For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess.

What then should we do? They will no doubt hear that you have come.

Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a command from his mouth,

But so that I may not delay you any further, I beg you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness.

But there are some Jews from the province of Asia who should be here before you and bring charges, if they have anything against me.

Or these men here should tell what crime they found me guilty of when I stood before the council,

While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul's case to the king to get his opinion, saying, "There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.

So after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought.

Agrippa said to Festus, "I would also like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he replied, "you will hear him."

Then Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he ought not to live any longer.

And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors,

Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head."

But we would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know that people everywhere speak against it."

For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them."'

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous.

For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage.

So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress.

it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger,"

As he also says in Hosea: "I will call those who were not my people, 'My people,' and I will call her who was unloved, 'My beloved.'"

How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them?

as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, to this very day."

And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers.

so that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and provide her with whatever help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many, including me.

To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally treated, and without a roof over our heads.

Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."

But because of immoralities, each man should have relations with his own wife and each woman with her own husband.

A husband should give to his wife her sexual rights, and likewise a wife to her husband.

It is not the wife who has the rights to her own body, but the husband. In the same way, it is not the husband who has the rights to his own body, but the wife.

(but if she does, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband), and a husband should not divorce his wife.

To the rest I say -- I, not the Lord -- if a brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is happy to live with him, he should not divorce her.

And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is happy to live with her, she should not divorce him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified because of the wife, and the unbelieving wife because of her husband. Otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.

and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband.

A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes (only someone in the Lord).

For it is written in the law of Moses, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." God is not concerned here about oxen, is he?

But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is one and the same thing as having a shaved head.

For if a woman will not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head.

For this reason a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace for him,

but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.

For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

Why too are we in danger every hour?

But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.

Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord --

So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give,

Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.

So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.

Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

But what does the scripture say? "Throw out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the son" of the free woman.

You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,

Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that -- whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent -- I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,

since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.

For there is no one here like him who will readily demonstrate his deep concern for you.

Give greetings to all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers with me here send greetings.

Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.

I sent him with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children,

not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, not doing their own work but meddling in the work of others.

But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

Likewise the women are to dress in suitable apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their adornment must not be with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing,

But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.

If a believing woman has widows in her family, let her help them. The church should not be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are truly in need.

For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion's mouth!

Here is another way that our people can learn to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

because I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.

in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.

Again he says, "I will be confident in him," and again, "Here I am, with the children God has given me."

For here is the testimony about him: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."

"Then I said, 'Here I am: I have come -- it is written of me in the scroll of the book -- to do your will, O God.'"

then he says, "Here I am: I have come to do your will." He does away with the first to establish the second.

By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more.

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, "You sit here in a good place," and to the poor person, "You stand over there," or "Sit on the floor"?

And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one's work, live out the time of your temporary residence here in reverence.

Let your beauty not be external -- the braiding of hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes --

like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.

Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

From the elder, to an elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth (and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth),

I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth.

But I hope to see you right away, and we will speak face to face. Peace be with you. The friends here greet you. Greet the friends there by name.

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!

His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.'

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it.'

But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.

Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds.

Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve.

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you.