And though by this time it would be right for you to be teachers, you still have need of someone to give you teaching about the first simple rules of God's revelation; you have become like babies who have need of milk, and not of solid food.

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end,

For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

So, He is also able to save completely those people who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to intercede [i.e., to plead to God] on their behalf.

the holy spirit showing thereby, that the way to the holy of holys, was not yet open, while the first tabernacle was standing.

how much more certainly shall the blood of Christ, who strengthened by the eternal Spirit offered Himself to God, free from blemish, purify your consciences from lifeless works for you to serve the ever-living God?

and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded you to keep."

But call ye to mind the former days, in which, after ye were inlightened, ye endured so great a conflict of sufferings:

He considered the reproach of the Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God].

What more am I to say? For there would not be time to give the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets:

looking away to the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus; Who, in consideration of the joy lying before Him, endured the cross, despising shame, and hath taken a seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

You must not be carried away with strange varieties of teaching. The true way to steadfastness of heart is through God's mercy, not through scruples about food, which have never done their adherents any good.

Obey your leaders and give way to them, for they are keeping watch in defense of your souls, as men accountable for the trust. Make their work a joy and not a grief, for that would be the worse for you.

Pray for me, for I am sure I have a clean conscience; my desire is in every way to lead an honest life.

But I much more beseech you to do this, that I may the more quickly be restored to you.

perfectly fit you to do His will, He Himself, through Jesus Christ, accomplishing through you what is pleasing to Him. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Brothers, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

and ye did dishonour the poor one; do not the rich oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats;

Do not the rich oppress you and drag you to the judgment-seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name, by which ye are called?

Do not be eager, my brethren, for many among you to become teachers; for you know that we teachers shall undergo severer judgement.

or do you imagine that passage of scripture to be insignificant, "does the spirit that dwells in you, incite you to vice?"

But He gives [us] more unearned favor [i.e., to overcome the world]. Therefore, the Scripture says [Prov. 3:34], "God opposes proud people, but gives unearned favor to those who are humble."

There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways,

Although you have not seen Jesus, you [still] love Him and believe in Him, and this causes you to have an indescribable, glorious joy.

And it was made clear to those prophets that they were God's servants not for themselves but for you, to give you word of the things which have now come to your ears from the preachers of the good news through the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; things which even angels have a desire to see.

You that have purified your souls by the holy spirit, in obeying the gospel, which obliges you to an undisguised benevolence, let your hearts be mutually affected with the most disinterested ardour;

and ye are a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light;

Beloved, as sojourners and exiles I appeal to you to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war upon the soul.

You should live such good lives before [unconverted] Gentiles, so that even though they accuse you of being evildoers, by seeing your good deeds, they will [be led to] honor God [for you] on the day He visits us again [i.e., to bring judgment].

For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.

As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.

This is, in fact, what you were called to do, because: The Messiah also suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps.

Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

just as Sarah obeyed Abraham [following him and having regard for him as head of their house], calling him lord. And you have become her daughters if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear [that is, being respectful toward your husband but not giving in to intimidation, nor allowing yourself to be led into sin, nor to be harmed].

but sanctify the Lord the Christ in your hearts, and be always prepared to give an answer to every one that asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you, but with meekness and fear;

Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order that he could bring you to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,

Baptism, the counterpart of that, saves you to-day (not the mere washing of dirt from the flesh but the prayer for a clean conscience before God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

nerve you to spend the rest of your time in the flesh for the will of God and no longer for human passions.

For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries.

Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you:

If you are spoken against for being Christians, you have God's blessing, because His glorious Holy Spirit rests upon you [to provide comfort, See John 14:16].

Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I urge you to be true shepherds of the flock of God among you, not because you are compelled, but of your own free will; not from a base love of gain, but with a ready spirit;

Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles.

But the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, when ye have suffered for a little while, himself shall make perfect, stablish, strengthen, ground:

By Silvanus, our faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly, to counsel and testify that this is the true grace [the undeserved favor] of God. Stand firm in it!

Salute each other by a kiss of love. Peace to you, to all those in Christ Jesus. Truly.

For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So on every possible occasion I will also do my best to enable you to recall these things after my departure.

And so the words of the prophets are made more certain; and it is well for you to give attention to them as to a light shining in a dark place, till the dawn comes and the morning star is seen in your hearts;

Many people will follow their immoral ways, and they will cause the true way to be maligned.

And by covetousness with feigned words shall trade in you: to whom judgment since a long while is not inactive, and their perdition sleeps not.

If, after having escaped the polluting influences of the world, through knowing our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, men are again entangled in them, and give way to them, their last state has become worse than their first.

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

I want you to recall both the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

Look upon our Lord's patience as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul, with the wisdom that God gave him, wrote you to do,

that which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ;

And these things write we to you that your joy may be full.

My children, I am writing to you to keep you from sinning; but if any one should sin, we have one who can plead for us with the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous--

But the person who obeys what His teaching requires, truly in this person love for God has been made complete. This is [another way] to be sure that we are in [fellowship with] Him:

You people should continue [to practice] what you heard from the beginning [i.e., to love one another, See verses 7-11]. If you do, then you also will continue in [fellowship with] the Son, and with the Father.

As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].

This is the way to distinguish God's children from the devil's children. No one who fails to do right is God's child, and no one who fails to love his brother.

We are children of God. Whoever knows God by experience listens to us; whoever is not a child of God does not listen to us. This is the way to distinguish a true spiritual utterance from one that is false.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This is [one way] to know we live in [fellowship with] God and that He lives in our hearts: [It is] because He has given us His Holy Spirit [to live within us, See 3:24].

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Love has in it no element of fear; but perfect love drives away fear, because fear involves pain, and if a man gives way to fear, there is something imperfect in his love.

I have written in this way to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may be sure you have life eternal.

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray that God would give him life. This applies to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not telling you to pray about that.

If anyone comes to you [i.e., to your meetings] who does not bring this teaching [about Christ], you should not welcome him into your home or give him [any] greetings [i.e., suggesting approval or endorsement].

Dearly beloved, I am praying for you to continue to prosper in everything, and to keep well, just as your soul is prospering.

Dear friend, it is loyal of you to do anything you can for the brothers, especially as they are strangers;

Therefore ought we to receive such, that we might be workers together in the truth.

But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.

But I wish you to remember, once having known all these things, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, destroyed them that believed riot, the second time:

Woe to them! because they have gone in the way of Cain, and given themselves up to the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

and keep within the love of God, while waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring you to Immortal Life.

Now to the one who is able to protect you from stumbling and make [you] to stand before his glory blameless with exultation,

'Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to suffer; lo, the devil is about to cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; become thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of the life.

But I have one or two things against you: you have some adherents there of the tenets of Balaam, who taught Balak how to set a pitfall before the sons of Israel by making them eat food which had been sacrificed to idols and give way to sexual vice.

So even you have some that cling in the same way to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Still I have this against you: you are tolerating that Jezebel of a woman who styles herself a prophetess and seduces my servants by teaching them to give way to sexual vice and to eat food which has been sacrificed to idols.

and her children I will kill in death, and know shall all the assemblies that I am he who is searching reins and hearts; and I will give to you -- to each -- according to your works.

But I say to you, to the rest [who are] in Thyatira, all those who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep [things] of Satan, as they say, I do not put upon you any other burden.

I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.

After [seeing all] these things, I looked, and there in heaven I saw [a vision of] an open door, and the voice I had first heard speaking to me like [the sound of] a trumpet [See 1:10], said, "Come up here [i.e., to heaven], and I will show you the things which must happen after these things [i.e., the things just revealed]."

It is right, our Lord and our God, for you to have glory and honour and power: because by you were all things made, and by your desire they came into being.

And when He had taken the book, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down in front of the Lamb [i.e., to worship Him]. Each one of them held [in his hands] a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints [See Psa. 141:2; Rev. 8:3-4].

And their voices are sounding in a new song, saying, It is right for you to take the book and to make it open: for you were put to death and have made an offering to God of your blood for men of every tribe, and language, and people, and nation,