for I bear him witness, that he is very zealous for you, and for those in Laodicea, and Hierapolis.

even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were become very dear to us.

You know very well that we treated each of you the way a father treats his children.

the very men who have persecuted the Lord Jesus, and the prophets even to death; who have persecuted us; they who are regardless of pleasing the deity, and are enemies to all mankind;

this is the very reason, namely, through your faith, brothers, that I have been encouraged about you, in spite of all my distresses and crushing difficulties,

Night and day, making very abundant entreaties, that we may see your face, and fit in the things which are lacking in your faith?

So whoever rejects and disregards this is not [merely] rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation].

For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper].

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and exalts himself above, every so-called 'god' or object of worship, and goes the length of taking his seat in the very temple of God, giving it out that he himself is God.

Remember ye not, that, while I was yet with you, these very things, I was telling you?

For we hear that there are some among you that walk disorderly, doing no work themselves, but very busy in the affairs of others.

The very Lord of peace, give you peace always, by all means. The Lord be with you all.

Some individuals have wandered away from these things into empty arguments and useless discussions,

And the grace of our Lord was very great, with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

I am the worst of them. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner, the Messiah Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life.

Well, my very first counsel is that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving, are to be offered for all men ??2 for kings and all in authority, that we may lead a tranquil life in all piety and gravity;

who gave Himself as a ransom on behalf of all people [i.e., as a substitute in place of others]. The proper time for the testimony [of this event to be proclaimed] has arrived. [Note: The correct meaning of the foregoing sentence is very difficult to determine].

in like manner also that the women dress themselves in decent apparel, with modesty and sobriety; not with plaited tresses, or gold, or pearls, or very costly clothing,

Physical exercise is of limited value, but Godliness is very dear, a pledge of life, both there and here.

She that is a very widow, and friendless, putteth her trust in God, and continueth in supplication and prayer night and day:

Some men's sins are very evident and clearly lead them on to judgment, but the sins of others lag behind.

Good deeds, too, are usually very evident, and if they are not, they cannot be completely concealed.

But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

But they will not get very far, for their meaningless nonsense and ignorance will become obvious to everyone, as was that of Jannes and Jambres.

Endeavour to come to me very soon:

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry.

Be on guard against him yourself, because he vigorously opposed our message.

One of them [Epimenides, a Cretan], a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”

To the pure, all things are pure; but to the corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure; both their mind and their conscience are corrupted.

who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, zealous for good deeds.

Therefore, though I might with Christ's authority speak very freely and order you to do what is fitting,

Once he was useless to you, but now he is very useful both to you and to me.

whom I have sent back to thee in his own person, that is, my very heart:

It may be that he was separated from you for an hour, for this very reason, that you might have him back for ever,

No longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother, very dear to me specially, but much more to you, in the flesh as well as in the Lord.

I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it in full (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

This is why we must give the very closest attention to the message we have heard, to keep from ever losing our hold upon it.

how can we escape, if we pay no attention at all to a salvation that is so great? This is so because it was first proclaimed by the Lord Himself, and then it was proved to us to be valid by the very men who heard Him themselves,

but Christ's faithfulness was that of a son set over the house of God. And we are that house, if we keep up our courage and our triumphant hope to the very end.

For we only participate in Christ provided that we keep firm to the very end the confidence with which we started,

We must, therefore, be very careful, though there is a promise still standing that we shall enter upon God's Rest, that none of you even appear to have missed it.

For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers [because of the time you have had to learn these truths], you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word [from the beginning], and you have come to be continually in need of milk, not solid food.

But we long for each of you to continue to manifest the same earnestness, with a view to your enjoying fulness of hope to the very End;

Saying, Be certain that I will give you my blessing, and make your numbers very great.

So God, willing very abundantly to show, unto the heirs of promise, the stableness of his counsel; he added an oath,

This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],

But Melchizedek, although not of this lineage, received tithes from Abraham, and gave his blessing to the very man who had God's promises.

For it is, very evident, that out of Judah hath sprung our Lord, - respecting which tribe, concerning priests, nothing did Moses speak,

whence also he is able to save to the very end, those coming through him unto God -- ever living to make intercession for them.

For Jesus was a very suitable head priest for us [i.e., He meets our needs very well], because He was holy, innocent, without [moral] corruption, separated from sinners and [exalted] above the heavens.

and is a minister of holy things, and of the very tabernacle which God pitched, and not man.

and officiate in the sanctuary, which was a gross representation of that in heaven, agreeable to the order given by God to Moses, when he projected the tabernacle, "be very exact, said he, in following the model which was laid before thee in the mount."

For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but [He entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the very presence of God on our behalf;

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Whereas in these very sacrifices there is a recalling of sins to mind every year.

But will not the man by whom the Son of God has been crushed under foot, and the blood of the agreement with which he was washed clean has been taken as an unholy thing, and who has had no respect for the Spirit of grace, be judged bad enough for a very much worse punishment?

Sometimes, in consequence of the taunts and injuries heaped upon you, you became a public spectacle; and sometimes you suffered through having shown yourselves to be the friends of men who were in the very position in which you had been.

For yet a very little while, He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry.

And by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old, because she had faith in him who gave his word;

they desired therefore a better, that is, an heavenly country: so that God is very justly stiled their God: for he had appointed a city for them.

Some were given back to their womankind, raised from the very dead; others were broken on the wheel, refusing to accept release, that they might obtain a better resurrection;

Be careful that no one fails to gain God's favor, or some poisonous root may come up to trouble and contaminate you all??16 some immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his very birthright for one single meal.

Then his voice shook the earth, but now his promise is, "But once more I will make not only the earth but the very heaven to tremble!"

But do not forget to do good deeds and share [with others], for God is very pleased with such "sacrifices."

And I especially urge you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

equip you with every good deed for doing God's will. [May He] work in us [to accomplish] what is very pleasing in His sight through [the power of] Jesus Christ. May there be praise to Him forever and ever. May it be so.

I beg you, Brothers, to bear with these words of advice. For I have written only very briefly to you.

But *you* have put dishonour upon the poor man. Yet is it not the rich who grind you down? Are not they the very people who drag you into the Law courts? --

and the very people who speak evil of the noble Name by which you are called?

Do you believe in one God? Very well! So do the demons, and they shudder.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a small part of the body, but it takes credit for great things. How much wood may be lighted by a very little fire!

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

From the very same mouth come blessings and curses! My Brothers, it is not right that this should be so.

Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].

Your gold and silver are rusted; and the rust on them shall be evidence against you, and shall eat into your very flesh. It was fire, so to speak, that you stored up for yourselves in these last days.

You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near.

Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged [for it]. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door.

Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Be confessing to one another the trespasses, and be praying for one another, that ye may be healed; very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man;

Because of this you can be very joyous, even though it is necessary for you to have suffered many trials for a little while.

It was revealed to them that their services [their prophecies regarding grace] were not [meant] for themselves and their time, but for you, in these things [the death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ] which have now been told to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the [power of the] Holy Spirit [who was] sent from heaven. Into these things even the angels long to look.

For it says in the Scripture [Isa. 28:16], "Look, I am placing a stone in [the city of] Zion [i.e., Jerusalem]. It is a specially selected, very valuable cornerstone. And the person who trusts in the Him [i.e., the One represented by this stone] will never have to suffer shame [i.e., because of unforgiven sin being brought up against him]."

This precious value, then, is for you who believe [in Him as God’s only Son—the Source of salvation]; but for those who disbelieve,“The [very] stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief Cornerstone,”

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

but let it be [the inner beauty of] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, [one that is calm and self-controlled, not overanxious, but serene and spiritually mature] which is very precious in the sight of God.

not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Well, as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, let this very conviction that he who has suffered in the flesh gets quit of sin,

In [connection with] all this, they [the unbelievers] are resentful and surprised that you do not [think like them, value their values and] run [hand in hand] with them into the same excesses of dissipation and immoral freedom, and they criticize and abuse and ridicule you and make fun of your values.

Now it was for this very purpose that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh by human standards they may live spiritually by God's standards.

If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

But if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him give glory to God on this very account.

whom resist, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the very same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren, who are in the world.

Inasmuch as his power divine has bestowed on us every requisite for life and piety by the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence ??4 bestowing on us thereby promises precious and supreme, that by means of them you may escape the corruption produced within the world by lust, and participate in the divine nature ??5 for this very reason, do you contrive to make it your whole concern to furnish your faith with resolution, resolution with intelligence,