"Tell the daughter of Zion, your King is now coming to you, gentle, and riding on a donkey, yea, on the colt of a beast of burden."

Then He laid His hands upon his eyes again, and he looked the best he could and was cured, and saw everything distinctly.

When He noticed how the guests were picking out the best places, He told them the following story:

"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding supper, never take the best place, for someone of greater distinction than you may have been invited,

but they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they went to the synagogue and took seats.

In ages past He let all the heathen go on in their own ways;

Then they passed through Pisidia and went down to Pamphylia,

who has been making this known from ages past.'

For Paul's plan was to sail past Ephesus, so as not to lose any time in the province of Asia; for he was eager, if possible, to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.

For we have found this man a perfect pest and a distributor of the peace among the Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes;

Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on law, and boast about God,

You who boast about the law, do you by breaking it dishonor God?

For if he was considered in right standing with God on the condition of what he did, he has something to boast of, but not before God.

so as to make known the riches of His glory for the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in ages past to share His glory --

To Him who can make you strong in accordance with the good news I bring and in accordance with the message preached about Jesus Christ, in accordance with the uncovering of the secret which for ages past had not been told,

so that no mortal man might ever boast in the presence of God.

so that, as the Scripture says, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

So let no one boast in men. For everything belongs to you --

For who makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not get from someone? But if you got it from someone, why do you boast as though you had not?

Now if a father thinks that he is not doing the proper thing regarding his single daughter, if she is past the bloom of her youth, and she ought to do so, let him do what she desires; he commits no sin. Let the daughter and her suitor marry.

But it is not in all of you that such knowledge is found. Some, because of their past habits with idols, even down to the present moment, still eat such food as was really sacrificed to an idol, and so their consciences, because they are overscrupulous, are contaminated.

For my boast is this, to which my conscience testifies, that before the world, but especially before you, I have acted from pure motives and in sincerity before God, not depending on worldly wisdom but on God's unmerited favor.

For if I do boast a little too much about my authority, which the Lord gave me for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall never have to blush for doing so.

"But the man who boasts must boast in the Lord.

And I shall keep on doing as I am, in order to cut the ground from under the feet of those who want an opportunity to show themselves on a level with me in the matters of which they boast.

Since many boast in accordance with their human nature, I will do it too.

I am ashamed to say that I was, as it were, so weak in the matter. And yet in whatever respect anyone else is daring to boast -- I am talking like a fool -- I too will dare to boast.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness!

On behalf of this man with such an experience I will boast, but on behalf of myself personally I will boast only about my weaknesses.

However, if I want to boast, I will not play the fool, for it will be nothing but the truth that I will tell. But I refrain from doing so, to keep anybody, on account of the superiority of the revelations, from giving me a higher rating than my actions and teachings deserve.

So I most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the strength of Christ may overshadow me. That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecution, and difficulties, which I endure for Christ's sake, for it is when I am consciously weak that I am really strong.

Indeed, the very men who let themselves be circumcised do not themselves observe the law. But they simply want you to let yourselves be circumcised, so that they can boast of you as members of their party.

But may it never be mine to boast of anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world!

It is not the result of what anyone can do, so that no one can boast of it.

Do your best to present yourself to God an approved workman who has nothing to be ashamed of, who properly presents the message of truth.

Do your best to come to me soon,

Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus wishes to be remembered to you, and so do Prudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

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.

So let us do our best to be admitted to that rest, so that not one of us may fail through the same sort of disobedience.

By faith Sarah received strength to become pregnant, and actually gave birth to a child, although she was past the time of life for it, because she thought that He who made her the promise was to be trusted.

So the tongue, too, is a little organ but can boast of great achievements. See how a spark, ever so tiny, can set a vast forest on fire!

But, as it is, you boast of your proud pretensions. All such boasting is wicked.

For the time that is past is enough for you to have accomplished what the heathen like to do, leading lives that are steeped in sensuality, lustful desires, drunkenness, carousing, revelry, dissipation, and idolatry that leads to lawlessness,

Now for this very reason you must do your level best to supplement your faith with moral character, moral character with knowledge,

Dearly beloved, while I was doing my best to begin writing you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write and urge you to carry on a vigorous defense of the faith that was once for all entrusted to God's people.

These persons are grumblers, ever complaining about their lot. They live to satisfy their evil passions, their lips boast arrogant things, and they flatter others for personal gain.

The first woe is past. See! Two other woes are yet to come.

Then, when they have finished testifying, the wild beast that is coming up out of the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,

The second woe is past. See! The third woe is soon to come.

Then I stood on the sand of the seashore, and I saw a wild beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on his horns, and blasphemous titles on his heads.

The wild beast which I saw was like a leopard, but his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth. To him the dragon gave his own power and throne with great authority.

I saw that one of his heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but its mortal wound had been healed. And the whole world was so amazed that they followed the wild beast,

and worshiped the dragon for giving the wild beast his authority; they also worshiped the wild beast, and said, "Who is there like the wild beast? Who is there to make war on him?"

Then there was given to the wild beast a mouth that uttered boastful, blasphemous words, and permission to wield his authority for forty-two months.

Then I saw another wild beast coming up out of the land. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

He exercises the full authority of the first wild beast in his presence; he makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first wild beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

He leads the inhabitants of the earth astray because of the wonders he is permitted to perform in the presence of the wild beast, telling the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the wild beast that bears the sword-thrust and yet has lived.

Permission has also been given him to impart life to the statue of the wild beast so that it can speak, and to have all who do not worship the statue of the wild beast killed.

and he permits no one to buy or sell anything unless he bears the mark; that is, the name of the wild beast or the number that represents the name.

Here is scope for wisdom! Let anyone who has the mental keenness calculate the number of the wild beast, for it is the number of a certain man; his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Then a third angel followed them, saying in a loud voice: "Whoever worships the wild beast and his statue and lets his mark be stamped on his forehead or on his hand,

The smoke of their torture will go up forever and ever, and they will have no rest day or night -- those who worship the wild beast and his statue, and anyone who bears the mark of his name."

Then I saw something that looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and standing upon the sea of glass were those who had conquered the wild beast, his statue, and the number representing his name; and they had harps that God had given them.

So the first angel went and emptied his bowl upon the earth, and horrible, painful sores broke out on the men who bore the mark of the wild beast and worshiped his statue.

Then the fifth angel emptied his bowl upon the throne of the wild beast, and his kingdom was shrouded in darkness, and men in agony gnawed their tongues,

Then I saw three foul spirits leap like frogs from the mouth of the dragon, from the mouth of the wild beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.

So he carried me away in spiritual rapture to a desert, and I saw a woman seated on a scarlet wild beast, covered with blasphemous titles; he had seven heads and ten horns.

but the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will tell you the symbolical meaning of the woman, and the wild beast with seven heads and ten horns, that carries her.

The wild beast that you saw, once was but now is no more; he is going to come up out of the abyss, but he is going to be destroyed. The inhabitants of the earth, whose names from the foundation of the world have not been written in the book of life, will be astonished when they see that the wild beast once was but now is no more, and yet is to come.

So it is with the wild beast that once was but is no more; he is the eighth, and yet is one of the seven, and he is going to be destroyed.

The ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet become kings, but for a single hour they accept authority as kings allied with the wild beast.

They have one common policy. They give their power and authority to the wild beast.

The ten horns that you saw and the wild beast will be the very ones to hate the prostitute, to make her desolate and naked, to eat up her flesh, and burn her up with fire.

For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by giving up their authority to the wild beast until God's words are carried out.

Then I saw the wild beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gather to go to war with the Rider of the horse and His army.

Then the wild beast was captured and with him the false prophet who performed wonders in his presence, by which he led astray those who let the mark of the wild beast be put on them and worshiped his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns with brimstone.

Then I saw thrones and those who were seated on them, and permission was granted them to pass judgment, even those who had been beheaded for bearing testimony to Jesus and for preaching the word of God, who refused to worship the wild beast and his statue, and would not let his mark be stamped upon their foreheads and upon their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Then the devil who led them astray was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the wild beast and false prophet were, and there they are to be tortured day and night forever and ever.