and I stand and testify to both small and great about nothing more than what the prophets and Moses said would happen—²³that Christ must suffer, and by being the first to rise from the dead he would proclaim light to our own people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴As Paul completed his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are insane; your great learning makes you insane."²⁵But Paul said, "I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but I am declaring words of truth and sound judgment.²⁶For the king knows about these things; and so I speak boldly to him, for I am persuaded that none of this is hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner.

²⁷Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe."²⁸Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me and make me a Christian?"

²⁹Paul said, "I pray to God, that whether in a short or long time, not you only, but also all that hear me today, would be like me, but without these prison chains."

³⁰Then the king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice also, and those who were sitting with them;³¹when they left the hall, they talked to one another and said, "This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds."

³²Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar."

27

¹When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they committed Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Augustan company of soldiers.²We boarded a ship from Adramyttium which was about to sail along the coast of Asia. So we went to sea. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia went with us.

³The next day we landed at the city of Sidon, where Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care.⁴From there we went to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus, close to the island, because the winds were against us.⁵When we had sailed across the sea past Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra, a city of Lycia.⁶There, the centurion found a ship from Alexandria that was going to sail to Italy. He put us on it.

⁷When we had sailed slowly for many days and had finally arrived with difficulty near Cnidus and the wind no longer allowed us to go that way, we sailed along the sheltered side of Crete, opposite Salmone.⁸We sailed along the coast with difficulty, until we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, which is near the city of Lasea.

⁹We had now taken much time, the time of the Jewish fast also had passed, and it had now become dangerous to sail. So Paul warned them,¹⁰and said, "Men, I see that the voyage we are about to take will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives."¹¹But the centurion was more persuaded by the master and by the owner of the ship than by those things that were spoken by Paul.

¹²Because the harbor was not easy to spend the winter in, most of the sailors advised to sail from there, and if by any means we could reach the city of Phoenix, to spend the winter there. Phoenix is a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.¹³When a south wind began to blow gently, the sailors thought that they had what they needed. So they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.

¹⁴But after a short time a wind of hurricane force, called the northeaster, began to beat down from the island.¹⁵When the ship was caught by the storm and could no longer head into the wind, we had to give way to the storm and were driven along by the wind.¹⁶We sailed along the lee of a small island called Cauda, and with difficulty we were able to secure the lifeboat.

¹⁷When they had hoisted the lifeboat up, they used its ropes to bind the hull of the ship. They were afraid that they should run upon the sandbars of Syrtis, so they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.¹⁸We took such a violent battering by the storm that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard.

¹⁹On the third day the sailors threw overboard the ship's equipment with their own hands.²⁰When the sun and stars did not shine on us for many days, and the great storm still beat upon us, any more hope that we should be saved was abandoned.

²¹When they had gone long without food, then Paul stood up among the sailors and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete, so as to get this injury and loss.²²Now I urge you to take courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the loss of the ship.

²³For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, whom also I worship—his angel stood beside me²⁴and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, and see, God in his kindness has given to you all those who are sailing with you.'²⁵Therefore have courage, men! For I trust God that it will happen just as it was told to me.²⁶But we must run aground upon some island."

²⁷When the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven this way and that in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors thought that they were approaching some land.²⁸They took soundings and found twenty fathoms; after a little while, they took more soundings and found fifteen fathoms.²⁹They were afraid that we might crash on the rocks, so they lowered four anchors from the stern and prayed that morning would come soon.

³⁰The sailors were looking for a way to abandon the ship and had lowered the lifeboat into the sea, and pretended that they would throw down the anchors from the bow.³¹But Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it drift away.

³³When daylight was coming on, Paul encouraged them all to take some food. He said, "This day is the fourteenth day that you have been on constant guard and have gone without food—you have not eaten anything.³⁴So I urge you to share some food, for this is necessary for you to survive. For not one of you will lose a single hair from his head." ³⁵When he had said this, he took bread and he thanked God in the sight of everyone. Then he broke the bread and began to eat.

³⁶Then they were all encouraged and they also took food.³⁷We were 276 souls on the ship.³⁸When they had eaten enough, they made the ship lighter by throwing out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a beach, and they discussed whether they could drive the ship onto it.⁴⁰So they cut loose the anchors and left them in the sea. At the same time they loosed the ropes of the rudders and raised the foresail to the wind; and so they headed to the beach.⁴¹But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow was stuck there and remained unmovable, and the stern was broken up by the force of the waves.

⁴²The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them could swim away and escape.⁴³But the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped their plan; and he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.⁴⁴Then the rest of the men should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. In this way it happened that all of us were brought safely to land.

28

¹When we were brought safely through, we learned that the island was called Malta.²The native people offered to us not just ordinary kindness, but they lit a fire and welcomed us all because of the constant rain and cold.

³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and placed them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened onto his hand.⁴When the native people saw the animal hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "This man certainly is a murderer who has been saved from the sea; Justice does not permit him to live."

⁵But then he shook the animal into the fire and suffered no harm.⁶They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they watched him for a long time and saw that nothing was wrong with him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

⁷Now in a nearby place there were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, a man named Publius. He welcomed us and kindly provided for us for three days.⁸It happened that the father of Publius was lying afflicted with a fever and dysentery. When Paul went to him, he prayed, placed his hands on him, and healed him.⁹After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who were sick also came and were healed.¹⁰The people also honored us with many honors. When we were preparing to sail, they gave us what we needed.

¹¹After three months we set sail in a ship that had spent the winter at the island, a ship of Alexandria, with "the twin gods" as its figurehead.¹²After we landed at the city of Syracuse, we stayed there three days.

¹³From there we sailed and arrived at the city of Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and in two days we came to the city of Puteoli.¹⁴There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. In this way we came to Rome.¹⁵From there the brothers, after they heard about us, came to meet us as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw the brothers, he thanked God and took courage.

¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷Then it came about that after three days Paul called together those men who were the leaders among the Jews. When they had come together, he said to them, "Brothers, although I have done nothing wrong against the people or the customs of our fathers, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.¹⁸After they questioned me, they wished to set me free, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.

¹⁹But when the Jews spoke against their desire, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, although it is not as if I were bringing any accusation against my nation.²⁰For this reason, therefore, I called upon you that I might see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am now wearing this chain."

²¹Then they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea about you, nor did any of the brothers come and report or say anything bad about you.²²But we want to hear from you what you think about this sect, because it is known by us that it is spoken against everywhere."

²³When they had appointed a day for him, more people came to him at his dwelling place. He presented the matter to them, and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until evening.²⁴Some were convinced about the things which were said, while others did not believe.

²⁵When they did not agree with one another, they left after Paul had spoken this one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke well through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers.

²⁶He said, 'Go to this people and say,

"Hearing you will hear, but you will never understand;

seeing, you will see, but you will never know.

²⁷For the heart of this people has become dull,

and with their ears they hardly hear,

and they have shut their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn again,

and I would heal them."'

²⁸Therefore, you should know that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen."²⁹¹

³⁰Paul lived for two whole years in his own rented house, and he welcomed all who came to him.³¹He was proclaiming the kingdom of God and was teaching the things about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without being hindered.

¹Acts 28:29—Some ancient copies have verse 29: When he had said these things, the Jews went away. They were having a great dispute among themselves .

Romans

1

¹Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,²which he promised beforehand by his prophets in the holy scriptures,³concerning his Son who was a descendant of David according to the flesh.

⁴Through the Spirit of holiness he was declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.⁵Through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all the nations, for the sake of his name.⁶Among these nations, you also have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

⁷To all in Rome who are beloved of God and called to be his holy people: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, of how continually I make mention of you.¹⁰I always request in my prayers that by any means I may at last be successful now by the will of God in coming to you.

¹¹For I desire to see you, that I may give you some spiritual gift, in order to strengthen you.¹²That is, I long to be mutually encouraged among you, through each other's faith, yours and mine.

¹³Now I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, that I often intended to come to you (but I was hindered until now), in order to have some fruit among you also, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles.¹⁴I am a debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.¹⁵So, as for me, I am ready to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and for the Greek.¹⁷For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, as it has been written, "The righteous will live by faith."

¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who through unrighteousness hold back the truth.¹⁹This is because that which is known about God is visible to them. For God has enlightened them.

²⁰For ever since the creation of the world, his invisible qualities, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, having been discerned in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.²¹This is because, although they knew about God, they did not glorify him as God, nor did they give him thanks. Instead, they became foolish in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened.

²²They claimed to be wise, but they became foolish.²³They exchanged the glory of the imperishable God for the likenesses of an image of perishable man, of birds, of four-footed beasts, and of creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God delivered them over to the lusts of their hearts for uncleanness, for their bodies to be dishonored among themselves.²⁵It is they who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and who worshiped and served the creation instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶Because of this, God delivered them over to dishonorable lusts, for their women exchanged natural relations for those that were unnatural.²⁷In the same way, the men also left their natural relations with women and burned in their lust for one another. These were men who committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the penalty they deserved for their error.

²⁸And just as they did not approve of having God in their awareness, he gave them up to a corrupted mind, for them to do those things that are not proper.

²⁹They have been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, and malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and evil intentions. They are gossips,³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventing ways of doing evil; they are disobedient to parents.³¹They are senseless, faithless, heartless, and unmerciful.

³²They understand the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death. But not only do they do these things, they also approve of others who do them.

2

¹Therefore you are without excuse, you person, you who judge, for in things for which you judge the other person, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things.²But we know that God's judgment is according to truth when it falls on those who practice such things.

³But consider this, you person, you who judge those who practice such things although you do the same things. Will you escape from the judgment of God?⁴Or do you think so little of the riches of his kindness, his delayed punishment, and his patience? Do you not know that his kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

⁵But it is to the extent of your hardness and unrepentant heart that you are storing up for yourself wrath on the day of wrath, that is, the day of the revelation of God's righteous judgment.⁶He will pay back to every person according to his actions:⁷to those who according to the perseverance of good deeds have sought glory, honor, and incorruptibility, he will give eternal life.

⁸But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth but obey unrighteousness, wrath and fierce anger will come.⁹God will bring tribulation and distress on every human soul that has practiced evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

¹⁰But glory, honor, and peace will come to everyone who practices good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.¹¹For there is no partiality with God.¹²For as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and as many as have sinned with respect to the law will be judged by the law.

¹³For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be justified.¹⁴For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, they are a law to themselves, although they do not have the law.

¹⁵By this they show that the actions required by the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience also bears witness to them, and their own thoughts either accuse or defend them¹⁶on the day when God will judge the secrets of all people, according to my gospel, through Jesus Christ.

¹⁷But if you say that you are a Jew and rest upon the law and boast in God,¹⁸and know his will and approve of what is excellent because you have been instructed from the law;¹⁹and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,²⁰an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, and that you have in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth, then how does this affect the way you live your life?

²¹You who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?²²You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who hate idols, do you rob temples?

²³You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by transgressing the law?²⁴For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it has been written.

²⁵For circumcision is profitable to you if you obey the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.²⁶If, then, the uncircumcised person keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be considered as circumcision?²⁷And will not the one who is naturally uncircumcised condemn you if he fulfills the law? This is because you have the written law and circumcision, yet you are a transgressor of the law!

²⁸For he is not a Jew who is merely one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is merely outward in the flesh.²⁹But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter. The praise of such a person comes not from people but from God.

3

¹Then what advantage does the Jew have? And what is the benefit of circumcision?²It is great in every way. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with revelation from God.

³For what if some Jews were without faith? Will their unbelief nullify God's faithfulness?⁴May it never be. Instead, let God be found to be true, even though every man is a liar. As it has been written,

"That you might be shown to be righteous in your words,

and that you might prevail when you come into judgment."

⁵But if our unrighteousness shows the righteousness of God, what can we say? Can we say that God is unrighteous to bring his wrath upon us? (I am using a human argument.)⁶May it never be! For then how would God judge the world?

⁷But if through my lie the truth of God increases his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?⁸Why not say, as we are slandered as saying, and as some affirm that we say, "Let us do evil, so that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.

⁹What then? Are we excusing ourselves? Not at all. For we have already accused both Jews and Greeks, all of them, of being under sin.

¹⁰This is as it is written:

“No one is righteous, not one;

¹¹there is no one who understands;

there is no one who seeks God.

¹²They have all turned away;

together they have become useless.

There is no one who does good, no,

not even one.”

¹³"Their throat is an open grave.

Their tongues have deceived.

The poison of snakes is under their lips.”

¹⁴"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

¹⁵"Their feet are swift to pour out blood.

¹⁶Destruction and suffering are in their paths.

¹⁷These people have not known a way of peace."

¹⁸"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to the ones who are under the law, so that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world held accountable to God.²⁰For no flesh will be justified by the works of the law in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

²¹But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed, to which the Law and the Prophets bear witness—²²the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. For there is no distinction,

²³for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,²⁴and they are freely justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

²⁵For God provided Christ Jesus as an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood. He offered Christ as proof of his justice, because of his disregard of previous sins²⁶in his patience. This was to show his righteousness at this present time, so he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷Where then is boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? Of works? No, but through a law of faith.²⁸We conclude then that a person is justified by faith without works of the law.

²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not also the God of Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also.³⁰If, indeed, God is one, he will justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith.

³¹Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! Instead, we uphold the law.

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¹What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, found?²For if Abraham had been justified by works, he would have had a reason to boast, but not before God.³For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

⁴Now for him who labors, his wage is not counted as a gift, but as what is owed.⁵But for him who does not work but instead believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

⁶David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness without works.

⁷He says,

"Blessed are those

whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered.

⁸Blessed is the man

against whom the Lord will not count sin."

⁹Then is this blessing pronounced only on those of the circumcision, or also on those of the uncircumcision? For we say, "Faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness."¹⁰How was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before!

¹¹Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them.¹²He is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

¹³For the promise to Abraham and to his descendants that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.¹⁴For if those who live by the law are to be the heirs, faith is made empty, and the promise does nothing.¹⁵For the law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there is no transgression.

¹⁶For this reason it is by faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of Abraham's descendants—not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all,¹⁷as it is written, "I have appointed you the father of many nations." Abraham was in the presence of him whom he trusted, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls the things that do not exist into existence.

¹⁸In hope he believed against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what he had been told, "So will your descendants be."¹⁹Without becoming weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

²⁰But because of God's promise, Abraham did not hesitate in unbelief. Instead, he was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God.²¹He was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to accomplish.²²Therefore this was also "counted to him as righteousness."

²³But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone.²⁴They were written also for us, and it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.²⁵This is the one who was delivered up for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

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¹Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.²Through him we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

³Not only this, but we also boast in our tribulations. We know that tribulation brings about perseverance.⁴Perseverance produces character, and character produces hope,⁵and hope does not make ashamed because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.

⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.⁷For one will hardly die for a righteous person, though perhaps someone would dare to die for a good person.

⁸But God proves his own love toward us, because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.⁹Much more, then, now that we are justified by his blood, we will be saved by him from the wrath of God.

¹⁰For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, after having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.¹¹Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we now have received this reconciliation.

¹²So then, as through one man sin entered into the world, in this way death entered through sin. And death spread to all people, because all sinned.¹³For until the law, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law.

¹⁴Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin like Adam's disobedience, who is a pattern of him who was to come.

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the trespass of one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound for the many!

¹⁶For the gift is not like the outcome of that one man's sin. The judgment followed one trespass and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one, death ruled through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸So then, as one trespass led to condemnation for all people, so also through the one act of righteousness came justification and life for all people.¹⁹For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one will the many be made righteous.

²⁰But the law came in to increase the trespass. But where sin abounded, grace abounded even more.²¹This happened so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness for everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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¹What then will we say? Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound?²May it never be. We who died to sin, how can we still live in it?³Do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

⁴We were buried, then, with him through baptism into death. This happened in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life.⁵For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be united with his resurrection.

⁶We know this, that our old man was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed. This happened so that we should no longer be enslaved to sin.⁷He who has died is declared righteous with respect to sin.

⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live together with him.⁹We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer rules over him.

¹⁰For in regard to the death that he died to sin, he died once for all. However, the life that he lives, he lives for God.¹¹In the same way, you also must consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

¹²Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.¹³Do not present the members of your bodies to sin, to be tools used for unrighteousness. But present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present the members of your bodies to God as tools to be used for righteousness.¹⁴Do not allow sin to rule over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be.¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey? You are either slaves to sin, which leads to death, or slaves to obedience, which leads to righteousness.

¹⁷But thanks be to God! For you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart the pattern of teaching that you were given.¹⁸You have been made free from sin, and you have been made slaves of righteousness.

¹⁹I speak like a man because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented the members of your bodies as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, resulting in more lawlessness, in the same way, now present the members of your bodies as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.²¹At that time, what fruit then did you have of the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

²²But now that you have been made free from sin and are enslaved to God, you have your fruit for sanctification. The result is eternal life.²³For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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¹Or do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to people who know about law), that the law rules over a person for whatever time he lives?

²For the married woman is bound by law to the husband while he lives, but if the husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.³So then, while her husband is living, if she lives with another man, she will be called an adulteress. But if the husband dies, she is free from the law, so she is not an adulteress if she lives with another man.

⁴Therefore, my brothers, you were also made dead to the law through the body of Christ. This is so that you could be joined to another, that is, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might produce fruit for God.⁵For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in the members of our bodies to bear fruit for death.

⁶But now we have been released from the law. We have died to that by which we were bound. This is so that we might serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in oldness of the letter.

⁷What will we say then? Is the law itself sin? May it never be. However, I would never have known sin, if it were not through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said, "You must not covet."⁸But sin took the opportunity through the commandment and produced every kind of coveting in me. For apart from the law, sin was dead.

⁹At one time I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin regained life¹⁰and I died. The commandment that was to bring life turned out to be death for me.

¹¹For sin took the opportunity through the commandment and deceived me. Through the commandment it killed me.¹²So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

¹³So did what is good become death to me? May it never be. But sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin, brought about death in me through what was good, and through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure.¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh. I have been sold under slavery to sin.

¹⁵For what I do, I do not really understand. For what I want to do, I do not do, and what I hate, I do.¹⁶But if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that the law is good.

¹⁷But now it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that lives in me.¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) lives no good thing. For the desire for good is with me, but I cannot do it.

¹⁹For the good that I want, I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, that I do.²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, then it is no longer I who am acting, but rather sin that lives in me.²¹So, I find this law: When I want to do good, evil is present with me.

²²For I rejoice in the law of God with my inner person.²³But I see a different law in the members of my body. It fights against that new law in my mind. It takes me captive by the law of sin that is in the members of my body.

²⁴I am a miserable man! Who will deliver me from this body of death?²⁵But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind. However, with the flesh I serve the law of sin.

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¹There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.

³For what the law was unable to do because it was weak through the flesh, God did. He sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be an offering for sin, and he condemned sin in the flesh.⁴He did this in order that the requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, we who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.⁵Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

⁶For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.⁷The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not submit to God's law, nor is it able to do so.⁸Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

⁹However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed God's Spirit lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.¹⁰If Christ is in you, the body is dead with respect to sin, but the spirit is alive with respect to righteousness.

¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

¹²So then, brothers, we are debtors, but not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you are about to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the body's actions, you will live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.¹⁵You did not receive a spirit of slavery so that you live in fear again; but you received the Spirit of adoption, by which we cry, "Abba, Father!"

¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.¹⁷If we are children, then we are also heirs—heirs of God. And we are joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed to us.¹⁹For the eager expectation of the creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

²⁰For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope²¹that the creation itself will be delivered from slavery to decay, and that it will be brought into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.²²For we know that the whole creation groans and labors in pain together even now.

²³Not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our body.²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he can see?²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groans.²⁷He who searches out the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes on behalf of God's holy people according to the will of God.

²⁸We know that for those who love God, he works all things together for good, ¹ for those who are called according to his purpose.²⁹Because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.³⁰Those whom he predestined, these he also called. Those whom he called, these he also justified. Those whom he justified, these he also glorified.

³¹What, therefore, can we say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?³²He who did not spare his own Son but delivered him up on behalf of us all, how will he not also with him freely give us all things?

³³Who will bring any accusation against God's chosen ones? God is the one who justifies.³⁴Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.

³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?³⁶Just as it is written,

"For your benefit we are killed all day long.

We were considered as sheep for the slaughter."

³⁷In all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us.³⁸For I have been convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor governments, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹Instead of he works all things together for good , some Greek copies read, all things work together for good .

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¹I tell the truth in Christ. I do not lie, and my conscience bears witness with me in the Holy Spirit²that for me there is great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.

³For I could wish that I myself would be cursed and set apart from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.⁴They are Israelites. They have adoption, the glory, the covenants, the gift of the law, the ministry in the temple, and the promises.⁵Theirs are the patriarchs from whom Christ has come with respect to the flesh—he who is God over all. May he be praised forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For it is not everyone in Israel who truly belongs to Israel.⁷Neither are all Abraham's descendants truly his children. But "It is through Isaac that your descendants will be called."

⁸That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God. But the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.⁹For this is the word of promise: "At this time I will come, and a son will be given to Sarah."

¹⁰Not only this, but after Rebekah also had conceived by one man, our father Isaac—¹¹for the children were not yet born and had not yet done anything good or bad, so that the purpose of God according to choice might stand,¹²not because of actions, but because of him who calls—it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger."¹³It is just as had been written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

¹⁴What then will we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be.¹⁵For he says to Moses,

"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,

and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

¹⁶So then, it is not because of him who wills, nor because of him who runs, but because of God, who shows mercy.

¹⁷For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, so that I might demonstrate my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."¹⁸So then, God has mercy on whom he wishes, and whom he wishes, he makes stubborn.

¹⁹You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who has ever withstood his will?"²⁰On the contrary, man, who are you who answers against God? Will what has been molded say to the one who molds it, "Why did you make me this way?"²¹Does the potter not have the right over the clay to make from the same lump a container for honorable use, and another container for dishonorable use?

²²What if God, who is willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience containers of wrath prepared for destruction?²³What if he did this in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon containers of mercy, which he had previously prepared for glory?²⁴What if he did this also for us, whom he also called, not only from among the Jews, but also from among the Gentiles?

²⁵As he says also in Hosea:

"I will call them 'my people' who were not my people,

and her 'beloved' who was not beloved.

²⁶Then it will be that where it was said to them,

'You are not my people,'

there they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"

²⁷Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,

"Though the number of the sons of Israel were as the sand of the sea,

it will be a remnant that will be saved,

²⁸for the Lord will execute his word

on the earth completely and without delay."

²⁹As Isaiah had said previously,

"If the Lord of hosts

had not left us descendants,

we would be like Sodom,

and we would have become like Gomorrah."

³⁰What will we say then? That the Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, the righteousness by faith.³¹But Israel, who did pursue a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

³²Why not? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling,³³as it has been written,

"Look, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling

and a rock of offense.

He who believes in it will not be ashamed."

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¹Brothers, my heart's desire and my plea to God is for them, for their salvation.²For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.³For, failing to understand the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God's righteousness.

⁴For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes.⁵For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."

⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says this: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down);⁷"and do not say, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

⁸But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." That is the word of faith, which we proclaim.⁹For if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.¹⁰For with the heart one believes and has righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

¹¹For scripture says, "Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame."¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Greek. For the same Lord is Lord of all, and he is rich to all who call upon him.¹³For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

¹⁴How then can they call on him in whom they have not believed? How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without a preacher?¹⁵Then how can they preach, unless they are sent?—As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news!"

¹⁶But not all of them obeyed the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

¹⁸But I say, "Did they not hear?" Yes, most certainly.

"Their sound has gone out into all the earth,

and their words to the ends of the world."

¹⁹Moreover, I say, "Did Israel not know?" First Moses says,

"I will provoke you to jealousy by what is not a nation.

By means of a nation without understanding, I will stir you up to anger."

²⁰Then Isaiah was very bold when he says,

"I was found by those who did not seek me.

I appeared to those who did not ask for me."

²¹But to Israel he says,

"All the day long I reached out my hands

to a disobedient and stubborn people."

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¹I say then, did God reject his people? May it never be. For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.²God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says about Elijah, how he pleaded with God against Israel?³"Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life."

⁴But what does God's answer say to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men who have not bent the knee to Baal."⁵Even so then, at this present time also there is a remnant because of the choice of grace.

⁶But if it is by grace, it is no longer based on works. Otherwise grace would no longer be grace. ¹⁷What then? The thing that Israel was seeking, it did not obtain, but the chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.⁸It is just as it is written:

"God has given them a spirit of dullness,

eyes so that they should not see,

and ears so that they should not hear,

to this very day."

⁹Then David says,

"Let their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

¹⁰Let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,

and bend their backs continually."

¹¹I say then, "Did they stumble so as to fall?" May it never be. Instead, by their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy.¹²Now if their trespass is the riches of the world, and if their loss is the riches of the Gentiles, how much greater will their fulfillment be?

¹³But now I am speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry.¹⁴Perhaps I will provoke to jealousy those who are of my own flesh. Perhaps we will save some of them.

¹⁵For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?¹⁶If the firstfruits are holy, so is the lump of dough. If the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, if you, a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them, and if you shared with them in the rich root of the olive tree,¹⁸do not boast over the branches. But if you do boast, it is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.

¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."²⁰That is true. Because of their unbelief they were broken off, but you stand firm because of your faith. Do not be arrogant in your thoughts, but fear.²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

²²Look at, then, the kind actions and the severity of God: severity came on the Jews who fell, but God's kindness comes on you, if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

²³And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again.²⁴For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree?

²⁵For I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, of this mystery, so that you may not be wise in your own thinking: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the full number of the Gentiles comes in.

²⁶Thus all Israel will be saved, just as it is written:

"Out of Zion will come the Deliverer.

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob,

²⁷and this will be my covenant with them,

when I will take away their sins."

²⁸As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they are beloved because of the patriarchs.²⁹For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

³⁰For just as you were formerly disobedient to God, now you have received mercy because of their disobedience.³¹In the same way, now these Jews have been disobedient. The result was that by the mercy shown to you they may also now receive mercy.³²For God has shut up all into disobedience in order that he might show mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are his judgments,

and his ways beyond discovering!

³⁴"For who has known the mind of the Lord

or who has become his advisor?

³⁵Or who has first given anything to God,

that God must repay him?"

³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever. Amen.

¹Some old copies read But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work .

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¹I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. This is your reasonable service.²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Do this so that you can test and approve what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

³For by the grace that was given to me I say to everyone among you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather, think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has given you.

⁴For we have many members in one body, but not all the members have the same function.⁵In the same way, we who are many are one body in Christ, and are individually members of each other.

⁶We have different gifts according to the grace that was given to us. If one's gift is prophecy, let it be done according to the proportion of his faith.⁷If one's gift is service, let him serve. If one has the gift of teaching, let him teach.⁸If one's gift is encouragement, let him encourage. If one's gift is giving, let him do it generously. If one's gift is leading, let it be done with diligence. If one's gift is in showing mercy, let it be done with cheerfulness.

⁹Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; hold on to that which is good.¹⁰Concerning love of the brothers, be affectionate to one another. Concerning honor, respect one another.

¹¹Concerning diligence, do not be hesitant. Concerning the spirit, be eager. Concerning the Lord, serve him.¹²Rejoice in hope, endure tribulation, be faithful in prayer.¹³Share in the needs of God's holy people. Find many ways to show hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.¹⁶Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not think in proud ways, but accept lowly people. Do not be wise in your own thoughts.

¹⁷Repay no one evil for evil. Do good things in the sight of all people.¹⁸If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all people.

¹⁹Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give way to the wrath of God. For it is written, "'Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,' says the Lord."

²⁰But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

For if you do this, you will heap coals of fire on his head."

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

13

¹Let every soul be subject to higher authorities, for there is no authority unless it comes from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.²Therefore he who rebels against that authority opposes the command of God; and those who oppose it will receive judgment on themselves.

³For rulers are not a terror to those who do good deeds, but to those who do evil deeds. Do you desire to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive his praise.⁴For he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for he does not carry the sword for no reason. For he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath on the one who does evil.⁵Therefore you must be subject, not only because of the wrath, but also because of conscience.

⁶Because of this you pay taxes also. For authorities are servants of God, who attend to this very thing continually.⁷Pay to everyone what is owed to them: tax to whom tax is due, toll to whom toll is due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due.

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.⁹The commandments, "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet," and if there is any other commandment it is summed up in this, "Love your neighbor as yourself."¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹Because of this, you know the time, that it is already the hour for you to awake out of sleep. For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.¹²The night has advanced, and the day is near. Let us therefore put aside the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

¹³Let us walk appropriately, as in the day, not in drunken celebrations or drunkenness; and let us not walk in sexual immorality or in uncontrolled lust, and not in strife or jealousy.¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its lusts.

14

¹Receive anyone who is weak in faith, without giving judgment about arguments.²One person has faith to eat anything, another who is weak eats only vegetables.

³May the one who eats everything not despise the one who does not; and may the one who does not eat everything not judge the other who eats everything. For God has accepted him.⁴Who are you, you who judge a servant belonging to someone else? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. But he will be made to stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

⁵One person values one day above another. Another has concluded that every day is equal. Let each person be convinced in his own mind.⁶He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord; and he who eats, eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God. He who does not eat, refrains from eating for the Lord; he also gives thanks to God.

⁷For none of us lives for himself, and none dies for himself.⁸For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Then whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.⁹For to this purpose Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and those who are living.

¹⁰But you, why do you judge your brother? And you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.¹¹For it is written,

"As I live," says the Lord,

"to me every knee will bend,

and every tongue will confess to God."

¹²So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

¹³Therefore, let us no longer judge one another, but instead decide this, that no one will place a stumbling block or a snare for his brother.

¹⁴I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean by itself. Only for him who considers anything to be unclean, for him it is unclean.¹⁵If because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food one for whom Christ died.

¹⁶So do not allow what you consider to be good to be spoken of as evil.¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not about food and drink, but about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸For the one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by people.¹⁹So then, let us pursue the things of peace and the things that build up one another.

²⁰Do not destroy the work of God on account of food. All things are clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone to stumble.²¹It is good not to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything over which your brother stumbles.

²²The faith you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.²³He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it is not from faith. And whatever is not from faith is sin.

15

¹Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and ought not to please ourselves.²Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, in order to build him up.

³For even Christ did not please himself. Instead, it was just as it is written, "The insults of those who insulted you fell on me."⁴For whatever was previously written was written for our instruction in order that through patience and through encouragement of the scriptures we would have hope.

⁵Now may the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with each other according to Christ Jesus.⁶May he do this in order that with one mind you may glorify with one mouth the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷Therefore receive one another, even as Christ also received you, to the glory of God.

⁸For I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision on behalf of God's truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,⁹and for the Gentiles to glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

"Therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles

and sing praise to your name."

¹⁰Again it says,

"Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people."

¹¹And again,

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;

let all the peoples praise him."

¹²Again, Isaiah says,

"The root of Jesse will come,

the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles;

in him the Gentiles will have hope."

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

¹⁴I myself am also convinced about you, my brothers. I am convinced that also you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge. I am convinced that you are also able to instruct one another.

¹⁵But I am writing more boldly to you about some things in order to remind you again, because of the grace given me by God.¹⁶This grace was that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus sent to the Gentiles, to offer as a priest the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷In Christ Jesus I have reason to boast of my service for God.¹⁸For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me for the obedience of the Gentiles. These are things done by word and action,¹⁹by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. This was so that from Jerusalem, and round about as far as Illyricum, I might fully carry out the gospel of Christ.

²⁰In this way, my desire has been to proclaim the gospel, but not where Christ is known by name, in order that I might not build upon another man's foundation.²¹It is as it is written:

"Those to whom no report of him came will see him,

and those who have not heard will understand."

²²Therefore I was also hindered many times from coming to you.²³But now, I no longer have any place in these regions, and I have been longing for many years to come to you.

²⁴I hope to see you when I pass through there on my way to Spain, and to be helped by you on my journey there, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.²⁵But now I am going to Jerusalem, serving God's holy people.

²⁶For it was the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution to the poor among God's holy people who are in Jerusalem.²⁷Yes, it was their good pleasure, and they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they owe it to the Jews to minister to them with their material things.

²⁸Therefore, when I have completed this task and have made sure that they receive all that was collected, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way.²⁹I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.³¹Pray that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to God's holy people.³²Pray that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and that I may, together with you, find rest.

³³May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

16

¹I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is in Cenchreae,²in order that you may receive her in the Lord. Do this in a manner worthy of God's holy people, and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many and to myself as well.

³Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,⁴who for my life risked their own lives. I give thanks to them, and not only I, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

⁵Greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus my beloved, who is the firstfruit of Asia to Christ.

⁶Greet Mary, who has labored hard for you.

⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and fellow prisoners. They are well known among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

⁸Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

⁹Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.

¹⁰Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.

¹¹Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

¹²Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, laborers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has labored much in the Lord.

¹³Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

¹⁴Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.

¹⁵Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all God's holy people who are with them.

¹⁶Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

¹⁷Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned. Turn away from them.¹⁸For people such as these do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach. By their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

¹⁹For your example of obedience reaches everyone. I rejoice, therefore, over you, but I want you to be wise as to that which is good, and innocent to that which is evil.²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

²¹Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, and Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen.²²I, Tertius, who write this epistle down, greet you in the Lord.

²³Gaius, the host for me and for the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, with Quartus the brother.²⁴¹

²⁵Now to him who is able to make you strong according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages

²⁶but now has been revealed and made known through the prophetic writings to all nations,

by the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen.

¹The best ancient copies do not have this phrase: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen . So verese 24 is not included in the ULB.

1 Corinthians

1

¹Paul, called by Christ Jesus to be an apostle by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

²to the church of God at Corinth, those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy people, together with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is their Lord and ours:

³May grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace of God that Christ Jesus gave to you.⁵He has made you rich in every way, in all speech and with all knowledge,⁶just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed as true among you.

⁷Therefore you lack no spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹God is faithful, who called you into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you. I urge that you be joined together with the same mind and by the same purpose.¹¹For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by Chloe's people that there are factions among you.

¹²I mean this: Each one of you says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," or "I am with Cephas," or "I am with Christ."¹³Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius.¹⁵This was so that no one would say that you were baptized into my name.¹⁶(I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know if I baptized any others.)

¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel—not with clever speech, in order that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its power.

¹⁸For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But among those who are being saved, it is the power of God.¹⁹For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.

I will set aside the understanding of the intelligent."

²⁰Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this world? Has not God turned the wisdom of the world into foolishness?²¹Since the world in its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.

²²For Jews ask for miraculous signs and Greeks seek wisdom.²³But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

²⁴But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, we preach Christ as the power and the wisdom of God.²⁵For the foolishness of God is wiser than people, and the weakness of God is stronger than people.

²⁶Look at your calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise according to the flesh. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you were of noble birth.²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame what is strong.

²⁸God chose what is low and despised in the world. He even chose things that are regarded as nothing, to bring to nothing things that are held as valuable.²⁹He did this so that no flesh would have a reason to boast before him.

³⁰Because of what God did, now you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God. He became our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.³¹As a result, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

2

¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence of speech or wisdom as I proclaimed hidden truths about God. ¹²For I decided to know nothing when I was among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

³And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.⁴And my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power,⁵so that your faith might not be in the wisdom of humans, but in the power of God.

⁶Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this world, or of the rulers of this age, who are passing away.⁷Instead, we speak God's wisdom in hidden truth, the hidden wisdom that God predestined before the ages for our glory.

⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.⁹But as it is written,

"No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no human heart has imagined

what God has prepared for those who love him"—

¹⁰For God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything out, even the deep things of God. ²¹¹For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of the person in him? So also, no one knows the deep things of God except the Spirit of God.

¹²But we did not receive the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God.¹³We speak about these things in words not taught by human wisdom but by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people.

¹⁴The unspiritual person does not receive the things that belong to the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.¹⁵The one who is spiritual judges all things, but he is not judged by others.

¹⁶"For who can know the mind of the Lord,

that he can instruct him?"

But we have the mind of Christ.

¹A few important and ancient Greek copies read, as I proclaimed the testimony about God .

²Some ancient Greek copies say But God . Howevever, following our Greek source, it reads,For God .

3

¹And I, brothers, could not speak to you as to spiritual people, but instead as to fleshly people, as to little children in Christ.²I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and even now you are not yet ready.

³For you are still fleshly. For where jealousy and strife exist among you, are you not living according to the flesh, and are you not walking by human standards?⁴For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another says, "I follow Apollos," are you not merely human beings?⁵Who then is Apollos? Who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, just as the Lord gave tasks to each.

⁶I planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.⁷So then, neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything. But it is God who gives the growth.

⁸Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own wages according to his own labor.⁹For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's garden, God's building.

¹⁰According to the grace of God that was given to me as a skilled master builder, I laid a foundation and another is building on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on it.¹¹For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid, that is, Jesus Christ.

¹²Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,¹³his work will be revealed, for the day will reveal it. For it will be revealed in fire. The fire will test the quality of what each one has done.

¹⁴If anyone's work remains, he will receive a reward;¹⁵but if anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, as though escaping through fire.

¹⁶Do you not know that you are God's temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and so are you.

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a "fool" that he may become wise.¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,

"He catches the wise in their craftiness."

²⁰And again,

"The Lord knows that the reasoning of the wise is futile."

²¹For this reason, let no one boast in men. All things are yours,²²whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All things are yours,²³and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

4

¹This is how a person should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the hidden truths of God.²Now what is required of stewards is that they are found to be trustworthy.

³But for me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. For I do not even judge myself.⁴I am not aware of any charge being made against me, but that does not justify me. The one who judges me is the Lord.

⁵Therefore do not pronounce judgment about anything before the time, before the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his praise from God.

⁶Now, brothers, I applied these principles to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that from us you might learn the meaning of the saying,

"Do not go beyond what is written."

This is so that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against the other.

⁷For who sees any difference between you and others? What do you have that you did not receive? If you have received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

⁸Already you have all you could want! Already you have become rich! You began to reign—and that quite apart from us! Indeed, I wish you did reign, so that we could reign with you.⁹For I think God has put us apostles on display as the last in line, in a procession and like men sentenced to death. We have become a spectacle to the world—to angels, and to human beings.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are held in dishonor.¹¹Up to this present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are beaten, and we are homeless.

¹²We labor hard, working with our own hands. When we are slandered, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure.¹³When we are slandered, we speak with kindness. We have become as the refuse of the world and the filthiest of all things, even till now.

¹⁴I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.¹⁵For even if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.¹⁶So I urge you to be imitators of me.

¹⁷That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, just as I teach them everywhere and in every church.¹⁸Now some of you have become puffed up, acting as though I were not coming to you.

¹⁹But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills. Then I will know not merely the words of these who are so puffed up, but I will see their power.²⁰For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.²¹What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?

5

¹We heard a report that there is sexual immorality among you, a kind of immorality that is not even permitted among the pagans: A man has his father's wife.²You are puffed up! Should you not mourn instead, so that the one who did this deed might be removed from among you?

³For even though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as though I were there.⁴When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,⁵deliver this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole loaf?⁷Cleanse yourselves of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough, unleavened, just as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.⁸So let us then celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of bad behavior and wickedness. Instead, let us celebrate with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.¹⁰In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters, since to stay away from them you would need to go out of the world.

¹¹But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother but who is living in sexual immorality, or who is greedy, or is an idolater, or is verbally abusive, or is a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat a meal with such a person.¹²For how am I involved with judging those who are outside the church? Instead, are you not to judge those who are inside the church?¹³But God judges those who are on the outside.

"Remove the evil person from among you."

6

¹When one of you has a dispute against another, does he dare to bring a lawsuit before the unrighteous rather than before God's holy people?²Do you not know that God's holy people will judge the world? If then you will judge the world, are you not able to settle matters of little importance?³Do you not know that we will judge the angels? How much more, then, can we judge matters of this life?

⁴If then you have to make judgments that pertain to daily life, why do you lay such cases as these before those who have no standing in the church?⁵I say this to your shame. Is there no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between brothers?⁶But one brother brings a lawsuit against another brother—and this before unbelievers!

⁷The fact that you have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather allow yourselves to be cheated?⁸But you yourselves do wrong and you cheat, and you do this to your own brothers!

⁹Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to homosexual acts, nor men who perform homosexual acts, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.¹¹That is what some of you were like. But you have been cleansed, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

¹²"Everything is lawful for me," but not everything is profitable. "Everything is lawful for me," but I will not be mastered by any of them.¹³"Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food," but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality. Instead, the body is for the Lord, and the Lord will provide for the body.

¹⁴God both raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I then take the members of Christ and join them to a prostitute? May it not be!

¹⁶Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? As scripture says, "The two will become one flesh."¹⁷But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

¹⁸Run away from sexual immorality! Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you, whom you have from God? Do you not know that you are not your own?²⁰For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God with your body and in your spirit, which belong to God.

7

¹Now concerning the issues you wrote about: "It is good for a man not to touch a woman."²But because of temptations for many immoral acts, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

³The husband should fulfill his duty to have sexual relations with his wife, and in the same way the wife to her husband.⁴It is not the wife who has authority over her own body, it is the husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

⁵Do not deprive each other, except by mutual agreement and for a specific period of time. Do this so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then you should come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶But I say these things to you as a concession and not as a command.⁷I wish that everyone were as I am. But each one has his own gift from God. One has this kind of gift, and another that kind.

⁸To the unmarried and to widows I say that it is good for them if they remain unmarried, as I am.⁹But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better for them to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰Now to the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—the wife should not separate from her husband¹¹(but if she does separate from her husband, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

¹²But to the rest I say—I, not the Lord—that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and if she is content to live with him, he should not divorce her.¹³If a woman has an unbelieving husband, and if he is content to live with her, she should not divorce him.¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is set apart because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart because of the brother. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but actually they are set apart.

¹⁵But if the unbeliever departs, let him go. In such cases, the brother or sister is not bound to their vows. God has called us to live in peace.¹⁶For how do you know, woman, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, man, whether you will save your wife?

¹⁷However, as the Lord has given each one his portion, let each one walk as God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.¹⁸Was anyone circumcised when he was called to believe? He should not try to appear uncircumcised. Was anyone uncircumcised when he was called to faith? He should not be circumcised.¹⁹For it is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision that matters. What matters is obeying the commandments of God.

²⁰Each one should remain in the calling he was in when God called him to believe.²¹Were you a slave when God called you? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can become free, take advantage of it.²²For someone who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freeman. In the same way, the one who was free when he was called to believe is Christ's slave.²³You have been bought with a price, so do not become slaves of men.²⁴Brothers, in whatever situation he was in when he was called, let each one remain with God in that.

²⁵Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord. But I give my opinion as one who, by the Lord's mercy, is trustworthy.²⁶Therefore, I think that because of the disaster that is coming, it is good for a man to remain as he is.

²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a divorce. If you are free of a wife, do not seek a wife.²⁸But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who do will have many kinds of fleshly trouble, and I want to spare you from this.

²⁹But this I say, brothers: The time is short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none.³⁰Those who weep should act as though they were not weeping, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not possess anything,³¹and those who use the world should not act as though they are using it to the full. For the world in its present form is coming to an end.

³²I would like you to be free from worries. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please him.³³But the married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife—³⁴he is divided. The unmarried woman or the virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to be set apart in body and in spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.

³⁵I say this for your own benefit, and not to put any constraint on you. I say this for what is right, so that you may be devoted to the Lord without any distraction.

³⁶But if anyone thinks that he is not treating his virgin with respect—if she is beyond the age of marriage and it must be so—he should do what he wants. He is not sinning. They should marry.³⁷But if he is standing firm in his heart, if he is not under pressure but can control his own will, and if he has decided in his own heart to do this, to keep his own a virgin, he will do well.³⁸So the one who marries his virgin does well, and the one who chooses not to marry will do even better.

³⁹A woman is bound to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only in the Lord.⁴⁰Yet in my judgment she would be happier if she lives as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

8

¹Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.²If anyone thinks he knows something, that person does not yet know as he should know.³But if anyone loves God, that person is known by him.

⁴Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol in this world is nothing and that there is no God but one.⁵For even if there were so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth (just as there are many "gods" and many "lords"),⁶yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist, and through whom we exist.

⁷However, this knowledge is not in everyone. Instead, some previously practiced idol worship, and they eat this food as if it were something sacrificed to an idol. Their conscience is thereby defiled because it is weak.

⁸But food will not present us to God. We are not worse if we do not eat, nor better if we do eat it.⁹But take care that your freedom does not become a reason for someone who is weak in faith to stumble.¹⁰For suppose that someone sees you, who have knowledge, eating a meal in an idol's temple. Is not his weak conscience emboldened to eat what is offered to idols?

¹¹So because of your understanding about the true nature of idols, the weaker one, the brother for whom Christ died, is destroyed.¹²Thus, when you sin against your brothers and wound their weak consciences, you sin against Christ.¹³Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to fall.

9

¹Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?²If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³This is my defense to those who examine me:⁴Do we not have the right to eat and drink?⁵Do we not have the right to take along a wife who is a believer, as do the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?⁶Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to not work at a trade?

⁷Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink milk from it?⁸Do I say these things based on human authority? Does not the law also say this?

⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, "Do not put a muzzle on an ox when it is threshing the grain." Is it really the oxen that God cares about?¹⁰Is he not speaking about us? It was written for us, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in the hope of sharing in the harvest.¹¹If we sowed spiritual things among you, is it too much for us to reap physical things from you?

¹²If others exercised this right from you, do we not have even more? But we did not claim this right. Instead we endured everything rather than be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.¹³Do you not know that those who perform sacred duties get their food from the temple? Do you not know that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?¹⁴In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living from the gospel.

¹⁵But I have not claimed any of these rights. And I do not write this so something might be done for me. It would be better for me to die than—No one will make my boast empty!¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I must do this. And woe be to me if I do not preach the gospel!

¹⁷For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if not willingly, I still have a stewardship that was entrusted to me.¹⁸What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may offer the gospel without charge and so not take full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹For though I am free from all, I became a servant to all, in order that I might win more.²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law in order to win those under the law. I did this even though I myself was not under the law. ¹

²¹To those outside the law, I became like one outside the law, although I was not outside the law of God myself, but under the law of Christ. I did this so that I may win those outside the law.²²To the weak I became weak, so that I may win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.²³I do all things for the gospel's sake, so that I may participate in its blessings.

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run the race, but that only one receives the prize? So run to win the prize.²⁵Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a wreath that is perishable, but we do it to receive one that is imperishable.²⁶Therefore this is how I run, as not without purpose; this is how I box, not as one beating the air.²⁷But I subdue my body and make it a slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself may not be disqualified.

¹The ULB has: I did this even though I myself was not under the law . A few important and ancient Greek copies, with other ancient translations, leave this sentence out.

10

¹I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea.²All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,³and all ate the same spiritual food.⁴All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

⁵But God was not well pleased with most of them, and their corpses were scattered about in the wilderness.⁶Now these things were examples for us, so we would not be those who lust for evil things as they lusted.

⁷Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. This is as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."⁸Let us not commit sexual immorality, as many of them did. In one day, twenty-three thousand people died because of it.

⁹Neither let us put Christ to the test, as many of them tested him and were destroyed by snakes.¹⁰Also do not grumble, as many of them did and were destroyed by an angel of death.

¹¹Now these things happened to them as examples for us. They were written for our instruction—for us on whom the end of the ages has come.¹²Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.¹³No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to all humanity. Instead, God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. With the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it.

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved ones, run away from idolatry.¹⁵I speak to you as people who have understanding, so you may judge what I say.¹⁶The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?¹⁷Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body. We all take of one loaf of bread together.

¹⁸Look at the Israel that is according to the flesh. Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?¹⁹What am I saying then? That an idol is anything? Or that food sacrificed to an idol is anything?

²⁰But I say about the things they sacrifice, that they offer these things to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons!²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot participate at the table of the Lord and the table of demons.²²Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he is?

²³"Everything is lawful," but not everything is profitable. "Everything is lawful," but not everything builds people up.²⁴No one should seek his own good. Instead, each one should seek the good of his neighbor.

²⁵Eat everything sold in the market without asking questions of conscience.²⁶For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it."²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to eat a meal, and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you without asking questions of conscience.

²⁸But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ¹²⁹the conscience of the other man, I mean, and not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?³⁰If I partake of the meal with gratitude, why am I being insulted for that for which I gave thanks?

³¹Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.³²Be blameless both to Jews and to Greeks, and to the church of God.³³In the same way I try to please all people in all things. I do not seek my benefit, but that of the many. I do this so that they may be saved.

¹Some ancient copies of the Greek text add, For the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord . But the best ancient copies of the Greek text do not have this. Many scholars see this addition as a duplication of verse 26.

11¹Be imitators of me, just as I am an imitator of Christ.

²Now I praise you because you remember me in everything. I praise you because you hold firmly to the traditions just as I delivered them to you.³Now I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, that a man is the head of a woman, and that God is the head of Christ.⁴Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

⁵But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is the same thing as if her head were shaved.⁶For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut her hair short. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or for her to shave her head, let her cover her head.

⁷For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.⁸For man was not made from woman. Instead, woman was made from man.

⁹For neither was man created for woman. Instead, woman was created for man.¹⁰This is why the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless, in the Lord, the woman is not independent from the man, nor is the man independent from the woman.¹²For as the woman comes from the man, so does the man come from the woman. And all things come from God.

¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?¹⁴Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor for him?¹⁵Does not nature teach you that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair has been given to her as a covering.¹⁶But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any other practice, nor do the churches of God.

¹⁷But in the following instructions, I do not praise you. For when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse.¹⁸For in the first place, I hear that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.¹⁹For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.

²⁰For when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.²¹When you eat, each one eats his own food before the others have their meal. One is hungry, and another becomes drunk.²²Do you not have houses to eat and to drink in? Do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread.²⁴After he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this to remember me."

²⁵In the same way he took the cup after supper, and he said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, to remember me."²⁶For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.²⁸Let a person examine himself first, and in this way let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.²⁹For he who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment to himself.³⁰That is why many among you are weak and ill, and some of you have fallen asleep.

³¹But if we examine ourselves, we will not be judged.³²But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

³³Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.³⁴If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. And about the other things you wrote, I will give instructions when I come.

12

¹About spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.²You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to idols who could not speak, in whatever ways you were led by them.³Therefore I want you to know that no one who speaks by the Spirit of God can say, "Jesus is accursed." No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.⁵There are different ministries, but the same Lord;⁶and there are different kinds of work, but it is the same God who works all in all.

⁷Now to each one is given the outward display of the Spirit for the benefit of all.⁸For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.

⁹To another is given faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit.¹⁰To another is given miraculous works, and to another prophecy. To another is given the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, giving the gifts to each one individually, as he chooses.

¹²For as the body is one and has many members and all are members of the same body, so it is with Christ.¹³For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not a single member, but many.¹⁵If the foot says, "Since I am not the hand, I am not part of the body," it is not any less a part of the body.¹⁶And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body," it is not any less a part of the body.¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

¹⁸But God has appointed each member, each one of them, into the body as he has desired.¹⁹If they were all the same member, where would the body be?²⁰So now they are many members, but only one body.

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you." Nor does the head say to the feet, "I have no need of you."²²But the members of the body that appear to be weaker are essential,²³and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable, we give them greater honor, and our unpresentable members have more dignity.²⁴Now our presentable members have no such need. Rather, God has composed the body, giving greater honor to those members that lack it.

²⁵He did this so there may be no division within the body, but that the members should care for one another with the same affection.²⁶So when one member suffers, all the members suffer together; or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice together.²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

²⁸And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who do miracles, then gifts of healing, those who provide helps, those who do the work of administration, and those who have various kinds of tongues.²⁹Are all of them apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?

³⁰Do all of them have gifts of healing? Do all of them speak with tongues? Do all of them interpret tongues?³¹Zealously seek the greater gifts. And now I will show you a more excellent way.

13

¹Suppose that I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. But if I do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.²Suppose that I have the gift of prophecy and understand all hidden truths and knowledge, and that I have all faith so as to remove mountains. But if I do not have love, I am nothing.³Suppose that I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and that I give my body to be burned. But if I do not have love, I gain nothing. ¹

⁴Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous and does not boast. It is not puffed up⁵or rude. It does not seek its own. It is not provoked, nor does it keep a count of wrongs.⁶It does not rejoice in unrighteousness. Instead, it rejoices in the truth.⁷Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

⁸Love never ends. If there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away.⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part.¹⁰But when the perfect comes, that which is incomplete will pass away.

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put away childish things.¹²For now we see indirectly in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I have been fully known.¹³But now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

¹Most important and ancient Greek copies, as well as ancient translations read, I give my body to be burned . There are a few important and ancient Greek copies, as well as ancient translations, that read, I give my body so that I might boast .

14

¹Pursue love and be zealous for spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.²For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. For no one understands him because he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.³But the one who prophesies speaks to people to build them up, to exhort them, and to comfort them.⁴The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

⁵Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues. But even more than that, I wish that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues (unless someone interprets so that the church may receive edification).⁶But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you? I cannot, unless I speak to you with revelation, or knowledge, or prophecy, or teaching.

⁷In the same way, when lifeless instruments are producing sounds—like the flute or the harp—if they do not produce different tones, how will anyone know what tune the flute or harp is playing?⁸For if the trumpet is played with an uncertain sound, how will anyone know when it is time to prepare for battle?⁹It is the same way for you with the tongue. If you utter speech that is not clear, how will what is said be understood? You will be speaking into the air.

¹⁰There are doubtless many kinds of languages in the world, and none is without meaning.¹¹But if I do not know the meaning of a language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager for the manifestations of the Spirit, seek for the edification of the church so that you might abound.¹³So the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

¹⁵What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, and I will also sing with my mind.¹⁶Otherwise, if you bless God with the spirit, how will the outsider say "Amen" when you are giving thanks if he does not know what you are saying?

¹⁷For you certainly give thanks well enough, but the other person is not built up.¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.¹⁹But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding so that I might instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Rather, in regard to evil, be like infants. But in your thinking be mature.²¹In the law it is written,

"By men of strange tongues

and by the lips of strangers

I will speak to this people.

Even then they will not hear me,"

says the Lord.

²²So then, tongues are a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers. But prophecy is for a sign, not for unbelievers, but for believers.²³If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders and unbelievers come in, would they not say that you are insane?

²⁴But if you all were prophesying and an unbeliever or an outsider came in, he would be convicted by all he hears. He would be judged by all that is said.²⁵The secrets of his heart would be revealed. As a result, he would fall on his face and worship God. He would declare that God is really among you.

²⁶What is next then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Do everything so that you build up the church.²⁷If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at most three, and each one in turn, and then someone should interpret what is said.²⁸But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in the church. Let each one speak to himself alone and to God.

²⁹Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others listen with discernment to what is said.³⁰But if there is a revelation to one who is sitting, let the first be silent.

³¹For each of you can prophesy one by one so that each one may learn and all may be exhorted.³²For the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.³³For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

This is the rule in all the churches of God's holy people.

³⁴The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak. Instead, they should be in submission, as also the law says.³⁵If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.³⁶Did the word of God come from you? Are you the only ones it has reached?

³⁷If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I write to you are a command of the Lord.³⁸But if anyone does not recognize this, let him not be recognized.

³⁹So then, brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid anyone from speaking in tongues.⁴⁰But let all things be done properly and in order.

15

¹Now I want to make known to you, brothers, the gospel I proclaimed to you, which you received and on which you stand,²and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

³For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,⁴that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

⁵Christ appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve;⁶then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once. Most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep.⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

⁸Last of all, he appeared to me, as if to one born prematurely.⁹For I am the least of the apostles. I am unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God.

¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me was not in vain. Instead, I labored harder than all of them. Yet it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.¹¹Therefore whether it is I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹²Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;¹⁴and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain.

¹⁵Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we testified that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised.¹⁶For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;¹⁷and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins.

¹⁸Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.¹⁹If only in this life we hope in Christ, of all people we are most to be pitied.

²⁰But now Christ has been raised from the dead as the firstfruits of those who sleep.²¹For since death came by a man, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

²²For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.²³But each in his own order: Christ, who is the firstfruits, and then those who belong to Christ will be made alive at his coming.

²⁴Then will be the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, when he will abolish all rule and all authority and power.²⁵For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.²⁶The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

²⁷For "he has put everything under his feet." But when it says, "he has put everything," it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection under him.²⁸When all things are subjected under him, then the Son himself will be subjected under the one who put all things into subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

²⁹Or else what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they baptized for them?³⁰Why then are we in danger every hour?

³¹I die every day! This is as sure as my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.³²What do I gain, from a human point of view, if I fought with beasts at Ephesus, if the dead are not raised?

"Let us eat and drink,

for tomorrow we die."

³³Be not deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."³⁴Sober up! Live righteously! Do not keep sinning. For some of you have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

³⁵But someone will say, "How are the dead raised, and with what kind of body will they come?"³⁶You fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies.

³⁷What you sow is not the body that will be, but a bare grain. It may become wheat or something else.³⁸But God will give it a body as he chooses, and to each seed its own body.³⁹Not all flesh is the same. Instead, there is one flesh for human beings, and another flesh for animals, and another flesh for birds, and another for fish.

⁴⁰There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the glory of the heavenly body is one kind and the glory of the earthly is another.⁴¹There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars. For one star differs from another star in glory.

⁴²So also is the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, and what is raised is imperishable.⁴³It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.⁴⁴It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

⁴⁵So also it is written, "The first man Adam became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.⁴⁶But the spiritual did not come first but the natural, and then the spiritual.

⁴⁷The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is from heaven.⁴⁸Just as the one made from dust is, so also are those who are made of the dust, and as the man of heaven is, so also are those who are of heaven.⁴⁹Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

⁵⁰Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does what is perishable inherit what is imperishable.⁵¹Look! I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.

⁵²We will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.⁵³For this perishable body must put on what is imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

⁵⁴But when this perishable body has put on what is imperishable, and when this mortal body has put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."

⁵⁵"Death, where is your victory?

Death, where is your sting?"

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always abound in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

16

¹Now concerning the collection for God's holy people: as I instructed the churches of Galatia, so you are to do.²On the first day of the week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper. Do this so that there will be no collections when I come.

³When I arrive, to whomever you approve, I will give letters of introduction to them and will send them with your gift to Jerusalem.⁴If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.

⁵But I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia. For I will pass through Macedonia.⁶Perhaps I may stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my way, wherever I go.

⁷For I do not wish to see you now for only a passing visit. For I hope to spend more time with you, if the Lord permits.⁸But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,⁹for a wide door has opened for me, and there are many adversaries.

¹⁰Now when Timothy comes, see that he is with you unafraid, for he is laboring at the work of the Lord, as I am doing.¹¹Let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me. For I am expecting him to come along with the brothers.¹²Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the brothers. But it was not at all his will that he come now. However, he will come when the time is right.

¹³Be watchful, stand fast in the faith, act like men, be strong.¹⁴Let all that you do be done in love.

¹⁵You know the household of Stephanas, that they were the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of God's holy people. Now I urge you, brothers,¹⁶to be in submission to such people and to everyone who helps in the work and labors with us.

¹⁷I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. They have made up for your absence.¹⁸For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. So then, acknowledge people like them.

¹⁹The churches of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, with the church that is in their home.²⁰All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹I, Paul, write this with my own hand.²²If anyone does not love the Lord, may he be accursed. Our Lord, come!²³The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.²⁴My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. ¹

¹A few important and ancient Greek copies and some ancient translations have Amen at the end of verse 24. But many important ancient Greek copies, as well as many ancient translations, do not have Amen at the end.

2 Corinthians

1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, and to all God's holy people in the entire region of Achaia:

²May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.⁴God comforts us in all our tribulation, so that we can comfort those who are in any tribulation. We comfort others with the same comfort that God used to comfort us.

⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ abound for our sake, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.⁶But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort. Your comfort is working effectively in your endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.⁷Our hope concerning you is unshaken, for we know that as you share the sufferings, you also share our comfort.

⁸For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the tribulation we had in Asia. We were utterly burdened beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.⁹Indeed, we had the sentence of death on us. But that was to make us not put our trust in ourselves, but instead in God, who raises the dead.¹⁰He rescued us from such a deadly peril, and he will rescue us. On him we have set our hope that he will rescue us.

¹¹He will do this as you also help us by your prayer. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor given to us through the prayers of many.

¹²Our boast is this: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with integrity and godly sincerity, not relying on fleshly wisdom but on the grace of God.¹³We write to you nothing that you cannot read and understand, and I hope that you will fully understand¹⁴as you have understood us in part, that you can boast of us on the day of our Lord Jesus, just as we will boast of you.

¹⁵Because I was confident about this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might receive a second favor.¹⁶I was planning to visit you on my way to Macedonia. Then I wanted to visit you again on my trip from Macedonia, and then for you to send me on my way to Judea.

¹⁷When I was thinking this way, was I hesitating? Do I plan things according to the flesh, so that I say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?¹⁸But just as God is faithful, our word to you is not "Yes" and "No."

¹⁹For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom Silvanus, Timothy, and I proclaimed among you, is not "Yes" and "No." Instead, he is always "Yes."²⁰For all the promises of God are "Yes" in him. So also through him we say "Amen" to the glory of God.

²¹Now it is God who confirms us with you in Christ, and he anointed us,²²he set his seal on us, and he gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee of what is to come.

²³But I call God as witness to my soul that the reason I did not come to Corinth was so that I might spare you.²⁴This is not because we want to be lords over your faith. Instead, we are fellow laborers with you for your joy, as you stand firm in your faith.

2

¹So I decided for my own part that I would not again come to you in sorrow.²If I caused you sorrow, who could make me glad but the very one who was made sorrowful by me?

³I wrote as I did in order that, when I came to you, I might not be hurt by those who should have made me rejoice. I have confidence about all of you that my joy is the same joy you all have.⁴For I wrote to you from great tribulation, with anguish of heart, and with many tears. I did not write you so that you would be made sorrowful. Instead, I wanted you to know the depth of the love that I have for you.

⁵If anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not only to me, but in some measure—not to burden you—to all of you.⁶This punishment of that person by the majority is enough.⁷So now rather than punish him, you should forgive and comfort him. Do this so that he is not overwhelmed by too much sorrow.

⁸So I exhort you to confirm your love for him.⁹This was the reason I wrote, so that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.

¹⁰If you forgive anyone, I forgive that person as well. What I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is forgiven for your sake in the presence of Christ.¹¹This is so that Satan will not trick us. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

¹²A door was opened to me by the Lord when I came to the city of Troas to preach the gospel of Christ there.¹³I had no relief in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I left them and went on to Macedonia.

¹⁴But may thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph. Through us he reveals the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.¹⁵For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ, both among those who are saved and among those who are perishing.

¹⁶To the people who are perishing, it is an aroma from death to death. To the ones being saved, it is an aroma from life to life. Who is worthy of these things?¹⁷For we are not like so many people who sell the word of God for profit. Instead, with purity of motives, we speak in Christ, as we are sent from God, in the sight of God.

3

¹Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? We do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, like some people, do we?²You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, known and read by all people.³You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry. It was written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God. It was not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴And this is the confidence that we have through Christ before God.⁵We are not competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Rather, our competence is from God.⁶It is God who made us able to be servants of a new covenant. This is a covenant not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷Now the ministry of death—engraved in letters on stones—came in such glory that the sons of Israel could not look directly at Moses' face. This is because of the glory of his face, a glory that was fading.⁸How much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be?

⁹For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, how much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory!¹⁰For indeed, that which was once made glorious is no longer glorious in this respect, because of the glory that exceeds it.¹¹For if that which was passing away had glory, how much more will what is permanent have glory!

¹²Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.¹³We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel were not able to look directly at the ending of a glory that was passing away.

¹⁴But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.¹⁵But even today, whenever Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.¹⁶But when a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.¹⁸Now all of us, with unveiled faces, see the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed into the same glorious likeness from one degree of glory into another, just as from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

4

¹Therefore, because we have this ministry, and just as we have received mercy, we do not become discouraged.²Instead, we have rejected secret and shameful ways. We do not walk in craftiness, and we do not mishandle the word of God, but by presenting the truth, we recommend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

³But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.⁴In their case, the god of this world has blinded their unbelieving minds. As a result, they are not able to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.⁶For God is the one who said, "Light will shine out of darkness." He has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the presence of Jesus Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay, so that it is clear that the exceedingly great power belongs to God and not to us.⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not overwhelmed. We are perplexed but not filled with despair.⁹We are persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed;¹⁰always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh.¹²So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

¹³But we have the same spirit of faith according to that which was written: "I believed, and so I spoke." We also believe, and so we also speak,¹⁴because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.¹⁵For everything is for your sake, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.

¹⁶So we do not become discouraged. Even though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.¹⁷For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal burden of glory that exceeds all measurement.¹⁸For we are not watching for things that are seen, but for things that are unseen. The things that we can see are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

5

¹We know that if our earthly house—the tent—is destroyed, we have a building from God. It is a house not made by human hands, but an eternal house, in heaven.²For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly residence.³We long for this because by putting it on we will not be found to be naked.

⁴For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened. We do not want to be unclothed. Instead, we want to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.⁵The one who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come.

⁶Therefore always be confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.⁷For we walk by faith, not by sight.⁸So we have confidence. We would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

⁹So we make it our goal, whether we are at home or away, to please him.¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for the things done in the body, whether for good or for bad.

¹¹Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people. What we are is clearly seen by God, and I hope that it is also clear to your conscience.¹²We are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you may have an answer for those who boast about appearances but not about what is in the heart.

¹³For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; and if we are in our right minds, it is for your sake.¹⁴For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: That one person died for all, and that therefore all have died.¹⁵He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

¹⁶For this reason, from now on we do not regard anyone according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh. But now we no longer regard him that way.¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. See, they have become new.

¹⁸All these things are from God. He reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.¹⁹That is, in Christ God is reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. He is entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

²⁰So we are appointed as representatives of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We plead with you, for the sake of Christ: "Be reconciled to God!"²¹He made him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

6

¹Working together with him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.²For he says,

"In a favorable time I paid attention to you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you."

Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.

³We do not place a stumbling block in front of anyone, for we do not wish our ministry to be discredited.

⁴Instead, in every way we commend ourselves as God's servants in much endurance, in affliction, in distress, in hardship,⁵in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in hard labor, in sleepless nights, in hunger,⁶in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love,⁷in the word of truth, in the power of God; with the armor of righteousness for the right hand and the left.

⁸We are God's servants in glory and dishonor, in slander and praise; regarded as deceivers and yet truthful;⁹as unknown, yet well known; as dying, yet, look—we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed;¹⁰as sorrowful, yet rejoicing; as poor, yet many are enriched; as having nothing, yet possessing all things.

¹¹We have spoken the whole truth to you, Corinthians, and our heart is wide open.¹²You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own hearts.¹³Now in fair exchange—I speak as to children—open yourselves wide also.

¹⁴Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what association does righteousness have with lawlessness? For what fellowship does light have with darkness?¹⁵What agreement can Christ have with Belial? Or what share does a believer have together with an unbeliever?¹⁶And what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said:

"I will dwell among them

and walk among them.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people."

¹⁷Therefore,

"Come out from among them,

and be set apart," says the Lord.

"Touch no unclean thing,

and I will welcome you.

¹⁸I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,"

says the Lord Almighty.

7

¹Beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves of all defilement of flesh and spirit. Let us perfect holiness in the fear of God.

²Make room for us! We have not wronged anyone. We have not corrupted anyone or taken advantage of anyone.³It is not to condemn you that I say this. For I have already said that you are in our hearts, for us to die together and to live together.⁴I have great confidence in you, and great is my boast about you. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy even in all our tribulation.

⁵When we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way by conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside.⁶But God, who comforts the lowly, comforted us by the arrival of Titus.⁷It was not only by his arrival that God comforted us. It was also by the comfort that Titus had received from you. He told us of your great affection, your sorrow, and your zeal for me. So I rejoiced even more.

⁸Even though my letter made you sorrowful, I do not regret it. But I did regret it when I saw that my letter made you sorrowful, though only for a little while.⁹Now I rejoice, not because you were sorrowful, but because your sorrow brought you to repentance. You experienced a godly sorrow, so you suffered no loss because of us.¹⁰For godly sorrow brings about repentance that accomplishes salvation without regret. Worldly sorrow, however, brings about death.

¹¹See what great diligence this godly sorrow produced in you. How great was the determination in you to prove you were innocent. How great was your indignation, your fear, your longing, your zeal, and your desire to see that justice should be done! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.¹²Although I wrote to you, I did not write for the sake of the wrongdoer, nor for the one who suffered the wrong, but so that your earnestness toward us should be made known to you in the sight of God.

¹³It is by this that we are encouraged.

In addition to our own comfort, we also rejoiced even more because of Titus' joy, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

¹⁴For if I boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame. On the contrary, just as everything we said to you was true, our boasting about you to Titus proved to be true.

¹⁵His affection for you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.¹⁶I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.

8

¹We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia.²During a great test of tribulation, the abundance of their joy and the extremity of their poverty have produced great riches of generosity.

³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond what they were able, and of their own free will⁴they begged us with much earnestness for the privilege of sharing in this service to God's holy people.⁵This did not happen as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God.

⁶So we urged Titus, who had already begun this task, to complete among you this act of grace.⁷But you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us. So also make sure that you excel in this act of grace. ¹

⁸I say this not as a command but to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it to the eagerness of other people.⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.

¹⁰In this matter I will give you advice that will help you. One year ago, you not only started to do something, but you desired to do it.¹¹Now finish it. Just as there was an eagerness and desire to do it then, may you also bring it to completion, as much as you can.¹²For if you are eager to do this deed, it is a good and acceptable thing. It must be based on what a person has, not on what he does not have.

¹³For this is not to cause relief for others and tribulation for you, but for fairness.¹⁴Your abundance at the present time will supply what they need. This is also so that their abundance may supply your need, and so that there may be fairness.¹⁵It is as it is written:

"The one with much did not have anything left over,

and the one who had little did not have any lack."

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who put into Titus' heart the same earnest care that I have for you.¹⁷For he not only accepted our appeal, but he was also very earnest about it. He came to you of his own free will.

¹⁸We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all of the churches for his work in proclaiming the gospel.¹⁹Not only this, but he also was chosen by the churches to be our traveling companion with this act of grace, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself and our good will.

²⁰We are avoiding the possibility that anyone should complain about this act of generosity that we are carrying out.²¹We take care to do what is good, not only before the Lord, but also before people.

²²We are also sending another brother with them. We have tested him in many ways and found him diligent for many tasks. He is even more eager now because of the great confidence he has in you.²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are messengers from the churches. They are a glory to Christ.²⁴So show them the proof of your love, and show to the churches the reason for our boasting about you.

¹There is evidence that corrections were made to verse 7 by later copyists who were referring to other ancient texts. Most modern translations follow those corrections, and they now read, and in your love for us . But there are some important and ancient Greek copies that read, and in our love for you .

9

¹Concerning the service for God's holy people, it is not necessary for me to write to you.²I know about your desire, which I boasted about to the people of Macedonia. I told them that Achaia has been getting ready since last year. Your eagerness has motivated most of them to action.

³Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you may not be futile, and so that you would be ready, as I said you would be.⁴Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we would be ashamed—I say nothing about you—for being so confident in you.⁵So I thought it was necessary to urge the brothers to come to you and to make arrangements in advance for the gift you have promised. This is so that it might be ready as a blessing, and not as something extorted.

⁶The point is this: The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows for the purpose of a blessing will also reap a blessing.⁷Let each one give as he has planned in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸And God is able to make all grace overflow for you, so that always, in all things, you may have all you need. This will be so that you may multiply every good deed.⁹It is as it is written:

"He has distributed his riches and given them to the poor.

His righteousness lasts forever."

¹⁰He who supplies seed to the farmer who sows and bread for food will also supply and multiply your seed for sowing. He will increase the harvest of your righteousness.¹¹You will be enriched in every way so you can be generous. This will bring about thanksgiving to God through us.

¹²For carrying out this service not only meets the needs of God's holy people, but it also is overflowing into many acts of thanksgiving to God.¹³Because of your being tested and proved by this service, you will also glorify God by obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ. You will also glorify God by the generosity of your contribution to them and to everyone.¹⁴They long for you, and they are praying for you. They do this because of the very great grace of God that is on you.¹⁵May thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

10

¹I, Paul, myself urge you, by the humility and gentleness of Christ. I am meek when I am in your presence, but I am bold toward you when I am away.²I beg of you that, when I am present with you, I will not need to be bold with the confidence that I think I will need to be bold when I oppose those who think that we are walking according to the flesh.

³For even though we walk in the flesh, we do not make war according to the flesh.⁴For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly. Rather, they have divine power to destroy strongholds. They bring misleading arguments to nothing.

⁵We also destroy every high thing that rises up against the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive into obedience to Christ.⁶And we are getting ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

⁷Look at what is clearly in front of you. If anyone is convinced that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.⁸For even if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for us to build you up and not to destroy you, I will not be ashamed.

⁹I do not want it to appear that I am terrifying you by my letters.¹⁰For some people say, "His letters are serious and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak. His words are not worth listening to."

¹¹Let such people be aware that what we are in the words of our letters when we are absent is what we will be in our actions when we are there.¹²We are not so bold as to group ourselves or compare ourselves with those who praise themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with each other, they have no insight.

¹³We, however, will not boast beyond limits. Instead, we will do so only within the limits of what God has assigned to us, limits that reach even as far as you.¹⁴For we are not overextending ourselves as though we did not reach you. We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ.

¹⁵We have not boasted beyond limits about the labors of others. Rather, our hope is that as your faith continues to grow, our work among you will greatly expand,¹⁶so that we may preach the gospel even in regions beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's area.

¹⁷"But let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

¹⁸For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord recommends.

11

¹I wish that you could put up with me in some foolishness. But you are indeed putting up with me!²For I am jealous about you. I have a godly jealousy for you, since I promised you in marriage to one husband. I promised to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

³But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts might be led astray, away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.⁴For suppose that someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we preached. Or suppose that you receive a different spirit than what you received. Or suppose that you receive a different gospel than the one you received. You put up with these things well enough!

⁵For I think that I am not in the least inferior to those so-called super-apostles.⁶But even if I am untrained in speech, I am not untrained in knowledge. In every way and in all things we have made this known to you.

⁷Did I sin by humbling myself so you might be exalted? For I freely preached the gospel of God to you.⁸I robbed other churches by accepting support from them so that I could serve you.⁹When I was with you and I was in need, I did not burden anyone. For my needs were met by the brothers who came from Macedonia. In everything I have kept myself from being a burden to you, and I will continue to do that.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the parts of Achaia.¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.

¹²And what I do I will keep doing, so that I may cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be found to be like us in the things they boast about.¹³For such people are false apostles and deceitful workers. They disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And this is no surprise, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.¹⁵It is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their fate will be what their deeds deserve.

¹⁶I say again: Let no one think I am a fool. But if you do, receive me as a fool so I may boast a little.¹⁷What I am saying with this boastful confidence—I am not talking the way the Lord would—I am saying as a fool.¹⁸Since many people boast according to the flesh, I will also boast.

¹⁹For you gladly put up with fools. You are wise yourselves!²⁰For you put up with someone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, or if he slaps you in the face.²¹I will say to our shame that we were too weak to do that. Yet if anyone is bold—I am speaking like a fool—I too will be bold.

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.²³Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as though I were insane.) I am more: in harder labor, in more prisons, in beatings beyond measure, in facing many deadly dangers.

²⁴From Jews I received five times the "forty lashes minus one."²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day on the open sea.²⁶I have been on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my own people, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, in danger from false brothers.

²⁷I have served in labor and toil, in many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often in fasting, in cold and nakedness.²⁸Apart from everything else, there is the daily pressure of my concern for all the churches.²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who has been caused to stumble, and I do not burn?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast about what shows my weaknesses.³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the one who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying!

³²At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus to arrest me.³³But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall, and I escaped from his hands.

12

¹I must boast, even if it is unprofitable. But I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows—was caught up into the third heaven.

³And I know that this man—whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know, God knows—⁴was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words that people are not permitted to speak.⁵On behalf of such a person I will boast. But on behalf of myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.

⁶If I should choose to boast, I will not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I will keep from boasting, so that no one will think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me.⁷To keep me from exalting myself because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger from Satan to afflict me—so I would not exalt myself.

⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, for him to take it away from me.⁹But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So I would much rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ might reside on me.¹⁰Therefore I am content for Christ's sake in weaknesses, in insults, in troubles, in persecutions and distressing situations. For whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

¹¹I have become a fool! You forced me to this, for I should have been praised by you. For I was not at all inferior to the so-called super-apostles, even though I am nothing.¹²The true signs of an apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, signs and wonders and miracles.¹³For how were you less important than the rest of the churches, except that I was not a burden to you? Forgive me for this wrong!

¹⁴Look! I am ready to come to you a third time. I will not be a burden to you, for I do not seek what is yours. I want you. For children should not save up for the parents. Instead, the parents should save up for the children.¹⁵I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

¹⁶But as it is, I did not burden you. But since I am so crafty, I am the one who caught you by deceit.¹⁷Did I take advantage of you by anyone I sent to you?¹⁸I urged Titus to go to you, and I sent the other brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?

¹⁹Do you think all of this time we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we speak in Christ, and all for your strengthening, beloved.

²⁰For I fear that when I come, I may not find you as I wish. I fear that you might not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalries, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.²¹I fear that when I come back, my God might humble me before you. I fear that I might be grieved by many of those who have sinned before now and who did not repent of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lustful indulgence that they practiced.

13

¹This is the third time that I am coming to you. "Every matter must be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses."²I have already said to those who sinned before and to all the rest when I was there the second time, and I say it again: When I come again, I will not spare them.

³I tell you this because you are looking for proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you. Rather, he is powerful in you.⁴For he was crucified in weakness, but he is alive by God's power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him by the power of God among you.

⁵Examine yourselves, to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, of course, you have failed the test.⁶And I hope that you will recognize that we have not failed the test.

⁷Now we pray to God that you may not do any wrong. I do not pray this so that we may appear to have passed the test. Rather, I pray that you may do what is proper, although we may seem to have failed the test.⁸For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

⁹For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray that you may be made complete.¹⁰I write these things while I am away from you so, that when I am with you I do not have to deal harshly with you in the use of my authority—which the Lord gave to me so that I may build you up, and not tear you down.

¹¹Finally, brothers, rejoice! Work for restoration, be encouraged, think alike, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.¹²Greet each other with a holy kiss. All God's holy people greet you. ¹

¹³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. ²

¹Some copies number this sentence as verse 13.

²Some translations number this sentence as verse 14.

Galatians

1

¹Paul, an apostle—not an apostle from men nor by human agency, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—²and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia:

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,⁴who gave himself for our sins so that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father:⁵to him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁶I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly from him who called you by the grace of Christ. I am amazed that you are turning to a different gospel,⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some men who cause you trouble and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel other than the one we proclaimed to you, let him be cursed.⁹As we have said before, so now I say again, "If someone proclaims to you a gospel other than the one you received, let him be cursed."¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Am I seeking to please men? If I am still trying to please men, I am not a servant of Christ.

¹¹For I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I proclaimed is not man's gospel.¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. Instead, it was by revelation of Jesus Christ to me.

¹³You have heard about my former life in Judaism, how I was persecuting the church of God beyond measure and that I was trying to destroy it.¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many of those who were my own age, from out of my own people. That is how extremely zealous I was for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵But when God, who had set me apart from my mother's womb, and who called me through his grace, was pleased¹⁶to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.¹⁷I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me. Instead, I went to Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas and I stayed with him fifteen days.¹⁹But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.²⁰In what I write to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.

²¹Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.²²I was still not known by face to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.²³They only heard it being said, "The man who once persecuted us is now proclaiming as good news the faith he once tried to destroy."²⁴So they glorified God because of me.

2

¹Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.²I went up because of a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I spoke privately to those who seemed to be important, in order to make sure that I was not running—or had not run—in vain.

³But not even Titus, who was with me and who was a Greek, was forced to be circumcised.⁴The false brothers came in secretly to spy on the liberty we have in Christ Jesus. They desired to enslave us,⁵but we did not yield in submission to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

⁶But those who seemed to be important (whatever they were does not matter to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed important added nothing to me.⁷On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to those who are uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to those who are circumcised.⁸For God, who worked in Peter for the apostleship to those who are circumcised, also worked in me to the Gentiles.

⁹When James, Cephas, and John, who had a reputation as pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles and they should go to the circumcised.¹⁰They requested only that we remember the poor, the very thing that I was eager to do.

¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.¹²Before certain men came from James, Cephas was eating with the Gentiles. But when these men came, he stopped and kept away from the Gentiles. He was afraid of those who were demanding circumcision.

¹³Also the rest of the Jews joined in this hypocrisy. Even Barnabas was led astray with them by their hypocrisy.¹⁴But when I saw that their behavior was not following the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of all of them, "If you are a Jew but are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;¹⁶yet we know that no person is justified by the works of the law but through faith in Christ Jesus. So we also have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.

¹⁷But if, while we seek to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Absolutely not!¹⁸For if I rebuild those things I once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. ¹

²⁰It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

¹Some translations include this sentence with verse 20.

3

¹Foolish Galatians! Who has put a spell on you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly displayed as crucified.²This is the only thing I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?³Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now going to be perfected by the flesh?

⁴Have you suffered so many things for nothing—if indeed it was for nothing?⁵Does he who gives the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?

⁶Just as Abraham "believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,"⁷in the same way, understand, then, that those of faith are the children of Abraham.⁸The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you all the nations will be blessed."⁹So then, those of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

¹⁰All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; and so it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the law, and do them."¹¹Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because "the righteous will live by faith."¹²But the law is not of faith; rather, "The person who does the works of the law must live by them."

¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"—¹⁴so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

¹⁵Brothers, let me speak in human terms. Once a man-made contract is established by law, no one can set it aside or add to it.¹⁶Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It does not say, "to descendants," referring to many, but instead to only one, "and to your descendant," who is Christ.

¹⁷Now what I am saying is this: The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God, to nullify the promise.¹⁸For if the inheritance comes by the law, then it no longer comes by promise. But God freely gave it to Abraham by a promise.

¹⁹What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the descendant of Abraham would come to whom the promise had been made. The law was ordained through angels by the hand of an intermediary.²⁰Now an intermediary implies more than one person. But God is one.

²¹So is the law against the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.²²But the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until faith should be revealed.²⁴So then the law became our guardian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.²⁶For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

²⁷For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.²⁹Then if you are Christ's, you are Abraham's descendants, and heirs according to promise.

4

¹I am saying that the heir, for whatever time he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is owner of the entire estate.²But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

³So also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of the world.⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law⁵so that he might redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who cries out, "Abba, Father."⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then you are also an heir through God.

⁸But at that time, when you did not know God, you were made to be slaves to those who are, by their natural powers, not gods at all.⁹But now that you have come to know God, or rather that you are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to the weak and worthless elemental principles? Do you want to be enslaved all over again?

¹⁰You observe days and new moons and seasons and years!¹¹I am afraid for you that somehow my labor with you may have been for nothing.

¹²I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I also have become like you. You did me no wrong.¹³But you know that it was because of a disease of the flesh that I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time,¹⁴and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.

¹⁵Where then is your blessing now? For I testify to you that, if it were possible, you would have torn out your own eyes and given them to me.¹⁶So then, have I become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

¹⁷They are zealous to win you over, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out so you may be zealous for them.¹⁸It is always good to be zealous for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you.

¹⁹My little children, again I am suffering the pains of childbirth for you until Christ is formed in you.²⁰I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you.

²¹Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl and one by the free woman.²³One was born by the slave girl according to the flesh, but the other was born by the free woman through promise.

²⁴These things may be interpreted as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One of them is from Mount Sinai and she bears children into slavery. This is Hagar.²⁵Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia; and she represents the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.²⁷For it is written,

"Rejoice, you barren one who does not give birth;

cry out and shout for joy,

you who are not suffering the pains of childbirth;

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband."

²⁸But you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.²⁹At that time the one who was born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit. It is the same now.

³⁰But what does the scripture say? "Send away the slave girl and her son. For the son of the slave girl will not share in the inheritance with the son of the free woman."³¹Therefore, brothers, we are not children of a slave girl, but of the free woman.

5

¹For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not again be subject to a yoke of slavery.

²Look, I, Paul, say to you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will not benefit you in any way.

³I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.⁴You are cut off from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you no longer experience grace.

⁵For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.⁶In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has value, but only faith working through love.⁷You were running well. Who prevented you from obeying the truth?⁸This persuasion does not come from him who calls you!

⁹A little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough.¹⁰I have confidence in the Lord that you will think nothing different. The one who is troubling you will suffer the judgment, whoever he is.

¹¹Brothers, if I still proclaim circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.¹²As for those who are disturbing you, I wish they would cut themselves off!

¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. But do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, through love serve one another.¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You must love your neighbor as yourself."¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. For these oppose each other, so that you cannot do the things you want.¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalry, dissension, divisions,²¹envy, drunkenness, drunken celebrations, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,²³gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.²⁶Let us not become boastful, provoking one another, envying one another.

6

¹Brothers, if someone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Be concerned about yourself, so you also may not be tempted.²Carry one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

³For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.⁴Each one should examine his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in someone else.⁵For each one will carry his own burden.

⁶The one who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.⁷Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man plants, that he will also reap.⁸For he who plants seed to his own flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction. The one who plants seed to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.¹⁰So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

¹¹See what large letters I write to you with my own hand.¹²Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They do this only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.¹³For not even those who circumcised themselves keep the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.

¹⁴But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.¹⁵For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but what counts is a new creation.¹⁶To all who walk according to this standard, peace and mercy be upon them, even upon the Israel of God.

¹⁷From now on let no one trouble me, for I carry on my body the marks of Jesus.

¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Ephesians

1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful in Christ Jesus: ¹

²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.⁴God chose us in him from the foundation of the world, that we may be holy and blameless in his sight in love.

⁵God predestined us ² for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.⁶Our adoption results in the praise of his glorious grace that he has freely given us in the One he loves.

⁷In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood and the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.⁸He multiplied this grace to us with all wisdom and understanding.

⁹God made known to us the mystery of his will, according to what pleased him, and which he demonstrated in Christ,¹⁰with a view to a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things together—all things in heaven and on earth—under one head, even Christ.

¹¹In Christ we were given an inheritance, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything according to the purpose of his will.¹²God appointed us as heirs so that we, who are the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of his glory.

¹³In Christ, you also—when you had heard the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation, believed in him and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

¹⁵For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's holy people,¹⁶I have not stopped thanking God for you as I mention you in my prayers.

¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.¹⁸I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, that you may know the hope to which he has called you and the riches of his glorious inheritance among all God's holy people.

¹⁹In my prayers I ask that you may know the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of the strength of his might.²⁰This is the same power that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.²¹He seated Christ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named. Christ will rule, not only in this age, but also in the age to come.

²²God subjected all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as head over all things.²³The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies do not have in Ephesus, but this letter may have been circulated throughout this region to several churches, not just to the church in Ephesus.

²Some interpreters place the last phrase of Ephesians 1:4. in love , with verse 5 so that it reads, In love God predestined us .

2

¹And as for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins,²in which you once walked, according to the ways of this world. You were living according to the ruler of the authorities of the air, the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience.³Once we all lived among these people, fulfilling the evil desires of our flesh, and carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of humanity.

⁴But God is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us.⁵While we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together in Christ—by grace you have been saved.⁶God raised us up together with Christ, and God made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,⁷so that in the ages to come he might show to us the immeasurably great riches of his grace expressed in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this did not come from you; it is the gift of God,⁹not from works, so that no one may boast.¹⁰For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good deeds that God planned long ago for us, so that we would walk in them.

¹¹Therefore, remember that once you were Gentiles in the flesh. You are called "uncircumcision" by what is called the "circumcision" in the flesh made by human hands.¹²For at that time you were separated from Christ, foreigners to citizenship in Israel, strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away from God have been brought near by the blood of Christ.¹⁴For he himself is our peace, because he made us both one. By his flesh he broke down the dividing wall of hostility.¹⁵He set aside the law with its commands and ordinances so that he might create in himself one new man out of two, so making peace.¹⁶Christ reconciles both peoples into one body to God through the cross, putting to death the hostility.

¹⁷Jesus came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.¹⁸For through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹So then, now you Gentiles are no longer foreigners and strangers. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God's holy people and members of the household of God.²⁰You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.²¹In him the whole building fits together and grows as a holy temple in the Lord.²²It is in him that you also are being built together as a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

3

¹For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—²I assume that you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God that was given to me for you.

³The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.⁴When you read about this, you will be able to understand my insight into this mystery about Christ.⁵In other generations this mystery was not made known to the sons of men. But now it has been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.

⁶This hidden truth is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and they share the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

⁷For I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given to me through the working of his power.

⁸To me—although I am the least of all God's holy people—this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ⁹and to bring to light for everyone the plan—the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.

¹⁰This plan was made known through the church so the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places would come to know the many-sided nature of the wisdom of God.¹¹This happened according to the eternal plan that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹²For in Christ we have boldness and access with confidence because of our faith in him.¹³Therefore, I ask you not to be discouraged because of my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴For this reason I bend my knees to the Father,¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.¹⁶I pray that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit, who is in your inner person.

¹⁷I pray that Christ may live in your hearts through faith and that you may be rooted and founded in his love,¹⁸in order that you might be able to understand, along with all God's holy people, what is the width, the length, the height, and the depth,¹⁹and to know the love of Christ, which goes beyond knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, according to his power that works in us,²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

4

¹I, therefore, as the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthily of the calling by which you were called.²I urge you to live with great humility and gentleness and patience, bearing with one another in love.³Do your best to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling.⁵And there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,⁶and one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷To each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.⁸It is as scripture says:

"When he ascended on high,

he led the captives into captivity,

and he gave gifts to the people."

⁹What is the meaning of "he ascended," except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth?¹⁰He who descended is the same person who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

¹¹Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers¹²to equip God's holy people for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ,¹³until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, so that we become mature and reach the measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴Christ builds us up so that we should no longer be children who are tossed back and forth by the waves, carried away by every wind of doctrine and by the trickery of people in their deceitful schemes.¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ.¹⁶Christ builds the whole body, and it is joined and held together by every supporting ligament, and when each part works together, that makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

¹⁷Therefore, I say and insist on this in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their minds.¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts.¹⁹They have become shameless and have committed themselves to sensuality, and they practice every kind of uncleanness with greed.

²⁰But that is not how you learned about Christ.²¹I assume that you have heard about him, and that you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.²²You were taught to put off what belongs to your former manner of life, to put off the old man. It is the old man that is corrupt because of its deceitful desires.

²³You were taught to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,²⁴and to put on the new man that is created in the image of God—in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵Therefore, get rid of lies, and let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.²⁶Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.²⁷Do not give an opportunity to the devil.

²⁸The one who had been stealing must steal no longer. Instead, he must labor, working at what is good with his hands, so that he may have something to share with those who are in need.²⁹Do not let any harmful talk come out of your mouth. Use only words that are good for the edification of those who need it, so that your words give grace to the hearers.³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, for it is by him that you were sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹Put away all bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and insults, along with every kind of evil.³²Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

5

¹Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.²And walk in love, as also Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³But sexual immorality or any kind of uncleanness or of greed must not even be named among you, for these are improper for God's holy people.⁴Let there be no filthiness, no foolish talk, and no crude jokes—all of which are improper. Instead, there should be thanksgiving.

⁵For you know and are certain that no sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person—that is, an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.⁷Therefore, do not join in with them.

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),¹⁰and test and approve what is pleasing to the Lord.¹¹Do not associate with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.¹²For it is disgraceful even to mention the things they do in secret.

¹³But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible.¹⁴For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

"Awake, you sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you."

¹⁵Look carefully how you walk—not as unwise but as wise.¹⁶Redeem the time because the days are evil.¹⁷Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that leads to reckless behavior. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,¹⁹speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,²⁰always giving thanks for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father,²¹being subject to one another in reverence for Christ.

²²Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, himself the Savior of the body.²⁴But as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives to their husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her²⁶so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,²⁷so that he might present the church to himself as glorious, without stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless.

²⁸In the same way husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and treats it with care, just as Christ nourishes and treats the church with care,³⁰because we are members of his body.

³¹"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."³²This hidden truth is great—but I am speaking about Christ and the church.³³Nevertheless, each of you also must love his own wife as himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

6

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is proper.²"Honor your father and mother" (which is the first commandment with promise),³"so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."

⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Instead, raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

⁵Slaves, be obedient to your masters according to the flesh with deep respect and trembling, in the honesty of your heart. Be obedient to them as you would be obedient to Christ.⁶Be obedient not only when your masters are watching, in order to please them. Instead, be obedient as slaves of Christ, who do the will of God from your heart.⁷Serve with all your heart, as though you were serving the Lord and not people,⁸because we know that for whatever good deed each person does, he will receive a reward from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.

⁹Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them. You know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the scheming plans of the devil.

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.¹³Therefore put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and after you have done everything, to stand firm.

¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.¹⁶In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, by which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.¹⁸With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit. To this end, always be watching with all perseverance as you offer prayers for all God's holy people.

¹⁹And pray for me, that a message might be given to me when I open my mouth. Pray that I might make known with boldness the hidden truth about the gospel.²⁰It is for the gospel that I am an ambassador who is kept in chains, so that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

²¹Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you, so that you may know how I am doing.²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are, and so that he may encourage your hearts.

²³Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴Grace be to all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love.

Philippians

1

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

²May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³I thank my God every time I remember you,⁴always, in every prayer of mine for all of you, making my prayer with joy⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.⁶I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷It is proper for me to feel this way about all of you because I have you in my heart. You all have been my partners in grace both in my imprisonment and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel.⁸For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

⁹So this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all understanding¹⁰so that you may approve what is excellent, and so you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ,¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.¹³As a result, my chains in Christ came to light throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else.¹⁴Most of the brothers have far more confidence in the Lord because of my chains, and they have courage to fearlessly speak the word.

¹⁵Some indeed even proclaim Christ out of envy and strife, and also others out of good will.¹⁶The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.¹⁷But the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely. They think they will cause me distress while I am in chains.

¹⁸What then? Only that in every way—whether from false motives or from true—Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,¹⁹for I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

²⁰It is my eager expectation and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.²¹For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

²²But if I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which to choose? I do not know.²³For I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,²⁴yet to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

²⁵Being convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,²⁶so that in me you may have increasing reasons to boast in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.²⁷Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to see you or am absent, I may hear about you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

²⁸Do not be frightened in any respect by those who are your opponents. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation—and this from God.²⁹For it has been freely given to you for the sake of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake,³⁰having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now you hear in me.

2

¹If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any comfort provided by love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there are any tender mercies and compassions,²then make my joy full by being of the same mind, having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.

³Do nothing out of ambition or empty conceit. Instead, with humility consider others better than yourselves.⁴Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

⁵Have this mind in yourselves which also was in Christ Jesus,

⁶who, though he existed in the form of God,

did not consider his equality with God as something to hold on to.

⁷Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a servant,

and he was born in the likeness of men.

And being found in the form of a man,

⁸he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross!

⁹Therefore also God highly exalted him

and gave him the name that is above every name,

¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

¹²So then, my beloved, as you always obey, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.¹³For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

¹⁴Do all things without complaining or arguing¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without blemish in the middle of a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine as lights in the world.¹⁶Hold on to the word of life so that on the day of Christ I may boast that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as an offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.¹⁸In the same manner, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

¹⁹But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may also be encouraged when I know the things about you.²⁰For I have no one else like him, who is truly concerned for you.²¹For they all seek their own interests, not the things of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know his proven worth, because as a son with his father, so he served with me in the gospel.²³So I hope to send him as soon as I see how things will go with me.²⁴But I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.

²⁵But I think it is necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you. He is my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and servant for my needs.²⁶For he was very distressed, and he longed to be with you all, because you heard that he was sick.²⁷For indeed he was so sick that he almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but also on me, so that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

²⁸So it is all the more eagerly that I am sending him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I can have less sorrow.²⁹Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with all joy. Honor people like him.³⁰For it was for the work of Christ that he came near death. He risked his life so that he could bring to completion what was lacking in your service to me.

3

¹Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write these same things again to you is no trouble for me, and it keeps you safe.²Watch out for the dogs. Watch out for those evil workers. Watch out for the mutilation.³For it is we who are the circumcision—the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, and take pride in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

⁴Even so, I myself could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he has confidence in the flesh, I could have even more.⁵I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; with regard to the law, a Pharisee.

⁶As for zeal, I persecuted the church; as for righteousness under the law, I was blameless.⁷But whatever things were a profit for me, I have considered them as loss because of Christ.

⁸In fact, now I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have given up all things—and I consider them rubbish—so that I may gain Christ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God that is by faith.¹⁰So now I want to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,¹¹so somehow I may experience the resurrection from the dead.

¹²Not that I have already obtained these things, or am already perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which I was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.¹³Brothers, I do not think that I myself have yet taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead,¹⁴I press on toward the goal with a view to the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵All of us who are mature, let us think this way; and if you think differently about anything, God will also reveal that to you.¹⁶Nevertheless, let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Be imitators of me, brothers. Closely watch those who are walking by the example that you have in us.¹⁸Many are walking—those about whom I have often told you, and now I am telling you with tears—as enemies of the cross of Christ.¹⁹Their end is destruction. For their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. They think about earthly things.

²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.²¹He will transform our lowly bodies into bodies formed like his glorious body, formed by the might of his power to subject all things to himself.

4

¹Therefore, my beloved brothers whom I long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved friends.

²I am pleading with Euodia, and I am pleading with Syntyche, be of the same mind in the Lord.³Yes, I ask you, my true companion, to help these women who labored with me in spreading the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.⁵Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near.⁶Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in everything by prayer and earnest appeal with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God,⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything excellent, if there is anything to be praised, think about these things.⁹The things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

¹⁰I greatly rejoice in the Lord because now at last you have renewed your concern for me. You had indeed been concerned for me before, but there was no opportunity for you to help.¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need. For I have learned to be content in all circumstances.¹²I know what it is to be poor, and I also know what it is to have plenty. In every way and in all things I have learned the secret of how to be well fed or to be hungry, and how to have an abundance or to be in need.¹³I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

¹⁴However, you did well to share with me in my difficulties.¹⁵You Philippians know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church supported me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone.¹⁶Even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent help for my needs more than once.¹⁷It is not that I seek the gift. Instead, I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

¹⁸I have received everything in full, and even more. I have been well supplied now that I have received from Epaphroditus the things you sent. They are a sweet-smelling aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.¹⁹My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.²⁰Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹Greet all God's holy people in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.²²All God's holy people who are here greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. ¹

¹Some ancient and important Greek copies add Amen , and there are some ancient Greek copies that have that word at the end of every New Testament book. There are also many important and ancient Greek copies that do not have the final Amen .

Colossians

1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

²to God's holy people and faithful brothers in Christ who are at Colossae: May grace be to you, and peace from God our Father. ¹

³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we always pray for you.

⁴We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all God's holy people,⁵because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, which you heard about in the word of truth, the gospel ⁶which has come to you. In the same way, this gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

⁷This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. ²⁸Epaphras has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹Because of this love, from the day we heard this we have not stopped praying for you. We pray that you will be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,¹⁰so that you will walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord and that pleases him in every way: by bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹by being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience; and by joyfully¹²giving thanks to the Father, who made you able ³ to have a share in the inheritance of God's holy people in light.

¹³He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ⁴

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.¹⁶For in him all things were created: those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible things. Whether thrones or dominions or governments or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.¹⁷He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so he has first place among all things.¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son,²⁰and through the Son to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

²¹At one time you also were alienated and hostile in mind and in evil deeds.²²But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, blameless, and above accusation before him,²³if indeed you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church.²⁵It is of this church that I am a servant, according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God.²⁶This is the mystery that was hidden for ages and for generations but now has been revealed to God's holy people.²⁷It is to them that God wanted to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

²⁸We proclaim him, warning every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person mature in Christ.²⁹For this I labor and strive according to his energy that is at work in me in power.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies add and the Lord Jesus Christ .

²Some important and ancient Greek copies read, on your behalf .

³Some ancient Greek copies read who made us able .

⁴Some ancient Greek copies read, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins ; it may be a reference to Ephesians 1:7.

2

¹For I want you to know how great a struggle I have had for you, for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.²I work so that their hearts may be encouraged by being brought together in love and into all the riches of full assurance of understanding, into the knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ.³In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.

⁴I say this so that no one may trick you with persuasive speech.⁵Although I am not with you in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit. I rejoice to see your good order and the strength of your faith in Christ.

⁶As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him.⁷Be rooted in him, be built on him, be established in faith just as you were taught, and abound in thanksgiving.

⁸See that no one captures you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, conforming to the elemental spirits of the world, and not conforming to Christ.⁹For in him all the fullness of God lives in bodily form.

¹⁰You have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.¹¹In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not done by humans in the removal of the body of flesh, but in the circumcision of Christ.¹²You were buried with him in baptism, and in him you were raised up through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him and forgave us all of our trespasses. ¹¹⁴He blotted out the written record of debts that was hostile to us with its regulations. He took it away by nailing it to the cross.¹⁵He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

¹⁶So then, let no one judge you in eating or in drinking, or about a festival or a new moon, or about Sabbath days.¹⁷These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is Christ.

¹⁸Let no one who wants humility and the worship of angels judge you out of your prize. Such a person enters into the things he has seen and becomes puffed up for no reason by his fleshly thinking.¹⁹He does not hold on to the head. It is from the head that the whole body throughout its joints and ligaments is supplied and held together; it grows with the growth given by God.

²⁰If you died together with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you live as obligated to the world:²¹"Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch"?²²All these things will perish with use, according to the commandments and teachings of men.²³These rules have the appearance of wisdom, with their self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body. But they have no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

¹Some ancient Greek copies read, and forgave you all of your trespasses .

3

¹If then God has raised you with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.²Think about the things above, not about the things on earth.³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.⁴When Christ appears, who is your life, then you will also appear with him in glory. ¹

⁵Put to death, then, the members that are on earth—sexual immorality, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.⁶It is for these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. ²⁷It is in these things that you also once walked when you lived in them.⁸But now you must get rid of all these things—wrath, anger, evil intentions, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.

⁹Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old man with its practices,¹⁰and you have put on the new man that is being made new in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it,¹¹where there is no Greek or Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹²Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.¹³Bear with one another. Be gracious to each other. If someone has a complaint against someone else, forgive in the same way that the Lord has forgiven you.¹⁴Above all these things, have love, which is the bond of perfection.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. It was for this peace that you were called in one body. And be thankful.¹⁶Let the word of Christ live in you richly, teaching and instructing one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.¹⁷Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸Wives, submit to your husbands, as it is appropriate in the Lord.¹⁹Husbands, love your wives, and do not be bitter against them.²⁰Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing in the Lord.²¹Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they will not be discouraged.

²²Slaves, obey your masters according to the flesh in all things, not with eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with a sincere heart. Fear the Lord.²³Whatever you do, work from the soul as to the Lord and not as to people.²⁴You know that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.²⁵For anyone who does unrighteousness will receive the penalty for the unrighteousness that he did, and there is no partiality.

¹Some ancient Greek copies and some ancient translations read, When Christ appears, who is our life, then you will also appear with him in glory .

²Some ancient Greek copies read, It is for these things that the wrath of God is coming .

4

¹Masters, give to slaves what is right and fair, knowing you also have a Master in heaven.

²Continue steadfastly in prayer, staying alert in it in thanksgiving,³praying together for us also, that God would open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also I have been in chains.⁴Pray that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.

⁵Walk in wisdom toward those outside, and redeem the time.⁶Let your words always be with grace. Let them be seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

⁷As for all the things concerning me, Tychicus will make them known to you. He is a beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord.⁸I have sent him to you for this, that you might know the matters about us, and so that he may encourage your hearts. ¹⁹I have sent him together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that has happened here.

¹⁰Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as well as Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received orders; if he comes to you, receive him),¹¹and also Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcision are my fellow workers for the kingdom of God. They have been a comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras greets you. He is one of you and a slave of Christ Jesus. He always strives for you in prayer, so that you may stand complete and fully assured in all the will of God.¹³For I can testify that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.¹⁴Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.

¹⁵Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and Nympha, and the church that is in her house.¹⁶When this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.¹⁷Say to Archippus, "Look to the ministry that you have received in the Lord, that you should fulfill it."

¹⁸This greeting is with my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. May grace be with you.

¹There are some important and ancient Greek copies, along with some ancient translations of the Greek, that read, I sent him to you for this, that he might know the matters about you, and that he may encourage your hearts .

1 Thessalonians

1

¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be to you. ¹

²We always give thanks to God for all of you as we mention you continually in our prayers.³We remember before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love, and patient endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴Brothers loved by God, we know he has chosen you,⁵because our gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. In the same way, you also know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

⁶You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you received the word in much tribulation with joy from the Holy Spirit.⁷As a result, you became an example to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

⁸For from you the word of the Lord has rung out, and not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone out everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it.⁹For they themselves report concerning us what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from the idols to serve the living and true God,¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, May grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .

2

¹For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not useless.²Rather, as you know, though we previously suffered and were shamefully treated at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much struggling.

³For our exhortation was not from error, nor from uncleanness, nor from deceit.⁴Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be trusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but God. He is the one who examines our hearts.

⁵For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext to cover up greed—God is our witness.⁶Nor did we seek glory from people, either from you or from others.

⁷We could have claimed privileges as apostles of Christ. ¹ Instead, we were as gentle among you as a mother comforting her own children. ²⁸In this way we had affection for you. We were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives. For you had become very dear to us.⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. Night and day we were working so that we might not be a burden to any of you as we preached to you the gospel of God.

¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy, righteous, and blameless was our behavior toward you who believe.¹¹In the same way you know how we were with each one of you, as a father with his own children,¹²exhorting you and comforting you and urging you to walk in a manner that is worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹³For this reason we also thank God constantly, that when you received God's message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of man, but just as it truly is, the word of God, which is also at work in you who believe.

¹⁴For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and who drove us out. They do not please God. Instead, they are hostile to all people.¹⁶They forbid us to speak to the Gentiles for them to be saved. The result is that they always fill up their sins to the limit. But wrath will overtake them in the end.

¹⁷But we, brothers, were separated from you for a short time, in person not in heart. We were especially eager, with great desire, to see your faces.¹⁸For we wished to come to you—indeed I, Paul, once and again—but Satan stopped us.¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of pride in front of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?²⁰For you are our glory and joy.

¹Many copies include this sentence in verse 6.

²Some important and ancient Greek copies read, Instead, we were like babies among you, as when a mother comforts her own children .

3

¹Therefore, when we could no longer bear it, we thought it was good to be left behind at Athens alone.²We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and comfort you regarding your faith, ¹³so that no one would be shaken by these tribulations. For you yourselves know that for this we have been appointed.

⁴Truly, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were about to suffer affliction, and it happened just so, as you know.⁵For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent that I might know about your faith. Perhaps the tempter had somehow tempted you, and our labor was in vain.

⁶But Timothy came to us from you and brought us the good news of your faith and love. He told us that you always have good memories of us, and that you long to see us just as we also long to see you.⁷Because of this, brothers, we were comforted by you because of your faith, in all our distress and affliction.

⁸For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.⁹For what thanks can we give to God for you, for all the joy that we have before our God over you?¹⁰Night and day we pray very hard that we may see your face and provide what is lacking in your faith.

¹¹May our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.¹²May the Lord make you increase and abound in love one for another and toward all people, as we also do for you.¹³May he strengthen your hearts so that they will be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy people.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, We sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the gospel of Christ .

4

¹Finally, brothers, we earnestly appeal to you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus. As you received instructions from us about how you must walk and please God, also in this way walk, so that you do so even more.²For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you avoid sexual immorality,⁴that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor,⁵not in the passion of lust (as the Gentiles who do not know God).⁶Let no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we forewarned you and testified.

⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness.⁸Therefore, he who rejects this rejects not people, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹Regarding brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.¹⁰Indeed, you do this for all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, to do this even more.¹¹We also exhort you to aspire to live quietly, take care of your own responsibilities, and labor with your hands, just as we commanded you,¹²so that you may walk properly before outsiders and not be in any need.

¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who sleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who do not have hope.¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left at the coming of the Lord, will surely not go before those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven. He will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord.¹⁸Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

5

¹Now concerning the times and seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you.²For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night.³When they say, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them. It will be like birth pains in a pregnant woman. They will in no way escape.

⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that the day would overtake you like a thief.⁵For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not sons of the night or the darkness.⁶So then, let us not sleep as the rest do. Instead, let us keep watch and be sober.⁷For those who sleep do so at night, and those who get drunk do so at night.

⁸But since we belong to the day, we must stay sober and put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation for our helmet.⁹For God did not appoint us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁰who died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.¹¹Therefore comfort one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

¹²We earnestly appeal to you, brothers, to acknowledge those who labor among you and who rule over you in the Lord and who instruct you,¹³and to esteem them highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.¹⁴We exhort you, brothers: Warn those who are lazy, encourage the discouraged, help the weak, and be patient toward all.

¹⁵See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone. Instead, pursue what is good for one another and for all.¹⁶Rejoice always.¹⁷Pray without ceasing.¹⁸In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit.²⁰Do not despise prophecies.²¹Test all things. Hold firmly to what is good.²²Keep away from every kind of evil.

²³May the God of peace sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴Faithful is he who calls you, the one who will also do it.

²⁵Brothers, pray also for us.

²⁶Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.²⁷I command you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

2 Thessalonians

1

¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³We should always give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is appropriate, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love each of you has for one another increases.⁴So we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions, and in the tribulations that you are enduring.⁵This is evidence of God's righteous judgment, so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.

⁶For indeed, it is righteous for God to return affliction to those who afflict you,⁷and relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels⁸in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

⁹They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.¹⁰He will do this when he comes on that day to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at by all those who believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

¹¹Because of this we also pray continually for you, that our God may consider you worthy of your calling and with his power he may fulfill every good purpose and every work of faith.¹²We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2

¹Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we earnestly appeal to you, brothers,²that you not be easily disturbed or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come.

³Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. ¹⁴This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. As a result, he sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God.

⁵Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things?⁶Now you know what restrains him, so that he will be revealed only at the right time.⁷For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only there is someone who restrains him now until he is taken out of the way.

⁸Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by the revelation of his coming.⁹The coming of the lawless one will be due to the work of Satan with all power, signs, and false wonders,¹⁰and with every kind of evil that deceives those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

¹¹For this reason God is sending them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie¹²and so that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³But we should always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved through the sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ²¹⁴He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁵So then, brothers, stand firm and hold tightly to the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.

¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,¹⁷comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, and the man of sin is revealed .

²Some important and ancient Greek copies read, For God chose you from the first for salvation .

3

¹Now, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may rush and be glorified, as it also is with you,²and that we may be delivered from unrighteous and evil people, for not all have faith.³But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

⁴We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you both do and will continue to do the things that we command.⁵May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you avoid every brother who is idle and does not live according to the traditions you received from us.⁷For you yourselves know it is proper for you to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you. ⁸We did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but we worked night and day in labor and toil, so we might not be a burden to any of you.⁹We did this not because we have no authority, but we did this in order to be an example to you, so that you may imitate us.

¹⁰For when we were with you, we commanded you, "The one who is unwilling to labor must not eat."¹¹For we hear that some among you are idle, not busy at labor, but busybodies.¹²Now such ones we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they should labor with quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³But you, brothers, do not become tired of doing well.¹⁴And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of him and have no association with him, so that he may be ashamed.¹⁵Yet do not consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

¹⁶Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.¹⁷I, Paul, write this with my own hand, which is the mark on every letter I write.¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

1 Timothy

1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope,

²to Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³As I urged you to do when I was leaving for Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you can command certain people not to teach a different doctrine.⁴Neither should they pay attention to stories and endless genealogies. These promote arguments rather than the plan of God, which is by faith.

⁵Now the goal of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.⁶Some people have gone astray from these things and have turned to worthless talk.⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or what they so confidently affirm.⁸But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.

⁹We know this: that law is not set in place for a righteous man, but for lawless and rebellious people, for ungodly people and sinners, and for those who are unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,¹⁰for sexually immoral people, for those who practice homosexuality, for those who kidnap people for slaves, for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else is opposed to truthful teaching.¹¹This instruction is according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He strengthened me, for he considered me faithful, and he appointed me to service.¹³I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief.¹⁴And the grace of our Lord overflowed with the faith and the love that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵This message is reliable and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.¹⁶But for this reason I was given mercy, so that in me, the chief, Christ Jesus might demonstrate all patience. He did this as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.¹⁷Now to the king of the ages, the immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸I am placing this command before you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that you might fight the good fight,¹⁹holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have shipwrecked their faith.²⁰Such are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered over to Satan so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

2

¹Therefore, first of all, I urge that humble requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,²for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.³This is good and acceptable before God our Savior.⁴He desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁵For there is one God, and there is one mediator for God and man, the man Christ Jesus.⁶He gave himself as a ransom for all, as the testimony at the right time.⁷For this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

⁸Therefore, I want men in every place to pray and to lift up holy hands without anger or arguing.⁹In the same way, the women are to dress with proper clothing, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothing,¹⁰but with what is proper for women who proclaim godliness through good works.

¹¹A woman should learn in silence and with all submission.¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to live in quietness.

¹³For Adam was formed first, then Eve.¹⁴Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.¹⁵However, she will be saved through bearing children, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with self-control.

3

¹This saying is trustworthy: If someone desires to be an overseer, he desires a good work.²Therefore the overseer must have a good reputation. He must be a husband of one wife. He must be moderate, sensible, orderly, and hospitable. He must be able to teach.³He must not be addicted to wine, not a brawler but instead gentle, peaceful. He must not be a lover of money.

⁴He should manage his own household well, and he should make sure his children obey and respect him in every way.⁵For if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for a church of God?

⁶He should not be a new convert, so that he does not swell with pride and fall into condemnation as the devil.⁷He must also have a good reputation with those outside, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the trap of the devil.

⁸In the same way, deacons should be dignified, not double-talkers. They should not drink too much wine or be greedy.⁹They should keep the mystery of the faith with a clean conscience.¹⁰They should also be approved first, and then they should serve because they are blameless.

¹¹In the same way, their wives should be dignified, not slanderers, but sober and faithful in all things.¹²Deacons must be husbands of one wife. They must manage well their children and household.¹³For those who have served well acquire for themselves a good standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴As I write these things to you, I hope to come to you soon.¹⁵But if I delay, I am writing so that you may know how to conduct yourself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

¹⁶We all agree that the mystery of godliness is great:

"He was revealed in the flesh,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was proclaimed among nations,

was believed on in the world,

and was taken up in glory."

4

¹Now the Spirit clearly says that in later times some people will leave the faith and pay attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons²by the hypocrisy of liars, their own consciences having been seared.

³They will forbid people to marry and require them to abstain from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.⁴For every creation of God is good, and nothing received with thanksgiving is to be rejected.⁵For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

⁶If you place these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ. For you are being nourished by the words of faith and by the good teaching that you have followed.⁷But reject profane stories loved by old women. Instead, train yourself in godliness.⁸For bodily training is a little useful, but godliness is useful for all things. It holds promise for this life now and the life to come.

⁹This message is trustworthy and worthy of full acceptance.¹⁰For it is for this that we labor and struggle. For we hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, but especially of believers.

¹¹Instruct the people and teach these things.¹²Let no one despise your youth, but be an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.¹³Until I come, attend to the reading, to the exhortation, and to the teaching.

¹⁴Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the elders.¹⁵Care for these things. Be in them, so that your progress may be evident to all people.¹⁶Give careful attention to yourself and to the teaching. Continue in these things. For by doing so, you will save yourself and those who listen to you.

5

¹Do not rebuke an older man. Instead, exhort him as if he were a father. Exhort younger men as brothers,²older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, in all purity.

³Honor widows, the real widows.⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show honor in their own household. Let them repay their parents, because this is pleasing to God.

⁵But she who is a real widow, who is left all alone, has set her hope in God and continues in offering earnest appeals and prayers night and day,⁶but the woman who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

⁷Instruct them in these things as well, so that they may be blameless.⁸But if someone does not provide for his own relatives, especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹Let a woman be enrolled as a widow who is not younger than sixty years old, a wife of one husband.¹⁰She must have a reputation for doing good deeds, whether it is that she has cared for children, or has been hospitable to strangers, or has washed the feet of God's holy people, or has relieved the afflicted, or has been devoted to every good work.

¹¹But as for younger widows, refuse to enroll them in the list. For when they give in to bodily desires against Christ, they want to marry.¹²In this way they incur condemnation because they set aside their first commitment.¹³At the same time, they also learn to be lazy and they go around from house to house. They not only become lazy, but they also talk nonsense and are busybodies, saying things they should not say.

¹⁴I therefore want younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage the household, and to give no opportunity for the enemy to slander us.¹⁵For some have already turned aside after Satan.¹⁶If any believing woman has widows, let her help them, so that the church will not be burdened, so that it might help the real widows.

¹⁷Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor with the word and in teaching.¹⁸For the scripture says, "You must not put a muzzle on an ox while it threshes the grain" and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

¹⁹Do not receive an accusation against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses.²⁰Correct sinners before all so that the rest may be afraid.

²¹I solemnly command you, before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels, to keep these commands without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.²²Place hands hastily on no one. Do not share in the sins of another person. You should keep yourself pure.

²³You should no longer drink water. Instead, you should take a little wine for the stomach and your frequent sicknesses.²⁴The sins of some people are openly known, and they go before them into judgment. But some sins follow later.²⁵In the same way, some good works are openly known, but even the others cannot be hidden.

6

¹Let all who are under the yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor. They should do this so that the name of God and the teaching might not be blasphemed.²The slaves who have believing masters should not show them disrespect because they are brothers. Instead, they should serve them all the more. For those who receive the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and declare these things.

³If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the truthful words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching,⁴he is proud and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and arguments about words that result in envy, strife, insults, evil suspicions,⁵and constant conflict between people who have morally corrupt minds. They have lost the truth and they think that godliness is a way to get more money. ¹

⁶Now godliness with contentment is great gain,⁷for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.⁸Instead, let us be satisfied with food and clothing.

⁹Now those who desire to become wealthy fall into temptation, into a trap. They fall into many foolish and harmful desires, and into whatever else sinks people into ruin and destruction.¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people who desire it have been misled away from the faith and have pierced themselves with much grief.

¹¹But you, man of God, flee from these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.¹²Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the everlasting life to which you were called, and about which you gave the good confession before many witnesses.

¹³I give these orders to you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who testified before Pontius Pilate and made the good confession,¹⁴to keep the command without spot or blame until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵God will reveal Christ's appearing at the right time—God, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King who reigns and the Lord who rules.¹⁶Only he has immortality and dwells in inapproachable light. No man sees him or is able to view him. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷Instruct the rich in this world not to be proud and not to hope in riches, which are uncertain. Instead, they should hope in God. He offers to us all the true riches to enjoy.¹⁸Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and willing to share.¹⁹In that way they will store up for themselves a good foundation for what is to come, so that they will take hold of real life.

²⁰Timothy, protect what was given to you. Avoid the profane and empty talk and the conflicting ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.²¹Some men proclaim these things and so they have gone astray from the faith. May grace be with you.

¹Some old copies add the exhortation, Stay away from such things. But the best ancient copies do not.

2 Timothy

1

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

²to Timothy, beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers, with a clean conscience, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.⁴As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.⁵I have been reminded of your genuine faith, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it lives in you also.

⁶This is the reason I am reminding you to rekindle the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.⁷For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.

⁸So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me, Paul, his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,⁹who saved us and called us with a holy calling. He did this, not according to our works, but according to his own plan and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before times ever began.¹⁰But now God's salvation has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who put an end to death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.¹¹Because of this, I was appointed a herald, an apostle, and a teacher. ¹

¹²For this cause I also suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed. I am convinced that he is able to keep that which I have entrusted to him until that day.¹³Keep the example of the truthful words that you heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.¹⁴The good thing that God committed to you, guard it through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.

¹⁵You know this, that all who live in Asia turned away from me. In this group are Phygelus and Hermogenes.¹⁶May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain.¹⁷Instead, when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and he found me.¹⁸May the Lord grant to him to find mercy from him on that day. All the ways he served me in Ephesus you know very well.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies add to the Gentiles .

2

¹You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.²The things you heard from me among many witnesses, entrust them to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.

³Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.⁴No soldier serves while entangled in the affairs of this life, so that he may please his superior officer.⁵Also, if someone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes by the rules.

⁶It is necessary that the hard-working farmer receive his share of the crops first.⁷Think about what I am saying, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was raised from the dead. This is according to my gospel message,⁹for which I am suffering to the point of being bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound.¹⁰Therefore I endure all things for those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

¹¹This is a trustworthy saying:

"If we have died with him, we will also live with him.

¹²If we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we deny him, he also will deny us.

¹³If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful,

for he cannot deny himself."

¹⁴Keep reminding them of these things. Command them before God not to quarrel about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. ¹¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a laborer who has no reason to be ashamed, who accurately teaches the word of truth.

¹⁶Avoid profane and empty talk, which leads to more and more godlessness.¹⁷Their talk will spread like cancer. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,¹⁸who have gone astray from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already happened, and they destroy the faith of some.

¹⁹However, the firm foundation of God stands. It has this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his" and "Everyone who names the name of the Lord must depart from unrighteousness."²⁰In a wealthy home there are not only containers of gold and silver. There are also containers of wood and clay. Some of these are for honorable use, and some for dishonorable.²¹If someone cleans himself from dishonorable use, he is an honorable container. He is set apart, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

²²Flee youthful lusts. Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a clean heart.²³But refuse foolish and ignorant questions. You know that they give birth to quarrels.

²⁴The Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead he must be gentle toward all, able to teach, and patient,²⁵correcting his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God may give them repentance for the knowledge of the truth.²⁶They may become sober again and leave the devil's trap, after they have been captured by him for his will.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, Warn them before the Lord .

3

¹But know this: In the last days there will be difficult times.²For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, and unholy.³They will be without natural affection, unable to reconcile, slanderers, without self-control, violent, not lovers of good.⁴They will be betrayers, reckless, prideful, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

⁵They will have a shape of godliness, but they will deny its power. Turn away from these people.⁶For some of them are men who enter into households and captivate foolish women. These are women who are loaded up with sins and are led away by various desires.⁷These women are always learning, but they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁸In the same way that Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, these false teachers also stand against the truth. They are men corrupt in mind, and with regard to the faith they are rejected.⁹But they will not advance very far. For their foolishness will be obvious to all, just like that of those men.

¹⁰But as for you, you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience,¹¹persecutions, sufferings, and what happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. I endured persecutions. Out of them all, the Lord rescued me.¹²All those who want to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.¹³Evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, leading others astray and being led astray.

¹⁴But as for you, remain in the things that you have learned and have firmly believed. You know from whom you have learned.¹⁵You know that from childhood you have known the sacred writings. These are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶All scripture has been inspired by God. It is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness.¹⁷This is so that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

4

¹I give this solemn command before God and Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom:²Preach the word; be ready when it is convenient and when it is not. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and teaching.

³For the time will come when people will not endure sound teaching. Instead, they will heap up for themselves teachers according to their own desires, who say what their itching ears want to hear.⁴They will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will turn aside to myths.⁵But you, be sober-minded in all things. Suffer hardship; do the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

⁶For I am already being poured out. The time of my departure has come.⁷I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.⁸The crown of righteousness has been reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.

⁹Do your best to come to me quickly.¹⁰For Demas has left me. He loves this present world and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus went to Dalmatia.

¹¹Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you because he is useful to me in the service.¹²Tychicus I sent to Ephesus.¹³The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, bring it when you come, and the books, especially the parchments.

¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith displayed many evil deeds against me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.¹⁵You also should guard yourself against him, because he greatly opposed our words.¹⁶At my first defense, no one stood with me. Instead, everyone left me. May it not be counted against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that, through me, the proclamation of the message might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued out of the lion's mouth.¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹Greet Priscilla, Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus.²⁰Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.²¹Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

²²May the Lord be with your spirit. May grace be with you.

Titus

1

¹Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's chosen people and the knowledge of the truth that agrees with godliness,²with the hope of everlasting life that God, who does not lie, promised before all the ages of time.³At the right time he revealed his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted according to the command of God our Savior.

⁴To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

⁵For this purpose I left you in Crete, that you might set in order things not yet complete and ordain elders in every city as I directed you.

⁶An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children not accused of being reckless or disobedient.⁷It is necessary for the overseer, as a manager of the household of God, to be blameless. He must not be arrogant, not be easily angered, not addicted to wine, not a brawler, and not a greedy man.

⁸Instead, he should be hospitable, loving goodness, sensible, upright, holy, and self-controlled.⁹He should hold tightly to the trustworthy message that was taught, so that he may be able to encourage others with truthful teaching and correct those who oppose him.

¹⁰For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision.¹¹It is necessary to stop them. They are upsetting whole families by teaching for disgraceful profit what they should not teach.

¹²One of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."¹³This testimony is true. Therefore, correct them severely, so that they may be truthful in the faith,¹⁴not paying any attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of people who turn away from the truth.

¹⁵To those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and their consciences have been corrupted.¹⁶They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, and worthless for any good work.

2

¹But you, speak what fits with truthful instruction.²Teach older men to be temperate, dignified, sensible, and sound in faith, in love, and in perseverance.

³In the same way, teach older women to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or being slaves to much wine, but to be teachers of what is good,⁴and so train the younger women to love their husbands and to love their children,⁵to be sensible, pure, good housekeepers, and to be obedient to their own husbands, so that God's word may not be spoken of as evil.

⁶In the same way, encourage the younger men to use good sense.⁷In all ways present yourself as an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, dignity,⁸and a truthful message that is above criticism, so that anyone who opposes you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

⁹Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, to please them and not argue with them,¹⁰to not steal from them, but instead to demonstrate all good faith, so that in every way they may bring credit to the teaching about God our Savior.

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all people.¹²It trains us to reject godlessness and worldly desires, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this age,¹³while we look forward to receiving our blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹⁴Jesus gave himself for us in order to redeem us from all lawlessness and to make pure for himself a special people who are eager to do good works.

¹⁵Speak of these things, encourage people to do them, and give correction with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

3

¹Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready for every good work,²to insult no one, to not be eager to fight, and to be gentle, showing all humility toward everyone.

³For once we ourselves were thoughtless and disobedient. We were led astray and enslaved by various desires and pleasures. We lived in evil and envy. We were detestable and hated one another.

⁴But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared,⁵it was not by works of righteousness that we did, but by his mercy that he saved us, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

⁶whom God richly poured on us through our Savior Jesus Christ,⁷so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

⁸This message is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to engage themselves in good works. These things are good and useful for everyone.

⁹But avoid foolish debates and genealogies and strife and conflict about the law. Those things are unprofitable and worthless.¹⁰Reject anyone who is causing divisions among you, after one or two warnings,¹¹knowing that such a person has turned from the right way and is sinning and condemns himself.

¹²When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, hurry and come to me at Nicopolis, where I have decided to spend the winter.¹³Do everything you can to send on their way Zenas the lawyer and Apollos, so that they lack nothing.

¹⁴Our people must learn to engage themselves in good works that provide for urgent needs, and so not be unfruitful.

¹⁵All those who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with all of you.

Philemon

1

¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and the brother Timothy, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker,²and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your home:

³May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers,⁵because I hear about the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and the love you have for all his holy people.⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may be effective, so you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.⁷For I have had much joy and comfort because of your love, because the hearts of God's holy people have been refreshed by you, brother.

⁸Therefore, although I have all the boldness in Christ to command you to do what you should do,⁹yet because of love, I appeal to you instead—I, Paul, an old man, and now a prisoner for Christ Jesus.

¹⁰I am appealing to you concerning my child Onesimus, whom I have fathered in my chains.¹¹For he once was useless to you, but now he is useful both to you and to me.¹²I have sent him back to you, he who is my very heart.¹³I wish I could have kept him with me so he could serve me for you while I am in chains for the sake of the gospel.

¹⁴But I did not want to do anything without your consent. I did not want your good deed to be from necessity but from good will.¹⁵Perhaps for this he was separated from you for a time, so that you might have him back forever.¹⁶No longer would he be a slave, but better than a slave, a beloved brother. He is beloved especially to me, and much more so to you, in both the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷So if you have me as a partner, receive him as me.¹⁸If he has wronged you or owes you anything, charge that to me.¹⁹I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I myself will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your own self!²⁰Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

²¹Confident about your obedience, I am writing to you. I know that you will do even more than I ask.²²At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be returned to you.

²³Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you.²⁴So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

²⁵The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Hebrews

1

¹Long ago God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in many ways.²But in these last days, he has spoken to us through a Son, whom he appointed to be the heir of all things. It is through him that God also made the universe.³He is the brightness of God's glory, the exact representation of his being. He even holds everything together by the word of his power. After he had made cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

⁴He has become just as superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than their name.⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say,

"You are my Son,

today I have become your Father"?

Or to which of the angels did God ever say,

"I will be a Father to him,

and he will be a Son to me"?

⁶But again, when God brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

"All God's angels must worship him."

⁷About the angels he says,

"He is the one who makes his angels spirits,

and his servants flames of fire."

⁸But to the Son he says,

"Your throne, God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom.

⁹You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of joy more than your companions."

¹⁰"In the beginning, Lord, you laid the earth's foundation.

The heavens are the work of your hands.

¹¹They will perish, but you will continue.

They will all wear out like a piece of clothing.

¹²You will roll them up like a cloak,

and they will be changed like a piece of clothing.

But you are the same,

and your years do not end."

¹³But to which of the angels has God said at any time,

"Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?

¹⁴Are not all angels spirits who serve, and who are sent to care for those who will inherit salvation?

2

¹Therefore, we must give far more attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.

²For if the message that was spoken through the angels proved to be so reliable, and every transgression and disobedience receives just repayment,³how then can we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This is salvation that was first announced by the Lord and confirmed to us by those who heard it.⁴At the same time God testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by distributing the gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

⁵For it was not to the angels that God subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.⁶But someone has somewhere testified, saying,

"What is man, that you are mindful of him?

Or a son of man, that you care for him?

⁷You made man a little lower than the angels;

you crowned him with glory and honor. ¹

⁸You put everything in subjection under his feet."

For it was to him that God has subjected all things. He did not leave anything not subjected to him. But now we do not yet see everything subjected to him.

⁹But we see him who was made lower than the angels for a little while, Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of his suffering and death, so that by God's grace he might taste death for everyone.¹⁰For it was proper for God, because everything exists for him and through him, to bring many sons to glory. It was proper for him to make the founder of their salvation complete through his sufferings.

¹¹For both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have one source. So he is not ashamed to call them brothers.¹²He says,

"I will proclaim your name to my brothers,

I will sing about you from inside the assembly."

¹³And again,

"I will trust in him."

And again,

"See, here am I and the children whom God has given me."

¹⁴Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he shared in those things in the same way, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.¹⁵This was so that he would free all those who through fear of death lived all their lives subject to slavery.

¹⁶For surely it is not the angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.¹⁷So it was necessary for him to become like his brothers in all ways, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in relation to the things of God, and so that he could make atonement for the sins of the people.¹⁸Because Jesus himself has suffered and was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies add and you have put him over the works of your hands .

3

¹Therefore, holy brothers, you share in a heavenly calling. Think about Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.²He was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was also faithful in all the house of God.³For Jesus has been considered worthy of greater glory than Moses, because the one who builds a house has more honor than the house itself.⁴For every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God.

⁵For Moses was faithful as a servant in God's entire house, bearing witness about the things that were to be spoken of in the future.⁶But Christ is faithful as a Son who is in charge of the house of God. We are his house if we hold firmly to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

⁷Therefore, it is just as the Holy Spirit says:

"Today, if you hear his voice

⁸do not harden your hearts

as in the rebellion,

in the time of testing in the wilderness.

⁹This was when your ancestors rebelled by testing me,

after they had seen my deeds for forty years.

¹⁰Therefore I was angry with that generation.

I said, 'They have always gone astray in their hearts.

They have not known my ways.'

¹¹It is just as I swore in my wrath:

'They will never enter my rest.'"

¹²Be careful, brothers, that none of you has an evil heart of unbelief, a heart that turns away from the living God.¹³But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "today," so that no one among you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

¹⁴For we have become partners of Christ if we firmly hold to our confidence in him from the beginning to the end.¹⁵About this it has been said,

"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts,

as in the rebellion."

¹⁶Who was it who heard God and rebelled? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt through Moses?¹⁷With whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?¹⁸To whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if it was not to those who disobeyed him?¹⁹We see that they were not able to enter his rest because of unbelief.

4

¹Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest is still allowed to stand, let us fear, so that none of you may seem to have fallen short of it.²For we were told the good news just as they were. But that message did not benefit those who did not unite in faith with those who obeyed. ¹

³For we who have believed enter that rest, just as he said,

"As I swore in my wrath,

They will never enter my rest."

Even so, his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

⁴For he has somewhere spoken about the seventh day:

"And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."

⁵And again in this same passage he said,

"They will never enter my rest."

⁶Therefore, it remains for some to enter that rest, and those who previously had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience.⁷So God again appointed a certain day, calling it "Today," when he spoke through David much later in words already quoted:

"Today if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts."

⁸For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken about another day.⁹So there remains a Sabbath rest reserved for God's people.¹⁰For he who enters into God's rest has himself also rested from his deeds, just as God did from his.¹¹Therefore let us be eager to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the kind of disobedience that they did.

¹²For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.¹³No thing that has been created is hidden before God, but everything is bare and open to the eyes of the one to whom we must give an account.

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us firmly hold to our confession.¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. Rather, we have someone who has in all ways been tempted as we are, except that he is without sin.¹⁶Let us then go with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

¹Some important and ancient copies read, But that message did not benefit those who heard it without joining faith to it .

5

¹For every high priest, chosen from among people, is appointed to act on the behalf of people in the things concerning God, so that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.²He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and who have been deceived, because he himself is subject to weakness.³Because of this, he also is required to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people's sins.

⁴No one takes this honor for himself. Rather, he is called by God, just as Aaron was.⁵In the same way, neither did Christ glorify himself by making himself high priest. Instead, the one speaking to him said,

"You are my Son;

today I have become your Father."

⁶It is just as he also says in another place,

"You are a priest forever

after the manner of Melchizedek."

⁷During the days of his flesh, Christ offered up both prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, the one able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his godly life.⁸Even though he was a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

⁹He was made perfect and became, for everyone who obeys him, the cause of eternal salvation.¹⁰He was designated by God as high priest after the manner of Melchizedek.

¹¹We have much to say about Jesus, but it is hard to explain since you have become dull in hearing.

¹²For though by this time you should be teachers, you still have need for someone to teach you the elementary principles of God's messages. You need milk, not solid food!¹³For anyone who only takes milk is inexperienced with the message of righteousness, because he is still a little child.¹⁴But solid food is for the mature. These are those who, because of their maturity, have their understanding trained for distinguishing good from evil.

6

¹So then, let us leave the beginning of the message of Christ and move forward to maturity. Let us not lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith in God,²nor the foundation of teaching about baptisms, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.³We will also do this if God permits.

⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who were sharers of the Holy Spirit,⁵and who tasted God's good word and the powers of the age to come,⁶but who then fell away—it is impossible to restore them again to repentance. This is because they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and publicly shame him.

⁷For the land that drinks in the rain that often comes on it, and that gives birth to the plants useful to those for whom the land was worked—this is the land that receives a blessing from God.⁸But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and is near to a curse. Its end is in burning.

⁹But we are convinced about better things concerning you, beloved ones—things that concern salvation—even though we speak like this.¹⁰For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you showed for his name, because you served his holy people, and you are still serving them.

¹¹We greatly desire that each of you may show the same diligence to the end, in order to make your hope certain.¹²This is so that you will not become lazy, but imitators of those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.

¹³For when God made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, since he could not swear by anyone greater.¹⁴He said, "I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants."¹⁵In this way, Abraham obtained what was promised after he had patiently waited.

¹⁶For people swear by someone greater than themselves. At the end of each of their disputes, an oath serves as confirmation.¹⁷When God decided to show more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable quality of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.¹⁸He did this so that by two unchangeable things—with which it is impossible for God to lie—we, who have fled for refuge, will have a strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us.

¹⁹We have this as a secure and reliable anchor for the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,²⁰where Jesus, who went before us, has entered into that place on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

7

¹It was this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.²It was to him that Abraham gave a tenth of everything. First, the translation of his name means "king of righteousness"; then he is also "king of Salem," that is, "king of peace."³He is without father, without mother, without ancestors, with neither beginning of days nor end of life. And resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

⁴See how great this man was to whom the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the things that he had taken in battle.⁵The descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, even though they, too, are descended from Abraham.⁶But Melchizedek, whose descent was not traced from them, received tithes from Abraham, and blessed him, the one who had the promises.

⁷There is no denying that the lesser person is blessed by the greater person.⁸In this case, mortal men receive tithes, but in that case, it is testified that he lives on.⁹And, in a manner of speaking, Levi, who received tithes, also paid tithes through Abraham,¹⁰because Levi was in the body of his ancestor when Melchizedek met Abraham.

¹¹Now if perfection were possible through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the manner of Melchizedek, and not be considered to be after the manner of Aaron?¹²For when the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed.

¹³For the one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar.¹⁴Now clearly it is from Judah that our Lord was born, a tribe that Moses never mentioned concerning priests.

¹⁵What we say is even clearer when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek.¹⁶This one became a priest, not based on a law of physical requirement, but by the power of an everlasting life.¹⁷For scripture witnesses about him:

"You are a priest forever

according to the order of Melchizedek."

¹⁸For not only has the former command been set aside because it is weak and useless—¹⁹for the law made nothing perfect—but also a better hope is introduced, through which we come near to God.

²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath,²¹but he became a priest with an oath by the one who said to him,

"The Lord has sworn and he will not change his mind:

'You are a priest forever.'"

²²By this also Jesus has given the guarantee of a better covenant.²³The former priests were many in number, since death prevented them from continuing in office.²⁴But because Jesus continues to live forever, he has a permanent priesthood.

²⁵Therefore he is also able to save completely those who approach God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.²⁶For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, who is holy, innocent, pure, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

²⁷He does not need, unlike the high priests, to offer up daily sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He did this once for all when he offered himself.²⁸For the law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appointed a Son, who has been made perfect forever.

8

¹Now the point of what we are saying is this: We have a high priest who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.²He is a servant in the holy place, the true tabernacle that the Lord, not a man, set up.

³For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary to have something to offer.⁴Now if Christ were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the law.⁵They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. It is just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to construct the tabernacle: God said, "See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain."

⁶But now Christ has received a much better ministry, just as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which is based on better promises.⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, no occasion for a second would have been sought.

⁸For when God found fault with the people, he said,

"See, the days are coming—says the Lord—

when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

⁹It will not be like the covenant

that I made with their ancestors

on the day that I took them by their hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt.

For they did not carefully obey my covenant,

and I disregarded them—

says the Lord.

¹⁰This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, says the Lord.

I will put my laws into their minds,

and I will also write them on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

¹¹They will not teach each one his fellow citizen

and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord.'

For they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

¹²For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds,

and their sins I will not remember any longer."

¹³By calling this covenant "new," he declared the first covenant to be obsolete, and what has become obsolete and old will soon disappear.

9

¹Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly sanctuary.²For a tabernacle was prepared. The first room, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the bread of the presence, was called the holy place.

³Behind the second curtain was another room in the tabernacle, called the most holy place.⁴It had a golden altar for incense. It also had the ark of the covenant, which was completely overlaid with gold. Inside it was a golden jar that held the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.⁵Above the ark of the covenant, glorious cherubim overshadowed the atonement lid, which we cannot now talk about in detail.

⁶After these things were prepared, the priests always entered the outer room of the tabernacle to perform their services.⁷But only the high priest entered the second room, once each year, and not without blood that he offered for himself and for the people's unintentional sins.

⁸The Holy Spirit showed that as long as the first tabernacle was still standing, the way into the most holy place had not yet appeared.⁹This was an illustration for the present time. Both the gifts and sacrifices that are now being offered are not able to perfect the worshiper's conscience.¹⁰They are only concerned with food and drink and various ceremonial washings, regulations for the body until the time of the new order.

¹¹Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come. He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that was not made by human hands, one not belonging to this created world. ¹¹²It was not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood that he entered into the most holy place once for all and secured our eternal redemption.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes on those who have been defiled sanctifies them for the cleansing of their flesh,¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?¹⁵For this reason, he is the mediator of a new covenant. This is so that, since a death has taken place to redeem those under the first covenant from their transgressions, those who are called will receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.

¹⁶For where there is a will, the death of the person who made it must be proven.¹⁷For a will is only valid when there has been a death, because it has no force while the one who made it is still alive.

¹⁸So not even the first covenant was established without blood.¹⁹For when Moses had given every command in the law to all the people, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water, red wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people.²⁰Then he said, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you."

²¹In the same manner, he sprinkled the blood on the tabernacle and all the containers used in the ministry.²²According to the law, almost everything is cleansed with blood. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

²³Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in heaven should be cleansed with these animal sacrifices. However, the heavenly things themselves had to be cleansed with much better sacrifices.²⁴For Christ did not enter into the most holy place made with hands, which is only a copy of the true one. Rather, he entered into heaven itself, to appear now in God's presence for us.

²⁵He did not go there in order to offer himself many times, as does the high priest, who enters the most holy place year by year with the blood of another.²⁶If that had been the case, then he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

²⁷Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that comes judgment,²⁸so also, Christ was offered once to take away the sins of many, and will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but for the salvation of those who are waiting for him.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, Christ came as a high priest of the good things that are to come .

10

¹For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the real forms of those things themselves. Those who approach God can never be made perfect by the same sacrifices that the priests continually bring year after year.²Otherwise, would the sacrifices not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed one time and would no longer have any consciousness of sin.³But with those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year.⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵When Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you did not desire,

but a body you have prepared for me;

⁶with burnt offerings and sin offerings

you did not take pleasure.

⁷Then I said, 'See, here I am—as it is written about me in the scroll—

to do your will, God.'"

⁸First he said, "It was neither sacrifices, nor offerings, nor whole burnt offerings, nor sin offerings that you desired. Nor did you take pleasure in them." These are sacrifices that are offered according to the law.⁹Then he said, "See, here I am to do your will." He takes away the first practice in order to establish the second practice.¹⁰By that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹Day after day every priest stands and ministers, offering the same sacrifices again and again—sacrifices that can never take away sins.¹²But when Christ offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.¹³He is waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.¹⁴For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵The Holy Spirit also testifies to us. First he says,

¹⁶"This is the covenant that I will make with them

after those days, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts,

and I will write them on their minds."

¹⁷Then he adds,

"Their sins and lawlessness

I will remember no longer."

¹⁸Now where there is forgiveness for these, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

¹⁹Therefore, brothers, we have confidence to enter into the most holy place by the blood of Jesus.²⁰That is the new and living way that he has established for us through the curtain, that is, by means of his flesh.²¹Because we have a great priest over the house of God,²²let us approach with true hearts in the full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

²³Let us also hold firmly to the hope we confess, for he who promised is faithful.²⁴Let us think carefully about how to motivate one another to love and good deeds.²⁵Let us not abandon meeting together, as some have done. Instead, encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day coming closer.

²⁶For if we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, a sacrifice for sins no longer remains.²⁷Instead, there is only a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume God's enemies.

²⁸Anyone who has rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses.²⁹How much worse punishment do you think one deserves who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, who has regarded the blood of the covenant as unholy—the blood by which he was sanctified—and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

³⁰For we know the one who said, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay back." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."³¹It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

³²But remember the former days, after you were enlightened, how you endured a great struggle in suffering.³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution, and other times you shared with those who were so treated.³⁴For you had compassion on those who were prisoners, and you accepted with joy the seizure of your possessions. You knew that you yourselves had a better and everlasting possession. ¹

³⁵So do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.³⁶For you need perseverance so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

³⁷"For in a very little while,

the one who is coming will indeed come and not delay.

³⁸My righteous one will live by faith.

If he shrinks back, my soul will not be pleased with him."

³⁹But we are not any of those who turn back to destruction, but we are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, For you had compassion on me in my chains .

11

¹Now faith is being sure of the things hoped for and certain of things that are not seen.²For because of this the ancestors were approved for their faith.³By faith we understand that the universe was created by God's command, so that what is visible was not made out of things that were visible.

⁴It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, and God spoke well of him because of his offerings, and by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵It was by faith that Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death. "He was not found, because God took him away." For before he was taken up, it was testified that he had pleased God.⁶Now without faith it is impossible to please him. For it is necessary that anyone coming to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

⁷It was by faith that Noah, having been given a divine message about things not yet seen, with godly reverence built an ark to save his household. By doing this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.

⁸It was by faith that Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to the place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going.⁹It was by faith that he lived in the land of promise as a foreigner. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

¹¹It was by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren, that she received ability to conceive. This happened even though she was too old, since she considered as faithful the one who had given the promise.¹²Therefore, from this one man—and he was almost dead—were born descendants as many as the stars in the sky and as countless as sand by the seashore.

¹³It was in faith that all these died without receiving the promises. Rather, they saw and greeted them from far off, and they acknowledged that they were foreigners and exiles on earth.¹⁴For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷It was by faith that Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac. It was his only son whom he offered, he who had received the promises.¹⁸It was Abraham to whom it had been said, "It is through Isaac that your descendants will be named."¹⁹Abraham reasoned that God was able to raise up Isaac from the dead, and figuratively speaking, it was from them that he received him back.

²⁰It was also by faith about things to come that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.²¹It was by faith that Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons. Jacob worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.²²It was by faith that Joseph, when his end was near, spoke of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt and instructed them about his bones.

²³It was by faith that Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child. They were not afraid of the king's command.²⁴It was by faith that Moses, after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while.²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.

²⁷It was by faith that Moses left Egypt. He did not fear the king's anger, for he endured as if he were seeing the one who is invisible.²⁸It was by faith that he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch the Israelites' firstborn sons.

²⁹It was by faith that they passed through the Sea of Reeds as if over dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were swallowed up.³⁰It was by faith that Jericho's walls fell down, after they had been circled around for seven days.³¹It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

³²What more can I say? For the time will fail me if I give a full account of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and about the prophets.³³It was through faith that they conquered kingdoms, committed righteousness, and received promises. They stopped the mouths of lions,³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong when they were weak, became mighty in battle, and defeated foreign armies.

³⁵Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might experience a better resurrection.³⁶Others experienced mocking and whippings, and even chains and imprisonment.³⁷They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins. They were destitute, oppressed, mistreated. ¹³⁸The world was not worthy of them. They were always wandering about in the deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹Although all these people were approved by God because of their faith, they did not receive the promise.⁴⁰God planned something better for us, so that without us, they would not be made perfect.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were put to the test. They were killed with the sword .

12

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a large cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and easily entangling sin. Let us run with perseverance the race that is placed before us.²Let us pay attention to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of the faith. For the joy that was placed before him, he endured the cross, despised its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.³So think about him, the one who has endured such opposition from sinners against himself, so that you do not become weary and lose heart.

⁴You have not yet resisted or struggled against sin to the point of blood;⁵and you have forgotten the encouragement that instructs you as sons:

"My son, do not think lightly of the Lord's discipline,

nor grow weary when you are corrected by him.

⁶For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and he punishes every son he receives."

⁷Endure suffering as discipline. God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?⁸But if you are without discipline, which all people share in, then you are illegitimate and not his sons.

⁹Furthermore, we had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best. But God disciplines us for our benefit, so that we can share in his holiness.¹¹No discipline at the time seems to give joy, but to give sorrow. But later it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.

¹²So strengthen your hands that hang down and your weak knees.¹³Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be sprained but rather be healed.

¹⁴Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord.¹⁵Be careful so that no one lacks God's grace, and that no root of bitterness grows up to cause trouble, so that many do not become defiled by it,¹⁶and that there is no one who is sexually immoral or profane, such as Esau, who for one meal sold his own birthright.¹⁷For you know that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he found no opportunity for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.

¹⁸For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, a mountain of burning fire, darkness, gloom, and storm.¹⁹You have not come to a trumpet blast, nor to a voice that speaks words whose hearers begged that not another word be spoken to them.²⁰For they could not endure what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." ¹²¹So fearful was this sight that Moses said, "I am terrified and am trembling."

²²Rather, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels in joyful assembly.²³You have come to the congregation of the firstborn, who have been registered in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous ones who have been made perfect.²⁴And you have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks better than Abel's blood.

²⁵See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we turn away from the one who is warning from heaven.²⁶At one time, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised and said, "One more time I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens."

²⁷These words, "One more time," mean the removal of those things that can be shaken, that is, of the things that have been created, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain.²⁸Therefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and in this manner worship God with reverence and awe.²⁹For our God is a consuming fire.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned or shot with an arrow .

13

¹Let brotherly love continue.²Do not forget hospitality for strangers. For through this, some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

³Remember prisoners as if you were bound with them. Remember those who are mistreated since you yourselves also are in the body.⁴Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept pure, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

⁵Let your conduct be free from the love of money. Be content with the things you have, for God himself has said,

"I will never leave you,

nor will I abandon you."

⁶Let us be content so that we may have courage to say,

"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can a man do to me?"

⁷Consider your leaders, those who spoke God's word to you, and consider the result of their conduct. Imitate their faith.⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

⁹Do not be carried away by various strange teachings. For it is good that the heart should be strengthened by grace, not by foods that do not help those who walk by them.¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat.¹¹For the blood of the animals killed for sins is brought by the high priest into the holy place, while their bodies are burned outside the camp.

¹²So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.¹³Let us therefore go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he endured.¹⁴For we do not have a permanent city here. Rather, we are looking for the one that is to come.

¹⁵Through him, then, let us always offer up sacrifices of praise to God, praise that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.¹⁶Let us not forget doing good and sharing, for it is with such sacrifices that God is very pleased.¹⁷Obey and submit to your leaders, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give account. Obey so that your leaders will do this with joy, and not with groaning, which would be useless to you.

¹⁸Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience and that we desire to live rightly in all things.¹⁹I encourage you even more to do this, so that I will be returned to you sooner.

²⁰Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, by the blood of the eternal covenant,²¹equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²Now I encourage you, brothers, to bear with the word of encouragement that I have briefly written to you.²³Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I will see you if he comes soon.

²⁴Greet all your leaders and all God's holy people. Those from Italy greet you.

²⁵May grace be with you all.

James

1

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion: Greetings!²Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you experience various troubles.³You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴Let endurance complete its work so that you may become fully developed and complete, not lacking anything.⁵But if any of you needs wisdom, let him ask for it from God, the one who gives generously and without rebuke to all who ask, and he will give it to him.

⁶But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven by the wind and tossed around.⁷For that person must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord;⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Let the lowly brother boast of his high position,¹⁰but the rich man of his low position, because he will pass away as a wild flower in the grass.¹¹For the sun rises with burning heat and dries up the grass. The flower falls off, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich man will fade away in the middle of his journey.

¹²Blessed is the man who endures testing. For after he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, which has been promised to those who love God.¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," because God is not tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone.

¹⁴But each person is tempted by his own desire, which drags him away and entices him.¹⁵Then after the desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and after the sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.¹⁶Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of lights. With him there is no changing or shadow because of turning.¹⁸God chose to give us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all his creatures.

¹⁹You know this, my beloved brothers: Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.²⁰For the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.²¹Therefore, take off all sinful filth and abundant amounts of evil. In humility receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²Be doers of the word and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves.²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word but not a doer, he is like a man who examines his natural face in a mirror.²⁴He examines himself and then goes away and immediately forgets what he was like.²⁵But the person who looks carefully into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so, not just being a hearer who forgets, this man will be blessed in his actions.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious and does not control his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.²⁷Religion that is pure and unspoiled before our God and Father is to help the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

2

¹My brothers, do not hold to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality toward certain people.²Suppose that someone enters your meeting wearing gold rings and splendid clothes, and there also enters a poor man in dirty clothes.³If you look at the person wearing fine clothes and say, "You sit here in a good place," but you say to the poor man, "You stand over there" or "Sit by my footstool,"⁴are you not judging among yourselves? Have you not become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers, did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?⁶But you have dishonored the poor! Is it not the rich who oppress you? Are they not the ones who drag you to court?⁷Do they not insult the good name by which you have been called?

⁸If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.⁹But if you favor certain people, you are committing sin, and you are convicted by the law as transgressors.

¹⁰For whoever obeys the whole law, except that he stumbles in just a single way, has become guilty of breaking the whole law.¹¹For the one who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery, but if you do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

¹²So speak and act as those who will be judged by means of the law of freedom.¹³For judgment comes without mercy to those who have shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴What profit is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?¹⁵Suppose that a brother or sister is badly clothed and lacks food for the day.¹⁶Suppose that one of you says to them, "Go in peace, stay warm and be filled." If you do not give them the things necessary for the body, what profit is that?¹⁷In the same way faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸Yet someone may say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.¹⁹You believe that there is one God; you do well. But even the demons believe that, and they tremble.²⁰Do you want to know, foolish man, that faith without works is useless? ¹

²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?²²You see that faith worked with his works, and that by works his faith was completed.²³The scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness," and he was called a friend of God.²⁴You see that it is by works that a man is justified, and not only by faith.

²⁵In the same way also, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by another road?²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, Do you want to know, foolish man, how it is that faith without works is dead?

3

¹Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.²For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in words, he is a perfect man, able to control even his whole body.

³Now if we put bits into horses' mouths for them to obey us, we can also direct their whole bodies.⁴Notice also that ships, although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, are steered by a very small rudder to wherever the pilot desires.

⁵In this way, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts great things. Notice also how small a fire sets on fire a large forest.⁶The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil set among our members. The tongue defiles the whole body, sets on fire the course of life, and is itself set on fire by hell.

⁷For every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is being tamed and has been tamed by mankind.⁸But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹With it we praise the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.¹⁰Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not happen.

¹¹Does a spring pour out from its opening both sweet and bitter water?¹²Does a fig tree, my brothers, make olives? Or a grapevine, figs? Neither can salty water produce sweet water.

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let that person show a good life by his works in the humility of wisdom.¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth.

¹⁵This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Rather, it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.¹⁶For where there are jealousy and ambition, there is confusion and every evil practice.¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.¹⁸The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace.

4

¹Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members?²You desire, and you do not have. You murder and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.³You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order that you may use it for your desires.

⁴You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility against God? So whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.⁵Or do you think the scripture says in vain, "The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply envious"?

⁶But God gives more grace, so the scripture says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

⁷So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁸Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded people.⁹Grieve, mourn, and cry! Let your laughter turn into mourning and your joy into gloom.¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹Do not speak evil about another, brothers. The person who speaks evil about a brother or judges his brother speaks evil about the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.¹²Only one is the lawgiver and judge. He is the one who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, you who judge your neighbor?

¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit."¹⁴Who knows what will happen tomorrow, and what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

¹⁵Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that."¹⁶But now you are boasting about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.¹⁷So for anyone who knows to do good but does not do it, for him it is sin.

5

¹Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail because of the miseries coming on you.²Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten.³Your gold and your silver have become tarnished and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure for the last days.

⁴Look, the wages you kept back from the laborers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.⁵You have lived in luxury on the earth and indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter.⁶You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not oppose you.

⁷Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit from the ground and he is patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.⁸You, too, be patient. Strengthen your hearts because the Lord's coming is near.

⁹Do not complain, brothers, against one another, so that you will not be condemned. See, the judge is standing at the door.¹⁰Take an example, brothers, from the suffering and patience of the prophets, those who spoke in the name of the Lord.¹¹See, we regard those who endured as blessed. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you know the purpose of the Lord, how he is very compassionate and merciful.

¹²Above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth, or by any other oath. Rather, let your "Yes" mean "Yes" and your "No" mean "No," so you do not fall under judgment.

¹³Is anyone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him. Let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.¹⁵The prayer of faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, God will forgive him.

¹⁶So confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very strong in its working.¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain in the land for three years and six months.¹⁸Then Elijah prayed again. The heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you strays from the truth, and someone brings him back,²⁰that person should know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and will cover over a great number of sins.

1 Peter

1

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the foreigners of the dispersion, the chosen ones, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.²This is according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience and for the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace be to you, and may your peace increase.

³May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.⁴This is for an inheritance that will not perish, will not become stained, and will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you.⁵You are protected by God's power through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, even though now, for a little while, you may have to suffer all kinds of trials.⁷This is for the proving of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, even though it is tested by fire. This happens so that your faith will be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revealing of Jesus Christ.

⁸You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.⁹You are now receiving for yourselves the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to come to you searched diligently and examined carefully,

¹¹inquiring into what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

¹³So gird up the loins of your mind. Be sober. Put your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform yourselves to the desires that you followed when you were ignorant.

¹⁵But as the one who called you is holy, you too be holy in your whole behavior.¹⁶For it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy."¹⁷So if you call "Father" the one who judges impartially and according to each person's work, conduct yourselves in fear during your time here as foreigners.

¹⁸You know that it was not with perishable silver or gold that you have been redeemed from the futile behavior that you inherited from your ancestors,¹⁹but by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

²⁰Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but now he has been revealed to you in these last times.²¹Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²²You made your souls pure by obedience to the truth. This was for the purpose of sincere brotherly love; so love one another earnestly from a pure heart. ¹²³You have been born again, not from perishable seed, but from imperishable seed, through the living and remaining word of God.

²⁴For

"All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory is like the wild flower of the grass.

The grass dries up, and the flower falls off,

²⁵but the word of the Lord remains forever."

This word is the gospel that was preached to you.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, You made your souls pure by obedience to the truth through the Spirit .

2

¹Therefore, put aside all evil, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.²As newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow in salvation,³if you have tasted that the Lord is kind.

⁴Come to him who is a living stone that has been rejected by people, but that has been chosen by God as valuable to him.⁵You also are like living stones that are being built up to be a spiritual house in order to be a holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶Scripture contains this:

"See, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone,

chosen and valuable.

Whoever believes in him

will not be ashamed."

⁷The value, then, is to you who believe. But to those who do not believe,

"The stone that was rejected by the builders,

this has become the head of the corner,"

⁸and

"A stone of stumbling

and a rock that makes them fall."

They stumble because they disobey the word—which is what they were appointed to do.

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you would announce the wonderful actions of the one who called you out from darkness into his marvelous light.¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You did not receive mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Beloved, I exhort you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires, which fight against your soul.¹²Your conduct among the Gentiles should be honorable, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they may be eyewitnesses of your good deeds and give glory to God on the day when he appears.

¹³Be subject to every human authority for the Lord's sake. Obey both the king as supreme¹⁴and also the governors, who are sent for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do good.¹⁵For this is God's will, that in doing good you silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.¹⁶As free people, do not use your freedom as a covering for wickedness, but be like servants of God.¹⁷Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect. Be subject not only to the good and gentle masters, but also to the malicious ones.¹⁹For it is praiseworthy if, because he is conscious of God, a person endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.²⁰For how much credit is there if you sin and then endure while being afflicted? But if you have done good and then you suffer while being punished, this is worthy of praise from God.

²¹For it is to this that you were called, because Christ also suffered for you. He left an example for you to follow in his steps.

²²"He committed no sin,

neither was any deceit found in his mouth."

²³When he was insulted, he gave no insult in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten back, but he gave himself over to the one who judges justly.

²⁴He himself carried our sins in his body on the tree so that we would die to sin and live for righteousness. By his bruises you have been healed.²⁵All of you had been straying like lost sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.

3

¹In the same way, you who are wives should submit to your own husbands. Do this so that even if some men are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word, through their wives' behavior,²having been eyewitnesses of your respectful, pure behavior.

³Do not let your adornment be outward—the braiding of hair and putting on of gold ornaments, or the clothing you wear.⁴Instead, let your adornment be the inner person of the heart with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious before God.

⁵For this is how holy women long ago who hoped in God adorned themselves, by submitting to their husbands.⁶In this way Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are now her children if you do what is good and if you are not afraid of trouble.

⁷In the same way, you husbands should live with your wives according to understanding, as with a weaker container, a woman. You should give them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. Do this so that your prayers will not be hindered.

⁸Finally, all of you, be like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, and humble.⁹Do not pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. On the contrary, continue to bless, because for this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.

¹⁰"The one who wants to love life

and see good days

should stop his tongue from evil

and his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹Let him turn away from what is bad and do what is good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²The eyes of the Lord see the righteous,

and his ears hear their prayers.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

¹³Who is the one who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?¹⁴But even if you suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats. Do not be troubled.

¹⁵Instead, set apart the Lord Christ in your hearts as holy. Always be ready to give an account to anyone who asks about the hope you have—¹⁶however, with meekness and respect. Have a good conscience so that, in whatever you are spoken of as evil, the people who slander your good life in Christ may be put to shame.¹⁷It is better, if it should be God's will, that you suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

¹⁸Christ also suffered once for sins. He who is righteous suffered for us, who were unrighteous, so that he would bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but he was made alive by the Spirit.¹⁹By the Spirit, he went and preached to the spirits who are now in prison.²⁰They were disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah, in the days of the building of an ark, and God saved a few people—eight souls—by means of the water.

²¹This is a symbol of the baptism that saves you now—not as a washing away of dirt from the body, but as the appeal of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.²²Christ is at the right hand of God. He went into heaven. Angels, authorities, and powers must submit to him.

4

¹Therefore, because Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same intention. For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.²As a result, such a person, for the rest of his time in the flesh, no longer lives for men's desires, but for God's will.

³For the time that has passed is enough for you to do the desire of the Gentiles, living in sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, drunken celebrations, having wild parties, and committing lawless acts of idolatry.⁴They think it is strange that you do not join with them in these floods of reckless behavior, so they speak evil about you.⁵They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.⁶For this purpose the gospel was preached also to the dead, so that, although they have been judged in the flesh as humans, they may live in the spirit the way God does.

⁷The end of all things is coming near. Therefore be of sound mind, and be sober in your thinking for the sake of prayers.⁸Above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

¹⁰As each one of you has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's grace in its various forms.¹¹If anyone speaks, let it be with God's words. If anyone serves, let it be from the strength that God supplies. Do these things so that in all ways God would be glorified through Jesus Christ. May there be to Jesus Christ glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹²Beloved, do not regard as strange the testing in the fire that has come upon you, as if something strange were happening to you.¹³Instead, however much you experience the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.¹⁴If you are insulted for Christ's name, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

¹⁵But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.¹⁶Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; instead, let him glorify God with that name.

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who disobey God's gospel?

¹⁸And

"If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

¹⁹Therefore, let those who suffer because of God's will commit their souls to the faithful Creator in well-doing.

5

¹I am exhorting the elders among you—I, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and am also one who will share in the glory that will be revealed:²Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God would have you serve—not for shameful profit but eagerly.³Do not act as lords over those allotted to you. Instead, be examples to the flock.⁴Then when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive an unfading crown of glory.

⁵In the same way, you younger men, submit to the older men. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility and serve one another.

"For God is opposed to the proud,

but he gives grace to the humble."

⁶Therefore humble yourselves under God's mighty hand so that he may exalt you in due time.⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.⁹Stand against him. Be strong in your faith. You know that your brotherhood in the world is enduring the same sufferings.

¹⁰After you suffer for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will perfect you, confirm you, strengthen you, and establish you.¹¹To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

¹²I regard Silvanus as a faithful brother, and I have written to you briefly through him. I am exhorting you and I am testifying to you that what I have written is the true grace of God. Stand in it.¹³The woman who is in Babylon, who is chosen together with you, greets you. Also Mark, my son, greets you.¹⁴Greet one another with a kiss of love.

May peace be to you all who are in Christ.

2 Peter

1

¹Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received the same precious faith as we have received, faith in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

²May grace and peace increase in measure in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³By his divine power, all things for life and godliness have been given to us through the knowledge of him who called us through his own glory and excellence.⁴Through these he gave us precious and great promises, so that you might be sharers in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world that is caused by evil desires.

⁵For this reason, do your best to add goodness to your faith, and to goodness add knowledge,⁶to knowledge add self-control, to self-control add endurance, to endurance add godliness,⁷to godliness add brotherly love, and to brotherly love add love.

⁸If these things are in you and grow in you, they will keep you from being barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹But whoever lacks these things is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten he has been cleansed from his past sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, do your best to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you will not stumble.¹¹In this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹²Therefore I will always be ready to remind you of these things, although you know them, and although you are strong in the truth you now have.¹³I think it is proper for me, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by way of reminder.¹⁴For I know that the putting off of my tent will be soon, because our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed this to me.¹⁵I will make every effort to see that after my departure you may always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly invented myths when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased."¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹For we have the prophetic word made more certain, to which you would do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.²¹For no prophecy was ever brought by the will of man, but men spoke from God when they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2

¹False prophets came to the people, and false teachers will also come to you. They will secretly bring with them destructive heresies, and they will deny the master who bought them. They are bringing quick destruction upon themselves.²Many will follow their sensuality, and through them the way of truth will be slandered.³In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation has been coming for a long time, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but delivered them into hell to be kept in chains of darkness until the judgment, ¹⁵and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly,⁶and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to destruction as an example of what is to happen to the ungodly,

⁷but delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the sensual behavior of lawless people—⁸for that righteous man, who was living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds—⁹if the Lord did these things, then he knows how to rescue godly men out of trials and how to hold unrighteous men in custody so they can be punished on the day of judgment.

¹⁰This is especially true for those who walk after the corrupt desires of the flesh and who despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones.¹¹Angels have greater strength and power, but they do not bring insulting judgments against them to the Lord.

¹²But these people are like unreasoning animals, born for capture and destruction. They do not know what they insult. In destruction they also will be destroyed,¹³suffering harm as a reward for doing harm. They think that luxury during the day is a pleasure. They are stains and blemishes. They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you. ²¹⁴They have eyes full of adultery; they are never satisfied with sin. They entice unstable souls into wrongdoing, and they have their hearts trained in greed. They are cursed children!

¹⁵They have abandoned the straight way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to receive payment for unrighteousness. ³¹⁶But he obtained a rebuke for his own transgression—a mute donkey speaking in a human voice stopped the prophet's insanity.

¹⁷These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. The gloom of thick darkness is reserved for them.¹⁸They speak with vain arrogance. Through the lusts of the flesh, through sensuality, they entice people who are trying to escape from those who live in error.¹⁹They promise freedom to them, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For a man is a slave to whatever overcomes him.

²⁰If they have escaped the corruptions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.²¹It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them.²²This proverb is true for them: "A dog returns to its own vomit, and a washed pig returns to the mud."

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, to be kept in pits of darkness until the judgment ,

²Some ancient copies of the Greek text read, They enjoy their actions while they are feasting with you in love feasts .

³Many modern translations read Balaam son of Beor in order to be consistent with the Old Testament spelling of the name. Some modern translations choose to follow the spelling of the Greek text, which reads, Balaam son of Bosor .

3

¹Beloved, this is now the second letter that I have written to you, and in both of them they are reminders to stir up your sincere mind²so that you will recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles.

³Know this first, that mockers will come in the last days. They will mock and proceed according to their own desires.⁴They will say, "Where is the promise of his return? From when our fathers fell asleep, all things have stayed the same, since the beginning of creation."

⁵They deliberately forget that long ago by the word of God the heavens and the earth came to exist out of water and through water,⁶through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.⁷By the same word the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

⁸It should not escape your notice, beloved, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.⁹The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some consider slowness to be. Rather, he is patient toward you. He does not desire for any of you to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰However, the day of the Lord will come as a thief. The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be laid bare. ¹

¹¹Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? You should live holy and godly lives.¹²You should expect and hasten the coming of the day of God. On that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the elements will be melted in great heat.¹³But according to his promise we are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth, where righteousness will dwell.

¹⁴Therefore, beloved, since you expect these things, do your best to be found spotless and blameless before him, in peace.¹⁵Also, consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom that was given to him.¹⁶Paul speaks of these things in all his letters, in which there are things that are difficult to understand. Ignorant and unstable men distort these things, as they also do the other scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷Therefore, beloved, since you know about these things beforehand, guard yourselves so that you are not led astray by the deceit of lawless people and lose your own faithfulness.¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the glory be to him both now and to the day of eternity. Amen!

¹It is uncertain which Greek word is intended for the last word of verse 10, either laid bare or burned up are the choices. There is uncertainty about which word should be chosen. The second choice would be, The elements will be burned with fire, and the earth and the deeds in it will be burned up .

1 John

1

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of life—²the life was made known, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and which has been made known to us.

³That which we have seen and heard we declare also to you, so you also will have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.⁴Also, we are writing these things to you so that our joy will be complete. ¹

⁵This is the message that we have heard from him and are proclaiming to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.⁷But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.

⁸If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.⁹But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.

¹Some important ancient Greek copies read, And we are writing these things to you so that your joy will be complete .

2

¹Children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the one who is righteous.²He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.³We know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

⁴The one who says "I know God" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.⁵But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him:⁶whoever says that he remains in God should himself also walk just as he walked.

⁷Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you heard.⁸Yet I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Christ and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

⁹The one who says that he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now.¹⁰The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him.¹¹But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness; he does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

¹²I am writing to you, children, because your sins are forgiven because of his name.¹³I am writing to you, fathers, because you know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.

¹⁴I have written to you, fathers, because you know the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁵Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.¹⁶For everything that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the arrogance of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.¹⁷The world and its desire are passing away. But whoever does the will of God will remain forever.

¹⁸Children, it is the last hour. Just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour.¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not from us. For if they had been from us, they would have remained with us. But when they went out, that showed they were not from us.

²⁰But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.²¹I did not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie is from the truth.

²²Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? That person is the antichrist, since he denies the Father and the Son.²³No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son also has the Father.

²⁴As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.²⁵This is the promise he gave to us—eternal life.²⁶I have written these things to you about those who would lead you astray.

²⁷As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you everything and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in him.

²⁸Now, children, remain in him so that when he appears we will have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming.²⁹If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born from him.

3

¹See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and this is what we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know him. ¹²Beloved, we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is.³Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure.

⁴Everyone who sins is committing acts of lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.⁵You know that Christ was revealed in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.⁶No one who remains in him will keep on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen him or known him.

⁷Children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.⁸The one who commits sin is from the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed, so that he would destroy the devil's works.

⁹Whoever has been born from God does not continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him. He cannot continue to sin, because he has been born of God.¹⁰In this the children of God and children of the devil are revealed: Whoever does not do what is righteous is not from God, neither is the one who does not love his brother.

¹¹For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.¹²We should not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.

¹³Do not be amazed, my brothers, if the world hates you.¹⁴We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.¹⁵Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. You know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

¹⁶By this we know love, because Christ laid down his life for us. We also ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.¹⁷But whoever has the world's goods, sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart of compassion from him, how does the love of God remain in him?¹⁸My children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in actions and truth.

¹⁹It is by this we know that we are from the truth, and we assure our hearts before him.²⁰For if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.²²Whatever we ask we will receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing before him.

²³This is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us this commandment.²⁴The one who keeps God's commandments remains in him, and God remains in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit whom he gave to us.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies leave out, and this is what we are .

4

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit. Instead, test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.²By this you will know the Spirit of God—every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world. ¹

⁴You are from God, children, and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.⁵They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them.⁶We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us. He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God.⁸The person who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

⁹Because of this the love of God was revealed among us, that God has sent his only Son into the world so that we would live because of him.¹⁰In this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and that he sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also should love one another.¹²No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is perfected in us.¹³By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us some of his Spirit.¹⁴Also, we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God.¹⁶Also, we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in this love remains in God, and God remains in him.

¹⁷Because of this, this love has been made perfect among us, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because as he is, just so are we in this world.¹⁸There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love throws out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. But the one who fears has not been made perfect in love.

¹⁹We love because God first loved us.²⁰If anyone says, "I love God" but hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.²¹Also, this is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his own brother.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, and every spirit that does not acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world .

5

¹Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born from God, and whoever loves a father also loves the child born from him.²This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey his commandments.³For this is love for God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

⁴For everyone who is born from God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.⁵Who is the one who overcomes the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

⁶This is the one who came by water and blood: Jesus Christ. He came not only by water, but also by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.⁷For there are three that testify:⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three are in agreement. ¹

⁹If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.¹⁰Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.

¹¹And the testimony is this: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹²The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

¹³I have written to you these things so that you will know that you have eternal life—to you who believe in the name of the Son of God.¹⁴Also, this is the confidence we have before him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.¹⁵Also, if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask of him—we know that we have whatever we have asked of him.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not result in death, he must pray, and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not result in death. There is a sin that results in death; I am not saying that he should pray about that.¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin that does not result in death.

¹⁸We know that whoever has been born from God does not sin. But the one who was born from God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.¹⁹We know that we are from God, and we know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

²⁰But we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. Also, we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.²¹Children, keep yourselves from idols.

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, For there are three that testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one; and there are three that testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are as one . However, the best copies do not have this reading.

2 John

1

¹From the elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth—²because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever:

³Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received this commandment from the Father.⁵Now I plead with you, lady—not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning—that we should love one another.⁶This is love: that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

⁷For many deceivers have gone out into the world, and they do not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.⁸Look to yourselves, that you do not lose the things for which we have labored, but so that you may receive a full reward.

⁹Whoever goes on ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son.¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not greet him.¹¹For the one who speaks a greeting to him participates in his evil deeds.

¹²I have many things to write to you, but I did not wish to write them with paper and ink. However, I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that our joy will be complete.

¹³The children of your chosen sister greet you.

3 John

1

¹The elder to beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:

²Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be healthy, just as it is well with your soul.³For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and bore witness to your truth, just as you walk in truth.⁴I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children walk in the truth.

⁵Beloved, you practice faithfulness whenever you labor for the brothers and for strangers⁶who have borne witness of your love in the presence of the church. You do well to send them off on their journey in a manner worthy of God,⁷because it was for the sake of the name that they went out, taking nothing from the Gentiles.⁸We therefore should welcome such as these so that we will be fellow workers for the truth.

⁹I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not receive us.¹⁰So if I come, I will call attention to the deeds he is doing, falsely accusing us with wicked words. Not satisfied with that, he not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he also stops those who want to welcome them and drives them out of the church.

¹¹Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the evildoer has not seen God.¹²Demetrius received a good testimony from everyone and by the truth itself. We also testify about him, and you know that our testimony is true.

¹³I had many things to write to you, but I do not wish to write them to you with pen and ink.¹⁴But I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.¹⁵May peace be with you. The friends greet you. Greet our friends there by name.

Jude

1

¹Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

²May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

³Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I had to write to you to exhort you to struggle earnestly for the faith that was entrusted once for all to God's holy people.⁴For certain men have slipped in secretly among you. These men were marked out for condemnation. They are ungodly men who have changed the grace of our God into sensuality, and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵Now I wish to remind you—although once you fully knew it—that the Lord saved a people out of the land of Egypt, but that afterward he destroyed those who did not believe.⁶Also, angels who did not keep to their own position of authority, but who left their proper dwelling place—God has kept them in everlasting chains, in utter darkness, for the judgment on the great day.

⁷So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them gave themselves over to sexual immorality and perverse sexual acts. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.⁸Yet in the same way, these dreamers also defile their bodies. They reject authority and they slander the glorious ones.

⁹But even Michael the archangel, when he was arguing with the devil and disputing with him about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment against him, but he said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"¹⁰But these people insult whatever they do not understand; and what they do understand naturally, like unreasoning animals, these are the very things that destroy them.¹¹Woe to them! For they have walked in the way of Cain and have plunged into Balaam's error for profit. They have perished in Korah's rebellion.

¹²These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting with you fearlessly—shepherds who only feed themselves. They are clouds without rain, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit—twice dead, uprooted.¹³They are violent waves in the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of complete darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them, saying, "Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones.¹⁵He is coming to execute judgment on everyone. He is coming to convict all the ungodly of all the works they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the bitter words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him."¹⁶These are grumblers, complainers, following their evil desires. Their mouths speak loud boasts, flattering others for profit.

¹⁷But you, beloved, remember the words that were spoken in the past by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁸They said to you, "In the last time there will be mockers who will follow their own ungodly desires."¹⁹It is these who cause divisions; they are worldly, and they do not have the Spirit.

²⁰But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit.²¹Keep yourselves in God's love, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings you eternal life.

²²Be merciful to those who doubt.²³Save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

²⁴Now to the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to cause you to stand before his glorious presence without blemish and with great joy,²⁵to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time, now, and forever. Amen.

Revelation

1

¹This is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,²who testified about the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, all the things that he saw.³Blessed is the one who reads aloud this prophecy and those who listen to the words of this prophecy and who obey what is written in it, because the time is near.

⁴John, to the seven churches in Asia: May grace be to you and peace from the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood—⁶he has made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

⁷Look, he is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

including those who pierced him.

All the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.

Yes, Amen.

⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." ¹

⁹I, John—your brother and the one who shares with you in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are in Jesus—was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.¹⁰I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.¹¹It said, "Write what you see in a book, and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

¹²I turned around to see whose voice was speaking to me, and as I turned I saw seven golden lampstands.¹³In the middle of the lampstands there was one like a son of man, wearing a long robe that reached down to his feet and a golden sash around his chest.

¹⁴His head and hair were as white as wool—as white as snow—and his eyes were like a flame of fire.¹⁵His feet were like polished bronze, like bronze that had been refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many rushing waters.¹⁶He had seven stars in his right hand, and a sword with two sharp edges was coming out of his mouth. His face was shining like the sun at its strongest.

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last¹⁸and the one who lives. I was dead, but look, I live forever and ever! And I have the keys of death and of Hades.

¹⁹Therefore write down what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place after this.²⁰As for the hidden meaning about the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord God .

2

¹"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

'The words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands,

²"I know your deeds, your hard labor, and your patient endurance, and that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, but you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and you have found them to be false.

³You are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name, and you have not grown weary.⁴But I have against you the fact that you have left behind your first love.⁵Remember therefore from where you have fallen. Repent and do the things you did at first. Unless you repent, I will come to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place.

⁶But you have this: You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.⁷Let the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."'

⁸"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

'The words of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead and who became alive again:

⁹"I know your sufferings and your poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews, but they are not. They are a synagogue of Satan.

¹⁰Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look! The devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.¹¹Let the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death."'

¹²"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

'The words of the one who has the sword with two sharp edges:

¹³"I know where you live, there where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold on tightly to my name. I know that you did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, there where Satan lives.

¹⁴But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold tightly to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and be sexually immoral.¹⁵In the same way, you even have some who hold tightly to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

¹⁶Repent, therefore! If you do not, I will quickly come to you, and I will wage war against them with the sword in my mouth.¹⁷Let the one who has an ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone with a new name written on the stone, a name which no one knows but the one who receives it."'

¹⁸"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

'These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like polished bronze:

¹⁹"I know your deeds: your love and faith and service and your patient endurance. I know that what you have done recently is more than you did at first.

²⁰But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.²¹I gave her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her immorality.

²²Look! I will throw her onto a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great suffering, unless they repent of her deeds.²³I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out thoughts and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, to everyone who does not hold this teaching and does not know what some call the deep things of Satan—to you I say, 'I do not put any other burden on you.'²⁵In any case, you must hold on tightly until I come.

²⁶The one who conquers and does my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.

²⁷'He will rule them with an iron rod,

like clay jars he will break them into pieces.'

²⁸Just as I have received from my Father, I will also give him the morning star.²⁹Let the one who has an ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."'

3

¹"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

'The words of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your deeds. You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

²Wake up and strengthen what remains but is about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard. Obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come against you.⁴But you have a few names in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

⁵The one who conquers will be clothed in white garments, and I will never wipe his name out of the Book of Life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.⁶Let the one who has an ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."'

⁷"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

'The words of the one who is holy and true—

he holds the key of David,

he opens and no one shuts,

he shuts and no one can open.

⁸"'I know your deeds. Look, I have put before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name.

⁹Look! I will cause those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, those calling themselves Jews but are not, but rather liars—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will know that I love you.¹⁰Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is coming on the whole world, to test those who live on the earth.¹¹I am coming soon. Hold to what you have so no one can take away your crown.

¹²The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem, that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name.¹³Let the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."'

¹⁴"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

'The words of the Amen, the reliable and true witness, the ruler over God's creation.

¹⁵"I know your deeds and that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot!¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of my mouth.

¹⁷For you say, 'I am rich, I have had many material possessions, and I need nothing.' But you do not know that you are most miserable, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.¹⁸Listen to my advice: Buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and brilliant white garments so you may clothe yourself and not show the shame of your nakedness, and salve to anoint your eyes so you will see.

¹⁹I rebuke and discipline everyone whom I love. Therefore, be earnest and repent.²⁰Look, I am standing at the door and am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his home and will eat with him, and he with me.

²¹The one who conquers I will give him the right to sit down with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.²²Let the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."'"

4

¹After these things I looked, and I saw an open door in heaven. The first voice that I had heard was speaking to me like a trumpet, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things."²At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw there a throne placed in heaven, with someone sitting on it.³The one who was sitting on it looked like jasper and carnelian. There was a rainbow around the throne. The rainbow was like an emerald in appearance.

⁴Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, dressed with white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.⁵From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming lamps were burning in front of the throne, lamps that were the seven spirits of God.

⁶Before the throne was a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes, front and back.

⁷The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.⁸The four living creatures each had six wings, full of eyes on top and underneath. Night and day they do not stop saying,

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and who is, and who is to come."

⁹Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever,¹⁰the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹"Worthy are you, our Lord and our God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created."

5

¹Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and on the back, sealed with seven seals.²I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"

³No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to read it.⁴I wept bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to read it.⁵But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

⁶I saw a Lamb standing in the middle of the throne area and among the four living creatures and among the elders. He looked as though he had been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.⁷He went and took hold of the scroll out of the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne.

⁸When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of God's holy people.

⁹They sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals.

For you were slaughtered,

and with your blood you purchased people for God

from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

¹⁰You made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

¹¹Then I looked and heard the sound of many angels who encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. Their total number was ten thousands of ten thousands and thousands of thousands.¹²They said in a loud voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb, who has been slaughtered,

to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength,

honor, glory, and praise."

¹³I heard every created thing that was in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea—everything in them—saying,

"To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise, honor, glory, and dominion

forever and ever."

¹⁴The four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. ¹

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies read, the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever .

6

¹I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!"²I looked and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He came out as a conqueror in order to conquer.

³When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"⁴Then another horse came out—fiery red. To its rider was given permission to take peace away from the earth, so that its people would slaughter one another. This rider was given a huge sword.

⁵When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I saw a black horse, and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand.⁶I heard what seemed to be a voice among the four living creatures say, "A choenix of wheat for one denarius, and three choenices of barley for a denarius. But do not harm the oil and the wine."

⁷When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"⁸Then I saw a pale horse. The rider on it was named Death, and Hades was following him. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine and disease, and with the wild animals of the earth.

⁹When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God and the testimony which they held.¹⁰They cried out with a loud voice, "How long, Ruler over all, holy and true, until you judge those who live on the earth, and until you avenge our blood?"¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told that they should wait a short time longer until the full number of their fellow servants and their brothers who were to be killed, just as they had been killed, was made complete.

¹²When the Lamb opened the sixth seal, I watched and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as black as sackcloth, and the full moon became like blood.¹³The stars in the heavens fell to the earth, just as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a stormy wind.¹⁴The sky vanished like a scroll that was being rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth and the important people, and the commanders, and the rich, and the powerful, and everyone else, slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.¹⁶They said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the Lamb's wrath.¹⁷For the great day of their wrath has come. Who is able to stand?"

7

¹After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, tightly holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow on the earth, on the sea, or against any tree.²I saw another angel coming up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to the four angels who were given permission to harm the earth and the sea:³"Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."

⁴I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000, who were sealed from every tribe of the people of Israel:

⁵twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah were sealed,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Reuben,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Gad,

⁶twelve thousand from the tribe of Asher,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Naphtali,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Manasseh,

⁷twelve thousand from the tribe of Simeon,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Levi,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Issachar,

⁸twelve thousand from the tribe of Zebulun,

twelve thousand from the tribe of Joseph, and

twelve thousand from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.

⁹After these things I looked, and there was a huge multitude that no one could count—from every nation, tribe, people, and language—standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands,¹⁰and they were crying out with a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God,

who is seated on the throne,

and to the Lamb!"

¹¹All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne. They worshiped God,¹²saying,

"Amen!

Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and strength

be to our God forever and ever!

Amen!"

¹³Then one of the elders asked me, "Who are these, clothed with white robes, and where did they come from?"¹⁴I said to him, "Sir, you know," and he said to me, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

¹⁵For this reason,

they are before the throne of God,

and they worship him day and night in his temple.

The one who is seated on the throne

will spread his tent over them.

¹⁶They will not be hungry again,

nor will they be thirsty again.

The sun will not beat down on them,

nor any burning heat.

¹⁷For the Lamb at the center of the throne

will shepherd them,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

8

¹When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was a silence in heaven for about half an hour.²Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

³Another angel came, holding a golden incense bowl, standing at the incense altar. Much incense was given to him so that he would offer it with the prayers of all God's holy people on the golden incense altar before the throne.⁴The smoke of the incense—with the prayers of God's holy people—rose up before God from the angel's hand.⁵The angel took the incense bowl and filled it with fire from the altar. Then he threw it down to the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

⁶The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

⁷The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood. It was thrown down onto the earth so that a third of it was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ¹

⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood,⁹a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a huge star fell from the sky, blazing like a torch, on a third of the rivers and springs of water.¹¹The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters that became bitter.

¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, as well as a third of the moon and a third of the stars. So a third of them turned dark; a third of the day and a third of the night had no light.

¹³I looked, and I heard an eagle ² that was flying overhead calling out with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe, to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that are about to be sounded by the three angels."

¹Some important and ancient Greek copies leave out, so that a third of it was burned up .

²Some copies have the word angel instead of eagle .

9

¹Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet. I saw a star from heaven that had fallen to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.²He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the shaft like smoke from a huge furnace. The sun and the air were turned dark by the smoke from the shaft.

³Out of the smoke locusts came on the earth, and they were given power like that of scorpions on the earth.⁴They were told not to damage the grass on the earth or any green plant or tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

⁵They were not given permission to kill those people, but only to torture them for five months. Their agony would be like the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a person.⁶In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will greatly desire to die, but death will flee from them.

⁷The locusts looked like horses prepared for war. On their heads were something like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces.⁸They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.⁹They had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the sound made by many chariots and horses running into battle.

¹⁰They had tails with stingers like scorpions; in their tails they had power to harm people for five months.¹¹They had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew was Abaddon, and in Greek he had the name Apollyon.

¹²The first woe is past. Look! After this there are still two disasters to come.

¹³The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is present before God,¹⁴saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who had been bound at the great Euphrates River."¹⁵The four angels who had been prepared for that hour, that day, that month, and that year were released to kill a third of mankind.

¹⁶The number of the soldiers on horseback was 200,000,000. I heard their number.¹⁷This is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode on them: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.

¹⁸A third of the people were killed by these three plagues: the fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths.¹⁹For the power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails—for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflicted wounds on people.

²⁰The rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, nor did they stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—things that cannot see, hear, or walk.²¹Neither did they repent of their murders, their sorcery, their sexual immorality, or their acts of theft.

10

¹Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was clothed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun and his feet were like pillars of fire.²He held a little scroll, which was opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

³Then he shouted in a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke out with their sounds.⁴When the seven thunders spoke out, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders said. Do not write it down."

⁵Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and the earth raised his right hand to heaven.⁶He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and all that is in it, the earth and all that is on it, and the sea and all that is in it, and the angel said, "There will be no more delay.⁷But on the day when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he proclaimed the good news to his servants the prophets."

⁸The voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again: "Go, take the open scroll that is in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land."⁹Then I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take the scroll and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."

¹⁰I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but after I ate it, my stomach became bitter.¹¹Then someone said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings."

11

¹A reed was given to me to use like a measuring rod. I was told, "Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.²But do not measure the courtyard outside the temple, for it has been given over to the Gentiles. They will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

³I will give my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."⁴These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that have stood before the Lord of the earth.⁵If anyone chooses to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies. Anyone who wishes to harm them must be killed in this way.

⁶These witnesses have authority to close up the sky so that no rain will fall during the days that they prophesy. They have power to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they wish.⁷When they will have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will wage war against them. He will conquer them and kill them.

⁸Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city (which is symbolically called Sodom and Egypt) where their Lord was crucified.⁹For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language, and nation will look at their bodies. They will not permit them to be placed in a tomb.

¹⁰Those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate. They will even send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who lived on the earth.¹¹But after three and a half days a breath of life from God will enter them, and they will stand on their feet. Great fear will fall on those who see them.¹²Then they will hear a loud voice from heaven say to them, "Come up here!" Then they will go up into heaven in a cloud, while their enemies look on.

¹³At that hour there will be a major earthquake, and a tenth part of the city will collapse. Seven thousand people will be killed in the earthquake, and the survivors will be terrified and give glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴The second woe is past. Look! The third woe is coming quickly.

¹⁵Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices spoke in heaven and said,

"The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,

and he will reign forever and ever."

¹⁶Then the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones in the presence of God, fell upon their faces and worshiped God.¹⁷They said,

"We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and have begun to reign. ¹

¹⁸The nations were enraged,

but your wrath has come.

The time has come for the dead to be judged

and for you to reward your servants the prophets

and God's holy people, and those who feared your name,

both the unimportant and the mighty.

The time has come

for you to destroy those who are destroying the earth."

¹⁹Then God's temple in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.

¹The best copies of the ancient Greek text have the phrase who was, and who is, but some later copies of the Greek add the phrase: and who is to come .

12

¹A great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.²She was pregnant, and she was crying out in birth pains, in the anguish of childbirth.

³Then another sign was seen in heaven: Look! There was a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and there were seven crowns on his heads.⁴His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them down to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he would devour her child.

⁵She gave birth to a son, a male child, who would rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was snatched away to God and to his throne,⁶and the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her, so she could be taken care of for 1,260 days.

⁷Now there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.⁸But the dragon was not strong enough to win. So there was no longer any place in heaven for him and his angels.⁹The great dragon—that old serpent called the Devil or Satan, who deceives the whole world—was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven:

"Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the authority of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down,

the one who accused them before our God day and night.

¹¹They conquered him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not love their lives

even to death.

¹²Therefore rejoice, you heavens

and all who reside in them!

But woe to the earth and to the sea,

because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with terrible anger

and knows that he has only a little time!

¹³When the dragon realized he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.¹⁴But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so that she would flee to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. This was the place where she would be taken care of, for a time, times, and half a time—out of the serpent's presence.

¹⁵The serpent poured water out of his mouth like a river so that he might make a flood to sweep her away.¹⁶But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon was pouring out of his mouth.¹⁷Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war with the rest of her descendants, those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony about Jesus.¹⁸Then the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

13

¹Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on each of its heads was a blasphemous name.²This beast I saw was like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear's feet, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave it his power, his throne, and his great authority to rule.

³One of the beast's heads seemed to have a fatal wound, but that fatal wound had been healed. The whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.⁴They also worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast. They worshiped the beast, too, and kept saying, "Who is like the beast?" and "Who can fight against it?"

⁵The beast was given a mouth that could speak proud words and blasphemies. It was permitted to exercise authority for forty-two months.⁶So the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his tabernacle, those who live in heaven.

⁷The beast was permitted to wage war with God's holy people and to conquer them. Also, authority was given to it over every tribe, people, language, and nation.⁸All who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who had been slaughtered from the foundation of the world.

⁹If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰If anyone is to be taken into captivity,

into captivity he will go.

If anyone is to be killed with the sword,

with the sword he will be killed.

Here is a call for the patient endurance and faith of God's holy people.

¹¹Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon.¹²He exercised all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and he made the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast—the one whose lethal wound had been healed.

¹³He performed mighty miracles. He even made fire come down on the earth from heaven in front of people.¹⁴By the signs he was given power on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth, telling them to set up an image for the beast—who was wounded by the sword, but he still lived.

¹⁵He was permitted to give breath to the beast's image so that the image would even speak and cause all who refused to worship the beast to be killed.¹⁶He also forced everyone, unimportant and mighty, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.¹⁷It was impossible for anyone to buy or sell unless he had the mark of the beast, that is, the number representing its name.

¹⁸This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast. For it is the number of a human being. His number is 666.

14

¹I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion. With him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.²I heard a voice from heaven sounding like a roar of many waters and loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing their harps.

³They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except for the 144,000 who had been bought from the earth.⁴These are the ones that have not defiled themselves with women, for they have kept themselves sexually pure. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among mankind as firstfruits for God and for the Lamb.⁵No lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

⁶I saw another angel flying in midair, who had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.⁷He called out with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory. For the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him, the one who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of water."

⁸Another angel—a second angel—followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who persuaded all the nations to drink the wine of her immoral passion."

⁹Another angel—a third angel—followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,¹⁰he will also drink some of the wine of God's wrath, the wine that has been poured undiluted into the cup of his anger. The person who drinks it will be tormented with fire and sulfur before God's holy angels and before the Lamb.

¹¹The smoke from their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night—these worshipers of the beast and his image, and everyone who receives the mark of his name.¹²Here is a call for the patient endurance of God's holy people, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."

¹³I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

"Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them."

¹⁴I looked, and there was a white cloud. Seated on the cloud was one like a son of man. He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple and called with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud: "Take your sickle and start to reap. For the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe."¹⁶Then the one who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷Another angel came out from the temple in heaven; he also had a sharp sickle.¹⁸Still another angel came out from the incense altar, who had authority over the fire. He called out with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather in the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for their grapes are now ripe."

¹⁹The angel swung his sickle to the earth and harvested the grapevine of the earth. He threw it into the great winepress of God's wrath.²⁰The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood poured out from it up to the height of a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

15

¹Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: There were seven angels with seven plagues, which are the final plagues, for with them the wrath of God will be completed.

²I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mixed with fire. Standing beside the sea were those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number representing his name. They were holding harps given to them by God.

³They were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

"Great and marvelous are your deeds,

Lord God, the Almighty.

Just and true are your ways,

King of the nations.

⁴Who will not fear you, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

All nations will come

and worship before you

because your righteous deeds have been revealed."

⁵After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of witness was open in heaven.⁶Out of the temple came the seven angels holding the seven plagues. They were clothed with pure, bright linen and had golden sashes around their chests.

⁷One of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.⁸The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. No one could enter it until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

16

¹I heard a loud voice call out of the temple and say to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God's wrath."

²The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; ugly and painful sores came on the people who had the mark of the beast, those who worshiped his image.

³The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea. It became blood, like the blood of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

⁴The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood.⁵I heard the angel of the waters say,

"You are righteous—the one who is and who was, the Holy One—

because you have judged these things.

⁶Because they poured out the blood of God's holy people and prophets,

you have given them blood to drink;

it is what they deserve."

⁷I heard the altar reply,

"Yes, Lord God Almighty,

your judgments are true and righteous."

⁸The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given permission to scorch the people with fire.⁹They were scorched by the terrible heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has the authority over these plagues. They did not repent or give him glory.

¹⁰Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and darkness covered its kingdom. They chewed on their tongues because of the pain.¹¹They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and sores, and they still refused to repent of their deeds.

¹²The sixth angel poured out his bowl into the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings that would come from the east.¹³I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, of the beast, and of the false prophet.¹⁴For they are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs. They were going out to the kings of the whole world in order to gather them together for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

¹⁵("Look! I am coming as a thief! Blessed is the one who keeps watching, keeping his garments on so that he does not walk around naked and so that they do not see his shameful condition.")

¹⁶They brought them together at the place that is called Armageddon in Hebrew.

¹⁷Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Then a loud voice came out of the temple and from the throne, saying, "It is done!"¹⁸There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, crashes of thunder, and a terrible earthquake—an earthquake greater than any that has ever happened since human beings have been on the earth, so great was this earthquake.¹⁹The great city was split into three parts, and the nations' cities collapsed. Then God called to mind Babylon the great, and he gave that city the cup filled with the wine made from his furious wrath.

²⁰Every island disappeared, and the mountains were no longer found.²¹Great hailstones, weighing about a talent, came down from the sky upon the people. They blasphemed God for the plague of hail because that plague was so terrible.

17

¹One of the seven angels who had been holding the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,²with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of her sexual immorality the inhabitants of the earth became drunk."

³Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names. The beast had seven heads and ten horns.⁴The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She was holding in her hand a golden cup full of detestable things and the impurities of her sexual immorality.⁵On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."

⁶I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people and with the blood of the martyrs for Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.⁷But the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the beast that has the seven heads and the ten horns.

⁸The beast you saw existed, does not exist now, and is about to come up from the bottomless pit. Then he will go on to destruction. Those who live on the earth, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life since the foundation of the world—they will be astounded when they see the beast, because he once was, and now is not, and yet will come.

⁹This calls for a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman is seated.¹⁰They are also seven kings. Five kings have fallen, one exists, and the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while.

¹¹The beast that once was, and now is not, yet he is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

¹²The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings for one hour together with the beast.¹³These are of one mind, and they give over their power and authority to the beast.¹⁴They will wage war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and those with him are the called, chosen, and faithful ones."

¹⁵The angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

¹⁶The ten horns that you saw—they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, they will devour her flesh, and they will burn her completely with fire.¹⁷For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their power to rule to the beast until God's words are fulfilled.

¹⁸The woman you saw is the great city that has power to rule over the kings of the earth."

18

¹After these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illumined by his glory.²He cried out with a mighty voice, saying,

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!

She has become a dwelling place for demons,

a prison for every unclean spirit,

a prison for every unclean bird,

a prison for every unclean and detestable animal.

³For all the nations have drunk

the wine of her immoral passion.

The kings of the earth have committed immorality with her.

The merchants of the earth have become rich from the power of her sensual way of living."

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say,

"Come out from her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

and so that you will not receive any of her plagues.

⁵Her sins have piled up as high as heaven,

and God has remembered her evil actions.

⁶Pay her back as she has paid others back,

and repay her double for her deeds;

in the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her.

⁷As she glorified herself and lived in luxury,

give her just as much torture and grief.

For she says in her heart,

'I am seated as a queen;

I am not a widow,

and I will never see mourning.'

⁸Therefore in one day her plagues will come:

death, mourning, and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for the Lord God is mighty, and he is her judge."

⁹The kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and went out of control with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.¹⁰They will stand off at a distance, afraid of her torment, saying,

"Woe, woe to the great city,

Babylon, the powerful city!

For in a single hour your punishment has come."

¹¹The merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her since no one buys their merchandise anymore—¹²merchandise of gold, silver, precious stone, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, bronze, iron, marble,¹³cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of people.

¹⁴The fruit that you desired with all your might is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be found again.

¹⁵The merchants of these goods who became rich by her will stand away from her at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning loudly.

¹⁶They will say,

"Woe, woe to the great city

that was dressed in fine linen, in purple, and in scarlet,

and was adorned with gold, precious jewels, and pearls!

¹⁷In a single hour all that wealth has been laid waste."

Every ship's captain, every seafaring man, sailors, and all who make their living from the sea stood off at a distance.

¹⁸They cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. They said, "What city is like the great city?"¹⁹They threw dust on their heads, and cried out, weeping and mourning,

"Woe, woe to the great city

where all who had their ships

at sea became rich from her wealth.

For in a single hour she has been laid waste."

²⁰"Rejoice over her, heaven,

you holy people and apostles and prophets,

for God has brought your judgment on her!"

²¹A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,

"In this way, Babylon, the great city,

will be thrown down with violence

and will not be seen anymore.

²²The sound made by harpists, musicians,

flute players, and trumpeters

will not be heard anymore in you.

No craftsman of any kind

will be found in you.

No sound of a mill

will be heard anymore in you.

²³The light of a lamp

will not shine in you anymore.

The voices of the bridegroom and the bride

will not be heard in you anymore,

for your merchants were the princes of the earth,

and the nations were deceived by your sorcery.

²⁴In her the blood of prophets and of God's holy people was found,

and the blood of all who have been killed on the earth."

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¹After these things I heard what sounded like a loud voice of a large number of people in heaven calling out,

"Hallelujah!

Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.

²His judgments are true and just,

for he has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality.

He has avenged the blood of his servants

from her hand."

³They spoke a second time:

"Hallelujah!

The smoke rises from her forever and ever."

⁴The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. They were saying,

"Amen. Hallelujah!"

⁵Then a voice came out from the throne, saying,

"Praise our God,

all you his servants,

you who fear him,

both the unimportant and the powerful."

⁶Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a great number of people, like the roar of many waters, and like mighty crashes of thunder, saying,

"Hallelujah!

For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty.

⁷Let us rejoice and be glad

and give him the glory!

For the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

⁸She was permitted to be dressed

in bright and clean fine linen"

(for fine linen is the righteous acts of God's holy people).

⁹The angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." He also said to me, "These are true words of God."¹⁰I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

¹¹Then I saw heaven open, and I looked and there was a white horse. The one riding it is called faithful and true. It is with justice that he judges and wages war.¹²His eyes are like a fiery flame, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but himself.¹³He is clothed with a robe that was dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

¹⁴The armies of heaven were following him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean.¹⁵Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword with which he strikes down the nations, and he will rule them with an iron rod. He tramples in the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.¹⁶He has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

¹⁷I saw an angel standing in the sun. He called out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, "Come, gather together for the great feast of God.¹⁸Come eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, the unimportant and the powerful."

¹⁹I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies. They were assembling in order to wage war with the one who rode the horse and with his army.²⁰The beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence. With these signs he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

²¹The rest of them were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the one who rode on the horse. All the birds ate their dead flesh.

20

¹Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the bottomless pit, and he had a great chain in his hand.²He took hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.³He threw him into the bottomless pit. He shut it and sealed it over him. This was so that he would not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. After that, he must be set free for a short amount of time.

⁴Then I saw thrones. Seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony about Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, and they had refused to receive the mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.⁶Blessed and holy is anyone who takes part in the first resurrection! Over these the second death has no power. They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

⁷When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be released from his prison.⁸He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to bring them together for the battle. They will be as many as the sand of the sea.

⁹They went up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's holy people—the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.¹⁰The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and the one who is seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled away from his presence, but there was no place for them to go.¹²I saw the dead—the mighty and the unimportant—standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Then another book was opened—the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was recorded in the books, according to their deeds.

¹³The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and the dead were judged according to their deeds.¹⁴Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.¹⁵If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

21

¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.²I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, that came down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

³I heard a great voice from the throne saying, "Look! The dwelling place of God is with human beings, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and he will be their God.⁴He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, or grieving, or crying, or pain. The former things have passed away.

⁵The one who was seated on the throne said, "Look! I make all things new." He said, "Write this down because these words are trustworthy and true."⁶He said to me, "These things are done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who thirsts I will give drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

⁷The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.⁸But as for the cowards, the faithless, the detestable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. That is the second death."

⁹One of the seven angels came to me, the one who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and he said, "Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."¹⁰Then he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

¹¹Jerusalem had the glory of God, and its brightness was like a very precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper.¹²It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.¹³On the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.

¹⁴The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.¹⁵The one who spoke with me had a measuring rod made of gold to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.

¹⁶The city was laid out in a square; its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia in length (its length, width, and height were the same).¹⁷He also measured its wall, 144 cubits thick by human measurement (which is also the angel's measure).

¹⁸The wall was built of jasper and the city of pure gold, like clear glass.¹⁹The foundations of the wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was agate, the fourth was emerald,²⁰the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst.

²¹The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each of the gates was made from a single pearl. The streets of the city were pure gold, like transparent glass.²²I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

²³The city had no need of the sun or the moon in order to shine on it because the glory of God shone on it, and its lamp is the Lamb.²⁴The nations will walk by the light of that city. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.²⁵Its gates will not be shut during the day, and there will be no night there.

²⁶They will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it,²⁷but nothing unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

22

¹Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb²through the middle of the city's street. On each side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, and it bears its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

³There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.⁴They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.⁵There will be no more night; they will have no need for the light of a lamp or sunlight because the Lord God will shine on them. They will reign forever and ever.

⁶The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon."⁷"Look! I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who obeys the words of the prophecy of this book."

⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing me these things.⁹He said to me, "Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you, with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God!"

¹⁰Then he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.¹¹The one who is unrighteous, let him continue to do unrighteousness. The one who is morally filthy, let him continue to be morally filthy. The one who is righteous, let him continue to do what is righteous. The one who is holy, let him continue to be holy."

¹²"Look! I am coming soon. My reward is with me, to pay back each one according to his deeds.¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

¹⁴Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they will have the right to eat from the tree of life and to enter the city through the gates. ¹¹⁵Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

¹⁶I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

¹⁷The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" Let the one who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever desires it, let him freely have the water of life.

¹⁸I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written about in this book.¹⁹If anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are written about in this book. ²

²⁰The one who testifies to these things says, "Yes! I am coming soon." Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. ³

¹Instead of, Blessed are those who wash their robes, some ancient copies of the Greek text read, Blessed are those who do his commandments .

²Some older copies read God will take away his share in the Book of Life and in the holy city that are written about in this book .

³Some ancient copies of the Greek text or ancient translations of the Greek text add the phrase: be with you holy people or be with all you holy people or be with all of his holy people .