For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and lest I too shall be found by you such as ye would not; lest there be wranglings, envying, wraths, rivalries, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, rivalry, outbursts of wrath, cabals, divisions, factions,

but now put ye away all these, anger, wrath, malice, evilspeaking, filthy language out of your mouth.

But the foolish and ignorant questionings avoid, knowing that they gender quarrels;

For a bishop must be without reproach, as Gods steward; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, not a striker, not greedy of base gain,

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

But if ye have bitter rivalry and strife in your hearts, do not glory and lie against the truth.

Whence are wars and whence are fightings among you? Are they not hence, from your lusts that war in your members?

Clamour

And hearing this they became full of wrath, and kept crying out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians!

And the whole city was in motion, and the people ran together; and they laid hold of Paul and dragged him out of the temple; and forthwith the doors were shut.

And they listened to him as far as this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth! for it was not fit that he should live.

not given to wine, not a striker, but forbearing, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money;

he is puffed up with pride, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, from which cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Evil speaking

being filled with all unrighteousness, malice, covetousness, wickedness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; backbiters,

The women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

and withal they learn to be idle, going about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

natural affection, implacable, slanderers, incontinent, fierce, without love for what is good,

that aged women likewise be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good,

to speak evil of no one, to be averse to strife, forbearing, showing all meekness to all men.

Speak not against one another, brethren; he that speaketh against his brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Laying aside therefore all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all slander,

but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise dominion. Presumptuous, selfwilled, they are not afraid to rail at dignities;

Yet in like manner these dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and rail at dignities.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night;

With

being filled with all unrighteousness, malice, covetousness, wickedness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; backbiters,

So then let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Brethren, do not become children in understanding; yet in malice be children, but in understanding be men.

but now put ye away all these, anger, wrath, malice, evilspeaking, filthy language out of your mouth.

For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, going astray, slaves to divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

not as Cain was of the Evil One, and slew his brother. And wherefore did he slay him? Because his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous.

General references

Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.