But I have confidence in the Lord that I myself shall come shortly.

But I have thought it necessary to send unto you Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow-labourer, and fellow-soldier, but your messenger, and the minister who supplied my want.

For sick indeed he was, nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that seeing him once more ye may rejoice, and I be less sorrowful.

Though I too might have confidence in the flesh; if any other man thinks that he may have confidence in the flesh, I may claim more:

But what things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the transcendently excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as offals of ordure, that I may gain Christ,

Not that I have already attained, or am now perfect: but I pursue, that I may overtake that for which also by his apprehension of me I am destined by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have overtaken it; but this one object I pursue, forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching out to those which are before,

Nevertheless, so far as we have advanced, be it our care to walk by the same rule, to mind the same thing.

Be ye imitators, brethren, of me, and eye attentively those who walk so as ye have us for an example.

For many walk, whom I have often mentioned to you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Whatsoever things also ye have learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these practise, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Not that I mention this with a view to my indigence: for I have learned in whatever circumstances I am, to be content.

Nevertheless ye have done nobly in your communications to me during my affliction.

But I have now all things, and abound: I am full, having received from Epaphroditus your bounty, an odour of sweet smell, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, which ye have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel,

even as ye have learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-labourer, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you;

For this cause we also from the day we heard it have not ceased praying for you, and beseeching God that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

in whom we have redemption through his blood, and forgiveness of sins.

if ye abide in faith grounded and firm, and never moved aside from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which hath been preached to the whole creation which is under heaven, of which I Paul am a minister.

FOR I wish you to know how great a struggle I sustain for you, and those at Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

As therefore ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him:

rooted and built up on him, and confirmed in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

in whom also ye have been circumcised with the circumcision not made with hands, by the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, through the circumcision of Christ:

buried with him in baptism, in which also ye have been raised up together with him by faith, the energy of God, who raised him from the dead.

If then ye have been dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye dogmatically taught,

but now ye have put away all these things, anger, asperity, malice, scandal, obscenity, out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his practices;

and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him.

And let the peace of God set up its throne in your hearts, whereunto also ye have been called in one body; and be ye thankful.

MASTERS, afford to your servants that which is just, and an equivalent, knowing that ye also have a Master in the heavens.

whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that he might know your affairs, and comfort your hearts;

with Onesimus, that faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you: they will make known unto you all things that have passed here.

There salute you Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner, and Mark nephew to Barnabas, concerning whom ye have received injunctions; if he come unto you, receive him,

and Jesus, who is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow-labourers for the kingdom of God, who have been a comfort to me.

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in great fulness of assurance; as ye know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes.

For from you sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only into Macedonia and Achaia, but into every region also your fidelity towards God is gone out, so that we have no need to say any thing.

but as we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts.

not seeking glory from men, neither from you, nor from others, though we might have been burdensome, as apostles of Christ.

So, tenderly affected towards you, we could with pleasure have imparted to you not the gospel of God only, but our own lives also, because ye were beloved by us.

For ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus: for ye suffered the same things also yourselves from your own countrymen, as they too have of the Jews;

who both murdered the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are in opposition to all mankind;

But we, brethren, bereaved of you for a short moment, in person, not in heart, have more abundantly longed to see your face with great desire.

Therefore we wished to have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan prevented us.

for this cause we have felt consolation, brethren, in you under all our tribulation and distress, because of your fidelity.

FINALLY, brethren, we beseech you therefore, and conjure you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk, and please God, so ye would abound more and more.

that no man transgress against, or act dishonestly to his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger of all such things, as we have told you before, and testified.

Now concerning brotherly love, I have no need to write unto you: for ye yourselves are divinely taught to love one another.

and that you make it your study to live peaceably, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we have enjoined you;

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are fallen asleep, that ye be not afflicted, as the rest [of mankind] who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, so also those that have fallen asleep for Jesus shall God bring with him.

NOW concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I should write to you:

that they all might be damned who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and firmly hold the injunctions delivered to you, as ye have been taught, whether by our discourse, or by letter.

But we have confidence in the Lord towards you, that the things which we have enjoined you, ye both do, and will do.

not that we have not such power, but that we might be ourselves an example for you to imitate.

from which some, having swerved, have turned aside to vain babbling;

according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been put in trust.

holding faith and a good conscience, which some having renounced, as touching the faith, have been shipwrecked:

of whom are Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over unto Satan, that they may be corrected, so as to blaspheme no more.

He must also have a fair character from those who are without, that he may not fall into reproach, and into the snare of the devil.

men who teach lies with hypocrisy; and have their own consciences cauterised;

For therefore do we labour and are exposed to abuse, because we have hoped in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful.

I would therefore have the younger widows to marry, bear children, govern their house, give no occasion to the adversary to bring a reproach on them.

In like manner also the good works [of some] are previously manifest; and it is not possible that what they have besides should be concealed.

But they who have believing masters, let them not think less of them, because they are brethren; but serve them the rather, because they are faithful and beloved, who have equally partaken of the benefit. These things teach and enjoin.

For the love of money is the root of all evils, which some coveting, have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

which some affecting have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee.??men.

For which cause also I suffer these things; but I am not ashamed: for I know on whom I have placed my confidence, and am persuaded that he is mighty to guard my deposit unto the great day.

Knowest thou this, that all those of Asia have deserted me? among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

who with respect to the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection hath been already; and pervert the faith of some.

and that they may escape out of the snare of the devil, who have been captured by him for his will.

I have struggled hard in the honourable contest, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith:

henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: yet not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

but hath manifested in his own appointed season his word by the preaching, with which I have been entrusted, according to the command of our Saviour God;

not attending to Jewish fables, and injunctions of men, who have turned away from the truth.

Faithful is the saying, and of these things I wish thee firmly to testify, that they who have believed in God be careful to be pre-eminent in good works. These are becoming and advantageous to men.

When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, hasten to come to me unto Nicopolis: for there I have determined to pass the winter.

For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints have been refreshed by thee, brother.

Wherefore, though I have in Christ great liberty to enjoin thee what is becoming,

I entreat thee for my son, whom I have begotten during my bonds, Onesimus:

whom I have sent back; thou therefore receive him, even as my own bowels:

whom I wished to detain about myself, that in thy stead he might have waited upon me during my bonds for the gospel:

I Paul have given it under my own hand, I will repay it, not to say to thee, that thou owest even thine own self unto me.

Yea, brother, I wish to have joy in thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

Having confidence in thy obedience, I have written unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do more than I say.

For to which of the angels ever said he, "My Son art thou, I have to-day begotten thee?" And again, "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?"

FOR this reason we ought to attend more diligently to the things which have been heard, lest by any means we let them flow by us.

Seeing therefore that the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he also himself, in exact resemblance, partook of the same, that by death he might destroy him who held the power of death, that is, the devil;

Wherefore I was provoked against that generation, and said, They are always deluded in heart, and they have not known my ways:

For we who have believed, have entered into the rest, even as he said, "So, I sware in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my rest;" and that notwithstanding the works were done from the foundation of the world.

For if Joshua had given them the rest, he would not afterwards have spoken of another day.

For we have not an high-priest incapable of a fellow-feeling with our infirmities, but one tempted in all points, in exact resemblance with ourselves, sin excepted.

So Christ also did not himself assume the glory to become high-priest, but he [gave it] who spake to him, "Thou art my Son; I have this day begotten thee."

Concerning whom we have much to discourse, and of difficult interpretation to explain, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

For though ye ought for the time to be teachers of others, ye have again need that some one teach you the leading principles of the oracles of God; and are become as those who need milk, and not solid food.

But solid nourishment is proper for grown men, even as many as by habit have their organs of perception exercised for the discernment both of good and evil.

For it is not possible to renew again unto repentance those who have been once illuminated, and have tasted the celestial gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost,