Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



Distress and anguish fill him with terror. They overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack.

If we continue to (practice) (deliberately persist in) sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. But there remains a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fiery indignation, which will devour God's enemies.

John the Baptist had become well known. King Herod heard that John had risen from the dead. Therefore he was doing these powerful works.

Judas, his betrayer, heard he was to be put to death. Out of regret, he took the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and those in authority. He said: I have done wrong in giving a righteous man to you. He left the silver in the Temple. Then he went away and hanged himself.




Terrifying sounds fill his ears. When all seems well, marauders attack him.

([[Psalm of David] when the prophet Nathan came to him after David's adultery with Bathsheba:]) Have mercy on me, O God, in keeping with your loving-kindness. According to your unlimited compassion, wipe out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my perversity (iniquity) (guilt), and cleanse me from my sin. I admit my transgressions. My sin is always in front of me. read more.
I have sinned against you, especially you. I have done what you consider evil in your sight. So you hand down justice when you speak, and you are blameless when you judge.

Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face (turn away) from my sins, and wipe out (erase) all that I have done wrong. read more.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast (dependable) spirit within me. Do not force me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and establish a willing spirit in me. I will teach your ways to transgressors, and sinners will turn to you. Rescue (deliver) me from the bloodguilt of murder O God of my salvation. Let my tongue sing joyfully about your righteousness!

My heart was grieved and I was pierced within.

That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light and we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness but we walk in gloom. We grope like blind men along a wall. We grope like people without eyes. We stumble at noon as if it were evening. We are like dead people among the living. We all growl like bears. We coo like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none. We hope for salvation, but it is far from us. read more.
You are aware of our many rebellious acts. Our sins testify against us. Our rebellious acts are with us. We know our iniquities. We rebelled and denied Jehovah. We turned away from our God. We spoke about oppression and revolt. We conceived and uttered lies in our hearts. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and honesty cannot come in.

At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard the news about Jesus. He told his servants: This is John the Baptist, raised from the dead. That explains the power working in him.

Herod said: It is John whom I beheaded, raised from the dead.





This I say therefore, and testify (affirm) in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk, in the vanity (futility) (depravity) of their mind (thinking). They are darkened (blinded) (obscured) in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart. They are past feeling. They have given themselves over to loose conduct, to work all uncleanness with greediness (a lust for more).

Are they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They are not even ashamed! Not at all! They do not even know how to blush. Therefore they will fall among those who fall. When I punish them, they will be cast down, says Jehovah.




Such is the way of an adulterous woman. She eats and wipes her mouth, and says: I have done no wickedness.

Those who are at ease in Zion and are secure in the mountain of Samaria will have trouble. You are the notable men of the foremost nations to whom the house of Israel comes!

You put far away the evil day and cause the place of violence to come near. You lie on beds of ivory, and stretch on couches. You eat the the best lambs out of the flock and the fattest calves out of the stall. You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David you improvise on musical instruments. read more.
You drink wine in bowls, and anoint yourselves with the finest oils. But you are not grieved because of the affliction of Joseph.

They will throw you out of the synagogues. Yes, the hour comes that whoever kills you will think that he offered service to God. But they do these things because they do not know the Father or me.

for when they knew God, they did not glorify him as God. They did not thank him and were vain in their reasoning, for their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. read more.
God gave them up to uncleanness because of the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creation more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.


There are many unruly (rebellious) men, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said: Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons. read more.
This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled.




To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but deny him by their works! They are detestable, disobedient, and not approved for any good work.




There are many unruly (rebellious) men, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said: Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons. read more.
This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but deny him by their works! They are detestable, disobedient, and not approved for any good work.


When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand, the evil one takes away that which was sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. Anyone sown among the rocky places hears the word and immediately with joy receives it. There is no root in him. He endures for a while. When he has tribulation or persecution because of the word, he falls away. read more.
He that was sown among thorns hears the word. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

These are they by the wayside where the word is sown. When they have heard; Satan comes and takes away the word that has been sown in them. The same is so of the word sown upon the rocky places. When they have heard the word and receive it with joy, they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while. They stumble when tribulation or persecution arise. read more.
There is the word sown among the thorns. These have heard the word, but the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things enter in and choke the word. So it becomes unfruitful.


There are many unruly (rebellious) men, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said: Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons. read more.
This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but deny him by their works! They are detestable, disobedient, and not approved for any good work.

Son of man, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of their homes. They are saying to each other: 'Let's go and hear the word that has come from Jehovah.' Then they come to you, as if they are still my people, and they sit down in front of you. They listen to what you say, but they do not do it. They say that they love me, but in their hearts they chase dishonest profits. To them you are nothing more than a singer with a beautiful voice who sings love songs or a musician who plays an instrument. They listen to your words, but they do not do them.

He told them: Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites. It is written: 'This people honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain teaching as doctrines the commands of men.' Speaking to the Pharisees and scribes He said: You abandon the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. read more.
You totally reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition.

Those by the side of the road are they who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy. These have no root. They believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. The seeds that fell among the thorns are people who hear the word and go their own way. They are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and do not produce fruit.

Jesus answered: If a man loves me, he will obey my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and dwell with him. He who does not love me does not obey my words. The word you hear is not mine, but comes from the Father who sent me.


This I say therefore, and testify (affirm) in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk, in the vanity (futility) (depravity) of their mind (thinking).



They who live according to flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. They who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of sinful flesh (fleshly thought) means death; but the mind influenced by the Spirit gives life and peace. This is because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God. It is not subject to the law of God for it cannot be.





This I say therefore, and testify (affirm) in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the nations also walk, in the vanity (futility) (depravity) of their mind (thinking).










The guilty travel a crooked path. The pure walk on a straight road.



You Jehovah rewarded me because of my righteousness. Because my hands are clean you rewarded me. I have kept the ways of Jehovah. I have not wickedly turned away from my God. All your judgments are in front of me. I have not turned away from your laws. read more.
You know I am faultless. I have kept myself from doing wrong. You reward me because I do what is right. You know I am innocent. O Jehovah, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you, and completely good to those who are faultless. You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked.

Jehovah paid me back because of my righteousness. He can see that my hands are clean. In dealing with faithful people you are faithful. With innocent people you are innocent. With pure people you are pure. In dealing with devious people you are clever.




If any man teaches a different doctrine, and does not consent to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine that is according to godliness, he is proud, knows nothing, has a morbid interest in questions and disputes about words, which leads to envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, frictions between men corrupted in mind and lacking in truth, supposing that godliness is a way of gain.

There are many unruly (rebellious) men, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said: Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons. read more.
This testimony is true. For this cause reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but deny him by their works! They are detestable, disobedient, and not approved for any good work.

As I urged you to stay at Ephesus, when I was going into Macedonia, that you might command certain men not to teach strange doctrines. They should not pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These myths (false stories) (fabrications) and genealogies stimulate questions and speculation. They do not enhance the administration of God that is by faith. But the objective is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith without hypocrisy. read more.
Some have turned aside to vain talk by deviating from these things. They want to be teachers of the Law even though they do not know what they are talking about. They do not understand what they say or what they confidently affirm.


To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure. Both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess that they know God; but deny him by their works! They are detestable, disobedient, and not approved for any good work.