to the general assemblyand churchof the firstbornwho are enrolledin heaven,and to God,the Judgeof all,and to the spiritsof [the] righteousmade perfect,
"Farbe it from You to dosucha thing,to slaythe righteouswith the wicked,so that the righteousand the wickedare [treated] alike. Farbe it from You! Shall not the Judgeof allthe earthdealjustly?"
Praisethe LORD!I will givethanksto the LORDwith all[my] heart,In the companyof the uprightand in the assembly.
May they be blottedout of the bookof lifeAnd may they not be recordedwith the righteous.
"I alsoshall makehim [My] firstborn,The highestof the kingsof the earth.
A Godgreatlyfearedin the councilof the holyones,And awesomeaboveallthose who are aroundHim?
Riseup, O Judgeof the earth,Renderrecompenseto the proud.
Beforethe LORD,for He is coming,For He is comingto judgethe earth.He will judgethe worldin righteousnessAnd the peoplesin His faithfulness.
Beforethe LORD,for He is comingto judgethe earth;He will judgethe worldwith righteousnessAnd the peopleswith equity.
"Sanctifyto Me everyfirstborn,the firstoffspringof everywombamong the sonsof Israel,both of manand beast;it belongs to Me."
"But now,ifYou will, forgivetheir sin--and ifnot, pleaseblotme out from Your bookwhichYou have written!"
"Then you shall sayto Pharaoh,'Thussaysthe LORD,"Israelis My son,My firstborn.
then the dustwill returnto the earthas it was, and the spiritwill returnto Godwhogaveit.
"With weepingthey will come,And by supplicationI will leadthem; I will make them walkby streamsof waters,On a straightpathin which they will not stumble;For I ama fatherto Israel,And Ephraimis My firstborn."
"Neverthelessdo not rejoicein this,that the spiritsare subjectto you, but rejoicethat your namesare recordedin heaven."
and He gaveHim authorityto executejudgment,becauseHe is [the] Sonof Man.
"Be on guardfor yourselvesand for allthe flock,amongwhichthe HolySpirithas madeyou overseers,to shepherdthe churchof GodwhichHe purchasedwith His ownblood.
For nowwe seein a mirrordimly,but thenfaceto face;nowI knowin part,but thenI will knowfullyjustas I alsohave been fully known.
Justas we have bornethe imageof the earthy,we will alsobearthe imageof the heavenly.
But whenthisperishablewill have puton the imperishable,and thismortalwill have puton immortality,thenwill comeabout the sayingthat is written,"DEATHIS SWALLOWEDUP in victory.
we are of good courage,I say, and preferratherto be absentfrom the bodyand to be at homewith the Lord.
And He putallthingsin subjectionunderHis feet,and gaveHim as headoverall thingsto the church,
"But he shall acknowledgethe firstborn,the sonof the unloved,by givinghim a doubleportionof allthat he has,for he is the beginningof his strength;to him belongs the rightof the firstborn.
Indeed,true companion,I askyou alsoto helpthesewomenwhohave shared my strugglein [the cause of] the gospel,togetherwith Clementalsoand the restof my fellow workers,whosenamesare in the bookof life.
giving thanksto the Father,who has qualifiedus to sharein the inheritanceof the saintsin Light.
NowI rejoicein my sufferingsfor your sake,and in my fleshI do my shareon behalfof His body,whichis the church,in fillingup whatis lackingin Christ'safflictions.
(but ifa mandoes not know howto managehis ownhousehold,howwill he take careof the churchof God?),
By faithAbelofferedto Goda bettersacrificethanCain,throughwhichhe obtainedthe testimonythat he was righteous,Godtestifyingabouthis gifts,and throughfaith, though he is dead,he stillspeaks.
because Godhad providedsomethingbetterfor us, sothat apartfrom us they would not be made perfect.
saying,"I WILL PROCLAIMYOUR NAMETO MY BRETHREN,IN THE MIDSTOF THE CONGREGATIONI WILL SING YOUR PRAISE."
And inasmuchas it is appointedfor mento dieonceand afterthis[comes] judgment,
In the exercise of His willHe brought us forthby the wordof truth,sothat we would be a kindof first fruitsamong His creatures.
and while being reviled,He did not revile in return;while suffering,He utterednothreats,but kept entrusting[Himself] to Him who judgesrighteously;
Allwho dwellon the earthwill worshiphim, [everyone] whosenamehas not been writtenfrom the foundationof the worldin the bookof lifeof the Lambwho has been slain.
Theseare the ones who have not been defiledwith women,for they have kept themselveschaste.These[are] the ones who followthe LambwhereverHe goes.Thesehave been purchasedfrom amongmenas first fruitsto Godand to the Lamb.
And ifanyone'sname was not foundwrittenin the bookof life,he was throwninto the lakeof fire.
And there was givento eachof them a whiterobe;and they were toldthat they should restfor a littlewhilelonger,until[the number of] their fellow servantsand their brethrenwho were to be killedevenas they had been, would be completedalso.
Whenthe Lamb brokethe fifthseal,I sawunderneaththe altarthe soulsof thosewho had been slainbecauseof the wordof God,and becauseof the testimonywhichthey had maintained;
