who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you and me.

I have sent him (who is my very heart) back to you.

I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place during my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.

no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking and in the Lord.

Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me.

Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes to me.

I, Paul, have written this letter with my own hand: I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe me your very self.

Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

At the same time also, prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you.

Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my colaborers, greet you too.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my son! Today I have fathered you"? And in another place he says, "I will be his father and he will be my son."

But to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?

saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you."

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

"There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.

"Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, 'Their hearts are always wandering and they have not known my ways.'

"As I swore in my anger, 'They will never enter my rest!'"

But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called "Today," that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception.

Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my anger, 'They will never enter my rest!'" And yet God's works were accomplished from the foundation of the world.

but to repeat the text cited earlier: "They will never enter my rest!"

Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, who said to him, "You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,"

so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

"It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

"For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people.

"And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, 'Know the Lord,' since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.

And so he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance he has promised, since he died to set them free from the violations committed under the first covenant.

So when he came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

"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.'"

"This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,"

But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him.

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.

Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons? "My son, do not scorn the Lord's discipline or give up when he corrects you.

For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness.

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Now this phrase "once more" indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain.

So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

I especially ask you to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.

Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ,

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly.

You should know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, he will be with me when I see you.

My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,

Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, because you know that we will be judged more strictly.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.

Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!

And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your "Yes" be yes and your "No" be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,

according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ's blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure!

This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials.

And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed.

Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.

Now it was for this very purpose that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh by human standards they may live spiritually by God's standards.

But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.

The church in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son.

May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!

Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire.

since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed, because our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me.

Indeed, I will also make every effort that, after my departure, you have a testimony of these things.

For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: "This is my dear Son, in whom I am delighted."

What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ).

Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

(My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,

And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back.

By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him.

By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.

I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Though I have many other things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come visit you and speak face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

From the elder, to Gaius my dear brother, whom I love in truth.

Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.

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

May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you!

But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses' body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day when I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,

I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands,

When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

I am also aware that you have persisted steadfastly, endured much for the sake of my name, and have not grown weary.

Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself.

I know where you live -- where Satan's throne is. Yet you continue to cling to my name and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives.

Therefore, repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people with the sword of my mouth.

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.

And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations --

just as I have received the right to rule from my Father -- and I will give him the morning star.

Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.