Nowthesewere more noble-mindedthan thosein Thessalonica,for they receivedthe wordwith greateagerness,examiningthe Scripturesdaily[to see] whetherthese thingswere so.
"I have not departedfrom the commandof His lips;I have treasuredthe wordsof His mouthmorethanmy necessaryfood.
I understandmorethanthe aged,BecauseI have observedYour precepts.
My eyesanticipatethe night watches,That I may meditateon Your word.
O howI loveYour law!It is my meditationallthe day.
A wisemanwill hearand increasein learning,And a man of understandingwill acquirewisecounsel,
"Takemy instructionand not silver,And knowledgeratherthanchoicestgold.
Give[instruction] to a wisemanand he will be stillwiser,Teacha righteousmanand he will increase[his] learning.
Seekfrom the bookof the LORD,and read:Not oneof thesewill be missing;Nonewill lackits mate.For His mouthhas commanded,And His Spirithas gatheredthem.
To the lawand to the testimony!Ifthey do not speakaccording to thisword,it is becausethey havenodawn.
"Yet I plantedyou a choicevine,A completelyfaithfulseed.Howthen have you turnedyourself before Me Into the degenerateshoots of a foreignvine?
"And the one on whom seed was sownon the goodsoil,thisis the man who hearsthe wordand understandsit; whoindeedbears fruitand brings forth,somea hundredfold,somesixty,and somethirty."
justas they were handed downto us by thosewho from the beginningwere eyewitnessesand servantsof the word,
Giveus eachdayour dailybread.
"But Abrahamsaid,'They haveMosesand the Prophets;let them hearthem.'
NowHe saidto them, "Theseare My wordswhichI spoketo you while I was stillwith you, that all thingswhich are writtenaboutMe in the Lawof Mosesand the Prophetsand the Psalmsmustbe fulfilled."
"But he who practicesthe truthcomesto the Light,sothat his deedsmay be manifestedas having beenwroughtin God."
"You searchthe Scripturesbecauseyou thinkthat in them you haveeternallife;it is thesethat testifyaboutMe;
"SoI sentfor you immediately,and you have been kind enoughto come.Nowthen,we are allhere presentbeforeGodto hearallthat you have been commandedby the Lord."
Nowthe apostlesand the brethrenwho were throughoutJudeaheardthat the Gentilesalsohad receivedthe wordof God.
Nowwhen they had traveled throughAmphipolisand Apollonia,they cameto Thessalonica,wherethere was a synagogueof the Jews.
So then,thosewho had receivedhis wordwere baptized;and that daythere were addedaboutthree thousandsouls.
"The secretthingsbelong to the LORDour God,but the thingsrevealedbelong to us and to our sonsforever,that we may observeallthe wordsof thislaw.
You alsobecameimitatorsof us and of the Lord,having receivedthe wordin muchtribulationwith the joyof the HolySpirit,
For thisreasonwe alsoconstantlythankGodthat when you receivedthe wordof Godwhichyou heardfrom us, you accepted[it] not [as] the wordof men,but [for] whatit reallyis, the wordof God,whichalsoperforms its workin you who believe.
and with allthe deceptionof wickednessfor thosewho perish,becausethey did not receivethe loveof the truthsoas to be saved.
Therefore,putting asideallfilthinessand [all] that remainsof wickedness,in humilityreceivethe wordimplanted,which is ableto saveyour souls.
likenewbornbabies,longfor the puremilkof the word,sothat by it you may growin respectto salvation,
