but may rather be restored. Persistently strive for peace with all men, and for that growth in holiness apart from which no one will see the Lord.

looking diligently over lest any one be failing of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up may give trouble, and through this many may be defiled;

and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

You have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire, and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind,

for they were not bearing that which is commanded, 'And if a beast may touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or with an arrow shot through,'

But you have come to the mountain of Zion, to the place of the living God, to the Jerusalem which is in heaven, and to an army of angels which may not be numbered,

See, may ye not refuse him who is speaking, for if those did not escape who refused him who upon earth was divinely speaking -- much less we who do turn away from him who speaketh from heaven,

And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

We have an altar from which those priests who are servants in the Tent may not take food.

now, then, may we go forth unto him without the camp, his reproach bearing;

through him, then, we may offer up a sacrifice of praise always to God, that is, the fruit of lips, giving thanks to His name;

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Pray for me, for I am sure I have a clean conscience; my desire is in every way to lead an honest life.

But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Now may the God of peace [the source of serenity and spiritual well-being] who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood that sealed and ratified the eternal covenant,

equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Now I urge you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for indeed I have written to you {briefly}.

Know ye that the brother Timotheus is released, with whom, if he may come more shortly, I will see you.

Give words of love from me to those who are rulers over you, and to all the saints. Those who are in Italy send you their love.

May grace be with you all.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Let no one say when passing through trial, "My temptation is from God;" for God is incapable of being tempted to do evil, and He Himself tempts no one.

Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Of his own choice he produced us by the word of truth, that we might be a sort of first fruit of his creatures.??19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

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

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

for if there may come into your synagogue a man with gold ring, in gay raiment, and there may come in also a poor man in vile raiment,

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Stand thou there, or, Sit thou here under my footstool, Ye distinguish not in yourselves, but are become evil-reasoning judges.

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

For whosoever may keep the whole law, and fail in one item, has become guilty of all.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

and if a brother or sister may be naked, and may be destitute of the daily food,

and any one of you may say to them, 'Depart ye in peace, be warmed, and be filled,' and may not give to them the things needful for the body, what is the profit?

so also the faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

But do you want proof, my senseless friend, that faith without good deeds amounts to nothing?

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Behold also the ships, which are very great, and are driven by violent winds; yet they are turned about by a very small helm, to whatever point the will of him that directs it may determine.

In the same way the tongue is an insignificant part of the body, but it is immensely boastful. Remember how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames.

But the tongue may not be controlled by man; it is an unresting evil, it is full of the poison of death.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Adulterers and adulteresses! have ye not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, an enemy of God he is set.

Believers, do not speak against or slander one another. He who speaks [self-righteously] against a brother or judges his brother [hypocritically], speaks against the Law and judges the Law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge of it.

Listen to me, you who say 'To-day or to-morrow we will go to such and such a town, spend a year there, and trade, and make money,'

Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].

instead of your saying, 'If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'

Listen to me, you rich men, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming upon you!

Be patient, then, brethren, till the presence of the Lord; lo, the husbandman doth expect the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it, till he may receive rain -- early and latter;

[So], you people should be patient also; strengthen your hearts because the Lord's coming is near [Note: This may refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, or to Christ's final coming and judgment].

murmur not against one another, brethren, that ye may not be condemned; lo, the Judge before the door hath stood.

Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

and the prayer of the faith shall save the distressed one, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if sins he may have committed, they shall be forgiven to him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him;

you may be sure that whoever brings a sinner back from his wrong path will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].

who are always guarded by the power of God through faith, in order that you may receive that final salvation which will be ready to be uncovered for you at the last time.

In this you rejoice greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:

who through him do believe in God, who did raise out of the dead, and glory to him did give, so that your faith and hope may be in God.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

you, too, as living stones, are building yourselves up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, so that you may offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah.

Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: 'Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;'

But ye are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul;

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

for to this ye were called, because Christ also did suffer for you, leaving to you an example, that ye may follow his steps,

who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, in order that, being dead to sins, we may live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been healed.

Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

In the same way, you husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way [with great gentleness and tact, and with an intelligent regard for the marriage relationship], as with someone physically weaker, since she is a woman. Show her honor and respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered or ineffective.

Finally, my beloved, be unanimous, be sympathizing, love as brethren, be compassionate, be courteous:

not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

and who is he who will be doing you evil, if of Him who is good ye may become imitators?

Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

that in future you may spend the rest of your earthly lives, governed not by human passions, but by the will of God.

For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

for for this also to dead men was good news proclaimed, that they may be judged, indeed, according to men in the flesh, and may live according to God in the spirit.

But the end of all things is now close at hand: therefore be sober-minded and temperate, so that you may give yourselves to prayer.

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

My dear brethren, don't be surpriz'd at your being brought as it were to the test of fire; as if some strange thing had happen'd to you.

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

I who am myself one of the rulers of the church, and a witness of the death of Christ, having my part in the coming glory, send this serious request to the chief men among you:

that when the sovereign pastor shall appear, you may carry off a glorious crown, that will never fade.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

May God have total authority over everything [including your circumstances] forever. May it be so.

I have sent you this short letter by Silvanus, a true brother, in my opinion; comforting you and witnessing that this is the true grace of God; keep to it.

The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

Greet one another with a kiss of love.To all of you who are in Christ, may there be peace.