Do not become many teachers, my brothers, because you know well that we teachers shall be judged by a severer standard than others.

no man can tame the tongue, restless evil that it is, full of deadly poison.

Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives; or a grape-vine, figs? No more can salt water yield fresh water.

You adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity to God? Whoever, then, desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself and enemy of God.

Go to now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we shall journey to such a city and spend a year there, and trade and make money,"

when all the time you do not know what will happen on the morrow. For what is your life? You are but a mist, appearing for a brief time, and then vanishing.

But now you are glorying in these insolent boastings of yours; all such glorying is evil.

Go to now, you rich men! Weep aloud, howl for the miseries which are about to come upon you!

Again, above all things, my brothers, swear not at all, neither by the heavens, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath. Let your "yes" be "yes," and your "no," "no," so you will not fall under condemnation.

let him know that he who brings a sinner back from the error of his ways, saves his soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins.

Exult in this, though now for a brief moment, if need be, you have suffered many hardships.

Him you love, though you have never seen him; in him you ever believe, though even now you see him not, and you are rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory,

They were searching to know to what time, or to what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them kept pointing, when he ever testified beforehand concerning the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

It was revealed to them that it was not for themselves, but for you, that they were ministering the truths which have now been announced to you, by those who preached the gospel to you, through the help of the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven??ruths into which angels long to look.

For you well know that not with perishable things, with silver or gold, were you redeemed from the emptiness of your manner of life, received by tradition from your ancestors;

Through him you believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope are now in God.

Now that by obedience to the truth you have purified your lives for a brotherly love without hypocrisy, you must love one another from your hearts, fervently.

Like new-born babes long for the pure spiritual milk to make you grow up into salvation;

But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that you may show forth the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light??10 you who once were not a people, but now are the people of God; who were once without mercy, but now you have found mercy.

Let your manner of life before the Gentiles be honest; so that, although they are now slandering you as evil-doers, they may, by beholding your noble conduct, come to glorify God, in the day of visitation.

He committed no sin, Neither was guile found in his mouth.

For you were straying like lost sheep, but you are now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

who in old times had been disobedient, when God's longsuffering was waiting in the days of Noah, while an ark was building, in which a few persons??ight in number??ere saved by water.)

Baptism, the counterpart of that, now saves you (not the washing off of the filth of the flesh, but the prayer for a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now to you who are presbyters I make this appeal; for I am myself a presbyter, and was a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory about to be revealed.

By these he has granted his promises to us, precious and splendid; so that through them you may become partners of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

I shall therefore be always ready to remind you of all this, even though you know it, and are firmly founded in the truth which is with you.

since I know that the time for me to strike tent comes swiftly on, even as our Lord Jesus Christ pointed out to me.

But first be assured of this??hat no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation.

For no prophecy was ever brought by the will of man; but moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke for God.

if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon an ungodly world;

then be sure that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the wicked (who are even now enduring punishment) for the "Day of Judgment";

especially those who spend their lives following the flesh in the lust of defilement, and in despising all authority. Audacious and willful, they feel no awe in railing against dignities;

But these men, like irrational creatures, mere animals, born to be taken and destroyed, continually rail about matters of which they know nothing. In their corruption they will surely be destroyed,

This is now my second letter to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your pure minds by putting you in remembrance.

Know this first, that mockers will come in the last days, in their mockery, men who walk the way of their own lusts

But the heavens and earth that now are, by the same word of God, have been reserved for fire, and are being kept for the Day of Judgment, and for the destruction of ungodly men.

Now since all things are in the process of dissolution, what kind of men ought you to be, in all holy living and piety;

But according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness makes her dwelling.

Do you therefore, beloved, because you know these things beforehand, be on your guard lest you be led astray by the error of the wicked, and so fall from your own stedfastness.

But grow continually in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and unto the Day of Eternity, Amen.

It is of what has existed from the beginning, of what we have listened to, of what we have seen with our own eyes, of what we have witnessed and touched with our own heads, it is concerning the Logos of Life that we are now writing.

This, then, is the message that we have heard from him, and are announcing to you, that God is light, and no darkness what ever is in him.

If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

This is how we may know that we have come to know Him, by always keeping his commandments.

He who says, "I know Him," but does no continue obeying his commandments, is a liar,

and the truth is not in him; bit if any man obey his word, in him truly is the love of God made perfect. By this we come to know that we are in him.

Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, nay, and old commandment, which you have had from the beginning. That old commandment is the message to which you have listened.

Yet again it is a new commandment which I am writing to you, which is true in him and is you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness even until now.

But he who loves his brother is abiding in the light, and in it there is no cause of stumbling.

But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and is spending his life in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have fully overcome the Evil One. I have written to you, little children, because you have learned to know the father.

I have written to you, fathers, because you have learned to know him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God is abiding in you, and you have fully overcome the Evil One.

My children, this is the last hour, and as you have heard that an antichrist was coming, and now many antichrists are already risen, whence we may know that it is the last hour.

Now you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and know that no lie is of the truth.

As to you, the unction you received from him remains ever in you, and you need no teaching from any one. But since his unction teaches you concerning all things and is true, and is no lie, abide continually in him, as it has taught you to do.

And now continue to abide in him, my children, so that when he shall appear we may have cheerful confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous you know also that every one who habitually practices righteousness has been born of him.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given us in allowing us to be called "Children of God!" And that is what we are. For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not know him.

We are God's children now, beloved; what we shall be has never yet been made manifest. But we know that when he is manifested we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.

And you know that he was manifested to take away sins; and in him is no sin.

Whoever continually abides in him does not habitually sin; whoever lives in sin has not seen him, nor come to know him.

My children, let no one deceive you; he who is working righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous.

We know that we have migrated, out of death into life, because we love our brothers. He who has no love is abiding in death.

Every one who is hating his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we learn to know love, because he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

By this we shall come to know that we are really of the truth,

He who keeps his commandments is abiding in Him, and Christ in him. By this we know that Christ is abiding in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.

By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God;

and every spirit which confesses him not, is not from God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming, and that now it is already in the world.

But you are of God. He who is beginning to know God listens to us; he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we may distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

He who does not love, does not know God; for God is love.

No man has ever gazed on God; but if we love one another, God ever abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we come to know that we are abiding in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit;

And we do know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love; and he who is abiding in love is abiding in God, and God is abiding in him.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.

I have written these words to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Now the confidence which we have in him is this, that he listens to us whenever we ask anything that is in accordance with his will.

And if we know that he is listening to us in what ever we are asking, we know that we obtain the petitions which we have made to him.

We know that whoever is a child of God is not habitually committing sin; but he who is God's child guards himself, and the Evil One never touches him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world is lying in the Evil One.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and has granted us and understanding, so that we may come to know him who is true. And we are in him who is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and life eternal.

The Elder to the Elect Lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have come to know the truth.

And now I am entreating you, Lady, not as though I were writing some new commandment to you, but one which we have had from the beginning, let us love one another.

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are passing their lives in the truth.

All men bear testimony to Demetrius, and so does the truth itself. I also bear testimony to him; and you know that my testimony is true.

I wish to remind you of what you already know right well, that although the Lord once saved a people out of the land of Egypt, he afterward destroyed those who did not believe;

Yet these men blaspheme about matters of which they know nothing, while they use such things as they do understand by instinct (like the animals who have no reason) for their own destruction.

Now unto Him who has power to guard you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, faultless and exultant,

to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be ascribed glory, majesty, might, and authority, as it was before time began, is now, and ever shall be to all the ages. Amen.

I know your works and your toil and stedfastness, and that you cannot endure evil men, and that you tested those who called themselves apostles, though they are not, and how you found them false.

I know your persecution and your poverty??ut you are rich! I know the reviling of those who say that they themselves are Jews, when they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

I know where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is; and yet you are holding fast my name, and you have not denied my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was slain among you, where Satan has his dwelling.

He who has ears, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To him that overcomes I will give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no man knows, but he that receives it.

I know your works and your love and faith and service and endurance; I know that your last works are more than the first.

And moreover, her children will I kill with pestilence. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the hearts and souls of men. I will give to each of you according to his works.

But to the rest of you in Thyatira, those who do not hold his teaching, and who do not know the "deep things" of Satan (as they call them),

I say that I am imposing upon you no fresh burden; only hold fast what you have till I come.