For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only there is one who is hindering and will continue to hinder till he be removed;

and with all deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for their salvation.

so that they all should be condemned, who are faithless to the truth, but take pleasure in evil.

But for you, brothers, whom the Lord loves, I ought to give thanks to God continually, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation in consecration of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and a good hope in grace,

I summon you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who leads an idle and disorderly life, which is not according to the rule you received from me.

But I hear that there are those of your number who are leading idle and disorderly lives, who are not busy, but mere busybodies.

And I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has thus enabled me, that he accounted me faithful, and appointed me to his service,

Yet for this very cause I obtained mercy, so that in me, the chief of sinners, Jesus Christ might display all his boundless patience as an illustration for those who should later believe in him, and so gain life eternal.

Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have given over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and peaceful life in all godliness an gravity.

who gave himself as a ransom in behalf of all, to be attested in due time.

It was Adam who was first formed, then Eve.

And it was not Adam who was deceived; but it was the woman who was thoroughly deceived, and who became involved in transgression.

he should be a man who rules his own household well, and keeps his children ever under control and thoroughly well behaved.

Let deacons be the husband of but one wife, men who rule their children and their household properly.

For those who have well discharged the duties of a deacon are gaining an honorable position for themselves, as well as much fearless confidence in the faith of Christ Jesus.

Now the Spirit distinctly declares that in latter days there will be some who will fall away from the faith, by listening to spirits of error, and to teachings of demons

who discourage marriage, and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thankfulness, by those who believe, and have a clear knowledge of the truth.

"We toil and agonize because our hopes are set on the ever-living God, who is the Saviour of all men,??f believers in particular.

Ever honor widows who are really widows;

Now she who is a widow indeed, and desolate, has fixed her hope on God, and devotes herself to supplications and prayers, day and night.

But she who lives in wantonness is dead even while she still lives.

A widow, to be placed upon the list, must be not less than sixty years old, and one who has been the wife of but one husband.

She must be well reputed for good works, as one who has brought up a family, received strangers with hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, relieved the distressed, and diligently followed every good work.

Any believing woman, who has widowed relatives, ought to relieve them and not let the church be burdened with them; so that the church may relieve the really destitute widows.

Let the elders who fill their offices well, be held worthy of twofold honor; especially those who have the task of preaching and teaching.

Let those who are under the yoke as slaves esteem their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teachings be not blasphemed.

Those whose masters are Christian believers must not treat them with disrespect, because they are brothers; nay, rather slave for them the better because those who get the benefit of their services are believing and beloved. Continue to teach and preach this.

and wrangling between men whose minds are corrupt and destitute of the truth; who suppose that godliness is a source of gain.

Those who desire to be rich fall into the snares of temptation and many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

In the presence of God who gives life to all, and of Christ Jesus who bore witness to the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

who alone possesses immortality, who dwells in light that none can approach, whom no man has ever seen or can see; to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.

Charge the rich of this world not to be supercilious, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in God, who provides all things richly for our use.

I give thanks to God whom I worship with a pure conscience as my fathers did, when I remember you unceasingly in my prayers.

This has now been made manifest through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who has put an end to death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

But I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have fully believed, and I am thoroughly persuaded that he is able to keep what I have given him until the Day.

Guard the glorious trust which has been committed to you by the aid of the Holy Spirit who makes his home in us.

The teachings which you have heard from me, attested by many witnesses, deliver into the keeping of faithful men, who in their turn will be able to teach others also.

The farmer who has done the work should be the first to get a share of the crop.

Always call these truths to men's mind; adjuring them in the presence of God to avoid controversy. It is a useless thing, and subverts those who listen to it.

Among such are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have gone astray concerning the truth by declaring that the resurrection is already past; and they are undermining the faith of some.

Nevertheless God's firm foundation stands unshaken, bearing this inscription, THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS, and this also, LET EVERY ONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF THE LORD RENOUNCE WICKEDNESS.

Flee from the passions of youth, but run after righteousness, faith, love, and peace, in company with those who out of a pure heart call upon the Lord.

Turn away from all such. Some of them creep into private houses and lead captive silly women who, laden with sins,

Yes, and all who purpose to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

But do you hold fast what you have learned and have held to be true. You know those from whom you have learned it,

I adjure you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is about to judge the living and the dead??y his appearing and his kingdom, I adjure you??2 proclaim the message, be urgent in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, encourage, with never-failing patience and teaching.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the garland of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that Day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.

I write in hope of life eternal which God who never lies, promised before times eternal,

men who are blameless, the husband of one wife, with believing children who are not accused of riot or insubordination.

For there are many individuals who are unruly, empty talkers and deceivers, particularly those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped;

so as to make them sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.

This saying is trustworthy. On this I want you to firmly insist; that those who have faith in God must be careful to maintain honest occupations. Such counsels are good and profitable for men.

After a first and second admonition, refuse a man who is causing divisions;

All who are with us salute you. Salute those who love me in faith. Grace be with you all.

I beseech you for my son, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in these chains.

God, who in ancient days spoke to our ancestors in the prophets, at many different times and by various methods,

has at the end of these days spoken to us in a Son whom he appointed heir of all things; through whom also he made the universe.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth for service in behalf of those who are about to inherit salvation?

Which having begun to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him;

What we do see is Jesus, who was made for a time a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor, because of the suffering of death, in order that through God's grace he might taste death for every man.

For it befitted him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both he who sanctifies and those whom he is sanctifying are all from One; for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying.

And might deliver those who through fear of death had been subject to life-long bondage.

For assuredly it is not angels, nay, it is the offspring of Abraham, whom he is ever taking by the hand.

For inasmuch as he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is also able instantly to succor those who are tempted, he is also able instantly to succor those who are tempted.

How faithful he was to the God who appointed him! For while Moses also was faithful in all God's house,

Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who has built a house has higher honor than the house itself.

For every house has its builder; but he who built the universe is God.

For who were they that heard and yet provoked him? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses?

And with whom was he grieved for forty years? Was it not with those who had sinned, and whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?

And to whom did he swear that they should never enter into his rest, if not to those who had proved faithless?

For the Good News is come to us just as it did to them. But the message they heard was of no benefit to them, because they did not share the faith of those who gave heed to it.

We are actually entering into that rest, we who have believed, as God has said,??n my wrath I swore??They shall not enter into my Rest

So even the Christ was not raised to the high glory of the priesthood by himself, but on the contrary by Him who said to him. Thou art my Son; this day have I become thy Father;

In the days of his flesh, with better cries and weeping Jesus offered up prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save him out of death; and he was heard because of his devout submission.

and by being thus made perfect, he became the source of enduring salvation to all who obey him,

For every one who feeds on milk is inexperienced in the word of righteousness. He is still an infant.

But solid food is for adults, that is, for those who by constant practise have their faculties trained to discriminate between good and evil.

For in the case of those who have been once for all enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift,

For land that has drunk the showers that now and again fall upon it, and produced vegetation useful for those for whom it was tilled, receives a blessing from God;

Then do not become slack, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises.

It was this Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him;

But observe how great this man was, to whom even Abraham, the Patriarch, gave a tenth part of the spoils.

Now those of the sons of Levi who are appointed to the priesthood, are authorized by the Law to take tithes of the people, that is, of their brothers, and that too, although these are descended from Abraham.

But this man who had no Levitical genealogy actually took tithes of Abraham, and blessed him to whom the promises belong.

Again it is mortal men who receive tithes in the one case; while in the other it is he of whom it is attested, "He lives."

And even Levi, who is the receiver of tithes, so to speak, paid tithes through Abraham;

He who is thus described belonged to another tribe, not one member of which has ever served at the altar.

who has become such, not according to the law of a transitory enactment, but according to the energy of an indissoluble life.

For although those priests became such without an oath, He had an oath form God who said to him, The Lord hath sworn and will not change, Thou art a priest forever.

Hence also he is able to continue saving to the uttermost those who are ever drawing near to God through him, seeing that he is ever living to intercede for them.

one who has no need, like the high priests, to offer up daily sacrifices, first for his own sins, then for those of the people. For his sacrifice was made once for all, when he offered up himself.

Now were he on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there are here those who present the gifts according to the Law??5 those priests who serve a mere outline and shadow of the heavenly reality, just as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to build the Tabernacle. "See", he says, "that you make everything on the pattern showed you on the mountain."

For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who have been defiled, sanctify to the cleansing of the flesh,

how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through his eternal spirit offered himself free from blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works unto the service of an ever-living God!

And because of this he is the Mediator of a new testament, in order that, since a death has taken place to atone for offenses committed under the first testament, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

so also the Christ, after being once for all offered to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who wait for him for salvation.

For the Law, being only a shadow of the good things to come, and not their very substance, its priests cannot with the same sacrifice which year after year they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.