Pay close attentionto yourselfand to your teaching;perseverein these things,for as you dothisyou will ensure salvationbothfor yourselfand for thosewho hearyou.
"Considernow,for the LORDhas chosenyou to builda housefor the sanctuary;be courageousand act."
He saidto the judges,"Considerwhatyou are doing,for you do not judgefor manbut for the LORDwho is with you when you renderjudgment.
"Now concerning everythingwhichI have saidto you, be on your guard;and do not mentionthe nameof othergods,norlet [them] be heardfrom your mouth.
Sowill My wordbe whichgoesforthfrom My mouth;It will not returnto Me empty,WithoutaccomplishingwhatI desire,And without succeeding[in the matter] for whichI sentit.
"But ifthey had stoodin My council,Then they would have announcedMy wordsto My people,And would have turnedthem backfrom their evilwayAnd from the evilof their deeds.
"But be on your guard;for they will deliveryou to [the] courts,and you will be floggedin [the] synagogues,and you will standbeforegovernorsand kingsfor My sake,as a testimonyto them.
"Be on guard,sothat your heartswill not be weighted downwith dissipationand drunkennessand the worriesof life,and that daywill not comeon you suddenlylikea trap;
"So,having obtainedhelpfrom God,I standto thisdaytestifyingbothto smalland great,statingnothingbut whatthe Prophetsand Mosessaidwas goingto take place;
"But we will devote ourselvesto prayerand to the ministryof the word."
ifsomehowI might move to jealousymy fellow countrymenand savesomeof them.
NowI urgeyou, brethren,keep your eyeon thosewho causedissensionsand hindrancescontraryto the teachingwhichyou learned,and turn awayfrom them.
to thosewho by perseverancein doinggoodseekfor gloryand honorand immortality,eternallife;
For sincein the wisdomof Godthe worldthroughits wisdomdid not [come to] knowGod,Godwas well-pleasedthroughthe foolishnessof the message preachedto savethosewho believe.
To the weakI becameweak,that I might winthe weak;I have becomeallthings to all men,sothat I may by all meanssavesome.
but I disciplinemy bodyand make it my slave,so that, after I have preachedto others,I myselfwill not be disqualified.
As a result,we are no longerto be children,tossed here and there by wavesand carried aboutby everywindof doctrine,by the trickeryof men,by craftinessin deceitfulscheming;
Sayto Archippus,"Take heedto the ministrywhichyou have receivedin the Lord,that you may fulfillit."
hinderingus from speakingto the Gentilessothat they may be saved;with the result that they alwaysfill up the measureof their sins.But wrathhas comeupon them to the utmost.
As I urgedyou upon my departurefor Macedonia,remainon at Ephesussothat you may instructcertain mennot to teach strange doctrines,
Take painswith these things;be [absorbed] in them, sothat your progresswill be evidentto all.
In pointingout these thingsto the brethren,you will be a goodservantof ChristJesus,[constantly] nourishedon the wordsof the faithand of the sounddoctrinewhichyou have been following.
For thisreasonI endureall thingsfor the sakeof thosewho are chosen,sothat they alsomay obtainthe salvationwhich is in ChristJesus[and] with [it] eternalglory.
You, however,continuein the thingsyou have learnedand become convincedof, knowingfrom whomyou have learned[them],
preachthe word;be readyin season[and] out of season;reprove,rebuke,exhort,with greatpatienceand instruction.
holding fastthe faithfulwordwhich is in accordancewith the teaching,sothat he will be ablebothto exhortin sounddoctrineand to refutethosewho contradict.
These thingsspeakand exhortand reprovewith allauthority.Let no onedisregardyou.
in all thingsshowyourselfto be an exampleof gooddeeds,[with] purityin doctrine,dignified,
I, Paul,am writingthis with my ownhand,I will repayit (not to mentionto you that you oweto me evenyour own selfas well).
Seeto it that noonecomes shortof the graceof God;that norootof bitternessspringingup causes trouble,and by it manybe defiled;
Do not be carried awayby variedand strangeteachings;for it is goodfor the heartto be strengthenedby grace,not by foods,throughwhichthosewho were so occupiedwere not benefited.
let him knowthat he who turnsa sinnerfrom the errorof his waywill savehis soulfrom deathand will covera multitudeof sins.
