Such prohibitions appear reasonable where there is a desire for self-imposed service, and so-called 'humility,' and harsh treatment of the body, but are of no real value against the indulgence of our earthly nature.

Therefore, as God's People, consecrated and dear to him, clothe yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindliness, humility, gentleness, forbearance;

Bearing with one another, and, when there is any ground for complaint, forgiving one another freely. As the Master freely forgave you, so you must forgive one another.

And, whatever you say or do, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus; and through him offer thanksgiving to God the father.

Children, always obey your parents; for that is pleasant to see in those who belong to the Lord.

And at the same time pray for us, that God may give us an opening for our Message, so that we may speak of the truths hidden in the Christ--the truths for which I am in chains!

Our dear Brother, Tychicus, will tell you all about me. He is a faithful minister, and a fellow-servant in the Master's cause.

My fellow-prisoner, Aristarchus, sends you his greeting, and Barnabas's cousin, Mark, sends his. (You have received directions about him. If he comes to you, make him welcome.)

Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, sends you his greeting. He is a servant of Christ Jesus, and is always most earnest in your behalf in his prayers, praying that you may stand firm, with a matured faith and with a sure conviction of all that is in accordance with God's will.

And when this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read before the Church at Laodicea, and that you yourselves read the letter which will be forwarded from there.

Give this message to Archippus--'Take care to discharge to the best of your ability the office to which you were appointed in the Master's Cause.'

I, Paul, add this greeting in my own handwriting. Remember these chains of mine. God's blessing be with you.

Because the Good News that we brought came home to you, not merely as so many words, but with a power and a fulness of conviction due to the Holy Spirit. For you know the life that we lived among you for your good.

And you yourselves began to follow, not only our example, but the Master's also; and, in spite of much suffering, you welcomed the Message with a joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,

And so became a pattern to all who believed in Christ throughout Macedonia and Greece.

For it was from you that the Lord's Message resounded throughout Macedonia and Greece; and, more than that, your faith in God has become known far and wide; so that there is no need for us to say another word.

For, although we had experienced suffering and ill-treatment, as you know, at Philippi, we had the courage, by the help of our God, to tell you God's Good News in spite of great opposition.

In our strong affection for you, that seemed to us the best way of sharing with you, not only God's Good news, but our very lives as well--so dear had you become to us.

You will not have forgotten, Brothers, our labor and toil. Night and day we used to work at our trades, so as not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you God's Good News.

So that you should make your daily lives worthy of God who is calling you into the glory of his Kingdom.

As for ourselves, Brothers, our having been bereaved of you even for a short time--though in body only, and not in spirit--made us all the more eager to see your faces again; and the longing to do so was strong upon us.

That was why we made up our minds to go and see you--at least I, Paul, did, more than once--but Satan put difficulties in our way.

And so, as we could bear it no longer, we made up our minds to remain behind alone at Athens,

And sent Timothy, our Brother and God's minister of the Good News of the Christ, to strengthen you, and to encourage you in your faith,

So that none of you should be shaken by the troubles through which you are passing. You yourselves know that we are destined to meet with such things.

For, even while we were with you, we warned you beforehand that we were certain to encounter trouble. And so it proved, as you know.

But, when Timothy recently returned to us from you with good news of your faith and love, and told us how kindly you think of us--always longing, he said, to see us, just as we are longing to see you--

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face, and make good any deficiency in your faith.

And so make your hearts strong, and your lives pure beyond reproach, in the sight of our God and Father, at the Coming of our Lord Jesus, with all his Holy Ones.

For this is God's purpose--that you should be pure; abstaining from all immorality;

For God's Call to us does not permit of an impure life, but demands purity.

So that your conduct may win respect from those outside the Church, and that you may not want for anything.

For, as we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring, with Jesus, those who through him have passed to their rest.

Then those who died in union with Christ shall rise first; and afterwards we who are still living shall be caught up in the clouds, with them, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall be for ever with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another, and try to build up one another's characters, as indeed you are doing.

We beg you, Brothers, to value those who toil among you, and are your leaders in the Lord's service, and give you counsel.

I adjure you in the Lord's name to have this letter read to all the Brethren.

So much is this the case that we ourselves speak with pride, before the Churches of God, of the patience and faith which you have shown, in spite of all the persecutions and troubles that you are enduring.

These persecutions will vindicate the justice of God's judgment, and will result in your being reckoned worthy of God's Kingdom, for the sake of which you are now afflicted;

Who so opposes himself to every one that is spoken of as a God or as an object of worship, and so exalts himself above them, that he seats himself in the Temple of God, and displays himself as God!

So that sentence may be passed on all those who refuse to believe the Truth, but delight in wickedness.

Console your hearts, and strengthen you to do and to say all that is right.

In conclusion, Brothers, pray for us--pray that the Lord's Message may spread rapidly, and be received everywhere with honour, as it was among you;

Nor did we eat any one's bread without paying for it. Night and day, laboring and toiling, we used to work at our trades, so as not to be a burden upon any of you.

They want to be Teachers of the Law, and yet do not understand either the words they use, or the subjects on which they speak so confidently.

I do not consent to a woman's becoming a teacher, or exercising authority over a man; she ought to be silent.

He should also be well spoken of by outsiders, that he may not incur censure and so fall into the snares of the Devil.

So, too, Assistant-Officers should be serious and straightforward men, not given to taking much drink or to questionable money-making,

I am writing this to you, though I hope that I shall come to see you before long;

who will make use of the hypocrisy of lying teachers. These men's consciences are seared,

for it is consecrated by God's blessing and by prayer.

Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that your progress may be plain to every one.

Look to yourself as well as to your teaching. Persevere in this, for your doing so will mean Salvation for yourself as well as for your hearers.

but, if a widow has children or grand-children, let them learn to show proper regard for the members of their own family first, and to make some return to their parents; for that is pleasing in God's sight.

and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise.

Therefore I advise young widows to marry, bear children, and attend to their homes, and so avoid giving the enemy an opportunity for scandal.

Any Christian woman, who has relations who are widows, ought to relieve them and not allow them to become a burden to the Church, so that the Church may relieve those widows who are really widowed.

but rebuke offenders publicly, so that others may take warning.

All who are in the position of slaves should regard their masters as deserving of the greatest respect, so that the Name of God, and our Teaching, may not be maligned.

So, with food and shelter, we will be content.

who alone is possessed of immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or ever can see--to whom be ascribed honour and power for ever. Amen.

Urge upon those who are wealthy in this life not to pride themselves, or fix their hopes, on so uncertain a thing as wealth, but on God, who gives us a wealth of enjoyment on every side.

as I think of your tears, longing to see you, that my happiness may be completed,

Reflect upon what I say; the Lord will always help you to understand.

and that is why I submit to anything for the sake of God's People, that they also may obtain the Salvation which comes from union with Christ Jesus, and imperishable glory.

They have gone completely astray as regards the Truth; they say that a resurrection has already taken place, and so upset some people's faith.

Yet God's firm foundation still stands unmoved, and it bears this inscription-- 'THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS'; and this-- 'LET ALL THOSE WHO USE THE NAME OF THE LORD TURN AWAY FROM WICKEDNESS.'

and they may yet come to a sober mind, and escape from the snares of the Devil, when captured by the Lord's Servant to do the will of God.

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these people, in their turn, oppose the Truth. Their minds are corrupted, and, as regards the Faith, they are utterly worthless.

so that the Servant of God may be perfect himself, and perfectly equipped for every good action.

But the Lord came to my help and strengthened me, in order that, through me, the proclamation should be made so widely that all the Gentiles should hear it; and I was rescued 'out of the Lion's mouth.'

Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia send you their greetings, and so do all our Brothers.

From Paul, a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, charged to strengthen the faith of God's Chosen People, and their knowledge of that Truth which makes for godliness, .

For a Presiding-Officer, as God's steward, ought to be a man of irreproachable character; not self-willed or quick-tempered, nor addicted to drink or to brawling or to questionable money-making.

who holds doctrine that can be relied on as being in accordance with the accepted Teaching; so that he may be able to encourage others by sound teaching, as well as to refute our opponents.

Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they may be sound in the Faith,

So, too, that the older women should be reverent in their demeanor, and that they should avoid scandal, and beware of becoming slaves to drink;

that they should teach what is right, so as to train the younger women to love their husbands and children,

and to be discreet, pure-minded, domesticated, good women, ready to submit to their husbands, in order that God's Message may not be maligned.

And so again with the younger men--impress upon them the need of discretion.

let the instruction that you give be sound and above reproach, so that the enemy may be ashamed when he fails to find anything bad to say about us.

How true that saying is! And it is on these subjects that I desire you to lay especial stress, so that those who have learned to trust in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good. Such subjects are excellent in themselves, and of real use to mankind.

If a man is causing divisions among you, after warning him once or twice, have nothing more to say to him.

Do your best to help Zenas, the Teacher of the Law, and Apollos, on their way, and see that they want for nothing.

Let all our People learn to devote themselves to doing good, so as to meet the most pressing needs, and that their lives may not be unfruitful.

To our dear friend and fellow-worker Philemon, to our sister Apphia, to our fellow-soldier Archippus; and to the Church that meets at Philemon's house;

I have indeed found great joy and encouragement in your love, knowing, as I do, how the hearts of Christ's People have been cheered, brother, by you.

And so, though my union with Christ enables me, with all confidence, to dictate the course that you should adopt,

For my own sake I should like to keep him with me, so that, while I am in prison for the Good News, he might attend to my wants on your behalf.

No longer as a slave, but as something better--a dearly loved Brother, especially dear to me, and how much more so to you, not only as your fellow man, but as your fellow Christian!

I, Paul, put my own hand to it--I will repay you myself. I say nothing about your owing me your very self.

For he is the radiance of the Glory of God and the very expression of his Being, upholding all creation by the power of his word; and, when he had made an expiation for the sins of men, he 'took his seat at the right hand' of God's Majesty on high,

For to which of the angels did God ever say-- 'Thou art my Son; this day I have become thy Father'? or again-- 'I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son'?

For, if the Message which was delivered by angels had its authority confirmed, so that every offence against it, or neglect of it, met with a fitting requital,

how can we, of all people, expect to escape, if we disregard so great a Salvation? It was the Master who at the outset spoke of this Salvation, and its authority was confirmed for us by those who heard him,

while God himself added his testimony to it by signs, and marvels, and many different miracles, as well as by imparting the Holy Spirit as he saw fit.

Thou hast placed all things beneath his feet.' This 'placing of everything' under man means that there was nothing which was not placed under him. As yet, however, we do not see everything placed under man.

What our eyes do see is Jesus, who was made for a while lower than angels, now, because of his sufferings and death, crowned with glory and honour; so that his tasting the bitterness of death should, in God's loving-kindness, be on behalf of all mankind.

And again-- 'As for me, I will put my trust in God.' And yet again-- 'See, here am I and the children whom God gave me.'

and so might deliver all those who, from fear of death, had all their lives been living in slavery.