6:1For this reason let us go on from the first things about Christ to full growth; not building again that on which it is based, that is, the turning of the heart from dead works, and faith in God, 6:2The teaching of baptisms, and of the putting on of hands, and of the future life of the dead, and of the judging on the last day. 6:3Now we will do this, if God lets us. 6:4As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, 6:5With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, 6:6And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him. 6:7For a land, drinking in the frequent rain and producing good plants for those for whom it is worked, has a blessing from God: 6:8But if it sends up thorns and evil plants, it is of no use and is ready to be cursed; its only end is to be burned. 6:9But, my loved ones, though we say this, we are certain that you have better things in you, things which go with salvation; 6:10For God is true, and will not put away from him the memory of your work and of your love for his name, in the help which you gave and still give to the saints. 6:11And it is our desire that you may all keep the same high purpose in certain hope to the end: 6:12So that you may not be slow in heart, but may take as your example those to whom God has given their heritage, because of their faith and their long waiting. 6:13For when God made his oath to Abraham, because there was no greater oath, he made it by himself, 6:14Saying, Be certain that I will give you my blessing, and make your numbers very great. 6:15And so, when he had been waiting calmly for a long time, God's word to him was put into effect. 6:16For men at all times make their oaths by what is greater; and any argument is ended by the decision of the oath. 6:17So that when it was God's desire to make it specially clear to those who by his word were to have the heritage, that his purpose was fixed, he made it more certain with an oath; 6:18So that we, who have gone in flight from danger to the hope which has been put before us, may have a strong comfort in two unchanging things, in which it is not possible for God to be false; 6:19And this hope is like a strong band for our souls, fixed and certain, and going in to that which is inside the veil; 6:20Where Jesus has gone before us, as a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
7:1For this Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who gave Abraham his blessing, meeting him when he came back after putting the kings to death, 7:2And to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of everything which he had, being first named King of righteousness, and then in addition, King of Salem, that is to say, King of peace; 7:3Being without father or mother, or family, having no birth or end to his life, being made like the Son of God, is a priest for ever. 7:4Now see how great this man was, to whom our father Abraham gave a tenth part of what he had got in the fight. 7:5And it is true that by the law, those of the sons of Levi who have the position of priests may take a tenth part of the people's goods; that is to say, they take it from their brothers though these are the sons of Abraham. 7:6But this man, who was not of their family, took the tenth from Abraham, and gave a blessing to him to whom God had given his undertaking. 7:7But there is no doubt that the less gets his blessing from the greater. 7:8Now at the present time, men over whom death has power take the tenth; but then it was taken by one of whom it is witnessed that he is living. 7:9And we may say that in Abraham, even Levi, who has a right to take the tenth part, gave it; 7:10Because he was still in his father's body when Melchizedek came to him. 7:11Now if it was possible for things to be made complete through the priests of the house of Levi (for the law was given to the people in connection with them), what need was there for another priest who was of the order of Melchizedek and not of the order of Aaron? 7:12Because if the priests are changed, it is necessary to make a change in the law. 7:13For he of whom these things are said comes of another tribe, of which no man has ever made offerings at the altar. 7:14Because it is clear that our Lord comes out of Judah, and Moses said nothing about priests from that tribe. 7:15And this is even more clear if a second priest has come up who is like Melchizedek, 7:16That is to say, not made by a law based on the flesh, but by the power of a life without end: 7:17For it has been witnessed of him, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. 7:18So the law which went before is put on one side, because it was feeble and without profit. 7:19(Because the law made nothing complete), and in its place there is a better hope, through which we come near to God. 7:20And as this is not without the taking of an oath 7:21(For those were made priests without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by him who says of him, The Lord gave his oath, which he will not take back, that you are a priest for ever); 7:22By so much is it a better agreement which we have through Jesus. 7:23And it is true that there have been a great number of those priests, because death does not let them go on for ever; 7:24But this priest, because his life goes on for ever, is unchanging. 7:25So that he is fully able to be the saviour of all who come to God through him, because he is ever living to make prayer to God for them. 7:26It was right for us to have such a high priest, one who is holy and without evil, doing no wrong, having no part with sinners, and made higher than the heavens: 7:27Who has no need to make offerings for sins every day, like those high priests, first for himself, and then for the people; because he did this once and for ever when he made an offering of himself. 7:28The law makes high priests of men who are feeble; but the word of the oath, which was made after the law, gives that position to a Son, in whom all good is for ever complete.
8:1Now of the things we are saying this is the chief point: We have such a high priest, who has taken his place at the right hand of God's high seat of glory in heaven, 8:2As a servant of the holy things and of the true Tent, which was put up by God, not by man. 8:3Now every high priest is given authority to take to God the things which are given and to make offerings; so that it is necessary for this man, like them, to have something for an offering. 8:4If he had been on earth he would not have been a priest at all, because there are other priests who make the offerings ordered by the law; 8:5Being servants of that which is a copy and an image of the things in heaven, as Moses, when he was about to make the Tent, had special orders from God: for, See, he said, that you make everything like the design which you saw in the mountain. 8:6But now his position as priest is higher. because through him God has made a better agreement with man, based on the giving of better things. 8:7For if that first agreement had been as good as possible, there would have been no place for a second. 8:8For, protesting against them, he says, See, the days are coming when I will make a new agreement with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; 8:9Not like the agreement which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand, to be their guide out of the land of Egypt; for they did not keep the agreement with me, and I gave them up, says the Lord. 8:10For this is the agreement which I will make with the people of Israel after those days: I will put my laws into their minds, writing them in their hearts: and I will be their God, and they will be my people: 8:11And there will be no need for every man to be teaching his brother, or his neighbour, saying, This is the knowledge of the Lord: for they will all have knowledge of me, great and small. 8:12And I will have mercy on their evil-doing, and I will not keep their sins in mind. 8:13When he says, A new agreement, he has made the first agreement old. But anything which is getting old and past use will not be seen much longer.
9:1Now the first agreement had its rules of worship, and a holy order. 9:2For the first Tent was made ready, having in it the vessels for the lights and the table and the ordering of the bread; and this is named the holy place. 9:3And inside the second veil was the place which is named the Holy of holies; 9:4Having a vessel of gold in it for burning perfumes, and the ark of the agreement, which was covered with gold and which had in it a pot made of gold for the manna, and Aaron's rod which put out buds, and the stones with the writing of the agreement; 9:5And over it were the winged ones of glory with their wings covering the mercy-seat; about which it is not possible now to say anything in detail. 9:6Now while these things were in existence, the priests went into the first Tent at all times, for prayer and the making of offerings. 9:7But only the high priest went into the second, once a year, not without making an offering of blood for himself and for the errors of the people: 9:8The Holy Spirit witnessing by this that the way into the holy place had not at that time been made open, while the first Tent was still in being; 9:9And this is an image of the present time; when the offerings which are given are not able to make the heart of the worshipper completely clean, 9:10Because they are only rules of the flesh, of meats and drinks and washings, which have their place till the time comes when things will be put right. 9:11But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things of the future, through this greater and better Tent, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this world, 9:12And has gone once and for ever into the holy place, having got eternal salvation, not through the blood of goats and young oxen, but through his blood. 9:13For if the blood of goats and oxen, and the dust from the burning of a young cow, being put on the unclean, make the flesh clean: 9:14How much more will the blood of Christ, who, being without sin, made an offering of himself to God through the Holy Spirit, make your hearts clean from dead works to be servants of the living God? 9:15And for this cause it is through him that a new agreement has come into being, so that after the errors under the first agreement had been taken away by his death, the word of God might have effect for those who were marked out for an eternal heritage. 9:16Because where there is a testament, there has to be the death of the man who made it. 9:17For a testament has effect after death; for what power has it while the man who made it is living? 9:18So that even the first agreement was not made without blood. 9:19For when Moses had given all the rules of the law to the people, he took the blood of goats and young oxen, with water and red wool and hyssop, and put it on the book itself and on all the people, 9:20Saying, This blood is the sign of the agreement which God has made with you. 9:21And the blood was put on the Tent and all the holy vessels in the same way. 9:22And by the law almost all things are made clean with blood, and without blood there is no forgiveness. 9:23For this cause it was necessary to make the copies of the things in heaven clean with these offerings; but the things themselves are made clean with better offerings than these. 9:24For Christ did not go into a holy place which had been made by men's hands as the copy of the true one; but he went into heaven itself, and now takes his place before the face of God for us. 9:25And he did not have to make an offering of himself again and again, as the high priest goes into the holy place every year with blood which is not his; 9:26For then he would have undergone a number of deaths from the time of the making of the world: but now he has come to us at the end of the old order, to put away sin by the offering of himself. 9:27And because by God's law death comes to men once, and after that they are judged; 9:28So Christ, having at his first coming taken on himself the sins of men, will be seen a second time, without sin, by those who are waiting for him, for their salvation.
10:1For the law, being only a poor copy of the future good things, and not the true image of those things, is never able to make the people who come to the altar every year with the same offerings completely clean. 10:2For if this had been possible, would there not have been an end of those offerings, because the worshippers would have been made completely clean and would have been no longer conscious of sins? 10:3But year by year there is a memory of sins in those offerings. 10:4Because it is not possible for the blood of oxen and goats to take away sins. 10:5So that when he comes into the world, he says, You had no desire for offerings, but you made a body ready for me; 10:6You had no joy in burned offerings or in offerings for sin. 10:7Then I said, See, I have come to do your pleasure, O God (as it is said of me in the roll of the book). 10:8After saying, You had no desire for offerings, for burned offerings or offerings for sin (which are made by the law) and you had no pleasure in them, 10:9Then he said, See, I have come to do your pleasure. He took away the old order, so that he might put the new order in its place. 10:10By that pleasure we have been made holy, by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for ever. 10:11And every priest takes his place at the altar day by day, doing what is necessary, and making again and again the same offerings which are never able to take away sins. 10:12But when Jesus had made one offering for sins for ever, he took his place at the right hand of God; 10:13And has been waiting there from that time, till all who are against him are made a foot-rest for his feet. 10:14Because by one offering he has made complete for ever those who are made holy. 10:15And the Holy Spirit is a witness for us: for after he had said, 10:16This is the agreement which I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws in their hearts, writing them in their minds; he said, 10:17And I will keep no more memory of their sins and of their evil-doings. 10:18Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no more offering for sin. 10:19So then, my brothers, being able to go into the holy place without fear, because of the blood of Jesus, 10:20By the new and living way which he made open for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 10:21And having a great priest over the house of God, 10:22Let us go in with true hearts, in certain faith, having our hearts made free from the sense of sin and our bodies washed with clean water: 10:23Let us keep the witness of our hope strong and unshaking, for he is true who has given his word: 10:24And let us be moving one another at all times to love and good works; 10:25Not giving up our meetings, as is the way of some, but keeping one another strong in faith; and all the more because you see the day coming near. 10:26For if we do evil on purpose after we have had the knowledge of what is true, there is no more offering for sins, 10:27But only a great fear of being judged, and of the fire of wrath which will be the destruction of the haters of God. 10:28A man who has gone against the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the word of two or three witnesses: 10:29But will not the man by whom the Son of God has been crushed under foot, and the blood of the agreement with which he was washed clean has been taken as an unholy thing, and who has had no respect for the Spirit of grace, be judged bad enough for a very much worse punishment? 10:30For we have had experience of him who says, Punishment is mine, I will give reward. And again, The Lord will be judge of his people. 10:31We may well go in fear of falling into the hands of the living God. 10:32But give thought to the days after you had seen the light, when you went through a great war of troubles; 10:33In part, in being attacked by angry words and cruel acts, before the eyes of everyone, and in part, in being united with those who were attacked in this way. 10:34For you had pity on those who were in prison, and had joy in the loss of your property, in the knowledge that you still had a better property and one which you would keep for ever. 10:35So do not give up your hope which will be greatly rewarded. 10:36For, having done what was right in God's eyes, you have need of waiting before his word has effect for you. 10:37In a very little time he who is coming will come; he will not be slow. 10:38But the upright man will be living by his faith; and if he goes back, my soul will have no pleasure in him. 10:39But we are not of those who go back to destruction; but of those who have faith even to the salvation of the soul.
11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the sign that the things not seen are true. 11:2For by it our fathers had God's approval. 11:3By faith it is clear to us that the order of events was fixed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made from things which only seem to be. 11:4By faith Abel made a better offering to God than Cain, and he had witness through it of his righteousness, God giving his approval of his offering: and his voice still comes to us through it though he is dead. 11:5By faith Enoch was taken up to heaven so that he did not see death; he was seen no longer, for God took him away: for before he was taken, witness had been given that he was well-pleasing to God: 11:6And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him. 11:7By faith Noah, being moved by the fear of God, made ready an ark for the salvation of his family, because God had given him news of things which were not seen at the time; and through it the world was judged by him, and he got for his heritage the righteousness which is by faith. 11:8By faith Abraham did as God said when he was ordered to go out into a place which was to be given to him as a heritage, and went out without knowledge of where he was going. 11:9By faith he was a wanderer in the land of the agreement, as in a strange land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had a part with him in the same heritage: 11:10For he was looking for the strong town, whose builder and maker is God. 11:11And by faith Sarah herself had power to give birth, when she was very old, because she had faith in him who gave his word; 11:12So that from one man, who was near to death, came children in number as the stars in heaven, or as the sand by the seaside, which may not be numbered. 11:13All these came to their end in faith, not having had the heritage; but having seen it with delight far away, they gave witness that they were wanderers and not of the earth. 11:14For those who say such things make it clear that they are searching for a country for themselves. 11:15And truly if they had kept in mind the country from which they went out, they would have had chances of turning back. 11:16But now their desire is for a better country, that is to say, for one in heaven; and so it is no shame to God to be named their God; for he has made ready a town for them. 11:17By faith Abraham made an offering of Isaac, when he was tested: and he with whom the agreement had been made gave up as an offering the only son of his body, 11:18Of whom it had been said, From Isaac will your seed take their name: 11:19Judging that God was able to give life even to the dead; and because of this he did get him back as if from death. 11:20By faith Isaac, blessing Jacob and Esau, gave news of things to come. 11:21By faith Jacob gave a blessing to the two sons of Joseph, when he was near to death; and gave God worship, supported by his stick. 11:22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, said that the children of Israel would go out of Egypt; and gave orders about his bones. 11:23By faith Moses was kept secretly by his father and mother for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a fair child; and they had no fear of the king's orders. 11:24By faith Moses, when he became a man, had no desire to be named the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 11:25Feeling that it was better to undergo pain with the people of God, than for a short time to have a taste of the pleasures of sin; 11:26Judging a part in the shame of Christ to be better than all the wealth of Egypt; for he was looking forward to his reward. 11:27By faith he went out of Egypt, not being turned from his purpose by fear of the wrath of the king; for he kept on his way, as seeing him who is unseen. 11:28By faith he kept the Passover, and put the sign of the blood on the houses, so that the angel of destruction might not put their oldest sons to death. 11:29By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it had been dry land, though the Egyptians were overcome by the water when they made an attempt to do the same. 11:30By faith the walls of Jericho came down, after they had been circled for seven days. 11:31By faith Rahab, the loose woman, was not put to death with those who had gone against God's orders, because she had taken into her house in peace those sent to see the land. 11:32What more am I to say? For there would not be time to give the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets: 11:33Who through faith overcame kingdoms, did righteousness, got their reward, kept the mouths of lions shut, 11:34Put out the power of fire, got safely away from the edge of the sword, were made strong when they had been feeble, became full of power in war, and put to flight the armies of the nations. 11:35Women had their dead given back to them living; others let themselves be cruelly attacked, having no desire to go free, so that they might have a better life to come; 11:36And others were tested by being laughed at or by blows, and even with chains and prisons: 11:37They were stoned, they were cut up with knives, they were tested, they were put to death with the sword, they went about in sheepskins and in goatskins; being poor and in pain and cruelly attacked, 11:38Wandering in waste places and in mountains and in holes in the rocks; for whom the world was not good enough. 11:39And not one of these got the good things of the agreement, though they all had a good record through faith, 11:40Because God had kept some better thing for us, so that it was not possible for them to become complete without us.
12:1For this reason, as we are circled by so great a cloud of witnesses, putting off every weight, and the sin into which we come so readily, let us keep on running in the way which is marked out for us, 12:2Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power. 12:3Give thought to him who has undergone so much of the hate of sinners against himself, so that you may not be tired and feeble of purpose. 12:4Till now you have not given your blood in your fight against sin: 12:5And you have not kept in mind the word which says to you as to sons, My son, do not make little of the Lord's punishment, and do not give up hope when you are judged by him; 12:6For the Lord sends punishment on his loved ones; everyone whom he takes as his son has experience of his rod. 12:7It is for your training that you undergo these things; God is acting to you as a father does to his sons; for what son does not have punishment from his father? 12:8But if you have not that punishment of which we all have our part, then you are not true sons, but children of shame. 12:9And again, if the fathers of our flesh gave us punishment and had our respect, how much more will we be under the authority of the Father of spirits, and have life? 12:10For they truly gave us punishment for a short time, as it seemed good to them; but he does it for our profit, so that we may become holy as he is. 12:11At the time all punishment seems to be pain and not joy: but after, those who have been trained by it get from it the peace-giving fruit of righteousness. 12:12For this cause let the hands which are hanging down be lifted up, and let the feeble knees be made strong, 12:13And make straight roads for your feet, so that the feeble may not be turned out of the way, but may be made strong. 12:14Let your desire be for peace with all men, and to be made holy, without which no man may see the Lord; 12:15Looking with care to see that no man among you in his behaviour comes short of the grace of God; for fear that some bitter root may come up to be a trouble to you, and that some of you may be made unclean by it; 12:16And that there may not be any evil liver, or any man without respect for God, like Esau, who let his birthright go for a plate of food. 12:17For you have knowledge that even long after, when he was desiring the blessing for his heritage, he was turned away, though he made his request frequently and with weeping; because the past might not be changed. 12:18You have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire, and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind, 12:19And to the sound of a horn, and the voice of words, the hearers of which made request that not a word more might be said to them: 12:20For the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast is to be stoned, seemed hard to them; 12:21And the vision was so overpowering that even Moses said, I am shaking and full of fear. 12:22But you have come to the mountain of Zion, to the place of the living God, to the Jerusalem which is in heaven, and to an army of angels which may not be numbered, 12:23To the great meeting and church of the first of those who are named in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of good men made complete, 12:24And to Jesus by whom the new agreement has been made between God and man, and to the sign of the blood which says better things than Abel's blood. 12:25See that you give ear to his voice which comes to you. For if those whose ears were shut to the voice which came to them on earth did not go free from punishment, what chance have we of going free if we give no attention to him whose voice comes from heaven? 12:26Whose voice was the cause of the shaking of the earth; but now he has made an oath, saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of heaven. 12:27And the words, Still one more, make it clear that there will be a taking away of those things which are shaking, as of things which are made, so that there may be only those things of which no shaking is possible. 12:28If then, we have a kingdom which will never be moved, let us have grace, so that we may give God such worship as is pleasing to him with fear and respect: 12:29For our God is an all-burning fire.
13:1Go on loving your brothers in the faith. 13:2Take care to keep open house: because in this way some have had angels as their guests, without being conscious of it. 13:3Keep in mind those who are in chains, as if you were chained with them, and those who are in trouble, as being yourselves in the body. 13:4Let married life be honoured among all of you and not made unclean; for men untrue in married life will be judged by God. 13:5Be free from the love of money and pleased with the things which you have; for he himself has said, I will be with you at all times. 13:6So that we say with a good heart, The Lord is my helper; I will have no fear: what is man able to do to me? 13:7Keep in mind those who were over you, and who gave you the word of God; seeing the outcome of their way of life, let your faith be like theirs. 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. 13:9Do not be turned away by different strange teachings, because it is good for your hearts to be made strong by grace, and not by meats, which were of no profit to those who took so much trouble over them. 13:10We have an altar from which those priests who are servants in the Tent may not take food. 13:11For the bodies of the beasts whose blood is taken into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the circle of the tents. 13:12For this reason Jesus was put to death outside the walls, so that he might make the people holy by his blood. 13:13Let us then go out to him outside the circle of the tents, taking his shame on ourselves. 13:14For here we have no fixed resting-place, but our search is for the one which is to come. 13:15Let us then make offerings of praise to God at all times through him, that is to say, the fruit of lips giving witness to his name. 13:16But go on doing good and giving to others, because God is well-pleased with such offerings. 13:17Give ear to those who are rulers over you, and do as they say: for they keep watch over your souls, ready to give an account of them; let them be able to do this with joy and not with grief, because that would be of no profit to you. 13:18Make prayers for us, for we are certain that our hearts are free from the sense of sin, desiring the right way of life in all things. 13:19I make this request more strongly, in the hope of coming back to you more quickly. 13:20Now may the God of peace, who made that great keeper of his flock, even our Lord Jesus, come back from the dead through the blood of the eternal agreement, 13:21Make you full of every good work and ready to do all his desires, working in us whatever is pleasing in his eyes through Jesus Christ; and may the glory be given to him for ever and ever. So be it. 13:22But, brothers, take kindly the words which I have said for your profit; for I have not sent you a long letter. 13:23Our brother Timothy has been let out of prison; and if he comes here in a short time, he and I will come to you together. 13:24Give words of love from me to those who are rulers over you, and to all the saints. Those who are in Italy send you their love. 13:25May grace be with you all.
James
1:1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends words of love to the twelve tribes of the Jews living in all parts of the earth. 1:2Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort; 1:3Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope; 1:4But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing. 1:5But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him. 1:6Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind. 1:7Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord; 1:8For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways. 1:9But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up; 1:10But the man of wealth, that he is made low; because like the flower of the grass he will come to his end. 1:11For when the sun comes up with its burning heat, the grass gets dry and the grace of its form is gone with the falling flower; so the man of wealth comes to nothing in his ways. 1:12There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him. 1:13Let no man say when he is tested, I am tested by God; for it is not possible for God to be tested by evil, and he himself puts no man to such a test: 1:14But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire. 1:15Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death. 1:16Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers. 1:17Every good and true thing is given to us from heaven, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or any shade made by turning. 1:18Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made. 1:19You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry; 1:20For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man. 1:21For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation. 1:22But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas. 1:23Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass; 1:24For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like. 1:25But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts. 1:26If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value. 1:27The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.
2:1My brothers, if you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, do not take a man's position into account. 2:2For if a man comes into your Synagogue in fair clothing and with a gold ring, and a poor man comes in with dirty clothing, 2:3And you do honour to the man in fair clothing and say, Come here and take this good place; and you say to the poor man, Take up your position there, or be seated at my feet; 2:4Is there not a division in your minds? have you not become judges with evil thoughts? 2:5Give ear, my dear brothers; are not those who are poor in the things of this world marked out by God to have faith as their wealth, and for their heritage the kingdom which he has said he will give to those who have love for him? 2:6But you have put the poor man to shame. Are not the men of wealth rulers over you? do they not take you by force before their judges? 2:7Do they not say evil of the holy name which was given to you? 2:8But if you keep the greatest law of all, as it is given in the holy Writings, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself, you do well: 2:9But if you take a man's position into account, you do evil, and are judged as evil-doers by the law. 2:10For anyone who keeps all the law, but makes a slip in one point, is judged to have gone against it all. 2:11For he who said, Do not be untrue in married life, is the same who said, Put no man to death. Now if you are not untrue in married life, but you put a man to death, the law is broken. 2:12Let your words and your acts be those of men who are to be judged by the law which makes free. 2:13For the man who has had no mercy will be judged without mercy, but mercy takes pride in overcoming judging. 2:14What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation? 2:15If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food, 2:16And one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm and full of food; but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this? 2:17Even so faith without works is dead. 2:18But a man may say, You have faith and I have works; let me see your faith without your works, and I will make my faith clear to you by my works. 2:19You have the belief that God is one, and you do well: the evil spirits have the same belief, shaking with fear. 2:20Do you not see, O foolish man, that faith without works is of no use? 2:21Was not the righteousness of Abraham our father judged by his works, when he made an offering of Isaac his son on the altar? 2:22You see that his faith was helping his works and was made complete by them; 2:23And the holy Writings were put into effect which said, And Abraham had faith in God and it was put to his account as righteousness; and he was named the friend of God. 2:24You see that a man's righteousness is judged by his works and not by his faith only. 2:25And in the same way, was not the righteousness of Rahab, the loose woman, judged by her works, when she took into her house those who were sent and let them go out by another way? 2:26For as the body without the spirit is dead even so faith without works is dead.
3:1Do not all be teachers, my brothers, because we teachers will be judged more hardly than others. 3:2For we all go wrong in a number of things. If a man never makes a slip in his talk, then he is a complete man and able to keep all his body in control. 3:3Now if we put bits of iron into horses' mouths so that they may be guided by us, we have complete control of their bodies. 3:4And again ships, though they are so great and are moved by violent winds, are turned by a very small guiding-blade, at the impulse of the man who is using it. 3:5Even so the tongue is a small part of the body, but it takes credit for great things. How much wood may be lighted by a very little fire! 3:6And the tongue is a fire; it is the power of evil placed in our bodies, making all the body unclean, putting the wheel of life on fire, and getting its fire from hell. 3:7For every sort of beast and bird and every living thing on earth and in the sea has been controlled by man and is under his authority; 3:8But the tongue may not be controlled by man; it is an unresting evil, it is full of the poison of death. 3:9With it we give praise to our Lord and Father; and with it we put a curse on men who are made in God's image. 3:10Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not right for these things to be so. 3:11Does the fountain send from the same outlet sweet and bitter water? 3:12Is a fig-tree able to give us olives, my brothers, or do we get figs from a vine, or sweet water from the salt sea? 3:13Who has wisdom and good sense among you? let him make his works clear by a life of gentle wisdom. 3:14But if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true. 3:15This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One. 3:16For where envy is, and the desire to get the better of others, there is no order, but every sort of evil-doing. 3:17But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is. 3:18And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace for those who make peace.
4:1What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies? 4:2You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it. 4:3You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure. 4:4O you who are false to God, do you not see that the friends of this world are not God's friends? Every man desiring to be a friend of this world makes himself a hater of God. 4:5Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us? 4:6But he gives more grace. So that the Writings say, God is against the men of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low before him. 4:7For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to flight before you. 4:8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Make your hands clean, you evil-doers; put away deceit from your hearts, you false in mind. 4:9Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief. 4:10Make yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him. 4:11Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge. 4:12There is only one judge and law-giver, even he who has the power of salvation and of destruction; but who are you to be your neighbour's judge? 4:13How foolish it is to say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this town, and be there for a year and do business there and get wealth: 4:14When you are not certain what will take place tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist, which is seen for a little time and then is gone. 4:15But the right thing to say would be, If it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this and that. 4:16But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil. 4:17The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
5:1Come now, you men of wealth, give yourselves to weeping and crying because of the bitter troubles which are coming to you. 5:2Your wealth is unclean and insects have made holes in your clothing. 5:3Your gold and your silver are wasted and their waste will be a witness against you, burning into your flesh. You have put by your store in the last days. 5:4See, the money which you falsely kept back from the workers cutting the grass in your field, is crying out against you; and the cries of those who took in your grain have come to the ears of the Lord of armies. 5:5You have been living delicately on earth and have taken your pleasure; you have made your hearts fat for a day of destruction. 5:6You have given your decision against the upright man and have put him to death. He puts up no fight against you. 5:7Go on waiting calmly, my brothers, till the coming of the Lord, like the farmer waiting for the good fruit of the earth till the early and late rains have come. 5:8Be as calm in your waiting; let your hearts be strong: because the coming of the Lord is near. 5:9Say no hard things against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged; see, the judge is waiting at the doors. 5:10Take as an example of pain nobly undergone and of strength in trouble, the prophets who gave to men the words of the Lord. 5:11We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end. 5:12But most of all, my brothers, do not take oaths, not by the heaven, or by the earth, or by any other thing: but let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No: so that you may not be judged. 5:13Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise. 5:14Is anyone among you ill? let him send for the rulers of the church; and let them say prayers over him, putting oil on him in the name of the Lord. 5:15And by the prayer of faith the man who is ill will be made well, and he will be lifted up by the Lord, and for any sin which he has done he will have forgiveness. 5:16So then, make a statement of your sins to one another, and say prayers for one another so that you may be made well. The prayer of a good man is full of power in its working. 5:17Elijah was a man of flesh and blood as we are, and he made a strong prayer that there might be no rain; and there was no rain on the earth for three years and six months. 5:18And he made another prayer, and the heaven sent down rain and the earth gave her fruit. 5:19My brothers, if one of you has gone out of the way of the true faith and another has made him see his error, 5:20Be certain that he through whom a sinner has been turned from the error of his way, keeps a soul from death and is the cause of forgiveness for sins without number.
1 Peter
1:1Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the saints who are living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 1:2Who, through the purpose of God, have been made holy by the Spirit, disciples of Jesus, made clean by his blood: May you have grace and peace in full measure. 1:3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his great mercy has given us a new birth and a living hope by the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1:4And a heritage fair, holy and for ever new, waiting in heaven for you, 1:5Who, by the power of God are kept, through faith, for that salvation, which will be seen at the last day. 1:6You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways, 1:7So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, though it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honour, at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 1:8To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory: 1:9For so you have the true end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 1:10For the prophets who gave the news of the grace which would come to you, made search with all care for knowledge of this salvation; 1:11Attempting to see what sort of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was pointing to, when it gave witness to the pains which Christ would undergo and the glories which would come after them. 1:12And it was made clear to those prophets that they were God's servants not for themselves but for you, to give you word of the things which have now come to your ears from the preachers of the good news through the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; things which even angels have a desire to see. 1:13So make your minds ready, and keep on the watch, hoping with all your power for the grace which is to come to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 1:14Like children ruled by God, do not go back to the old desires of the time when you were without knowledge: 1:15But be holy in every detail of your lives, as he, whose servants you are, is holy; 1:16Because it has been said in the Writings, You are to be holy, for I am holy. 1:17And if you give the name of Father to him who, judging every man by his acts, has no respect for a man's position, then go in fear while you are on this earth: 1:18Being conscious that you have been made free from that foolish way of life which was your heritage from your fathers, not through a payment of things like silver or gold which come to destruction, 1:19But through holy blood, like that of a clean and unmarked lamb, even the blood of Christ: 1:20Who was marked out by God before the making of the world, but was caused to be seen in these last times for you, 1:21Who through him have faith in God who took him up again from the dead into glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. 1:22And as you have made your souls clean, being ruled by what is true, and loving one another without deceit, see that your love is warm and from the heart: 1:23Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God. 1:24For it is said, All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass becomes dry and the flower dead: 1:25But the word of the Lord is eternal. And this is the word of the good news which was given to you.
2:1So putting away all wrongdoing, and all tricks and deceits and envies and evil talk, 2:2Be full of desire for the true milk of the word, as babies at their mothers' breasts, so that you may go on to salvation; 2:3If you have had a taste of the grace of the Lord: 2:4To whom you come, as to a living stone, not honoured by men, but of great and special value to God; 2:5You, as living stones, are being made into a house of the spirit, a holy order of priests, making those offerings of the spirit which are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. 2:6Because it is said in the Writings, See, I am placing a keystone in Zion, of great and special value; and the man who has faith in him will not be put to shame. 2:7And the value is for you who have faith; but it is said for those without faith, The very stone which the builders put on one side, was made the chief stone of the building; 2:8And, A stone of falling, a rock of trouble; the word is the cause of their fall, because they go against it, and this was the purpose of God. 2:9But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven. 2:10In the past you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; then there was no mercy for you, but now mercy has been given to you. 2:11My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul; 2:12Being of good behaviour among the Gentiles; so that though they say now that you are evil-doers, they may see your good works and give glory to God when he comes to be their judge. 2:13Keep all the laws of men because of the Lord; those of the king, who is over all, 2:14And those of the rulers who are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of those who do well. 2:15Because it is God's pleasure that foolish and narrow-minded men may be put to shame by your good behaviour: 2:16As those who are free, not using your free position as a cover for wrongdoing, but living as the servants of God; 2:17Have respect for all, loving the brothers, fearing God, honouring the king. 2:18Servants, take orders from your masters with all respect; not only if they are good and gentle, but even if they are bad-humoured. 2:19For it is a sign of grace if a man, desiring to do right in the eyes of God, undergoes pain as punishment for something which he has not done. 2:20What credit is it if, when you have done evil, you take your punishment quietly? but if you are given punishment for doing right, and take it quietly, this is pleasing to God. 2:21This is God's purpose for you: because Jesus himself underwent punishment for you, giving you an example, so that you might go in his footsteps: 2:22Who did no evil, and there was no deceit in his mouth: 2:23To sharp words he gave no sharp answer; when he was undergoing pain, no angry word came from his lips; but he put himself into the hands of the judge of righteousness: 2:24He took our sins on himself, giving his body to be nailed on the tree, so that we, being dead to sin, might have a new life in righteousness, and by his wounds we have been made well. 2:25Because, like sheep, you had gone out of the way; but now you have come back to him who keeps watch over your souls.
3:1Wives, be ruled by your husbands; so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behaviour of their wives, 3:2When they see your holy behaviour in the fear of God. 3:3Do not let your ornaments be those of the body such as dressing of the hair, or putting on of jewels of gold or fair clothing; 3:4But let them be those of the unseen man of the heart, the ever-shining ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the eyes of God. 3:5And these were the ornaments of the holy women of the past, whose hope was in God, being ruled by their husbands: 3:6As Sarah was ruled by Abraham, naming him lord; whose children you are if you do well, and are not put in fear by any danger. 3:7And you husbands, give thought to your way of life with your wives, giving honour to the woman who is the feebler vessel, but who has an equal part in the heritage of the grace of life; so that you may not be kept from prayer. 3:8Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride: 3:9Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing. 3:10For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit: 3:11And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart. 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 3:13Who will do you any damage if you keep your minds fixed on what is good? 3:14But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness; have no part in their fear and do not be troubled; 3:15But give honour to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you, to give an answer in the fear of the Lord and without pride; 3:16Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame. 3:17Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing. 3:18Because Christ once went through pain for sins, the upright one taking the place of sinners, so that through him we might come back to God; being put to death in the flesh, but given life in the Spirit; 3:19By whom he went to the spirits in prison, preaching to those 3:20Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water: 3:21And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead; 3:22Who has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been put under his rule.
4:1So that as Jesus was put to death in the flesh, do you yourselves be of the same mind; for the death of the flesh puts an end to sin; 4:2So that you may give the rest of your lives in the flesh, not to the desires of men, but to the purpose of God. 4:3Because for long enough, in times past, we have been living after the way of the Gentiles, given up to the desires of the flesh, to drinking and feasting and loose behaviour and unclean worship of images; 4:4And they are wondering that you no longer go with them in this violent wasting of life, and are saying evil things of you: 4:5But they will have to give an account of themselves to him who is ready to be the judge of the living and the dead. 4:6For this was the reason why the good news of Jesus was given even to the dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but might be living before God in the spirit. 4:7But the end of all things is near: so be serious in your behaviour and keep on the watch with prayer; 4:8And most of all be warm in your love for one another; because in love there is forgiveness for sins without number: 4:9Keep open house for all with a glad heart; 4:10Making distribution among one another of whatever has been given to you, like true servants of the unmeasured grace of God; 4:11If anyone has anything to say, let it be as the words of God; if anyone has the desire to be the servant of others, let him do it in the strength which is given by God; so that in all things God may have the glory through Jesus Christ, whose are the glory and the power for ever. 4:12Dear brothers, do not be surprised, as if it was something strange, if your faith is tested as by fire: 4:13But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy. 4:14If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you. 4:15Let no one among you undergo punishment as a taker of life, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as one who is over-interested in other men's business; 4:16But if he undergoes punishment as a Christian, that is no shame to him; let him give glory to God in this name. 4:17For the time has come for the judging, starting with the church of God; but if it makes a start with us, what will be the end of those who are not under the rule of God? 4:18And if it is hard for even the good man to get salvation, what chance has the man without religion or the sinner? 4:19For this reason let those who by the purpose of God undergo punishment, keep on in well-doing and put their souls into the safe hands of their Maker.
5:1I who am myself one of the rulers of the church, and a witness of the death of Christ, having my part in the coming glory, send this serious request to the chief men among you: 5:2Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind; 5:3Not as lords over God's heritage, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 5:4And at the coming of the chief Keeper of the sheep, you will be given the eternal crown of glory. 5:5And in the same way, let the younger men be ruled by the older ones. Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low. 5:6For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up; 5:7Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you. 5:8Be serious and keep watch; the Evil One, who is against you, goes about like a lion with open mouth in search of food; 5:9Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles. 5:10And after you have undergone pain for a little time, the God of all grace who has given you a part in his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself give you strength and support, and make you complete in every good thing; 5:11His is the power for ever. So be it. 5:12I have sent you this short letter by Silvanus, a true brother, in my opinion; comforting you and witnessing that this is the true grace of God; keep to it. 5:13She who is in Babylon, who has a part with you in the purpose of God, sends you her love; and so does my son Mark. 5:14Give one another the kiss of love. Peace be to you all in Christ.