But for your sake it is better that I remain alive.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

In bitter hate I was cruel to the church; I kept all the righteousness of the law to the last detail.

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

by hindering us from speaking words of salvation to the Gentiles. So they would fill up the measure of their sins to the last drop! But the Wrath is on them to the bitter end!

Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.

Now, brothers, we ask and beg you, in the face of our union with the Lord Jesus, as you once received from us how you ought to live so as to please God -- as indeed you are living -- to continue to live this life better and better.

And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.

as you are practicing it toward all the brothers all over Macedonia. We beg you, brothers, to continue to live better and better;

Those who have believing masters are not to be disrespectful toward them because they are brothers [in Christ], but they should serve them even better, because those who benefit from their kindly service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these [duties and principles].

Bitter talk of men who, being evil in mind and dead to what is true, take the faith to be a way of making profit.

the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on that [great] day. You know very well how many things he did for me and what a help he was at Ephesus [you know better than I can tell you].

Now in a large house there are not only things of gold and silver, but also others of wood and earthenware, some for better and some for common use.

If, then, a man has escaped from the pollution of such errors as I have mentioned, he will be like a thing kept for better use, set apart, serviceable to its owner, ready for any good purpose.

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, uplifted in pride, given to bitter words, going against the authority of their fathers, never giving praise, having no religion,

Without natural love, bitter haters, saying evil of others, violent and uncontrolled, hating all good,

Alexander the metal-worker showed bitter hostility towards me: the Lord will requite him according to his doings.

no longer as a slave, but as something better than a slave--a brother peculiarly dear to me, and even dearer to you, both as a servant and as a fellow Christian.

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

harden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation, in the day of trial in the wilderness,

“Therefore I was angered with this generation,
And I said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways [nor become progressively better and more intimately acquainted with them]’;

while it is said, To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation.

In the days of his flesh, with bitter cries and tears, he offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save him from death; and he was heard, because of his godly fear.

But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

And for this cause it is a better hope, that it was not promised without an oath.

By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

For they [the gifts, sacrifices, and ceremonies] deal only with [clean and unclean] food and drink and various ritual washings, [mere] external regulations for the body imposed [to help the worshipers] until the time of reformation [that is, the time of the new order when Christ will establish the reality of what these things foreshadow—a better covenant].

But Christ being come high priest of the good things to come, by the better and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, (that is, not of this creation,)

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

The Law, though able to foreshadow the Better System which was coming, never had its actual substance. Its priests, with those sacrifices which they offer continuously year after year, can never make those who come to worship perfect.

For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

by faith a better sacrifice did Abel offer to God than Cain, through which he was testified to be righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and through it, he being dead, doth yet speak.

But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Feeling that it was better to undergo pain with the people of God, than for a short time to have a taste of the pleasures of sin;

Judging a part in the shame of Christ to be better than all the wealth of Egypt; for he was looking forward to his reward.

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Do not let yourselves be carried away by the various novel forms of teaching. It is better to rely for spiritual strength upon the divine help, than upon regulations regarding food; for those whose lives are guided by such regulations have not found them of service.

and one of you should thus address him; "go and prosper, I wish you a warm fire, and a full meal:" without relieving his wants, would he be the better for your wish?

Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

My brethren, whether is the fig-tree able to produce olives, or the vine figs? Neither is the bitter fountain able to produce sweet water.

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

For where envy is, and the desire to get the better of others, there is no order, but every sort of evil-doing.

Come now, you men of wealth, give yourselves to weeping and crying because of the bitter troubles which are coming to you.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

and who were chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the consecration of the Spirit, to learn obedience, and to be purified by the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ, from Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ. May blessing and peace be yours in ever-increasing measure.

As obedient children, stop molding your character by the evil desires you used to cherish when you did not know any better,

For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Greet ye one another with the kiss of love. Peace be with you all which are in Christ Jesus. Amen. {Here ends the First General Epistle of Peter}

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

For in whom these are not present, he is blind, being affected with shortness of sight, having taken 2Peter 1:forgetfulness of the cleansing formerly of his sins.

and we have the prophetic word better established. You do well to attend to this, as to a lamp that shines in a dark place, till the day dawn, and the morning star arise in your hearts;

Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy;

Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him.

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.

This, dear friends, is my second letter to you. In both of them I have tried, by appealing to your remembrance, to arouse your better feelings.

but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord, and saviour Jesus Christ. To whom be glory both now and forever. Amen. {Here ends the Second General Epistle of Peter}

And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings).

for if our conscience condemn us, God knows us better than we do our selves, he knoweth all things.

Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].

And we [have seen and] know [by personal experience] that the Son of God has [actually] come [to this world], and has given us understanding and insight so that we may [progressively and personally] know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

[This is being written by] the elder to the lady chosen [by God], and to her children [Note: The terms "lady" and "children" here refer to a congregation and the Christians who belong to it. See I Peter 5:13; II John 13], whom I love in the truth. [Note: Perhaps this phrase means "whom I truly love"]. And I am not the only one [to love you], but all those [other congregations] who know the truth [of God], also love you.

for which reason, when I come, I shall animadvert upon his conduct, and the malicious aspersions he casts upon us: not contented with this, he will neither receive the brethren himself, nor suffer those who are better inclin'd, to do it; but drives them out of the church.

to execute judgment against all men, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have impiously committed, and of all the bitter words which impious offenders have spoken against him.

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.'

I know your life, your love, faith, service, and endurance; and I know that your life of late has been better than it was at first.

'And the conqueror, he who till the end lays to heart what I enjoin, I will give him authority over the nations ??27 aye, he will shepherd them with an iron flail, shattering them like a potter's jars ??as I myself have received authority from my Father;

And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

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

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

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

I have knowledge of your works, that you are not cold or warm: it would be better if you were cold or warm.

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

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!