4 Bible Verses about Christian Ministers

After the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh said to Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, saying, "My servant Moses [is] dead. Get up and cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I [am] giving to them, to the {Israelites}. Every place that the soles of your feet will tread, I have given it to you, as I promised to Moses. read more.
From the wilderness {and the Lebanon}, up to the great river, the river Euphrates, all of the land of the Hittites, and up to {the great sea in the west}, will be your territory. No one will stand before you all the days of your life. [Just] as I was with Moses, [so] will I be with you; I will not fail you, and I will not forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you will give the people this land as an inheritance that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous {to observe diligently the whole law} that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn aside from it, [to] the right or left, so that you may succeed {wherever you go}. The scroll of this law will not depart from your mouth; you will meditate on it day and night so that {you may observe diligently all that is written} in it. For then you will succeed [in] your ways and prosper. Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you {wherever you go}."

Yahweh said to Aaron, "You, your sons, and your family with you will bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the guilt of your priesthood. Moreover, bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father, that they may be joined to you and minister [to] you, you and your sons with you before the tent of testimony. They will keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, only they may not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, so both you and they will not die. read more.
They will be joined to you, and they will keep the responsibility of the tent of assembly for the entire service of the tent; a stranger may not come near you. You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the {Israelites}. Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children. They are a gift to you given from Yahweh to perform the work of the tent of assembly. But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar and for {the area behind the curtain}. I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is [the] spirit, and place your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community, and {commission him} {in their sight}. You will give to him from your authority so that the entire community of Israel will {obey him}. read more.
He will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will ask for him by the decision of the Urim before Yahweh. On {his command} they will go out, and at {his command} they will come in, [both] he and all of the {Israelites} with him, the entire community." Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him, and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before the entire community. And he placed his hands on him and {commissioned him} just as Yahweh spoke by the hand of Moses.

Then Moses summoned Joshua, and he said to him {in the presence of all Israel}, "Be strong and be courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh swore to their ancestors to give to them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. Yahweh [is] the [one] going {before you}; he will be with you, and he will not leave you alone, and he will not forsake you; you shall not be afraid, and you shall not be discouraged."

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, {you are about to die}; call Joshua and present yourselves in [the] tent of assembly, so that I may instruct him." So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in [the] tent of assembly. And Yahweh appeared in the tent in a column of cloud, and the column of the cloud stood at the entrance of the tent. And Yahweh said to Moses, "Look, you [are] about to lie [down] with your ancestors, and this people will arise and they will play the prostitute after {the foreign gods} of the land {to which they are going}. read more.
And {my anger shall flare up against them} on that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall become as prey, and disasters and troubles shall find them, and they shall say on that day, '[Is it] not because our God is not in our midst [that] these disasters have found us?' But I will certainly hide my face on that day, because [of] all of the evil that they did because they turned to other gods. "And so then write this song for yourselves and teach it to the {Israelites}; put it in their mouth, so that this song may be for me as a witness against the {Israelites}. For when I bring them into the land that I swore to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, {they will eat their fill}, and they will become fat, and [then] they will turn to other gods, and they will serve them, and they will spurn me, and they will break my covenant. {And then} many disasters and troubles will come upon them, and this song will give evidence before them as a witness, because it will not be forgotten from [out of] the mouth of their descendants, for I know their inclination that they [are] having {today} before I have brought them into the land that I swore." And Moses wrote this song on that day and taught it [to] the {Israelites}. Then he told Joshua the son of Nun, and said [to him], "Be strong and be courageous, for you shall bring the {Israelites} into the land that I swore to them, and I will be with you."

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest [is] plentiful, but the workers [are] few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest."

And he said to them, "The harvest [is] plentiful, but the workers [are] few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest.

Now I exhort you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to contend along with me in your prayers on my behalf to God, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that, coming to you with joy by the will of God, I may rest with you.

[while] you also join in helping {on our behalf} by prayer, so that thanks may be given {on our behalf} by many persons for this gracious gift [given] to us through [the help] of many.

with all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this [end] being alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and for me, that a word may be given to me at the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for the sake of which I am an ambassador in chains, that {in them} I may speak freely, as it is necessary for me to speak.

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions--if he should come to you, welcome him),

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and rule over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them beyond all measure in love, because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; {considering the outcome of their way of life}, imitate their faith.

Then Moses summoned Joshua, and he said to him {in the presence of all Israel}, "Be strong and be courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh swore to their ancestors to give to them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance.

Joshua, the son of Nun, {your assistant}, will go there; encourage him because he will cause Israel to inherit it.

Indeed, the signs of an apostle have been done among you with all patient endurance, both signs and wonders and deeds of power.

because our gospel did not come to you with word only, but also with power and with the Holy Spirit and with much certainty, just as you know what sort of [people] we became among you for your sake.

holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

So Paul stood up, and motioning with [his] hand, he said, "Israelite men, and those who fear God, listen! The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people during [their] stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for a period of time [of] about forty years, he put up with them in the wilderness. read more.
And [after] destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land [to his people] as an inheritance. [This took] about four hundred and fifty years. And after these [things], he gave [them] judges until Samuel the prophet. And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, [for] forty years. And [after] removing him, he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, 'I have found David the [son] of Jesse [to be] a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.' From the descendants of this man, according to [his] promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. Before {his coming} John had publicly proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. But while John was completing [his] mission, he said, 'What do you suppose me to be? I am not [he]! But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of [his] feet!' "Men [and] brothers, sons of the family of Abraham and those among you who fear God--to us the message of this salvation has been sent! For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, [because they] did not recognize this one, and the voices of the prophets that are read on every Sabbath, fulfilled [them] [by] condemning [him]. And [although they] found no charge [worthy] of death, they asked Pilate [that] he be executed. And when they had carried out all the things that were written about him, they took [him] down from the tree [and] placed [him] in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, who appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem--who are now his witnesses to the people. And we proclaim the good news to you: that the promise that was made to the fathers, this [promise] God has fulfilled to our children [by] raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; today I have fathered you.' But that he has raised him from the dead, no more going to return to decay, he has spoken in this way: 'I will give you the reliable divine decrees of David.' Therefore he also says in another [psalm], 'You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.' For David, [after] serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and {was buried with} his fathers, and experienced decay. But he whom God raised up did not experience decay. "Therefore let it be known to you, men [and] brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and from all [the things] from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, by this one everyone who believes is justified! Watch out, therefore, lest what is stated by the prophets come upon [you]: 'Look, you scoffers, and be astonished and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work that you would never believe [even] if someone were to tell [it] to you.'" And [as] they were going out, they began urging [that] these things be spoken about to them on the next Sabbath. And [after] the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them [and] were persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

For if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, yet [you do] not [have] many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I fathered you through the gospel.

And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his [own] hometown and in his [own] household."

Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

[But] look, I have made your face hard {against} their faces and your forehead hard {against} their forehead. Like a diamond {harder than flint} I have made your forehead; you must not fear them, and you must not be dismayed {on account of them}, for they {are a rebellious house}.

And [the] Spirit lifted me and took me, and I went [in] bitterness in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Yahweh [was] strong on me.

O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? [How long] will I cry out to you, "Violence!" and you will not save? Why do you cause me to see evil [while] you look at trouble? Destruction and violence happen before me; contention and strife arise.

After finishing these things the officials approached me saying, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated from the people of the lands with their detestable things, and from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. For they have taken from their daughters for themselves and their sons. So the holy seed has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands, and the hand of the officials and prefects were foremost in this sin.

And from the descendants of the priests: the descendants of Habaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). These sought their record in the genealogy [records], but they were not found, and {were excluded from the priesthood as unclean}.

There was found from the sons of the priests those who had married foreign women, from the sons of Jeshua son of Jehozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. {They pledged themselves} to put away their wives, and their guilt offering was a ram of the flock for their guilt. From the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah. read more.
From the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah. From the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Eleasah. From the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer. From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.

Before this, Eliashib the priest who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God--the one related to Tobiah-- prepared for [Tobiah] a large chamber where they had formerly put the grain offering, the frankincense, the [temple] objects, tithes of grain, wine, and oil commanded for the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the offerings of the priests. During all of this, I was not in Jerusalem because in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. At the end of [some] days I asked permission from the king [to leave]. read more.
So I came to Jerusalem. And I came to learn of the wrong that Eliashib had done for Tobiah by making him a room in the courtyard of the house of God. It was very displeasing for me, and I threw all of the objects from the house of Tobiah outside of the chamber. And I spoke [in order], and they cleansed the chambers. Then I returned the objects of the house of God--the grain offering and the frankincense. And then I came to learn that the food of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, the doers of the work, had gone back each to his field. So I quarreled with the prefects, and I said, "Why is the house of God forsaken?" And I gathered them and set them at their station. So all of Judah brought the tithe of grain, new wine, and olive oil into the storehouses. I appointed as treasurer over the storehouses Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Pedaiah from the Levites, and as their hand Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful. [The responsibility given] to them was to distribute to their brothers.

One from the sons of Jehoiada, son of the high priest Eliashib, [who was] the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonote [was there]. I chased him away from me. Remember them, my God, because of their defilements of the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

Now there were prophets and teachers in Antioch in the church that was there: Barnabas, and Simeon (who was called Niger), and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.

Then the sons of the prophets who [were in] Bethel came out to Elisha, and they said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh [is] going to take your master {from you} today?" He said, "I also know; be quiet!"

So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing [as] chief over them, then the Spirit of God came upon Saul's messengers, and they also prophesied.

Then the sons of the prophets who [were] in Jericho came near to Elisha, and they said to him, "Do you know that Yahweh [is] going to take your master {from you} today?" He said, "I also know; be quiet!"

When the sons of the prophets who [were] at Jericho saw him from [the] other side, they declared, "The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha," and they came to meet him and bowed down to him to the ground.

And the Lord will give you [the] bread [of] distress and [the] water [of] oppression, but your teachers will not hide themselves any longer. And your eyes {shall see} your teachers.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground {without the knowledge and consent} of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered! Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe of Gilead said to Ahab, "{As Yahweh lives}, the God of Israel before whom I stand, there shall surely not be dew nor rain these years {except by my command}." Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "Go from this place and turn to the east; you must hide yourself in the Wadi Kerith {which faces the Jordan}. read more.
It shall be that you shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the crows to sustain you there." So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh. He went and stayed in the Wadi Kerith {which faces the Jordan}. The crows [were] bringing bread and meat in the morning for him and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi. It happened {after a while} that the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "Get up and go to Zarephath which belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman there, a widow, to sustain you." So he arose and went to Zarephath and came to the gate of the city. There [was] a widow woman gathering wood, so he called to her, and he said, "Please bring a little water for me in a vessel so that I can drink." She went to fetch [it], and he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." She said, "{As Yahweh your God lives}, surely I do not have a cake, {but only a handful of flour} in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. Here I [am] gathering a few pieces of wood, and I will go and prepare it for me and my son, that we might eat it and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go and do according to your word; only make for me a small bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me. Make it for yourself and for your son afterward. For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: 'The jar of flour will not be emptied and the jug of olive oil will not run out until the day Yahweh gives rain on the surface of the earth.'" So she went and did according to the word of Elijah; then [both] she and he ate with her household for many days. The jar of flour was not emptied and the jug of olive oil did not run out, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Elijah.

Then Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "Thus may the gods do [to me], and may they add [to it], surely at this time tomorrow I will make your life as the life of one of them!" Then he became afraid, got up, and {fled for his life}. He came [to] Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there. read more.
Then he went into the wilderness one day's journey, and he went and sat under a certain broom tree. Then {he asked Yahweh that he might die}, and he said, "It is enough now, Yahweh; take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." He lay down and fell asleep under a certain broom tree, and suddenly this angel [was] touching him and said to him, "Get up, eat!" He looked, and behold, a bread cake on hot coals [was] near his head and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he did it again and lay down. The angel of Yahweh appeared a second [time] and touched him and said, "Get up, eat, for the journey is greater than you." So he got up, ate, drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights up to Horeb, the mountain of God. He came to the cave there and spent the night there. Suddenly the [word] of Yahweh came to him and asked him, "{Elijah, what are you doing here}?" Then he said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of hosts, for the {Israelites} have forsaken your covenant. They have demolished your altars, and they have killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left over, and they seek to take my life. He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh." Suddenly Yahweh was passing by, with a great and strong wind ripping the mountains and crushing rocks before Yahweh; [but] Yahweh [was] not in the wind. After the wind, [there was] an earthquake; [but] Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake [was] a fire, [but] Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire [there was] the sound of a gentle whisper. It happened at the moment Elijah heard, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood [at] the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice [came] to him and said, "{Elijah, why are you here}?" He said, "I have been very zealous for Yahweh the God of Hosts, for the {Israelites} have forsaken your covenant, demolished your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword; I alone am left, and they seek to take my life!" Then Yahweh said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael as king over Aram; and Jehu son of Nimshi you shall anoint as king over Israel. You shall also anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-Meholah as prophet in your place. It shall be that the [one] who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. I will leave in Israel seven thousand, all of the knees that have not bowed down to Baal and all of the mouths that have not kissed him."

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered! Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.

"And now arise, O Yahweh God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! O Yahweh God, let the priests be clothed with salvation, and let your holy ones rejoice in your goodness!

And now, Lord, concern yourself with their threats and grant your slaves to speak your message with all boldness,

Let your priests clothe themselves with righteousness, and let your faithful sing for joy.

And they prayed [and] said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show clearly which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to depart to his own place."

Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests [and] said, "What are you willing to give me if I in turn deliver him to you?" So they set out for him thirty silver coins. And from that time on, he began seeking a favorable opportunity in order that he could betray him.

(Now this man acquired a field for the wages of [his] wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines spilled out.

Then [when] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted [what he had done] [and] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned [by] betraying innocent blood!" But they said, "What [is that] to us? You see to [it]!" And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away [and] hanged himself.

And [while] they were eating he said, "Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray me." And greatly distressed, each one began to say to him, "{Surely I am not he, am I}, Lord?" And he answered [and] said, "The one who dips his hand in the bowl with me--this one will betray me. read more.
The Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if that man had not been born." And Judas, the one who was betraying him, answered [and] said, "{Surely I am not he, am I}, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said [it]."

And [while] he was still speaking, behold, Judas--one of the twelve--arrived, and with him a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, "[The one] whom I kiss--he is [the one]. Arrest him!" And he came up to Jesus immediately [and] said, "Greetings, Rabbi," and kissed him. read more.
And Jesus said to him, "Friend, [do that] for which you have come." Then they came up [and] laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

[By] leaving the straight path, they have gone astray, [because they] followed the way of Balaam the [son of] Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but received a rebuke for his own lawlessness: a speechless donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained {the prophet's madness}.

Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond {the command of Yahweh} my God to do a little or a lot.

And Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?" Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth."

How can I curse [whom] God has not cursed, and how can I denounce [whom] Yahweh has not denounced?

He answered and said, "{Should I not speak} what Yahweh puts in my mouth?"

Therefore the overseer must be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching,

Deacons must be husbands of one wife, managing [their] children and their own households well.

Do we not have the right to take along a sister [as] wife, like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

And [when] Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down and suffering with a fever.

" 'They shall not {marry} a woman [who is] a prostitute and defiled, nor shall they {marry} a woman divorced from her husband, because each priest [is] holy for his God. And you shall consecrate him, because he is bringing near your God's food; he shall be holy to you, since I, Yahweh, who consecrates you, [am] holy. " 'As for the daughter of any priest, if she is defiled by prostituting, she is disgracing her father--she shall be burned in the fire. read more.
" 'As for the priest [who is] higher than his brothers, on whose head the oil of anointment is poured and {he was ordained} to wear the garments, he shall not dishevel his head, and he shall not tear his garments. And he shall not go near any dead person, nor shall he make himself unclean for his father or for his mother. And he shall not go out from the sanctuary, and he shall not profane his God's sanctuary, because the dedication of his God's oil of anointment [is] on him; I [am] Yahweh. " 'And he himself must take a wife in her virginity. A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled [woman], a prostitute--these he must not take; he shall take only a virgin from his people [as] wife. And he shall not profane his offspring among his people, because I [am] Yahweh, who consecrates him.'"

And [when] they resisted and reviled [him], he shook out [his] clothes [and] said to them, "Your blood [be] on your [own] heads! I [am] guiltless! From now on I will go to the Gentiles!"

"Son of man, I have appointed you [as] a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. {When I say} to the wicked, 'Surely you will die,' and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn [the] wicked from his wicked way {so that he may live}, that wicked [person] will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood. And you, if you do warn [the] wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way, on account of his guilt he will die, and you yourself will have saved your life. read more.
And {when the righteous turns from his righteousness} and does injustice, and I place a stumbling block {before him}, he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness that he did will not be remembered, and his blood I shall seek from your hand. And if you warn him, the righteous, not to sin, and [the] righteous does not sin, surely he will live, for he heeded a warning. And you will have saved your life."

{When I say} to the wicked, 'Wicked [one], you will certainly die,' and you {did not speak} to warn [the] wicked from his way, he, [the] wicked, will die by his guilt, but his blood I will seek from your hand.

And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet [as you] are going out of that house or [that] town. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town! "Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. read more.
But beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils, and they will flog you in their synagogues. And you will be brought before both governors and kings because of me, for a witness to them and to the Gentiles. But whenever they hand you over, do not be anxious how [to speak] or what you should say, for what you should say will be given to you at that hour. For you are not the ones who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father [who is] speaking through you. "And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father [his] children, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end--this one will be saved. And whenever they persecute you in this town, flee to another, for truly I say to you, you will never finish [going through] the towns of Israel until the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor a slave superior to his master. [It is] enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household? "Therefore do not be afraid of them, because nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground {without the knowledge and consent} of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered! Therefore do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. "Therefore everyone who acknowledges me before people, I also will acknowledge him before my Father [who is] in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I also will deny him before my Father [who is] in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth! I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And the enemies of a man [will be] the members of his household. The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. The one who finds his life will lose it, and the one who loses his life because of me will find it. "The one who receives you receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.

Therefore I testify to you on this very day that I am guiltless of the blood of all [of you], for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God.

And he spoke many [things] to them in parables, saying, "Behold, the sower went out to sow, and while he was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path, and the birds came [and] devoured it. And other [seed] fell on the rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once because it did not have [any] depth of soil. read more.
But [when] the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have [enough] root, it withered. And other [seed] fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it. But other [seed] fell on the good soil and produced grain, this one a hundred [times as much] and this one sixty and this one thirty.

He who diligently goes [out] with weeping, carrying the seed bag, shall certainly come [in] with rejoicing, carrying his sheaves.

"Listen! Behold, the sower went out to sow. And it happened that while [he] was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path, and the birds came and devoured it. And other [seed] fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up at once, because it did not have [any] depth of soil. read more.
And when the sun rose it was scorched, and because it did not have [enough] root, it withered. And other [seed] fell among the thorn plants, and the thorn plants came up and choked it, and it did not produce grain. And other [seed] fell on the good soil, and produced grain, coming up and increasing, and it bore [a crop]--one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred [times as much]. And he said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!" And when he was alone, those around him together with the twelve began asking him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is in parables, so that '{they may look closely} and not perceive, and {they may listen carefully} and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.'" And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones beside the path where the word is sown, and whenever they hear [it], immediately Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. And these are like the ones sown on the rocky ground, who whenever they hear the word immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Then [when] affliction or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among the thorn plants--these are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other [things] come in [and] choke the word and it becomes unproductive. And those are the ones sown on the good soil, who hear the word and receive [it] and bear fruit--one thirty and one sixty and one a hundred [times as much]."

"The sower went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, {some seed} fell on the side of the path and was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. And other [seed] fell on the rock, and [when it] came up, it withered, because it did not have moisture. And other [seed] fell in the midst of the thorn plants, and the thorn plants grew up with [it] [and] choked it. read more.
And other [seed] fell on the good soil, and [when it] came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain." [As he] said these [things], he called out, "The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Now those who had arrested Jesus led [him] away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

"You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man will be handed over in order to be crucified." Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,

But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath by the living God, that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!" Jesus said to him, "You have said [it]. But I tell you, from now [on] you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes, saying, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have just now heard the blasphemy!

But a certain one of them, Caiaphas (who was high priest in that year), said to them, "You do not know anything at all! Nor do you consider that it is profitable for you that one man should die for the people, and the whole nation not perish." (Now he did not say this from himself, but being high priest in that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,

(Now it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was better [that] one man die for the people.)

And [when] they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

And [when he] saw [it], Peter replied to the people, "Men [and] Israelites, why are you astonished at this? Or why are you staring at us, as [if] by our own power or godliness we have made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, [after] he had decided to release [him]. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and demanded [that] a man--a murderer--be granted to you. read more.
And you killed the originator of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses! And on the basis of faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith [that is] through him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But [the things] which God foretold through the mouth of all the prophets, [that] his Christ would suffer, he has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you--Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all [things], about which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times. Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You will listen to him in everything that he says to you. And it will be [that] every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed utterly from the people.' And indeed, all the prophets from Samuel and all those who followed [him] have spoken [about] and proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed.' God, [after he] had raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning each [of you] back from your wickedness!"

if we are being examined today concerning a good deed [done to] a sick man--by what [means] this man was healed-- let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man stands before you healthy! This one is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become {the cornerstone}. read more.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among people by which we must be saved." Now [when they] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were astonished, and recognized them, that they had been with Jesus.

But Peter and John answered [and] said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you decide! For we are not able to refrain from speaking about [the things] that we have seen and heard."

And [when they] heard [this], they entered at daybreak into the temple [courts] and began teaching. Now [when] the high priest and those with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin--even the whole council of elders of the sons of Israel--and sent to the prison to have them brought.

But I, I have not run away from being a shepherd {who follows you}, and I have not desired the disastrous day. You, you know the pronouncement of my lips, it was before your face.

At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh, {saying}, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Stand in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and you must speak to all the cities of Judah that come to bow in worship [in] the house of Yahweh all the words that I command you to speak to them. You must not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and turn back each from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster that I [am] planning to do to them because of their evil deeds. read more.
And you shall say to them, "Thus says Yahweh: 'If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set {before you}, to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have sent to you, {over and over again}, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.'" '" And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of Yahweh. {And then} as Jeremiah finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded [him] to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, {saying}, "You will die! Why have you prophesied in the name of Yahweh, {saying}, 'This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be in ruins, {without} inhabitant'?" And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh. When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the house of the king [to] the temple of Yahweh, and they sat in the entrance of the New Gate of Yahweh's [temple]. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, {saying}, "{This man deserves the death sentence}, because he has prophesied against this city as that [which] you have heard with your ears." Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, {saying}, "Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. Now {therefore} amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent of the disaster that he has spoken over you. But [as for] me, look, I [am] in your hand, do to me what [is] good and right in your eyes. Only you must certainly know that if you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves innocent blood, and on this city and on its inhabitants, for {truly} Yahweh sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears."

Thus says Yahweh: 'You must not deceive yourselves, {saying}, "Surely the Chaldeans will go from us," for they will not go. For [even] if you struck the whole army of [the] Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and [only] men pierced through remained among them, each one in his tent, they would rise up and they would burn this city with fire.'"

So Jeremiah came to the {dungeon}, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days. Then King Zedekiah sent and fetched him. And the king questioned him in secrecy in his house, and he said, "Is there a word from Yahweh?" And Jeremiah said, "There is." And he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon." Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in {prison}?

Become fellow imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who walk in this way, just as you have us [as] an example.

not that we do not have the right, but so that we may give ourselves [as] an example to you, so that [you] may imitate us.

Let no one look down on your youth, but be an example for the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

and not as lording it over {those under your care}, but being examples for the flock.

I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law [I became] as under the law ([although I] myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. To those outside the law [I became] as outside the law ([although I] am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, in order that I may gain the weak. I have become all [things] to all [people], in order that by all means I may save some. read more.
I do all [this] for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.

All [things] are permitted, but not all [things] are profitable. All [things] are permitted, but not all [things] build up.

But if someone says to you, "This is offered to idols," do not eat [it], for the sake of that one who informed [you] and the conscience. Now I am not speaking about your own conscience, but the [conscience] of the other [person]. For why [is] my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? read more.
Therefore, whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do all [things] for the glory of God. {Give no offense} both to Jews and to Greeks and to the church of God, just as I also please all [people] in all [things], not seeking my own benefit, but the [benefit] of the many, in order that they may be saved.

But let [it] be. I have not been a burden to you, but [because I] was crafty, I took you by cunning.

Then children were brought to him so that he could lay his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

And they were bringing young children to him so that he could touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

Now they were bringing even [their] babies to him so that he could touch them. But [when] the disciples saw [it], they rebuked them.

But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came up [and] asked him, saying, "Send her away, because she is crying out after us!"

But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evil deeds that Herod had done,

and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!" For this is the one who was spoken about by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" Now John himself had his clothing made from camel's hair and a belt made of leather around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. read more.
Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River [as they] confessed their sins. But [when he] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham [as] father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Already now the ax is positioned at the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I [am], whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel [is] in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not permitted for you to have your brother's wife." So Herodias held a grudge against him and was wanting to kill him, and was not able [to do so]. For Herod was afraid of John, [because he] knew him [to be] a righteous and holy man and protected him. And [when he] listened to him, he was greatly perplexed, and [yet] he listened to him gladly. read more.
And a suitable day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers and military tribunes and the most prominent [men] of Galilee. And [when] the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced and pleased Herod and {his dinner guests}, the king said to the girl, "Ask me [for] whatever you want, and I will give [it] to you." And he swore to her, "Anything whatever you ask me for I will give you, up to half my kingdom!" And she went out [and] said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" And she said, "The head of John the baptizer." And she came in immediately with haste to the king [and] asked, saying, "I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately." And [although he] was deeply grieved, the king, because of his oaths and {dinner guests}, did not want to refuse her. And immediately the king sent an executioner [and] ordered [him] to bring his head. And he went [and] beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

Therefore he was saying to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham [as] father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! And even now the ax is positioned at the root of the trees; therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And he himself gave some [as] apostles and some [as] prophets and some [as] evangelists and some [as] pastors and teachers

Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart and they will feed you knowledge and insight.

He said to him again a second time, "Simon [son] of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Shepherd my sheep!" He said to him a third [time], "Simon [son] of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed because he said to him a third [time], "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything! You know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep! Truly, truly I say to you, when you were young, you tied [your clothes] around yourself and walked wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie you up and carry [you] where you do not want [to go].

Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond {the command of Yahweh} my God to do a little or a lot.

How can I curse [whom] God has not cursed, and how can I denounce [whom] Yahweh has not denounced?

He answered and said, "{Should I not speak} what Yahweh puts in my mouth?"

Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 'If Balak gave to me the fullness of his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond {the command of Yahweh} to do good or evil, from my heart; what Yahweh speaks, I will speak'? And now, look, I [am about] to go to my people; I will advise you what this people will do to your people {in the following days}."

Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth."

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it over his head and kissed him and said, "{Has not} Yahweh anointed you as leader over his inheritance?

Now Yahweh {had revealed this to} Samuel the day before Saul arrived, saying, "This time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you must anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will deliver my people from the hand of [the] Philistines. For I have seen [the suffering of] my people, because their cry [of distress] has come to me."

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "{How long} will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn [with] oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons." But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me." Yahweh said, "You must take a heifer from the herd {with you}, and you must say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.' You will invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will make known to you what you must do. You will anoint for me [the one] whom I tell you." read more.
So Samuel did what Yahweh said. He came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city came trembling to meet him. They said, "{Have you come in peace}?" He said, "[I come in] peace. I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." So he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. {When they came}, he saw Eliab and said, "Surely his anointed one [is] before Yahweh!" But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For [God does] not [see] what man sees, for a man {looks on the outward appearance}, but Yahweh {looks on the heart}." Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel, and he said, "This one also Yahweh has not chosen." So Jesse made Shammah pass [before Samuel], but he said, "Yahweh also has not chosen this one." And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen any of these." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "{Are all the young men here}?" And he said, "The youngest still remains, but look, he [is] shepherding the flock." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we cannot {sit down} until he comes here." So he sent and brought him. Now he [was] ruddy with beautiful eyes and of {handsome} appearance. And Yahweh said, "Arise, anoint him, for this [is] he." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day {on}. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

During {this time} [when] a crowd of many thousands had gathered together, so that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware for yourselves of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing! But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound [by his oath].'

And Jesus said to them, "Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" So they were discussing [this] among themselves, saying, "[It is] because we did not take bread." But knowing [this], Jesus said, "Why are you discussing among yourselves that you did not take bread, [you] of little faith? read more.
Do you not yet understand or do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? How do you not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" Then they understood that he did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Longing for you in this way, we determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own souls, because you had become dear to us.

just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, [since] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you are sharers of grace with me.

We give thanks to God always concerning all of you, making mention constantly in our prayers, [because we] remember your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brothers [dearly] loved by God, {that he has chosen you},

just as you know how [we treated] each one of you, like a father his own children,

And Moses [was] faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony to the things that would be spoken,

I invoke as a witness against you {today} the heaven and the earth: life and death I have set {before you}, blessing and curse. So choose life, so that you may live, you and your offspring,

who was faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses also [was] in his household.

I call to witness against you today the heaven and the earth, that you will perish soon and completely from the land that you [are] crossing the Jordan into it to take possession of it; {you will not live long on it}, but you will be completely destroyed.

So they cried out to Yahweh, and they said, "O Yahweh! Please do not let us perish because of this man's life, and {do not make us guilty of innocent blood}, because you, O Yahweh, did what you wanted."

And the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they threw the {contents} that were in the merchant ship into the sea to lighten it for them. And [meanwhile] Jonah went down into the hold of the vessel and lay down and fell asleep. And the captain of the ship approached him and said to him, "Why are you {sound asleep}? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps [your] god will take notice of us and we won't perish!"

And he said to them, "I [am] a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

So the men feared Yahweh {greatly}, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahweh and {made} vows.

And Jonah began to go into the city a journey of one day, and he cried out and said, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!" And the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth--from the greatest of them {to the least important}. And the news reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne and removed his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. read more.
And he had a proclamation made, and said, "In Nineveh, by a decree of the king and his nobles: "No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything! They must not eat, and they must not drink water! And [the] human beings and [the] animals must be covered [with] sackcloth! And they must call forcefully to God, and each must turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn {from his blazing anger} {so that} we will not perish."

Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they [were] having sexual relations with the women who [were] serving [at] the entrance of [the] tent of assembly.

If a man sins against a man, then God can intercede for him. But if a man sins against Yahweh, who can intercede for him?" But they did not {obey} their father, because Yahweh wanted to kill them.

Now the sons of Eli [were] {worthless scoundrels}; they did not know Yahweh. And the custom of the priests with the people [was this]: When any man {brought a sacrifice}, as the meat was boiling, the servant of the priest would take a three-pronged meat fork in his hand and would thrust it into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the cooking pot. All that the meat fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This [is] what they used to do to all of the Israelites who came there at Shiloh. read more.
Also, before they {offered up} the fat as a burnt offering, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only {raw}." And [if] the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat completely {first}, then take for yourself as {you} desire," then he would say to him, "No! Give it now! If not, I will take it by force!" So the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, because the men treated the offering of Yahweh with contempt.

And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be a priest to me, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to bear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor all the offerings made by fire by the {Israelites}. Why do you despise my sacrifice and my offering which I commanded [for my] dwelling place, while you honored your sons more than me by making yourselves fat from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel?

But Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the army {was scattering} from me and you did not come {at the appointed time} and [that the] Philistines had gathered at Micmash, therefore I said, 'Now [the] Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.' So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." Then Samuel said to Saul, "You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. read more.
But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his [own] heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you."

Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, "I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not kept my word." {Samuel became angry}, and he cried out to Yahweh all night. Then Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul. Samuel was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel, and look, he [is] setting up a monument for himself." Then he turned around and crossed over and went down to Gilgal. read more.
When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, "May you be blessed by Yahweh! I have kept the word of Yahweh." But Samuel said, "Then what [is] this bleating of the sheep [that I hear] in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?" Saul said, "They have brought them from [the] Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed." Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop and let me tell you what Yahweh said to me last night." So he said to him, "Speak." Samuel said, "Even though you [are] small in your [own] eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. When Yahweh sent you on your way, he said to you: 'Go! You must utterly destroy the sinners, [the] Amalekites, and you must fight against them until you have destroyed them.' Why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh and fall with shouting on the plunder? You have done evil in the sight of Yahweh!" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me! I brought Agag the king of Amalek, and the Amalekites I have utterly destroyed. The troops took from the plunder, sheep and cattle, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal." Then Samuel said, "Is there [as much] delight for Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices as [there is] in {obeying} Yahweh? Look! {To obey} [is] better than sacrifice; to give heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion [is like] the sin of divination; arrogance [is like] iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has rejected you from [being] king!" Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned because I have transgressed {the commandment of Yahweh} and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice. So then, please pardon my sin and return with me {so that I can worship} Yahweh." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!" As Samuel turned around to go, he caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Then Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor {who is better than you}. Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he [is] not a human that he should regret." Then he said, "I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me {so that I can worship} Yahweh your God." So Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul {worshiped} Yahweh.

And some men came down from Judea [and] began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom [prescribed] by Moses, you cannot be saved."

Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest that he send out workers into his harvest."

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our dear friend and fellow worker,

So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the priests, and he said to them, "Why are you not repairing the damage in the temple? Now, you shall not take money from your treasurers for the damage in the temple. You must provide it."

So he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, "Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all Israel to strengthen the house of your God sufficiently year by year. Now you yourselves must hasten to the matter." But the Levites did not act with haste. So the king called Jehoiada the chief, and he said to him, "Why have you not required the Levites to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax of Moses, the servant of Yahweh, and [of] the assembly of Israel for the tent of the testimony?"

Therefore I testify to you on this very day that I am guiltless of the blood of all [of you], for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God.

just as you learned [it] from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave who is a faithful minister of Christ [on] our behalf,

The sons of Samuel: [Joel] his firstborn and Abijah the second.

When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son [was] Joel, and the name of his second son [was] Abijah. [They were] judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after gain, they took bribes, and they perverted justice.

But I considered [it] necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger and servant of my need,

Suffer together with [me] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one who serves as a soldier is entangled in the activities of [everyday] life, so that he may please the one who enlisted [him].

But you will receive power [when] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth."

And we are witnesses of these things, and [so is] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

But get up and stand on your feet, because for this [reason] I have appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and witness both [to the things] in which you saw me and [to the things] in which I will appear to you,

And the Lord will give you [the] bread [of] distress and [the] water [of] oppression, but your teachers will not hide themselves any longer. And your eyes {shall see} your teachers.

And he himself gave some [as] apostles and some [as] prophets and some [as] evangelists and some [as] pastors and teachers

And there was considerable weeping by all, and {hugging} Paul, they kissed him, especially distressed at the statement that he had said, that they were going to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

And it happened that when our days were over, we departed [and] went on our way, [while] all [of them] accompanied us, together with [their] wives and children, as far as outside the city. And [after] falling to our knees on the beach [and] praying, we said farewell to one another and embarked in the ship, and they returned to their own [homes].

among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, in order that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

and their message {will spread} like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus,

Therefore I said, "Look away from me, let me {weep bitterly}; you must not insist on comforting me for the destruction of the daughter of my people." For the Lord Yahweh of hosts has a day of tumult and trampling and confusion in [the] valley of vision, tearing down of walls and a cry for help to the mountains.

And Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?" And Hezekiah {answered}, "They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon." And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" And Hezekiah {answered}, "They have seen all that [is] in my house. There is nothing that I have not shown them in my storehouses." And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of Yahweh of hosts: read more.
'Look! days [are] coming, and all that [is] in your house and that which your ancestors have stored up to this day shall be carried off [to] Babylon. Nothing shall be left,' says Yahweh. 'And some of your sons who go out from you, whom you fathered, shall be taken, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"

I have appointed watchmen upon your walls, Jerusalem; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who profess Yahweh have no rest.

"And you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; if you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me.

of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God's grace given to me, according to the working of his power.

if indeed you remain in the faith, established and steadfast and not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

with the result that I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving the gospel of God as a priest, in order that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Thus let a person consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries.

But you shall be called the priests of Yahweh, {you will be called} servers of our God. You shall eat [the] wealth of [the] nations, and you shall boast in their riches.

but commending ourselves as servants of God in every [way], in much endurance, in afflictions, in distresses, in difficulties,

Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons.

Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to [those who are] called, loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.

But you, be self-controlled in all [things], bear hardship patiently, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

And he himself gave some [as] apostles and some [as] prophets and some [as] evangelists and some [as] pastors and teachers

Now this [is] the blessing [with] which Moses, the man of God, blessed the {Israelites} {before} his death.

But you, O man of God, flee from these [things], and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, gentleness.

And when day came, he summoned his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he also named apostles:

Rejoice over her, heaven and the saints and the apostles and the prophets, because God has pronounced your judgment on her!"

The elders who lead well must be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor by speaking and teaching.

Therefore [I, your] fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, [and] also a sharer of the glory that is going to be revealed, exhort the elders among you:

Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking along Titus also. Now I went up [there] because of a revelation and laid out to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles, but in private to the influential people, lest somehow I was running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus [who was] with me, [although] he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. read more.
Now [this was] because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order that they might enslave us, to whom not even for an hour did we yield in subjection, in order that the truth of the gospel might remain continually with you. But from those {who were influential} (whatever they were, [it makes] no difference to me, {God does not show partiality})--for those who were influential added nothing to me. But these, [when they] saw that I had been entrusted [with] the gospel to the uncircumcision, just as Peter to the circumcision (for the one who was at work through Peter for [his] apostleship to the circumcision was at work also through me for the Gentiles), and [when] James and Cephas and John--those thought to be pillars--acknowledged the grace given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right [hand] of fellowship, in order that we [should go] to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision.

But when the one who set me apart from my mother's womb and called [me] by his grace was pleased to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel [about] him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those [who were] apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and I returned again to Damascus. read more.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days, but I did not see [any] others of the apostles except James, the brother of the Lord. (Now [the things] which I am writing to you, behold, [I assure you] before God that I am not lying.) Then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia, but I was unknown {in person} to the churches of Judea [that are] in Christ, and they were only hearing, "The one formerly persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith that formerly he was attempting to destroy," and they were glorifying God because of me.

How then will they call upon [him] in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe [in him] about whom they have not heard? And how will they hear about [him] without one who preaches [to them]?

for which I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am speaking the truth, [I am] not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of the chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth that [is] according to godliness,

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings!

And he said to them, "{Follow me} and I will make you fishers of people."

And Jesus said to them, "{Follow} me and I will make you become fishers of people."

There was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, from the clan of Judah; he [was] a Levite and [was] dwelling as a foreigner there. And the man went from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to live as a foreigner wherever he could find [a place]. And he came [to] the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, to continue his journey. And Micah said to him, "From where do you come?" And he said to him, "I [am] a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah; I [am] going to dwell as a foreigner wherever I can find [a place]." read more.
And Micah said to him, "Stay with me and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give to you ten pieces of silver a year, a set of clothes, and your food." So the Levite went [with him]. The Levite agreed to stay with the man; and the young man became as one of his sons. So Micah {appointed the Levite}, and the young man became a priest for him; and he was in the house of Micah. And Micah said, "Now I know Yahweh will make me prosperous, because the Levite has become my priest."

And immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself dismissed the crowd.

And he said to them, "You yourselves come privately to an isolated place and rest for a short time." For those [who were] coming and going were many, and they did not even have time to eat. And they went away in the boat to an isolated place by themselves.

Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: 'Why are you transgressing the commandments of Yahweh so that you will not succeed? For you have forsaken Yahweh, so he will forsake you.'" Then they conspired against him and stoned him [with] stones at the command of the king in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh.

Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came near and slapped Micaiah on the cheek and said, "When did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you?" Then Micaiah said, "Behold, you [are about to] see on that day when you go {from room to room} to hide." The king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the commander of the city and to Jehoash the son of the king; read more.
and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this [fellow in] the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '"

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "[Is] this you [who] throws Israel into confusion?" He said, "I did not throw Israel into confusion; rather you and the house of your father [have] by forsaking the commands of Yahweh when you went after the Baals!

So he arose and went to Zarephath and came to the gate of the city. There [was] a widow woman gathering wood, so he called to her, and he said, "Please bring a little water for me in a vessel so that I can drink." She went to fetch [it], and he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." She said, "{As Yahweh your God lives}, surely I do not have a cake, {but only a handful of flour} in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. Here I [am] gathering a few pieces of wood, and I will go and prepare it for me and my son, that we might eat it and die." read more.
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go and do according to your word; only make for me a small bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me. Make it for yourself and for your son afterward. For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: 'The jar of flour will not be emptied and the jug of olive oil will not run out until the day Yahweh gives rain on the surface of the earth.'" So she went and did according to the word of Elijah; then [both] she and he ate with her household for many days. The jar of flour was not emptied and the jug of olive oil did not run out, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Elijah.

Then the messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Please now, the words of the prophet are {unanimously} favorable to the king. Please let your words be as one word with them, and speak favorably." Then Micaiah said, "{As Yahweh lives}, surely only as Yahweh speaks to me, that will I speak."

Now a certain older prophet was living in Bethel, and his son came and recounted to him all of the things that the man of God had done that day in Bethel [and] the words he had spoken to the king, and they told them to their father. Then their father asked them, "{Which way did he go}?" His sons had seen the way which the man of God who had come from Judah had taken. Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it read more.
and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under the oak and said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" He said, "I [am]." Then he said to him, "Come with me to the house and eat [some] food." Then he said, "I am not able to return with you or to go with you. I will not eat food nor will I drink water with you in this place. For a word [came] to me by the word of Yahweh, 'You shall not eat food, nor shall you drink water there. You shall not return to go by the way that you came.'" Then he said, "I [am] also a prophet like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of Yahweh, saying, 'Let him return with you to your house that he may eat food and drink water.'" He lied to him. So he returned with him and ate food in his house and drank water. Now it happened that they [were] sitting at the table, and the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back. He proclaimed to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of Yahweh and have not kept the command which Yahweh your God commanded you, but you have returned and have eaten food and drank water in the place which he ordered you not to eat food nor to drink water, then your dead body shall not return to the tomb of your ancestors.'" It happened after he ate food and drank water that he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. When he left, a lion found him on the road and killed him, and his dead body [was] thrown on the road with the donkey standing beside it, and the lion [was] standing by the dead body. As men [were] passing by and they saw the dead body thrown in the road and the lion standing beside the dead body, they came and told it in the city where the old prophet [was] living. When the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard, he said, "It [is] the man of God who disobeyed the mouth of Yahweh, and Yahweh has given him to the lion. He tore him in pieces and killed him according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken to him." Then he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled it. He went and found his dead body thrown in the road and a donkey with the lion standing beside it, but the lion had not eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. So the prophet lifted up the corpse of the man of God and put it on the donkey and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn him and to bury him. He put his corpse in his tomb, and they mourned over him, "Alas, my brother!" It happened after he buried him that he said to his sons, "When I die, you shall bury me in the tomb where the man of God [is] buried; you shall lay my bones beside his bones. For surely, the thing which he proclaimed by the word of Yahweh against the altar which [is] in Bethel will happen, [as it will] against all the houses of the high places which [are] in the cities of Samaria."

Then the messenger who went to call Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets [are] good with one voice to the king. Please let your word be as one with them and speak good." But Micaiah said, "As Yahweh lives, only what my God has said, that will I speak."

But on account of his strength his heart grew proud unto destruction. And he acted unfaithfully against Yahweh his God and went into the temple of Yahweh to offer an incense offering on the altar. And Azariah the priest, along with eighty strong priests with him, went in after him. And they stood against King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but [it is] for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully. There will be no honor for you from Yahweh God." read more.
Then Uzziah, his censer in hand to burn incense, became angry. And when he became angry with the priests, then leprosy appeared on his forehead in front of the priests in the house of Yahweh at the altar of incense. When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him, behold, he [was] leprous in the forehead. So they rushed him away from there, and he also hastened to go out, for Yahweh had smitten him.

[As for] the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands--the seven stars are [the] angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are [the] seven churches.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands:

[As for] the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands--the seven stars are [the] angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are [the] seven churches.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "This is what the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand says, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands:

Suddenly Zadok [was] there, and all of the Levites with him, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people passed out of the city. The king said to Zadok, "Let the ark of God return to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of Yawheh, he will let me return and let me see him in his dwelling place. But if he says, 'I take no pleasure in you,' then {I am ready}. Let him do to me that which [is] good in his eyes. read more.
Then the king said to Zadok the priest, "[Are] you a seer? Return to the city in peace, [with] Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, your two sons with you.

"And you, son of man, {your people}, the ones talking together concerning you beside the walls and in the doorways of the houses, each one with his brother {saying}, 'Please come and hear what [is] the word {that is going out from Yahweh}.' And they come to you {as people do}, and they sit {before you}, and my people hear your words, and they do not do them, for they [are] showing passion in their mouth, but their heart [is] going after ill-gotten gain. Now, look! You [are] to them like {a sensual song}, beautiful of voice and {played well on an instrument}, and they hear your words, {but they are not doing them}. read more.
So {when it comes}, look! It is coming! And [then] they will know that a prophet was in the midst of them."

Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, "{This man does not deserve} a sentence of death, for in the name of Yahweh our God, he has spoken to us." Then men from the elders of the land arose and said to all the assembly of the people, {saying}, "Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, {saying}: 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "Zion will be plowed, and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the {temple} as high places of wood." ' read more.
[Did] Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and all Judah actually put him to death? [Was he] not in fear of Yahweh? And he entreated the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh relented of the disaster that he had spoken against them. But we [are] about to do great disaster to ourselves."

When Ebed-melech the Cushite, {a eunuch} who [was] in the house of the king, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the pit--now the king [was] sitting at the Gate of Benjamin-- Ebed-melech went out from the house of the king and spoke to the king, {saying}, "My lord the king, these men have done evil [in] all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, [in] that they have thrown [him] into the pit, and he will die {there} {because of} starvation, for there is no longer any bread in the city." read more.
Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Cushite, {saying}, "Take {with you} these thirty men and pull Jeremiah the prophet up from the pit {before} he dies." So Ebed-melech took the men {with him} and went [to] the palace of the king, to [a place] beneath the storehouse, and he took from there {rags} and {worn-out clothes}. And he let them down into the pit by ropes to Jeremiah. Then Ebed-melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, "Please put {the rags} and {worn-out clothes} under the joints of your arms under the ropes," and Jeremiah did so. And they pulled Jeremiah by the ropes and brought him up from the pit. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

Now Barnabas wanted to take John who was called Mark along also,

And a sharp disagreement took place, so that they separated from one another. And Barnabas took along Mark [and] sailed away to Cyprus,

And not only [this], but he was also chosen by the churches [as] our traveling companion together with this gift that is being administered by us to the glory of the Lord himself and [to show] our readiness [to help].

If [there is a question] concerning Titus, [he is] my partner and fellow worker for you. If [there is a question concerning] our brothers, [they are] messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, "Two men were in a certain city; one [was] rich and the other [was] poor. The rich [man] had very many flocks and herds, but the poor [man] had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him. read more.
And a visitor came to the rich man, but he {was reluctant} to take from his flocks or from his herds to prepare a meal for the traveler when he came to him. So he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then {the anger of David was kindled} against the man, and he said to Nathan, "{As Yahweh lives}, the man who has done this {deserves to die}! He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity." Then Nathan said to him, "You [are] the man! Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: 'I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you the household of your master and the women of your master into your lap. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah; if [that had been too] little, I would have added to you {much more}. Why have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in his eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to yourself as wife! You have killed him with the sword of the {Ammonites}! So then, a sword will not turn away from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife!' Thus says Yahweh, 'Look, I [am] going to raise up evil against you from [within] your house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and he shall sleep with your wives {in broad daylight}. Though you did this in secret, I will do this thing before all of Israel {in broad daylight}!'" Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against Yahweh!" Nathan said to David, "Yahweh has also forgiven your sin; you shall not die. But because you have {utterly scorned} Yahweh in this matter, the son born for you {will certainly die}."

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same [place]. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. read more.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them [ability] to speak out.

Now a certain Jew {named} Apollos, {a native} Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus--an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures. This man had been instructed [in] the way of the Lord, and being enthusiastic in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the [things] about Jesus, [although he] knew only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but [when] Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. read more.
And [when] he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged [him] [and] wrote to the disciples to welcome him. [When he] arrived, {he} assisted greatly those who had believed through grace. For he was vigorously refuting the Jews in public, demonstrating through the scriptures [that] the Christ was Jesus.

And the crowds with one mind were paying attention to what was being said by Philip, [as] they heard [him] and saw the signs that he was performing.

But when they believed Philip [as he] was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized.

And there was great joy in that city.

And he took them at that [very] hour of the night [and] washed [their] wounds, and he himself was baptized at once, and all those of his [household]. And he brought them up into [his] house [and] set a meal before [them], and rejoiced greatly that he had believed in God with his whole household.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, on behalf of his body which is the church, of which I became a minister, according to God's stewardship which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,

and their message {will spread} like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have deviated concerning the truth [by] saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they are upsetting the faith of some.

So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, "Two men were in a certain city; one [was] rich and the other [was] poor. The rich [man] had very many flocks and herds, but the poor [man] had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him. read more.
And a visitor came to the rich man, but he {was reluctant} to take from his flocks or from his herds to prepare a meal for the traveler when he came to him. So he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then {the anger of David was kindled} against the man, and he said to Nathan, "{As Yahweh lives}, the man who has done this {deserves to die}! He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity." Then Nathan said to him, "You [are] the man! Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: 'I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you the household of your master and the women of your master into your lap. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah; if [that had been too] little, I would have added to you {much more}. Why have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in his eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to yourself as wife! You have killed him with the sword of the {Ammonites}! So then, a sword will not turn away from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife!' Thus says Yahweh, 'Look, I [am] going to raise up evil against you from [within] your house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and he shall sleep with your wives {in broad daylight}. Though you did this in secret, I will do this thing before all of Israel {in broad daylight}!'" Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against Yahweh!" Nathan said to David, "Yahweh has also forgiven your sin; you shall not die. But because you have {utterly scorned} Yahweh in this matter, the son born for you {will certainly die}."

But I considered [it] necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger and servant of my need, because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick, coming near to death, but God had mercy on him and not [on] him only, but also [on] me, so that I would not have grief upon grief. read more.
Therefore I am sending him with special urgency, in order that [when] you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious. Therefore welcome him in the Lord with all joy, and consider such [people] highly honored, because on account of the work of Christ he came near to the point of death, risking his life in order that {he might make up for your inability to serve me}.

Epaphras, who is [one] of you, greets you, a slave of Christ always struggling on behalf of you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I testify to him that {he is working hard} on behalf of you and those in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis.

But thanks [be] to God, who has put in the heart of Titus the same devotion {on your behalf}, because he not only welcomed our request, but being very earnest, by his own choice he went out to you.

Now if anyone builds upon the foundation [with] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, straw, the work of each one will become evident. For the day will reveal [it], because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the work of each one, of what sort it is. If anyone's work that he has built upon [it] remains, he will receive a reward. read more.
If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but so as through fire.

And from Miletus he sent [word] to Ephesus [and] summoned the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them, "You know from the first day on which I set foot in Asia how I was the whole time with you-- serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews-- read more.
how I did not shrink from proclaiming to you anything that would be profitable, and [from] teaching you in public and from house [to house], testifying both to Jews and to Greeks with respect to repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. "And now behold, bound by the Spirit I am traveling to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me {there}, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in town [after town], saying that bonds and persecutions await me. But I consider [my] life [as] worth {nothing} to myself, in order to finish my mission and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify [to] the gospel of the grace of God. "And now behold, I know that all [of] you, among whom I went about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you on this very day that I am guiltless of the blood of all [of you], for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you [as] overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he obtained through the blood of his own [Son]. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among you yourselves men will arise, speaking {perversions of the truth} in order to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day [for] three years I did not stop warning each one [of you] with tears. "And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build [you] up and to give [you] the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have desired no one's silver or gold or clothing! You yourselves know that these hands served [to meet] my needs and [the needs of] those who were with me. I have shown you [with respect to] all [things] that [by] working hard in this way it is necessary to help those who are in need, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And [when he] had said these [things], he fell to his knees [and] prayed with them all. And there was considerable weeping by all, and {hugging} Paul, they kissed him, especially distressed at the statement that he had said, that they were going to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Despite that, in the same way also these [men], [because of their] dreams, defile the flesh and reject authority and blaspheme majestic beings. But Michael the archangel, when he argued with the devil, disputing concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" But these persons blaspheme all that they do not understand, and all that they understand by instinct like the irrational animals, by these [things] they are being destroyed.

Now the high priest rose up and all those [who were] with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), [and] they were filled with jealousy. And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison and led them [out] [and] said, read more.
"Go and stand in the temple [courts] [and] proclaim to the people all the words of this life." And [when they] heard [this], they entered at daybreak into the temple [courts] and began teaching. Now [when] the high priest and those with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin--even the whole council of elders of the sons of Israel--and sent to the prison to have them brought. But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned [and] reported, saying, "We found the prison locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but [when we] opened [them], we found no one inside!" Now when both the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed concerning them, [as to] what this might be. But someone came [and] reported to them, "Behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple [courts] and teaching the people!" Then the captain went with the officers [and] brought them, not with force (for they were afraid of the people, lest they be stoned [by them]). And [when they] had brought them, they made [them] stand in the Sanhedrin, and the high priest put a question to them, saying, "{We strictly commanded} you not to teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching! And you are intending to bring upon us the blood of this man!" But Peter and the apostles answered [and] said, "It is necessary to obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed [by] hanging [him] on a tree. This one God has exalted to his right hand [as] Leader and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, and [so is] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." Now [when] they heard [this], they were infuriated, and were wanting to execute them. But a certain man stood up in the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee {named} Gamaliel, a teacher of the law respected by all the people, [and] gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, "Men [and] Israelites, take care for yourselves what you are about to do to these men! For before these days, Theudas rose up saying he was somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined {him}. {He} was executed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and {caused people to follow him in revolt}. And that one perished, and all who followed him were scattered. And now I tell you, keep away from these men, and leave them alone, because if this plan or this matter is from people, it will be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you even be found fighting against God." So they were persuaded by him. And they summoned the apostles, beat [them], commanded [them] not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released [them]. So they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin rejoicing, because they had been considered worthy to be dishonored for the sake of the name. Every day, both in the temple [courts] and from house [to house], they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news [that] the Christ [was] Jesus.

And [when he] saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. ({Now this was during the feast} of Unleavened Bread.) [After he] had arrested {him}, he also put [him] in prison, handing [him] over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him {out for public trial} after the Passover. Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him. read more.
Now when Herod was about to bring him [out], on that [very] night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood near [him], and a light shone in the prison cell. And striking Peter's side, he woke him up, saying, "Get up {quickly}!" And his chains fell off of [his] hands. And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals!" And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!" And he went out [and] was following [him]. And he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking [he] was seeing a vision. And [after they] had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened for them by itself, and they went out [and] went forward [along] one narrow street, and at once the angel departed from him. And [when] Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know truly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and all {that the Jewish people expected}!" And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying. And [when] he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave {named} Rhoda came up to answer. And recognizing Peter's voice, because of [her] joy she did not open the gate, but ran in [and] announced [that] Peter was standing at the gate. But they said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting it was so. And they kept saying, "It is his angel!" But Peter was continuing to knock, and [when they] opened [the door] they saw him and were astonished. But motioning to them with [his] hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these [things] to James and to the brothers," and he departed [and] went to another place. Now [when] day came, there was not a little commotion among the soldiers [as to] what then had become of Peter. And [when] Herod had searched for him and did not find [him], he questioned the guards [and] ordered [that they] be led away to execution. And he came down from Judea to Caesarea [and] stayed [there].

Now it happened that [as] Peter was traveling through all [the places], [he] also came down to the saints who lived [in] Lydda. And he found there a certain man {named} Aeneas who was paralyzed, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed yourself!" And immediately he got up. read more.
And all those who lived [in] Lydda and Sharon saw him, who [all] indeed turned to the Lord.

And on the next day we departed [and] came to Caesarea, and entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was [one] of the seven, [and] stayed with him. ({Now this man had} four virgin daughters who prophesied.) And [while we] were staying [there] many days, a certain prophet {named} Agabus came down from Judea.

And [after we] were brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. And the local inhabitants showed {extraordinary} kindness to us, for they lit a fire [and] welcomed us all, because of the rain that had begun and because of the cold. And [when] Paul had gathered a large number of sticks and was placing [them] on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat [and] fastened itself on his hand. read more.
And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, [although he] was rescued from the sea, Justice has not permitted to live!" He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire [and] suffered no harm. But they were expecting [that] he was going to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead. So [after] they had waited for a long [time] and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds [and] began saying [that] he was a god. Now in the [regions] around that place were fields belonging to the chief official of the island, {named} Publius, who welcomed us [and] entertained [us] hospitably [for] three days. And it happened that the father of Publius was lying down, afflicted with fever and dysentery. Paul went to {him} and [after] praying, he placed [his] hands on him [and] healed him. And [after] this had taken place, the rest of those on the island who had diseases were coming and being healed also. They also honored us with many honors, and [when we] were putting out to sea, they gave [us] the [things] {we needed}.

It happened one day that Elisha passed through to Shunem where there [was] a wealthy woman, and she urged him to eat bread; so it happened each time he passed through, he would stop there to eat. She said to her husband, "Please now, I know that he [is] a holy man of God who is passing {our way} regularly; let us make a small enclosed room [upstairs] and put a bed, table, chair, and lampstand there for him, so that when he comes to us, he can turn and stay there.

Now Simon, [when he] saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered them money, saying, "Give to me also this power, so that whomever I place [my] hands on may receive the Holy Spirit!" But Peter said to him, "May your silver {be destroyed along with you}, because you thought {you could acquire} the gift of God by means of money! read more.
{You have no} part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you!" For I see you are in {a state of bitter envy} and {bound by unrighteousness}."

And [when they] had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name [was] Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul [and] wished to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for his name is translated in this way) opposed them, attempting to turn the proconsul away from the faith. read more.
But Saul (also called Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him [and] said, "O [you who are] full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, [you] son of the devil, [you] enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! And now behold, the hand of the Lord [is] against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun {for a while}. And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for [people] to lead [him] by the hand.

but they were not able to make it at that time, for the priests had not consecrated themselves {in sufficient numbers}, and the people had not been assembled in Jerusalem--

So they let the decree stand, {to make a proclamation} throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, to come to make a Passover feast to Yahweh the God of Israel.

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); and they said, "Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?" And Yahweh heard it. Now the man, Moses, [was] more humble than any other person on the face of the earth, read more.
and Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Go out, you three, to the tent of assembly." So the three of them when out. And Yahweh went down in a column of cloud and stood [at] the doorway of the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them went, and he said, "Please hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; in all my house he [is] faithful. I will speak to him mouth to mouth, [in] clearness, not in riddles; and he will look at the form of Yahweh. Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?" {And Yahweh became very angry} with them, and he went [away]. And the cloud departed from on the tent, and behold, Miriam [was] infected with {a skin disease} white like snow; when Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, [she was] afflicted with a skin disease. So Aaron said to Moses, "Please, my lord, please do not put on us [this] sin [in] which we were foolish and [in] which we have sinned. Please do not let her be like the dead, whose flesh is half consumed when coming out from the womb of its mother."

Now Simon, [when he] saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, offered them money, saying, "Give to me also this power, so that whomever I place [my] hands on may receive the Holy Spirit!" But Peter said to him, "May your silver {be destroyed along with you}, because you thought {you could acquire} the gift of God by means of money! read more.
{You have no} part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and ask the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you!" For I see you are in {a state of bitter envy} and {bound by unrighteousness}."

But if the ministry of death in letters carved on stone came with glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look intently into the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was transitory, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more with glory? For if [there was] glory in the ministry of condemnation, by much more will the ministry of righteousness overflow with glory. read more.
For indeed what had been glorified has not been glorified in this case, on account of the glory that surpasses [it]. For if what was transitory [came] with glory, by much more what remains [is] with glory.

I urged Titus [to go], and I sent the brother [with him]. Titus did not take advantage of you, [did he]? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same footsteps?

And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there {named} Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman but of a Greek father, who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this one to go with him, and he took [him] [and] circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for [they] all knew that his father was Greek. read more.
And as they went through the towns, they passed on to them to observe the rules that had been decided by the apostles and elders [who were] in Jerusalem.

And [while] they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, [after they] had fasted and prayed and placed [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away.

Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in {the prison}, for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.

Now a certain man {named} Simon had been in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying he was someone great. They were all paying attention to {him}, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called 'Great.'" And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astonished them with [his] magic.

Therefore [it is] not a great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

And Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it; then they presented {before} Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them. So fire went out {from before} Yahweh, and it consumed them so that they died {before} Yahweh.

And the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Get up! Go to the great city Nineveh and cry out against her, because their evil has come up {before me}." But Jonah set out to flee toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh. And he went down [to] Joppa and found a merchant ship going [to] Tarshish, and paid her fare, and went on board her to go with them toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh. read more.
And Yahweh hurled a great wind upon the sea, and it was a great storm on the sea, and the merchant ship {was in danger of breaking up}. And the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they threw the {contents} that were in the merchant ship into the sea to lighten it for them. And [meanwhile] Jonah went down into the hold of the vessel and lay down and fell asleep. And the captain of the ship approached him and said to him, "Why are you {sound asleep}? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps [your] god will take notice of us and we won't perish!"

concerning everything showing yourself [to be] an example of good deeds, in your teaching [demonstrating] soundness, dignity, sound message beyond reproach, in order that {an opponent} may be put to shame, [because he] has nothing bad to say concerning us.

Then [when] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted [what he had done] [and] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned [by] betraying innocent blood!" But they said, "What [is that] to us? You see to [it]!" And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away [and] hanged himself. read more.
But the chief priests took the silver coins [and] said, "It is not permitted to put them into the temple treasury, because it is {blood money}." And [after] taking counsel, they purchased {with} them the Potter's Field, for a burial place for strangers.

He said to him, "Please say to her, 'Look, you took all this trouble, showing care for us; what is there [for me] to do for you? To speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?'" She said, "I [am] living among my people."

So [after] sending two of those who were assisting him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed [some] time in Asia.

Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, and they will report the same [things] by word of mouth.

but Paul chose Silas [and] departed, [after] being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but [when] Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

And the statement pleased the whole group, and they chose Stephen (a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit), and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a convert from Antioch), whom they stood before the apostles. And they prayed [and] placed [their] hands on them.

Do not neglect the gift [that is] in you, that was granted to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

It [is] a holy portion from the land; it will be for the priests, the servants of the sanctuary {who approach} to serve Yahweh, and it will be for them a place for houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.

Between the colonnade and the altar, let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep. And let them say, "Take pity, Yahweh, on your people. Do not make your inheritance a reproach, a byword among [the] nations. Why should they say among the nations, 'Where [is] their God?'"

Just as each one has received a gift, [use] it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.

And the slave of the Lord must not quarrel, but be kind toward everyone, skillful in teaching, tolerant,

And I will raise up over them shepherds, and they will shepherd them, and they will no longer fear, and they will not be dismayed, and they will not be missing," {declares} Yahweh.

And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

If [there is a question] concerning Titus, [he is] my partner and fellow worker for you. If [there is a question concerning] our brothers, [they are] messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as [if] God were imploring [you] through us. We beg [you] on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

That one was the lamp [which was] burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice for an hour in his light.

You also should be aware that it is not permitted to place tax, tribute, or duty upon all of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the temple servants, and other servants of the house of God.

Brothers, take [as an] example of perseverance and endurance the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

So Samuel did what Yahweh said. He came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city came trembling to meet him. They said, "{Have you come in peace}?"

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you [as] overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he obtained through the blood of his own [Son].

And leaving there, he entered into the house of someone {named} Titius Justus, a worshiper of God whose house was next door to the synagogue.

And because [he] was practicing the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

And it happened that [he] stayed many days in Joppa with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Then, [after they] had fasted and prayed and placed [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away.

And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added [to serve] with the eleven apostles.

who also makes us adequate [as] servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who wants to be first [among] them, does not acknowledge us.

Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to their works, and also Noadiah the prophetess, and the remainder of the prophets who were frightening me.

Thus let a person consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries.

For it is necessary [for] the overseer to be blameless as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain,

For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus [as] Lord, and ourselves [as] your slaves for the sake of Jesus.

Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you all {my circumstances},

and we sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, in order to strengthen and to encourage you about your faith,

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of the chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth that [is] according to godliness,

just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, [since] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you are sharers of grace with me.

and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, {and seven others} [when he] brought a flood on the world of the ungodly,

For the lips of [the] priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction from his mouth, for he [is] the messenger of Yahweh of hosts.

And he said to them, "Micah did such and such for me and hired me, and I became his priest."

And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out two [by] two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

just as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning passed on to us,

Now [because we] are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.