For I fear lest when I come, I should not find you such as I would, and lest I should be found by you such as ye would not: lest there should be contentions, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults, Lest my God should humble me when I come to you again,

uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, contentions,

But now put ye also all these things off, anger, wrath, ill-nature, evil speaking, filthy discourse out of your mouth.

But avoid foolish and unlearned questions, knowing that they beget strife:

For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not passionate, not given to wine, no striker, not desirous of filthy gain:

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

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

From whence come wars and fightings among you? Is it not hence, from your pleasures that war in your members?

Clamour

And hearing this, they were filled with rage, and cried out, saying, The great Diana of the Ephesians.

And the whole city was moved, and the people ran together; and laying hold on Paul, they dragged him out of the temple: and immediately the gates were shut.

And they heard him to this word, and then lifted up their voice and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live.

Not given to wine, no striker, not desirous of filthy gain, but gentle, patient, not loving money;

He is puffed up, knowing nothing, but being sick of questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, contention, evil speakings,

Evil speaking

full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity:

In like manner their wives must be serious, not slanderers, vigilant, faithful in all things.

And withal they learn to be idle, going about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers and busy bodies, speaking what they ought not.

disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, Without natural affection, covenant-breakers, slanderers, intemperate, fierce, despisers of good men,

That the aged women in like manner, be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things:

To speak evil of no man, not to be quarrelsome, to be gentle, shewing all meekness toward all men.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Wherefore laying aside all wickedness, and all guile, and dissimulation, and envies,

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government: presumptuous, self-willed; they are not afraid to rail at dignities:

In like manner these dreamers also defile the flesh, despise authority, rail at dignities.

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

With

full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity:

Therefore let us keep the feast; not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of wickedness and malignity, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: in wickedness be ye as infants, but in understanding be ye grown men.

But now put ye also all these things off, anger, wrath, ill-nature, evil speaking, filthy discourse out of your mouth.

For we also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, inslaved to various desires and pleasures, living in wickedness and envy, hateful, hating one another:

Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother.

General references

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

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