Greeting and Praise for the Corinthians
1 The Church of God which lives in Rome to the Church of God which lives in Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. May grace and peace from Almighty God through Jesus Christ be multiplied to you. Because of the sudden and repeated calamities and hardships that have come upon us, brothers and sisters, we realize that we have been somewhat slow in addressing the matters of dispute that have arisen among you, dear friends, and the detestable and unholy rebellion, foreign and strange to the elect of God, which a few headstrong and self-willed people have stirred up. It has become so frenzied that your name, once revered and renowned and lovely in the sight of all, has been greatly reviled.
2 For what visitor among you did not approve of your most virtuous and steadfast faith? Who did not admire your sober and patient devotion in Christ? Who did not speak of your magnificent hospitality? Who did not congratulate you on your perfect and sound knowledge?
3 For you did all things without favoritism, and you followed the ordinances of God, submitting yourselves to your leaders and giving the older men among you the honor that is their due. You encouraged the young to think modestly and appropriately, and instructed the women to perform all their duties with a blameless, appropriate, and pure conscience, cherishing their own husbands as they should. You taught them to live under the rule of obedience and to manage the affairs of their households with dignity and discretion.
1 And you were all humble in mind and free from arrogance, yielding rather than demanding submission, more glad to give than to receive, and content with the provisions that God supplied. And paying close attention to His words, you stored them up diligently in your hearts, and His sufferings were always before your eyes. 2 Thus, a deep and abundant peace was given to all, along with an insatiable desire to do good. An abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit also came upon all.
3 And, being full of holy counsel, with excellent zeal and devout confidence, you stretched out your hands to Almighty God, pleading with Him to be merciful if you had sinned unintentionally. 4 You struggled day and night for the whole community of brothers and sisters, so that all His chosen people might be saved with reverence and steadfastness of mind. 5 You were sincere, pure, and free from malice toward one another.
6 Every rebellion and every division was detestable to you. You mourned over your neighbors’ sins, considering their shortcomings as your own. 7 You never regretted any good deed but were always ready for every good work. 8 Adorned with a most virtuous and honorable life, you carried out all your duties in reverence for Him. The commandments and ordinances of the Lord were written on the tablets of your hearts.
Jealousy Brings Rebellion to Corinth
1 All glory and abundance were given to you, and what was written was fulfilled: “My beloved ate and drank, became large and fat, and kicked.” 2 From this came jealousy and envy, conflict and rebellion, persecution and chaos, war and captivity.
3 So people rose up, the lowly against the honorable, the disrespected against the esteemed, the foolish against the wise, the young against the elder. 4 Because of this, righteousness and peace have withdrawn, while each person has forgotten the fear of the Lord and become blind in faith, no longer obeying the rules He commanded or living in a way that honors Christ. Instead, each follows the desires of their corrupt heart, having embraced an unrighteous and ungodly jealousy, through which death entered the world.
What Jealousy Did in Ancient Times
1 For it is written, “And after some days Cain brought an offering to God from the fruits of the earth, and Abel also brought an offering from the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. 2 And God looked favorably upon Abel and his gifts, but He paid no attention to Cain and his offerings. 3 And Cain grieved deeply, and his face fell. 4 And God said to Cain, ‘Why are you so sad, and why has your face fallen? If you have offered correctly but not divided correctly, have you not sinned? Be quiet. 5 He will turn to you, and you will rule over him.’ 6 And Cain said to Abel, his brother, ‘Let us go to the fields.’ And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.”
7 You see, brothers and sisters, jealousy and envy led to a brother’s murder. 8 Because of jealousy, our father Jacob fled from the presence of his brother Esau. 9 Jealousy caused Joseph to be persecuted almost to death and sold into slavery. 10 Jealousy forced Moses to flee from Pharaoh, king of Egypt, when his fellow Israelite said to him, “Who made you a judge or ruler over us? Will you kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” 11 Because of jealousy, Aaron and Miriam were shut out of the camp. 12 Jealousy brought Dathan and Abiram down alive to Hades because they rebelled against Moses, the servant of God. 13 Because of jealousy, David was not only envied by the Philistines but was also persecuted by Saul, king of Israel.
Peter and Paul Die as Martyrs
1 But, to move beyond the examples from ancient times, let us consider those champions who lived closer to our time. Let us keep the noble examples of our own generation in view. 2 Because of jealousy and envy, the greatest and most righteous pillars of the Church were persecuted and struggled even to death.
3 Let us keep before our eyes the good Apostles. 4 There was Peter, who, because of unjust jealousy, endured not just one but many hardships, and after testifying, he went to his appointed place of glory.
5 Because of jealousy and conflict, Paul showed by his example the reward of patient endurance. After being imprisoned seven times, driven into exile, stoned, and having preached in the East and the West, he gained a noble reputation as the reward for his faith. 6 He taught righteousness to the whole world and reached the farthest boundary of the West. He testified before rulers, and so he left this world and entered the holy place, having been found a remarkable example of patient endurance.
1 A vast crowd of God’s chosen people joined these men who lived holy lives, and through many indignities and tortures, as victims of jealousy, they set a brave example among us. 2 Because of jealousy, women were persecuted, and after suffering cruel and unholy insults, like the Danaids and Dircae, they safely reached the goal in the race of faith and received a noble reward, though they were weak in body.
3 Jealousy has separated wives from their husbands and reversed the words of our father Adam: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” 4 Jealousy and conflict have overthrown great cities and uprooted great nations.
A Call to Repent
1 We write these things, dear friends, not only as a reminder to you but also to remind ourselves. For we are in the same struggle, and the same contest awaits us. 2 Therefore, let us abandon idle and empty thoughts and follow the glorious and revered rule that has been handed down to us. 3 And let us consider what is good, what is pleasant, and what is acceptable in the sight of Him who made us.
4 Let us fix our eyes on the blood of Christ and understand how precious it is to His Father, for by being shed for our salvation, it won for the whole world the grace of repentance. 5 Let us look back at all the generations in turn and learn how, from age to age, the Master has made room for repentance for those who want to turn to Him. 6 Noah preached repentance, and those who obeyed were saved. 7 Jonah preached destruction to the people of Nineveh, but they repented of their sins, received forgiveness from God through their pleas, and received salvation, even though they were strangers to Him.
1 The ministers of the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, spoke about repentance. 2 Yes, and the Master of the universe Himself spoke about repentance with an oath.
3 For, “As I live,” says the Lord, “I want the sinner’s repentance rather than his death.” 4 And He also gave a merciful judgment: “Repent, house of Israel, of your wrongdoing. Say to the children of My people: Though your sins reach from the earth to the heavens, and though they are redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, if you turn to Me with your whole heart and say, ‘Father,’ I will listen to you as to a holy people.”
5 And in another place He says: “Wash, be clean. Remove the wrongdoing from your souls, out of My sight. Stop sinning. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Defend those who are wronged. Give judgment for the orphan and uphold righteousness for the widow. Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are as crimson, I will make them white as snow; though they are as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. If you are willing and listen to Me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you refuse and do not listen, a sword shall devour you, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 Since, then, He wants all His beloved to share in repentance, He confirmed it by an act of His almighty will.
People Who Obeyed God
1 Therefore, let us be obedient to His excellent and glorious will, and as we ask for His mercy and goodness, let us fall down before Him and seek His compassion, abandoning the pointless toil, conflict, and jealousy that lead to death. 2 Let us fix our eyes on those who ministered perfectly to His excellent glory.
3 Let us set before us Enoch, who, being found righteous in obedience, was taken up, and no trace of his death was found. 4 Noah, being found faithful, through his service preached renewal to the world, and through him, the Master saved the living creatures that entered the ark in harmony.
1 Abraham, who was called the “friend,” was found faithful because he obeyed the words of God. 2 Through obedience, he left his land, his family, and his father’s house, so that by leaving a small land, a weak family, and a modest home, he might inherit the promises of God.
3 For He said to him, “Go out from your land, from your family, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be blessed. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and through you, all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 And again, when he was separated from Lot, God said to him, “Look up from where you are toward the north, the south, the sunrise, and the sea, because all the land that you see, I will give to you and your descendants forever. 5 And I will make your descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. If anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be counted.” 6 And again He said, “God led Abraham out and said to him, ‘Look up to the heavens and count the stars, if you can count them. That is how your descendants will be.’ And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
7 Because of his faith and hospitality, a son was given to him in his old age, and through obedience, he offered him as a sacrifice to God on one of the mountains He showed him.
Lot and Rahab Are Saved for Their Hospitality
1 For his hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved from Sodom when all the surrounding country was judged by fire and sulfur. In this way the Master made clear beforehand that He does not abandon those who set their hope on Him, but appoints for punishment and torment those who turn aside.
2 For his wife went out with him, but she thought differently and was not in agreement. She was made a sign, becoming a pillar of salt that remains to this day, so that everyone would know that those who are double-minded and those who doubt the power of God are destined for judgment and serve as a sign to every generation.
1 For her faith and hospitality, Rahab the prostitute was saved. 2 For when the spies were sent out to Jericho by Joshua, the son of Nun, the king of the land realized that they had come to spy out his country and sent men to seize them, so that, once captured, they might be put to death. 3 So the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper room under the flax stalks.
4 And when the messengers of the king came near and said, “The spies in our land came to your house. Bring them out, for the king orders it,” she answered, “The men you are looking for did come to my house, but they left at once and are on their way,” and she pointed them toward the opposite road.
5 And she said to the men, “I know for certain that the Lord your God will hand this city over to you, for the fear and dread of you has fallen upon its inhabitants. So when you take it, save me and my father’s household.”
6 And they said to her, “It will be just as you have said to us. When you see that we are coming, you must gather all your household under your roof, and they will be saved, for everyone found outside the house will perish.”
7 And they also gave her a sign: she was to hang a scarlet thread from her house, showing beforehand in this way that through the blood of the Lord there will be redemption for all who believe and hope in God. 8 You see, dear friends, not only faith, but prophecy, is found in this woman.
A Call to Be Humble
1 Let us therefore be humble, brothers and sisters, laying aside all arrogance and conceit and foolishness and anger, and let us do what is written. For the Holy Spirit says, “Let the wise man not boast in his wisdom, nor the strong in his strength, nor the rich in his riches; but let the one who boasts boast in the Lord, so that he may seek Him out and do justice and righteousness.” Above all, let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus which He spoke, teaching gentle restraint and patience.
2 For this is how He spoke: “Have mercy, so that you may receive mercy; forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you do, so it will be done to you. As you give, so it will be given to you. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you show kindness, so kindness will be shown to you. The measure you use will be used for you.”
3 Let us strengthen ourselves with this commandment and these instructions, so that we may walk in obedience to His holy words, in humility. 4 For the holy word says, “Who will I look at except the one who is gentle and quiet and fears My words?”
Obey God, Not the Leaders of the Rebellion
1 Therefore it is right and proper, brothers and sisters, for us to be obedient to God, rather than follow those who in arrogance and disorder have set themselves up as leaders in detestable jealousy. 2 For we will bring on ourselves no ordinary harm, but rather great danger, if we recklessly surrender ourselves to the purposes of men who plunge into conflict and rebellion, so as to turn us away from what is right.
3 Let us be good to one another, in keeping with the compassion and gentleness of Him who made us. For it is written: 4 “The good will live in the land, and the innocent will remain on it, but those who do wrong will be wiped out of it.” 5 And again He says, “I saw the ungodly raised high and towering like the cedars of Lebanon. And I passed by, and look, he was gone, and I searched for his place and did not find it. Remain innocent and look toward uprightness, for there is a remnant for the peaceful person.”
1 Therefore let us be loyal to those who practice peace with godliness, and not to those who desire peace with hypocrisy.
2 For He says somewhere, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” 3 And again, “They blessed with their mouth, but they cursed with their heart.” 4 And again He says, “They loved Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to Him, and their heart was not upright with Him, nor were they steadfast in His covenant.”
5 For this reason, “let the deceitful lips that speak wickedly against the righteous be made silent.” And again, “May the Lord completely destroy all the deceitful lips, the tongue that speaks proud words, those who say, ‘Let us magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?’” 6 “Because of the misery of the needy and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise,” says the Lord. “I will place him in safety. I will act boldly on his behalf.”
Christ’s Example of Humility
1 For Christ is with those who are humble, not with those who exalt themselves over the flock. 2 The scepter of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, did not come with an arrogant or proud display, though He could have done so, but in humility, just as the Holy Spirit said about Him.
3 For He says, “Lord, who believed our report? And to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? We announced Him in His presence. He was like a child, like a root in thirsty ground. There is no form in Him, nor glory. And we saw Him, and He had no form or beauty, but His appearance was poor compared with other people. He was a man of wounds and of suffering, and knowing how to bear weakness, for His face is turned away. He was dishonored and counted as nothing. 4 He bears our sins and suffers pain for our sake, and we thought He was suffering, wounded, and afflicted. 5 And He was wounded for our sins and has been afflicted for our wrongdoing. He bears the discipline that brings us peace. With His bruises we were healed. 6 We all went astray like sheep, each man went astray in his own path. 7 And the Lord handed Him over for our sins. And He does not open His mouth, because He is afflicted. As a sheep He was led to slaughter, and as a lamb before his shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away. 8 Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth. 9 He has died for my people’s wrongdoing. 10 And I will give the wicked in return for His burial, and the rich in return for His death, for He did no wrong, nor was deceit found in His mouth. And the Lord desires to cleanse Him from His wounds. 11 If you make an offering for sin, your soul will see descendants who live long lives. 12 And the Lord desires to relieve the suffering of His soul, to show Him light and to mold Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who is a good servant to many. And He will bear their sins. 13 Therefore He will inherit many people and divide the captured goods of the strong, because His soul was handed over to death, and He was counted among those who do wrong. 14 And He bore the sins of many, and for their sins He was handed over.”
15 And again He Himself says, “But I am a worm and not a man, someone people scorn and an outcast of the people. 16 All who saw me mocked me, and they spoke with their lips, they shook their heads, saying, ‘He hoped in the Lord; let Him rescue him, or let Him save him, for He wants him.’”
17 You see, dear friends, what the pattern is that has been given to us. If the Lord was so humble, what should we do? Through Him we have been brought under the yoke of His grace.
Other Examples of Humility
1 Let us also imitate those who went about in goatskins and sheepskins, preaching the coming of Christ. We mean Elijah and Elisha and likewise Ezekiel, the prophets, and the other men who were well spoken of.
2 Abraham was very well spoken of and was called the friend of God, and gazing at the glory of God, he says in humility, “But I am dust and ashes.” 3 And about Job it is also written: “And Job was righteous and blameless, one who was true and honored God and kept away from all evil.” 4 Yet he accuses himself, saying, “No one is free from filth, not even if his life lasts only a day.”
5 Moses was called faithful in all His house, and through his service God judged Egypt with the plagues and the torments that came upon them. Yet he too, though greatly glorified, spoke no proud words, but said, when he received a divine message at the bush, “Who am I, that You send me?” 6 “No, my speech is weak and my tongue is slow.” And again he says, “But I am smoke from the pot.”
1 But what should we say about David, who was well spoken of? God said of him, “I have found a man after My heart, David the son of Jesse. I have anointed him with eternal mercy.”
2 Yet he too says to God, “Have mercy on me, God, according to Your great mercy; and according to Your many acts of compassion blot out my wrongdoing. 3 Wash me still more from my wrongdoing, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my wrongdoing, and my sin is always before me. I sinned against You alone, and I did evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words, and may win when You present Your case. 4 For look, I was conceived in wrongdoing, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. For look, You have loved truth. You have shown me the dark and hidden things of Your wisdom. 5 You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean. You will wash me, and I will become whiter than snow. 6 You will make me hear joy and gladness. The bones which have been humbled will be joyful. 7 Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my wrongdoing. 8 Make a clean heart within me, God, and renew an upright spirit in my innermost parts. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 9 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with a royal spirit. 10 I will teach sinners Your ways, and godless people will turn back to You. 11 Rescue me from bloodguilt, God, the God of my salvation; my tongue will celebrate Your righteousness. 12 Lord, You will open my mouth, and my lips will declare Your praise. 13 For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it. You will take no pleasure in whole burnt offerings. 14 A sacrifice to God is a repentant spirit; God will not despise a repentant and humble heart.”
Let Us Return to Peace
1 So the humility and submission of so many great men, who have been so well spoken of, have through obedience improved not only us but also the generations before us, those who received His words in fear and truth.
2 Since, then, we have shared in many great and glorious deeds, let us hurry back to the goal of peace that has been handed down to us from the beginning, and let us fix our eyes on the Father and Maker of the whole world, and hold on to His splendid and excellent gifts, His peace and benefits. 3 Let us see Him in our mind, and let us look with the eyes of our soul at His patient will. Let us note how free from anger He is toward all His creatures.
The Peace and Harmony of the Universe
1 The heavens are moved by His direction and obey Him in peace. 2 Day and night accomplish the course assigned to them by Him, without hindering each other. 3 The sun and the moon and the dancing stars circle as He has appointed in harmony within the bounds assigned to them, without swerving at all.
4 The earth, bearing fruit in fulfillment of His will at its proper seasons, produces abundant food for people and animals and all living things on it, without dissent and without altering anything He has decreed. 5 Moreover, the depths of the abysses that cannot be explored and the rules of the regions below the earth that cannot be described are governed by the same commands. 6 The basin of the boundless sea, gathered together by His work into its reservoirs, does not pass the barriers that surround it, but does just as He ordered it. 7 For He said, “You will come this far, and your waves shall be broken within you.”
8 The ocean which people cannot cross, and the worlds beyond it, are directed by the same ordinances of the Master. 9 The seasons of spring and summer and autumn and winter give way to one another in turn, in peace. 10 The winds in their various directions fulfill their service at the proper season without disturbance, and the ever-flowing springs, created for enjoyment and health, without fail offer their breasts, which sustain human life. Yes, the smallest of living things come together in harmony and peace.
11 All these things the great Creator and Master of the universe ordered to be in peace and harmony, doing good to all things, but doing far more good to us than to the rest who have taken refuge in His compassionate mercies through our Lord Jesus Christ. 12 Glory and majesty to Him forever and ever. Amen.
Living in a Way That Pleases God
1 Take care, brothers and sisters, that His benefits, which are many, do not turn into judgment for all of us, unless we live worthily of Him and do what is good and pleasing in His sight in harmony. 2 For He says somewhere, “The Spirit of the Lord is a lamp searching the inner chambers of the belly.” 3 Let us see how near He is, and that none of our thoughts or the plans we make escapes Him. 4 It is right, therefore, that we should not desert His will. 5 Let us offend foolish and senseless men who exalt themselves and boast in the arrogance of their words, rather than God.
6 Let us fear the Lord Jesus, whose blood was given for us. Let us respect our rulers. Let us honor our elders. Let us instruct our young men in the lesson of the fear of God. Let us guide our women toward what is good. 7 Let them display their beautiful, pure character. Let them show their sincere and gentle affection. Let them show how they restrain their tongue through their silence. Let them show their love, not in partisan preferences but without partiality toward all who fear God, in holiness. Let our children share in the instruction that is in Christ. 8 Let them learn how humility prevails with God, what power pure love has with God, how the fear of Him is good and great and saves all who walk in it with a pure mind in holiness. 9 For He is the searcher of thoughts and desires. His breath is in us, and when He wills, He will take it away.
1 Now the faith that is in Christ confirms all these things. For He Himself through the Holy Spirit invites us in this way: “Come, my children, listen to Me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 2 Who wants life and loves to see good days? 3 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. 4 Turn away from evil and do good. 5 Seek peace and pursue it. 6 The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are turned to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is upon those who do evil, to wipe out their memory from the earth. 7 The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard him, and rescued him from all his troubles. Many are the troubles of the righteous, and the Lord will rescue him from them all.” 8 And again, “Many are the blows of the sinner, but mercy will surround those who set their hope on the Lord.”
Do Not Doubt That the Lord Will Come
1 The Father, who is merciful in all things, and ready to do good, has compassion on those who fear Him, and kindly and lovingly gives His favors to those who draw near to Him with an undivided mind. 2 Therefore let us not be double-minded, and do not let our soul indulge in empty fantasies about His surpassing and glorious gifts.
3 This scripture should never apply to us. He says, “Miserable are the double-minded, who doubt in their soul and say, ‘We heard these things in the days of our ancestors too, and look, we have grown old, and none of these things has happened to us.’ 4 You fools, compare yourselves to a tree, for example a vine. First it sheds its leaves, then a shoot comes, then a leaf, then a flower, and after these a sour berry, then a fully ripe grape. You see that in a short time the fruit of the tree reaches ripeness.”
5 Truly His will will be accomplished quickly and suddenly. The scripture also bears witness to this, saying, “He will come quickly and will not delay, and the Lord will come suddenly into His temple, the Holy One, whom you expect.”
Nature Shows There Will Be a Resurrection
1 Let us understand, dear friends, how the Master continually shows us the coming resurrection, of which He made the Lord Jesus Christ the firstfruit, when He raised Him from the dead. 2 Let us look, dear friends, at the resurrection that happens at its proper season.
3 Day and night show us the resurrection. The night falls asleep, and day rises. The day leaves, and night comes.
4 Let us notice the crops and see how, and in what way, they are sown. 5 The sower goes out and throws each of the seeds into the earth, and these, falling into the earth dry and bare, decay. Then out of their decay the power of the Master’s providence raises them up, and from one they multiply many times over and bear fruit.
The Phoenix as a Sign of the Resurrection
1 Let us consider the marvelous sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the area around Arabia. 2 There is a bird called the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its kind, lives for five hundred years. When it reaches the end of its life and must die, it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, which it enters when its time has come, and so it dies.
3 But, as the flesh rots, a worm is produced, which is nourished by the moisture of the dead creature and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it picks up the coffin that holds the bones of its parent, and carrying them it travels from the country of Arabia all the way to Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun. 4 And in the daytime, in the sight of all, it flies to the altar of the Sun and lays them on it. After doing this, it starts back.
5 So the priests examine the records of the dates, and they find that it has come when the five hundredth year is completed.
Scripture Promises the Resurrection
1 Do we then think it a great and marvelous thing if the Creator of the universe brings about the resurrection of those who have served Him in holiness, with the assurance of good faith, when He shows us the magnificence of His promise even through a bird?
2 For He says somewhere, “And You will raise me up, and I will praise You,” and, “I went to rest and slept. I was awakened, for You are with me.” 3 And again Job says, “And You will raise up this flesh of mine, which has endured all these things.”
1 With this hope, therefore, let our souls be bound to Him who is faithful in His promises and righteous in His judgments. 2 Since He commanded us not to lie, He will certainly not lie Himself, for nothing is impossible with God except to lie. 3 Therefore let our faith in Him be kindled within us, and let us understand that all things are near to Him.
4 By a word of His majesty He formed the universe; and by a word He can destroy it. 5 Who will say to Him, “What have You done?” or who will resist His great strength? When He wills, and as He wills, He will do all things, and none of the things He has decreed will pass away. 6 All things are in His sight, and nothing escapes His plans.
7 For “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day speaks a word to day, and night proclaims knowledge to night, and there are no words or speeches whose voices are not heard.”
God Sees Everything
1 Since, then, all things are seen and heard, let us fear Him and abandon the detestable desires for evil deeds, so that we may be shielded by His mercy from the coming judgments. 2 For where can any of us escape from His strong hand? And what world will receive any of those who desert His service?
3 For the holy writing says somewhere, “Where can I go, and where can I hide from Your face? If I go up into heaven, You are there; if I go away to the farthest parts of the earth, there is Your right hand; if I make my bed in the depths, there is Your Spirit.”
4 Where then can anyone go, or where can anyone flee, from Him who embraces the universe?
Come to God with a Pure Heart
1 Let us therefore approach Him in holiness of soul, lifting up pure and undefiled hands to Him, with love toward our gentle and compassionate Father who made us His own chosen portion.
2 For this is what is written: “When the Most High divided the nations, when He dispersed the sons of Adam, He fixed the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, and Israel the measurement of His inheritance.” 3 And in another place He says, “Look, the Lord takes for Himself a nation from among the nations, as a man takes the firstfruits of his threshing floor; and the holy of holies will come out of that nation.”
1 Since, then, we are the special portion of a Holy God, let us do everything that belongs to holiness, giving up slander, detestable and impure embraces, drunkenness and rioting and hateful desires, detestable adultery, hateful pride. 2 For He says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to those who are humble.”
3 Let us therefore be loyal to those to whom grace is given by God. Let us clothe ourselves in harmony, being humble and self-controlled, avoiding all malicious gossip and slander, being justified by works and not by words.
4 For He says, “The one who says much will hear much in return. Does someone who speaks easily think he is righteous? 5 Blessed is a woman’s offspring, whose life is brief. Do not use too many words.”
6 Let our praise come from God rather than ourselves, for God hates those who praise themselves. 7 Let the testimony to our good deeds be given by others, as it was given to our ancestors who were righteous. 8 Boldness and arrogance and daring are for those who are cursed by God; but patience and humility and gentleness are with those who are blessed by God.
How to Receive God’s Blessing
1 Let us therefore hold on to His blessing, and let us see which ways lead to blessing. Let us study the records of the things that have happened from the beginning.
2 Why was our father Abraham blessed? Was it not because he practiced righteousness and truth through faith? 3 Isaac, with confidence, knowing the future, was led as a willing sacrifice. 4 Jacob, with humility, left his land because of his brother and went to Laban and served him, and the twelve tribes of Israel were given to him.
Made Right with God by Faith, Not Works
1 If anyone considers them one by one in sincerity, he will understand the magnificence of the gifts given by Him. 2 For from Jacob come all the priests and Levites who serve at the altar of God; from him comes the Lord Jesus according to the flesh; from him come kings and rulers and governors in the line of Judah; and the rest of his tribes are held in great honor, since God promised, “Your descendants will be like the stars of heaven.” 3 So they were all glorified and made great, not through themselves or their own works or the righteous deeds they did, but through His will.
4 And so we, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or devotion or works that we did in holiness of heart, but through faith, by which the Almighty God justified all men who have lived from the beginning. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
Keep Doing Good Works
1 What then must we do, brothers and sisters? Must we remain idle and avoid doing good, and abandon love? May the Master never allow this to happen to us. But let us hurry with earnestness and zeal to accomplish every good work.
2 For the Creator and Master of the universe Himself takes joy in His works. 3 For by His supremely great power He established the heavens, and in His incomprehensible wisdom He set them in order. And He separated the earth from the water that surrounds it, and He set it firm on the sure foundation of His own will, and He commanded the living creatures that walk on it to exist by His decree. Having first created the sea and the living creatures in it, He enclosed it by His own power.
4 Above all, as the most excellent and greatest work of His intelligence, with His sacred and faultless hands He formed man as the imprint of His own image. 5 For God says, “Let us make man according to our image and according to our likeness.” And God made man. Male and female He made them. 6 So having finished all these things, He praised them and blessed them and said, “Grow and multiply.”
7 We have seen that all the righteous were adorned in good works. Yes, and the Lord Himself adorned Himself with works and was joyful. 8 Since, then, we have this pattern, let us make every effort to conform to His will. Let us do the work of righteousness with all our strength.
God Rewards Good Works
1 The good worker receives the bread earned by his work with confidence, but the lazy and careless one does not dare look his employer in the face. 2 So we must be eager to do good, for all things come from Him. 3 For He forewarns us, saying, “Here is the Lord, and His reward is in front of Him, to repay each person according to their work.” 4 So He urges us to believe in Him with our whole heart, and not to be idle or slack in any good work.
5 Let our boast and our confidence be in Him. Let us submit ourselves to His will. Let us note the whole company of His angels, how they stand by and serve His will.
6 For the scripture says, “Ten thousands of ten thousands stood by Him, and thousands of thousands served Him, and they cried aloud, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Sabaoth; all creation is full of His glory.’”
7 Yes, and let us also, gathered together in harmony and with earnest hearts, cry out to Him earnestly as with one mouth, so that we may share in His great and glorious promises.
8 For He says, “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into a human heart what great things He has prepared for those who patiently wait for Him.”
1 How blessed and marvelous are the gifts of God, dear friends! 2 Life in immortality, splendor in righteousness, truth in boldness, faith in confidence, self-control in holiness! And all these things are within our understanding. 3 What then, do you think, are the things being prepared for those who patiently wait for Him? The Creator and Father of the ages, the All-holy One Himself knows their number and their beauty. 4 Let us therefore strive to be found among the number of those who patiently wait for Him, so that we may share in His promised gifts.
5 But how will this happen, dear friends? It will happen if our mind is fixed on God through faith, if we seek out what is pleasing and acceptable to Him, if we do what fits His faultless will and follow the way of truth, casting off from ourselves all unrighteousness and wrongdoing, greed, quarrels, malice and deceit, gossip and slander, hatred of God, pride and arrogance, conceit and lack of hospitality. 6 For those who do these things are hateful to God, and not only those who do them, but also those who approve of them.
7 For the scripture says, “But to the sinner God said, ‘Why do you declare My ordinances, and take My covenant upon your lips? 8 Yet you hated instruction and threw My words behind you. If you saw a thief you kept company with him, and you chose your share with adulterers. Your mouth multiplied wickedness and your tongue wove deceit. You sat and spoke against your brother, and you placed a stumbling block in your mother’s son’s way. 9 You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought, unrighteous man, that I would be like you. 10 I will convict you and will bring you face to face with yourself. 11 Now understand these things, you who forget God, or He may seize you like a lion, and there will be no one to rescue you. 12 The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and this is the way I will show him the salvation of God.’”
Every Blessing Comes through Christ
1 This is the way, dear friends, in which we found our salvation: Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our offerings, the Guardian and Helper of our weakness.
2 Through Him let us fix our gaze on the heights of the heavens. Through Him we see as in a mirror His faultless and most excellent face. Through Him the eyes of our hearts were opened. Through Him our foolish and darkened mind springs up to the light. Through Him the Master willed that we should taste immortal knowledge. He is the brightness of His majesty and is as much greater than angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent.
3 For it is written, “He makes His angels spirits and His servants a flame of fire.” 4 But of His Son the Master said this: “You are My Son; today I have fathered You. Ask Me, and I will give You the Gentiles as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” 5 And again He says to Him, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
6 Who then are these enemies? Those who are wicked and resist His will.
The Church as an Army and a Body
1 Let us therefore enlist, brothers and sisters, wholeheartedly under His faultless commands.
2 Let us note the soldiers who serve under our rulers, how precisely, how readily, how obediently they carry out the orders given to them. 3 Not all are prefects, nor commanders of thousands, nor commanders of hundreds, nor commanders of fifties, and so on. But each man in his own rank carries out the orders given by the king and the governors.
4 The great cannot exist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a certain blending in all things, and this is useful. 5 Let us take our body as an example. The head without the feet is nothing, and likewise the feet without the head are nothing. Even the smallest parts of our body are necessary and useful for the whole body, but all the parts work together and unite in submission, so that the whole body may be saved.
1 So in our case let the whole body be saved in Christ Jesus, and let each one submit to his neighbor, in keeping with the special gift he was given.
2 Do not let the strong neglect the weak, and let the weak respect the strong. Let the rich give help to the poor, and let the poor give thanks to God, because He has given him someone through whom his needs may be met. Let the wise show his wisdom, not in words, but in good works. The humble person should not testify about himself, but leave it to his neighbor to testify about him. Let the one who is pure in the flesh remain so and not boast, knowing that it is Another who gives him his self-control.
3 Let us consider, brothers and sisters, what material we were made of, who we were and what kind of beings we were when we came into the world, and from what tomb and what darkness He who molded and created us brought us into His world, having prepared His benefits before we were born. 4 Since, then, we have all these things from Him, we should give Him thanks in all things. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
No Reason for Pride
1 Senseless and stupid and foolish and ignorant men jeer and mock at us, wanting to lift themselves up in their own minds.
2 For what power does a mortal have? Or what strength does a child of earth have?
3 For it is written, “There was no form before my eyes. I heard only a breath and a voice. 4 What then? Can a mortal be clean in the sight of the Lord, or can a man be blameless in his works, when He does not trust His servants and finds something corrupt in His angels? 5 No, heaven is not clean in His sight. Go away, then, you who live in houses of clay, the same clay of which we ourselves are made. He struck them like a moth, and between morning and evening they are gone. Because they could not help themselves, they perished. 6 He breathed on them and they died, because they had no wisdom. 7 But call out, if perhaps someone will answer you, or if you will see one of the holy angels. For anger kills the foolish man, and envy kills the one who has gone astray. 8 And I have seen fools putting down roots, but at once their dwelling was consumed. 9 May their sons never be safe. May they be mocked at the gates of people of lower status, and there will be no one to rescue them. For the righteous will eat what is prepared for them; but they themselves will not be rescued from evils.”
God Set an Order for Worship
1 Since, then, these things are clear to us, and we have searched into the depths of the Divine knowledge, we should do everything in order, as the Master has commanded us to perform it at the appointed times.
2 Now He commanded the offerings and services to be performed with care, and not to be done carelessly or in disorder, but at fixed times and seasons. 3 And He Himself fixed, by His supreme will, where He wants them performed and by whom, so that all things, being done with devotion according to His good pleasure, might be acceptable to His will.
4 So those who make their offerings at the appointed seasons are acceptable and blessed, for while they follow the laws of the Master they cannot go wrong. 5 For the high priest has been assigned his proper services, and the priests have been appointed their proper place, and the Levites are given their proper duties. The layperson is bound by the rules for laypeople.
1 Let each of you, brothers and sisters, give thanks to God within his own rank, maintaining a good conscience and not going beyond the appointed rule of his service, but acting properly in every way.
2 The continual daily sacrifices are not offered in every place, brothers and sisters, nor the freewill offerings, nor the sin offerings and the trespass offerings, but in Jerusalem alone. And even there the offering is not made in every place, but before the sanctuary in the court of the altar, and this too through the high priest and the ministers already mentioned, after the animal to be offered has been inspected for blemishes.
3 So those who do anything against the proper rule of His will receive death as the penalty. 4 You see, brothers and sisters, the greater the knowledge that has been granted to us, the greater the danger we are exposed to.
The Apostles Appointed Bishops and Deacons
1 The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was sent out from God. 2 So then Christ is from God, and the Apostles are from Christ. So both came from the will of God in the appointed order.
3 So they received their orders and were fully assured through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were confirmed in the word of God with the full assurance of the Holy Spirit and went out with the good news that the kingdom of God would come. 4 So, as they preached everywhere in the countryside and in towns, they appointed their firstfruits, when they had tested them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons for those who would believe.
5 And this was nothing new, for indeed it had been written about bishops and deacons from very ancient times. For the scripture says somewhere, “I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith.”
Moses Settles the Dispute over the Priesthood
1 And is it any wonder that those who were entrusted in Christ with such a work by God appointed the persons already mentioned? For even the blessed Moses who was a faithful servant in all His house recorded as a sign in the sacred books everything he was commanded. And the rest of the prophets followed him, bearing witness with him to the laws he had laid down.
2 For when jealousy arose over the priesthood, and the tribes were disputing which of them was adorned with the glorious name, he commanded the twelve chiefs of the tribes to bring him rods inscribed with the name of each tribe. And he took them and tied them and sealed them with the signet rings of the chiefs of the tribes, and put them away in the tabernacle of the testimony on the table of God. 3 After closing the tabernacle, he sealed the keys and the doors as well.
4 And he said to them, “Brothers, the tribe whose rod buds is the one God has chosen to be priests and ministers to Him.”
5 Now when morning came, he called together all Israel, the six hundred thousand men, and showed the seals to the chiefs of the tribes and opened the tabernacle of the testimony and took out the rods. And the rod of Aaron was found not only with buds, but also bearing fruit.
6 What do you think, dear friends? Did Moses not know beforehand that this would happen? Certainly he knew it. But he did this so that disorder would not arise in Israel, and so that the Name of the true and only God might be glorified. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
The Apostles Provided for Successors
1 And our Apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be conflict over the name of the office of bishop. 2 For this reason, with complete foreknowledge, they appointed the persons already mentioned, and afterward they provided that, if these men fell asleep, other approved men would succeed them in their ministry. So the men we consider unjustly removed from their ministry are those who were appointed by them, or afterward by other reputable men with the consent of the whole Church, and have served blamelessly to the flock of Christ in humility, peacefully and with all modesty, and for a long time have been well spoken of by all.
3 For it will be a great sin for us if we remove those who have offered the gifts of the bishop’s office blamelessly and in holiness. 4 Blessed are those presbyters who have gone before, since their departure was fruitful and ripe; for they have no fear that anyone will remove them from their appointed place. 5 For we see that you have displaced some people, though they were living honorably, from the ministry they had honored blamelessly.
Only the Wicked Persecute the Righteous
1 Be contentious, brothers and sisters, and jealous about the things that concern salvation. 2 You have searched the scriptures, which are true, which were given through the Holy Spirit. 3 And you know that nothing unrighteous or counterfeit is written in them. You will not find that righteous persons have been driven out by holy men.
4 Righteous men were persecuted, but it was by the lawless. They were imprisoned, but it was by the unholy. They were stoned by wrongdoers. They were killed by those who had conceived a detestable and unrighteous jealousy. 5 Suffering these things, they endured nobly.
6 For what should we say, brothers and sisters? Was Daniel thrown into the lions’ den by those who feared God? 7 Or were Hananiah and Azariah and Mishael shut in the fiery furnace by those who practiced the excellent and glorious worship of the Most High? We should never think so. Who then did these things? Detestable men, full of all wickedness, were stirred up to such a pitch of anger that they brought cruel suffering on those who served God with a holy and blameless purpose, not knowing that the Most High is the champion and protector of those who serve His excellent Name with a pure conscience. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
8 But those who endured patiently in confidence inherited glory and honor. They were exalted, and had their names recorded by God in their memorial forever and ever. Amen.
Stay Close to the Righteous and End the Division
1 So we too, brothers and sisters, ought to cling to examples such as these. 2 For it is written, “Be loyal to the saints, for those who are loyal to them will be sanctified.” 3 And again He says in another place, “With the innocent person you will be innocent, and with the chosen you will be chosen, and with the crooked you will act crookedly.” 4 Let us therefore cling to the innocent and righteous, who are God’s chosen.
5 Why are there quarrels and outbursts of anger and factions and divisions and war among you? 6 Do we not have one God and one Christ and one Spirit of grace that was poured upon us? And is there not one calling in Christ? 7 Why do we tear and rip apart the members of Christ, and stir up factions against our own body, and become so foolish that we forget that we are members of one another?
8 Remember the words of Jesus our Lord, for He said, “How terrible for that man! It would have been good for him if he had not been born, rather than cause one of My elect to stumble. It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around him and be thrown into the sea than to lead astray one of My elect.”
9 Your division has led many astray. It has brought many to despair, many to doubt, and all of us to sorrow. And your rebellion still continues.
This Division Is Worse than the One in Paul’s Time
1 Pick up the letter of the blessed Paul the Apostle. 2 What did he first write to you at the beginning of the Gospel? 3 Truly he instructed you in the Spirit about himself and Cephas and Apollos, because even then you had formed factions. 4 Yet forming those factions brought less sin on you, for you were partisans of highly respected Apostles, and of a man approved in their sight.
5 But now notice which people have led you astray and diminished the glory of your renowned love for the community of brothers and sisters. 6 It is shameful, dear friends, yes, utterly shameful and unworthy of your conduct in Christ, that it should be reported that the very steadfast and ancient Church of the Corinthians, for the sake of one or two people, is rebelling against its presbyters. 7 And this report has reached not only us, but also those who differ from us, so that you even heap blasphemies on the Name of the Lord because of your foolishness, and also create danger for yourselves.
Return to Love for One Another
1 Let us therefore root this out quickly, and let us fall down before the Master and plead tearfully with Him, so that He may show us mercy and be reconciled to us, and may restore us to the proper and pure conduct that belongs to our love of the brothers and sisters.
2 For this is a gate of righteousness that opens into life, as it is written, “Open the gates of righteousness for me, so that I may enter through them and proclaim the Lord. 3 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter through it.”
4 So, with many gates open, this is the gate of righteousness, the one that is in Christ; blessed are all who have entered through it and direct their path in holiness and righteousness, doing all things without confusion.
5 Let a person be faithful, let him be able to explain a deep saying, let him be wise in judging words, let him act energetically, let him be pure. 6 For the greater he appears, the more humble he should be, and he should to seek the common good of all, and not his own.
In Praise of Love
1 Let the one who has love in Christ fulfill the commandments of Christ. 2 Who can describe the bond of God’s love? 3 Who is able to describe the majesty of its beauty? 4 The height to which love lifts us is beyond words.
5 Love joins us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love endures all things, is patient in all things. There is nothing coarse, nothing arrogant in love. Love has no divisions, love does not rebel, love does all things in harmony. In love all the elect of God were made perfect. Without love nothing is pleasing to God.
6 In love the Master took us to Himself. Because of the love He had for us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God, and His flesh for our flesh and His life for our lives.
1 You see, dear friends, how great and marvelous a thing love is, and its perfection is beyond description.
2 Who can be found in it, except those to whom God grants it? Let us therefore plead with Him and ask for His mercy, so that we may be found blameless in love, standing apart from human factions. All the generations from Adam to this day have passed away, but those who by God’s grace were perfected in love live in the home of the devout, and they will be revealed at the visitation of the Kingdom of God.
3 For it is written, “Enter the inner room for a very little while, until My anger and My fury pass away, and I will remember a good day and will raise you from your tombs.”
4 We would be blessed, dear friends, if we obeyed the commandments of God in the harmony of love, so that our sins might be forgiven us through love.
5 For it is written, “Blessed are those whose wrongdoings are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the person against whom the Lord will count no sin, and in whose mouth there is no deceit.”
6 This blessing was pronounced on those who have been chosen by God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.
Those Who Caused the Division Should Confess
1 Let us beg for forgiveness for all the sins we have committed through any of the adversary’s tricks. And those who set themselves up as leaders of faction and division should look to our shared ground of hope. 2 For those who live in fear and love would rather suffer themselves than have their neighbors suffer; and they pronounce condemnation on themselves rather than on the harmony that has been handed down to us nobly and righteously.
3 For it is good for a man to confess his wrongdoings rather than to harden his heart, as the hearts of those who rebelled against Moses the servant of God were hardened. Their condemnation was made plain. 4 For they went down to Hades alive, and Death will be their shepherd. 5 Pharaoh and his army and all the rulers of Egypt, their chariots and their horsemen, were overwhelmed in the depths of the Red Sea and perished for no other reason than that their foolish hearts were hardened after the signs and the wonders had been performed in the land of Egypt by the hand of Moses the servant of God.
1 The Master, brothers and sisters, needs nothing at all. He wants nothing from anyone, except that they confess to Him.
2 For the chosen David says, “I will confess to the Lord, and it will please Him more than a young calf that grows horns and hoofs. Let the poor see it, and rejoice.” 3 And again He says, “Offer God a sacrifice of praise, and fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of your suffering, and I will rescue you, and you will glorify Me.” 4 For a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit.
Moses’ Love for His People
1 For you know, and know well, the sacred scriptures, dear friends, and you have studied God’s words. So we write these things to remind you.
2 When Moses went up into the mountain and had spent forty days and forty nights fasting and humbling himself, God said to him, “Moses, Moses, come down quickly from here, for My people whom you led out of the land of Egypt have done wrong. they have quickly turned aside from the way you commanded them to follow. they have made cast images for themselves.” 3 And the Lord said to him, “I have spoken to you once and twice, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and look, it is stiff-necked.’ Let Me destroy them completely, and I will blot out their name from under heaven, and I will make of you a nation great and wonderful and far more numerous than this one.”
4 And Moses said, “No, not so, Lord! Forgive these people their sin, or blot me also out of the book of the living.”
5 What mighty love! What unsurpassable perfection! The servant is bold with his Master. He asks forgiveness for the multitude, or demands that he himself also be blotted out with them.
Leaving for the Sake of Peace
1 Who among you, then, is noble? Who is compassionate? Who is filled with love?
2 Let him say, “If faction and conflict and divisions exist because of me, I will withdraw, I will go away, wherever you wish, and I will do what is ordered by the people. Just let the flock of Christ be at peace with its duly appointed presbyters.”
3 Whoever does this will win a great reputation for himself in Christ, and every place will welcome him, for the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. 4 This is what those who live as citizens of the kingdom of God, which brings no regrets, have done and will do.
Others Who Sacrificed Themselves for Their People
1 But there are also examples from the Gentiles. Many kings and rulers, when a time of plague pressed on them, guided by oracles, have given themselves over to death, so that they might rescue their fellow citizens through their own blood. Many have withdrawn from their own cities, so that there might be no more rebellions.
2 We know that many among ourselves have voluntarily submitted to chains, so that they might ransom others. Many have sold themselves into slavery, and have used the price paid for themselves to feed others.
3 Many women, strengthened through the grace of God, have performed many deeds of manly courage.
4 The blessed Judith, when the city was besieged, asked the elders to be allowed to go out into the camp of the foreigners. 5 So she exposed herself to danger and went out for love of her country and of her people who were besieged; and the Lord handed Holofernes over into a woman’s hand.
6 Esther also, who was perfect in faith, exposed herself to no less danger, so that she might rescue the twelve tribes of Israel when they were about to perish. For by fasting and humbling herself, she pleaded with the all-seeing Master, the God of the ages. And He, seeing the humility of her soul, rescued the people for whose sake she faced the danger.
Accepting Correction
1 Therefore let us also intercede for those involved in any wrongdoing, so that they may be given patience and humility, so that they may yield not to us, but to the will of God. For in this way the compassionate remembrance of them before God and the saints will be fruitful and perfect for them.
2 Let us accept discipline, which no one should resent, dear friends. The correction we give one another is good and extremely useful, for it joins us to the will of God.
3 For the holy word says, “The Lord has indeed disciplined me, and has not handed me over to death.” 4 “For the Lord corrects the one He loves, and flogs every son He receives.” 5 For it is said, “The righteous will discipline me with mercy and correct me, but do not let the mercy of sinners anoint my head.”
6 And again He says, “Blessed is the man whom the Lord has corrected, and do not refuse the warning of the Almighty. For He causes pain, and He restores. 7 He has struck, and His hands have healed. 8 Six times He will rescue you from suffering and at the seventh no evil will touch you. 9 In famine He will rescue you from death, and in war He will free you from the sword’s arm. 10 And He will hide you from the lash of the tongue, and you will not be afraid when evils approach. 11 You will laugh at the unrighteous and wicked, and you will not be afraid of the wild beasts. 12 For wild beasts will be at peace with you. 13 Then you will know that your house will be at peace, and the dwelling of your tent will not fail. 14 And you will know that your descendants are many, and your children like the abundant grass of the field. 15 And you will come to the grave like ripe grain reaped at the proper season, or like a heap from the threshing floor gathered together at the right time.”
16 You see, dear friends, how great a protection there is for those who are disciplined by the Master, for He is a kind father and disciplines us so that we may receive mercy through His holy discipline.
The Leaders of the Rebellion Must Submit
1 So you who laid the foundation of the rebellion, submit to the presbyters and accept discipline leading to repentance, bending the knees of your heart.
2 Learn to submit, laying aside the arrogant and proud stubbornness of your tongue. For it is better for you to be found small in the flock of Christ and to have your name on God’s roll than to be held in very high honor and yet be cast out from hope in Him.
3 For Wisdom, who is perfectly virtuous, says, “Look, I will pour out a saying from My breath for you, and I will teach you My word. 4 Because I called and you did not obey, and I held out words and you paid no attention, but dismissed My advice and disobeyed My correction, I too will laugh at your destruction, and will be delighted when ruin comes upon you, and when confusion overtakes you suddenly, and your downfall approaches like a whirlwind, or when distress and siege come upon you. 5 For when you call on Me, I will not hear you. Evil people will seek Me and not find Me, for they hated wisdom and did not choose the fear of the Lord, nor would they pay attention to My advice, but mocked My correction. 6 Therefore they will eat the fruits of their own way, and will be filled with their own ungodliness. 7 For because they wronged infants, they will be killed, and an inquiry will destroy the ungodly. But the one who listens to Me will live safely, trusting in hope, and will rest free from all fear of all evil.”
1 Let us therefore be obedient to His most holy and glorious Name, and so escape the threats that were spoken long ago by the mouth of Wisdom against those who disobey, so that we may live safely, trusting in the most holy Name of His majesty.
2 Accept our advice, and you will have no cause for regret. For God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit live. They are the faith and hope of the chosen. As surely as they live, the one who, with humility and earnest gentleness, has without regret carried out the rules and commandments given by God will be enrolled and counted by name among those who are saved through Jesus Christ, through whom glory is given to Him forever and ever. Amen.
1 But if some people disobey the words He spoke through us, let them understand that they will entangle themselves in great wrongdoing and danger.
2 But we will be innocent of this sin. And we will ask, with earnest prayer and pleading, that the Creator of the universe may guard intact to the end the number of His chosen people who have been counted throughout the whole world, through His beloved Son Jesus Christ, through whom He called us from darkness to light, from ignorance to the full knowledge of the glory of His Name.
A Closing Prayer
3 Let us, Lord, set our hope on Your Name which is the original source of all creation.
Open the eyes of our hearts so that we may know You,
who alone remain Highest in the heights, Holy among the holy;
who bring down the arrogance of the proud,
who scatter the plans of nations,
who raise the humble high and bring down the exalted;
who make rich and make poor;
who kill and make alive;
who alone are the Benefactor of spirits and the God of all flesh;
who look into the abysses, who observe human works;
the Helper of those who are in danger, the Savior of those who are in despair;
the Creator and Overseer of every spirit;
who multiply the nations on earth, and have chosen from among all people those who love You through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom You instructed us, sanctified us, honored us.
4 We beg You, Lord and Master, to be our help and support.
Save those among us who are in suffering;
have mercy on the humble;
lift up the fallen;
show Yourself to the needy;
heal the ungodly;
turn back those of Your people who have wandered;
feed the hungry;
release our prisoners;
raise up the weak;
encourage those losing heart.
Let all the Gentiles know that You are God alone, and Jesus Christ is Your Son, and we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.
1 You made the everlasting structure of the world visible through Your works. You, Lord, created the earth.
You who are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in Your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence, You who are wise in creating and prudent in establishing what You have made, who are good in what is visible and faithful to those who trust in You,
merciful and compassionate, forgive us our wrongdoings and our unjust acts and our offenses and shortcomings.
2 Do not count against us every sin of Your male servants and Your female servants, but cleanse us with the cleansing of Your truth, and guide our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and sincerity of heart, and to do what is good and pleasing in Your sight and in the sight of our rulers.
3 Yes, Lord, make Your face shine upon us in peace for our good, so that we may be sheltered by Your mighty hand and rescued from every sin by Your uplifted arm. And rescue us from those who hate us unjustly.
4 Give harmony and peace to us and to all who live on the earth, as You gave to our ancestors when they called on You in faith and truth with holiness, so that we may be saved while we obey Your almighty and most excellent Name, and our rulers and governors on the earth.
1 You, Lord and Master, have given them the power of sovereignty through Your excellent and indescribable might, so that we, knowing the glory and honor You have given them, may submit to them, not resisting Your will in anything. So grant them, Lord, health, peace, harmony, stability, so that they may administer without fault the government You have given them.
2 For You, heavenly Master, King of the ages, give to human beings glory and honor and power over all things on the earth. Lord, guide their plans according to what is good and pleasing in Your sight, so that, as they exercise the power You have given them with peace, gentleness, and devotion, they may receive Your favor.
3 You who alone are able to do these things, and things far better than these, for us, we praise You through the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ. Through Him, we give You glory and majesty both now and for all generations and forever and ever. Amen.
Summary of the Letter
1 We have written fully to you, brothers and sisters, about the things appropriate to our religion and are most useful for a virtuous life to those who want to guide their steps in holiness and righteousness.
2 For we have touched on every point about faith and repentance and genuine love and self-control and sobriety and patience, reminding you that you should please Almighty God in righteousness and truth and patient restraint with holiness. Lay aside malice and pursue harmony in love and peace, with earnest gentleness, just as our ancestors, whom we mentioned earlier, pleased Him by being humble toward their Father and God and Creator and toward all men.
3 And we have reminded you of these things all the more gladly, since we knew well that we were writing to men who are faithful and highly regarded and have diligently examined the words of God’s teaching.
1 Therefore it is right for us to pay attention to so many great examples, to bow our necks, take our place in obedience, and side with those who lead our souls, so that, by stopping this foolish division, we may reach the goal that lies before us in truthfulness, keeping clear of every fault. 2 For you will give us great joy and gladness if you obey the things written by us through the Holy Spirit, and root out your unrighteous, jealous anger, in keeping with the plea we have made for peace and harmony in this letter.
3 And we have also sent faithful and prudent men who have lived among us blamelessly from youth to old age, who will also be witnesses between you and us. 4 And we have done this so that you may know that our whole concern has been, and still is, that you should quickly be at peace.
A Blessing
1 Finally, may the All-seeing God and Master of spirits and Lord of all flesh, who chose the Lord Jesus Christ, and us through Him to be His own people, grant to every soul that is called by His excellent and holy Name faith, fear, peace, endurance, patient restraint, self-control, purity and sobriety, so that they may be pleasing to His Name through our High Priest and Guardian Jesus Christ. Through Him, glory and majesty, might and honor to God, both now and forever and ever. Amen.
Send Our Messengers Back with News of Peace
1 Now send our messengers Claudius Ephebus and Valerius Bito, together with Fortunatus also, back to us quickly, in peace and with joy, so that they may report all the sooner the peace and harmony that we pray for and earnestly desire, and so that we too may be glad all the sooner about your good order.
2 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and with all people in all places who have been called by God and through Him. Through Him, glory and honor, power and greatness and eternal dominion to God, from past ages and forever and ever. Amen.