so that you will live a life worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might have the first place in everything.

if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a minister.

the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself,

I say this so that no one may delude you with fine-sounding arguments.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on the things above, not on things that are on earth.

knowing that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

And pray for us as well, that God may open a door to us for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains,

so that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.

Let your speech always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;

and with him Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of yourselves. They will tell you everything that has taken place here.

Epaphras, who is one of your number, a servant of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

When this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read the letter from Laodicea.

Say to Archippus, "See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it."

For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you;

so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we have no need to say anything.

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain;

For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God.

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last.

so that no one would be unsettled by these afflictions. You yourselves know that we have been destined for this.

For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.

For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, just as we long to see you

as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

so that he may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Finally, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that is, that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

that each one of you know how to take his own spouse for himself in holiness and honor,

and that no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.

so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anyone.

But we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him.

and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

This is evidence of God's righteous judgment, so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believedbecause our testimony to you was believed.

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and may fulfill every good resolve and work of faith by his power,

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed.

For this reason God sends upon them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false,

so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in wickedness.

He called you to this through our gospel, that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it did also with you,

and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith.

And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things which we command.

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who is living in idleness and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, not doing any work at all, but acting like busybodies.

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,

nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than the divine trainingwhich is by faith.

But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,

realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers

and the grace of our Lord was overflowing for me, with the faith and love that are found in Christ Jesus.

It is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinnersof whom I am the foremost.

But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.

I give you this command, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies once made about you, that by them you may fight the good fight,

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

First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men,

for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

For those who have served well as deacons gain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that,

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that all may see your progress.

Command these things as well, so that they may be above reproach.

If any one does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one husband,

If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them, and let not the church be burdened, so that it may assist those who are real widows.

Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning.

In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be spoken against.

and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a means of gain.

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that life which is life indeed.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

As I recall your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

For this reason I also suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure that has been entrusted to you.

You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Dayand you know very well all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.