For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only there is one who is hindering and will continue to hinder till he be removed;

For at the Coming of the Lord there will be great activity on the part of Satan, in the form of all kinds of deceptive miracles, signs, and marvels, as well as of wicked attempts to delude--

For the rest, my brothers, let there be prayer for us that the word of the Lord may go forward with increasing glory, even as it does with you;

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for there is not faith in all.

For you yourselves know that it is your duty to follow our example. There was no disorder in our lives among you,

For when we were with you, this we warned you of, that if there were any which would not work, that the same should not eat.

But I hear that there are those of your number who are leading idle and disorderly lives, who are not busy, but mere busybodies.

As I begged you when I was setting out for Macedonia, stay where you are at Ephesus, and instruct certain individuals there not to be teaching heterodoxy,

and the attention they bestow on mere fables and endless pedigrees, such as lead to controversy rather than to a true stewardship for God, which only exists where there is faith. And I make the same request now.

for fornicators, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine

Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that "Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners"! And there is no greater sinner than I!

Now, may there be honor and praise forever and ever to the eternal King, the immortal, invisible, only God. May it be so.

I exhort, therefore, first of all, that there be made - supplications, prayers, intercessions, thankgivings, in behalf of all men,

For there is but one God and one intermediary between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

And let these first be put to the test; then let them become Deacons if there is nothing against them.

Now the Spirit distinctly declares that in latter days there will be some who will fall away from the faith, by listening to spirits of error, and to teachings of demons

Everything created by God is good, and there in nothing that need be rejected--provided only that it is received thankfully;

Physical exercise is of limited value, but Godliness is very dear, a pledge of life, both there and here.

Those are the points on which you should dwell, that there may be no call for your censure.

If there be any that provideth not for his own, and namely for them of his household, the same denieth the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

There are some who have already left us, to follow Satan.

But if any man or woman who believes hath widows their relations, let him provide for them, and let not the church be burdened; that there may be a sufficiency for the real widows.

Against an elder receive not an accusation unless where there are two or three witnesses.

The sins of some people are conspicuous, leading the way for them into judgment [so that they are clearly not qualified for ministry]; but the sins of others appear later [for they are hidden and follow behind them].

In the same way, there are good works which are clearly seen; and those which are not so, may not be kept secret.

He alone possesses immortality [Note: That is, only God possesses an eternal existence, with neither beginning nor ending. See John 5:26], and lives in unapproachable light. No one has seen Him, or can see Him. May there be honor and never ending power to Him. May it be so.

for there are those who, while asserting their proficiency in it, have yet, as regards the Faith, gone altogether astray. God bless you all.

Do you, there fore, suffer evil, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

for which I have to suffer imprisonment as if I were a criminal. (But there is no prison for the word of God.)

Remind them [Note: This probably refers to the "trustworthy men" there at Ephesus. See 2:2] of these things [i.e., the truths just mentioned. Verses 8-13], solemnly urging them, in the presence of the Lord, not to argue over words, [for] it is useless and brings [only] ruin to those who listen to it.

In any great house there are not only gold and silver articles but also wooden utensils, some for honorable uses and some for lowly uses.

Now you must know that in the last days there are going to be hard times.

for of these there are those coming into the houses and leading captive the silly women, laden with sins, led away with desires manifold,

persecutions and sufferings. You know what kind of things happened to me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra [See Acts 13:13-14:23], and what [severe] persecutions I experienced [there]. But the Lord rescued me from all of them.

I call to witness before God there fore, and the Lord Jesus Christ, being about to judge the living and the dead according to his appearance and his kingdom;

For there will be time when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but they will accumulate teachers to themselves according to their own desires, who tickle the ear,

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me in that day, and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.

There is no one but Luke with me. Pick up Mark on your way, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in my work.

Give diligence to come, before winter. There salute thee - Eubulus, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and allthe brethren.

I did not take you with me when I went away from Crete, so that you might do what was necessary to put things in order there, placing men in authority over the churches in every town, as I said to you;

if there be a man blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not under an accusation or debauchery, or disorderly conduct.

For there are many insubordinate people, mere talkers with nothing to say, but deceivers of their own minds, especially those of the circumcision party,

To the pure all things are pure: but to the corrupted and unbelieving there is nothing pure; yea, their mind and their conscience are polluted.

For there was a time when we also were deficient in understanding, obstinate, deluded, the slaves of various cravings and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.

When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

Our people [i.e., the Christians there on Crete] also should learn to practice good deeds for meeting pressing needs, so that they can be productive [in the Lord's work].

May there be unearned favor to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

that there may be an operative communication of thy faith made known by every good thing, which is in you towards Jesus Christ.

There salute thee - Epaphras my fellow-captive in Christ Jesus,

along with [John] Mark [Note: This shows that Mark was now back in the good graces of Paul. See Acts 15:36-40], Aristarchus, Demas [Note: This man later deserted Paul. See II Tim. 4:10] and Luke, who are [also] my fellow-workers. [Note: These men, unlike Epaphras who was imprisoned with Paul, were free to minister for Christ there in Rome].

For this reason there is the more need for us to give attention to the things which have come to our ears, for fear that by chance we might be slipping away.

But there is a place where someone has testified, "What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?

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.

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

Watch, brothers, lest there will be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in withdrawing from the living God.

On the contrary, encourage each other daily, so long as there is a "Today," so that no one of you is hindered by the deceitfulness of sin.

Let us be on our guard, then, though there is a promise still standing of being admitted to his rest, lest any one of you should be found to have come short of it.

Since there remains then a rest which some are still to enter into, for they to whom the promise was first made, did not enter in, because of their incredulity;

There remains therefore a Sabbath for the people of God.

And there is no creature concealed from his presence, but all things are naked and vulnerable to his eyes, before whom is the word to us.

Concerning whom there is much word to us, and difficult to speak, since you are dull of hearing.

For when God made his oath to Abraham, because there was no greater oath, he made it by himself,

Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

He was without a father, or mother or a list of ancestors [i.e., there was no record of his family tree] and no [record of his] birth or death. Like the Son of God, he [appeared to] remain a priest perpetually.

But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater.

And here indeed, men who die receive tithes, but there, he who is testified about that he lives.

If indeed therefore perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people had received the law), what further need is there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated

For, seeing there is to be a change of the priesthood, of necessity, of law too, a change cometh.

for he who was there mention'd was of another tribe, none of whom ever gave attendance at the altar.

And it is still far more evident, if according to the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest,

For indeed there becomes an annulment of a preceding commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

(for the Law brought nothing to perfection); and there is the bringing in of a better hope by which we draw near to God;

And it is true that there have been a great number of those priests, because death does not let them go on for ever;

For certainly if he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, there being the priests who offer the gifts according to the law,

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there could have been no room for a second one.

But finding fault with them, He says. "There are days coming," says the Lord, "When I will establish with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant;

And there will be no need for every man to be teaching his brother, or his neighbour, saying, This is the knowledge of the Lord: for they will all have knowledge of me, great and small.

For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place.

Behind the second veil there was another tabernacle [the inner one or second section] known as the Holy of Holies,

there was the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant gilded all over with gold, wherein was the golden urn containing the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the alliance.

By this the Holy Spirit was showing that there was as yet no access to the real sanctuary while the outer tent was still in existence,

And on this account he is mediator of the new covenant, since there being death, unto the redemption of the transgressions unto the first covenant, those having been called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it.

For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth.

And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.

There was a necessity therefore that the representations of the things in heaven should be purified by these; but the celestial things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

For if this had been possible, would there not have been an end of those offerings, because the worshippers would have been made completely clean and would have been no longer conscious of sins?

But in those'sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year.

and then there is added-- 'See, I have come to do thy will.' The former sacrifices are set aside to be replaced by the latter.

And has been waiting there from that time, till all who are against him are made a foot-rest for his feet.

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins,

but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God].

For there is still but a short time and then "The coming One will come and will not delay.

By faith, a fuller sacrifice, did Abel, offer unto God, than Cain, - through which, he received witness that he was righteous, there being a witnessing upon his gifts, by God; and, through it, though he died, he yet is speaking.

Faith caused Enoch to be taken up from the earth without experiencing death; he could not be found, because God had taken him up. For before he was taken up there is evidence that he pleased God,

but without faith it is impossible to please Him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that there is a God and that He gives rewards to all who earnestly try to find Him.

By faith [with confidence in God and His word] Noah, being warned by God about events not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his family. By this [act of obedience] he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.

Faith led him to make a temporary home as a stranger in the land he had been promised, and to live there in his tents, with Isaac and Jacob, who shared the promise with him.

wherefore also there sprang of one, and him as good as dead,'so many as the stars of heaven in multitude, and as the sand, which is by the sea-shore, innumerable.