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This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, and the brothers James and John, and led them up a high mountain alone. There his appearance was transformed before their eyes; his face shown like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. All at once Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. âMaster,â exclaimed Peter, interposing, âit is good to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.â While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and there was a voice from the cloud that said â âThis is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy; listen to him.â The disciples, on hearing this, fell on their faces, greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying as he did so, âRise up, and do not be afraid.â When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself alone. As they were going down the mountain side, Jesus gave them this warning â âDo not speak of this vision to anyone, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.â âHow is it,â his disciples asked, âthat our teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?â
âElijah indeed does come,â Jesus replied, âand will restore everything; and I tell you that Elijah has already come, and people have not recognized him, but have treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, too, the Son of Man is destined to undergo suffering at peopleâs hands.â Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, and, kneeling down before him, said, âMaster, take pity on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers terribly; indeed, he often falls into the fire and into the water; I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.â
âFaithless and perverse generation!â Jesus exclaimed, âhow long must I be among you? How long must I have patience with you? Bring the boy here to me.â Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy; and he was cured from that very hour. Afterward the disciples came up to Jesus, and asked him privately, âWhy was it that we could not drive it out?â
âBecause you have so little faith!â he answered, âFor, I tell you, if your faith were only like a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain âMove from this place to that!â and it would be moved; and nothing would be impossible to you.â [Some later manuscripts add: But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. ]
While Jesus and his disciples were together in Galilee, he said to them, âThe Son of Man is destined to be betrayed into human hands, and they will put him to death, but on the third day he will rise.â The disciples were greatly distressed.
After they had reached Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple taz came up to Peter, and said, âDoes not your Master pay the Temple tax?â
âYes,â answered Peter. But, on going into the house, before he could speak, Jesus said, âWhat do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings take taxes or tribute? From their sons, or from others?â âFrom others,â answered Peter. âWell then,â continued Jesus, âtheir sons go free. Still, so we donât offend them, go and throw a line into the sea; take the first fish that rises, open its mouth, and you will find in it a piece of money. Take that, and give it to the collectors for both of us.â (OEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Yahweh said to Moses, âGo in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them; and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your sonâs son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am Yahweh.â
Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, âThis is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: âHow long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one wonât be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathersâ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.ââ He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.
Pharaohâs servants said to him, âHow long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh, their God. Donât you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?â
Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, âGo, serve Yahweh your God; but who are those who will go?â
Moses said, âWe will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh.â
He said to them, âYahweh be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces. Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!â Then they were driven out from Pharaohâs presence.
Yahweh said to Moses, âStretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.â Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again. For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, âI have sinned against Yahweh your God, and against you. Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to Yahweh your God, that he may also take away from me this death.â
Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to Yahweh. Yahweh sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. [âRed Seaâ is the translation for the Hebrew âYam Sufâ, which could be more literally translated âSea of Reedsâ or âSea of Cattailsâ. It refers to the body of water currently known as the Red Sea, or possibly to one of the bodies of water connected to it or near it. ]There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. But Yahweh hardened Pharaohâs heart, and he didnât let the children of Israel go.
Yahweh said to Moses, âStretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.â Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They didnât see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, âGo, serve Yahweh. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.â
Moses said, âYou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God. Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God; and we donât know with what we must serve Yahweh, until we come there.â
But Yahweh hardened Pharaohâs heart, and he wouldnât let them go. Pharaoh said to him, âGet away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!â
Moses said, âYou have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.â (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who donât walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [NU omits âwho donât walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spiritâ ] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law couldnât do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who donât walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God, for it is not subject to Godâs law, neither indeed can it be. Those who are in the flesh canât please God.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesnât have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. For you didnât receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, âAbba! [Abba is an Aramaic word for âFatherâ or âDaddyâ, which can be used affectionately and respectfully in prayer to our Father in heaven. ]Father!â
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs â heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us. For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? But if we hope for that which we donât see, we wait for it with patience.
In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we donât know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which canât be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spiritâs mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [The word for âbrothersâ here and where context allows may also be correctly translated âbrothers and sistersâ or âsiblings.â ] Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.
What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who didnât spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? Who could bring a charge against Godâs chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written,
âFor your sake we are killed all day long.
We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.â (Psalm 44:22 )
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from Godâs love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (WEB)
Romans 8:1, 14: Romans 8:1, 14
Romans 8:28-39: Romans 8:28-39 (adapted)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into Godâs love and into the perseverance of Christ.
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion and not after the tradition which they received from us. For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didnât behave ourselves rebelliously among you, neither did we eat bread from anyoneâs hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we donât have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: âIf anyone is not willing to work, donât let him eat.â For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who donât work at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.
But you, brothers, donât be weary in doing what is right. If any man doesnât obey our word in this letter, note that man and have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. Donât count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Moreover Yahweh answered Job,
âShall he who argues contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.â
Then Job answered Yahweh,
âBehold, I am of small account. What will I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.â
Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind:
âNow brace yourself like a man.
I will question you, and you will answer me.
Will you even annul my judgment?
Will you condemn me, that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God?
Can you thunder with a voice like him?
âNow deck yourself with excellency and dignity.
Array yourself with honor and majesty.
Pour out the fury of your anger.
Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.
Look at everyone who is proud, and humble him.
Crush the wicked in their place.
Hide them in the dust together.
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
Then I will also admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
âSee now behemoth, which I made as well as you.
He eats grass as an ox.
Look now, his strength is in his thighs.
His force is in the muscles of his belly.
He moves his tail like a cedar.
The sinews of his thighs are knit together.
His bones are like tubes of bronze.
His limbs are like bars of iron.
He is the chief of the ways of God.
He who made him gives him his sword.
Surely the mountains produce food for him,
where all the animals of the field play.
He lies under the lotus trees,
in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.
The lotuses cover him with their shade.
The willows of the brook surround him.
Behold, if a river overflows, he doesnât tremble.
He is confident, though the Jordan swells even to his mouth.
Shall any take him when he is on the watch,
or pierce through his nose with a snare?
(WEB)
This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
Lá´Ęá´ our God!
How glorious in all the earth is your name!
Your praise reaches as high as the heavens,
from the mouths of children and infants.
You have built a fortress
against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the rebel.
When I look at your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set there,
what are mortals,
that you think of them,
humans,
that you visit them?
Yet you made them little less than divine,
crowned them with glory and majesty,
made them lord of the works of your hands,
put all things under their feet â
sheep and oxen,
all of them;
and the wild beasts also:
birds of the air,
and fish of the sea,
and all that crosses the paths of the ocean.
Lá´Ęá´ our God!
How glorious in all the earth is your name!
(OEB)
Psalm 8: How Excellent Your Name
This content pulled from bible.org.
Wisdom has built her house;she has carved out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat, she has mixed her wine;she also has arranged her table. She has sent out her female servants;she calls out on the highest places of the city. âWhoever is naive, let him turn in here.âTo those who lack understanding, she has said, âCome, eat some of my food,and drink some of the wine I have mixed. Abandon your foolish ways so that you may live, and proceed in the way of understanding.â Whoever corrects a mocker is asking for insult; whoever reproves a wicked person receives abuse. Do not reprove a mocker, or he will hate you;reprove a wise person, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise person, and he will become wiser still;teach a righteous person, and he will add to his learning. The beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding. For because of me your days will be many,and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage, but if you have mocked, you alone must bear it. The woman called Folly is brash; she is naive and does not know anything. And she has sat down at the door of her house,on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who are passing by her in the way, who go straight on their way. âWhoever is naive, let him turn in here,âTo those who lack understanding she has said, âStolen waters are sweet,and food obtained in secret is pleasant!â But they do not realize that the dead are there,that her guests are in the depths of the grave.
(NET)
Proverbs 9:10; Psalm 128:1: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah, to bring up from there Godâs ark, which is called by the Name, even the name of Yahweh of Armies who sits above the cherubim. They set Godâs ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadabâs house that was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. They brought it out of Abinadabâs house which was in the hill, with Godâs ark; and Ahio went before the ark. David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with castanets, and with cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached for Godâs ark and took hold of it, for the cattle stumbled. Yahwehâs anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by Godâs ark. David was displeased because Yahweh had broken out against Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah [âPerez Uzzahâ means âoutbreak against Uzzahâ. ]to this day. David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, âHow could Yahwehâs ark come to me?â So David would not move Yahwehâs ark to be with him in Davidâs city; but David carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittiteâs house. Yahwehâs ark remained in Obed-Edom the Gittiteâs house three months; and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his house. King David was told, âYahweh has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that belongs to him, because of Godâs ark.â
So David went and brought up Godâs ark from the house of Obed-Edom into Davidâs city with joy. When those who bore Yahwehâs ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up Yahwehâs ark with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
As Yahwehâs ark came into Davidâs city, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart. They brought in Yahwehâs ark, and set it in its place in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Armies. He gave to all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to everyone a portion of bread, dates, and raisins. So all the people departed, each to his own house.
Then David returned to bless his household. Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, âHow glorious the king of Israel was today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servantsâ maids, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!â
David said to Michal, âIt was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. Therefore I will celebrate before Yahweh. I will be yet more undignified than this, and will be worthless in my own sight. But the maids of whom you have spoken will honor me.â
Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Yahweh said to me, âTake a large tablet, and write on it with a manâs pen, âFor Maher Shalal Hash Bazâ; [âMaher Shalal Hash Bazâ means âquick to the plunder, swift to the preyâ. ] and I will take for myself faithful witnesses to testify: Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.â
I went to the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Then Yahweh said to me, âCall his name âMaher Shalal Hash Baz.â For before the child knows how to say, âMy fatherâ and âMy mother ,â the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.â
Yahweh spoke to me yet again, saying, âBecause this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliahâs son; now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks. It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through. It will reach even to the neck. The stretching out of its wings will fill the width of your land, O Immanuel.
Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand, for God is with us.â
For Yahweh spoke this to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, âDonât call a conspiracy all that this people call a conspiracy. Donât fear their threats or be terrorized. Yahweh of Armies is who you must respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a stumbling stone and a rock that makes them fall. For the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble over it, fall, be broken, be snared, and be captured.â
Wrap up the covenant. Seal the law among my disciples. I will wait for Yahweh, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.
When they tell you, âConsult with those who have familiar spirits and with the wizards, who chirp and who mutter,â shouldnât a people consult with their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? Turn to the law and to the covenant! If they donât speak according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry. It will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, then look to the earth and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness. (WEB)
This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
When the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and, with encouraging words, bade them goodbye, and started on his journey to Macedonia. After going through those districts and speaking many encouraging words to the disciples, he went into Greece, where he stayed three months. He was about to sail to Syria, when he learned that a plot had been laid against him by several of the Jewish leaders; so he decided to return by way of Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater the son of Pyrrhus, of Beroea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus of Roman Asia. These people went to Troas and waited for us there; while we ourselves sailed from Philippi after the Passover, and joined them five days later at Troas, where we stayed for a week.
On the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread, Paul, who was intending to leave the next day, began to address those who were present, and prolonged his address until midnight. There were a good many lamps in the upstairs room, where we had met; and a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, was gradually overcome with great drowsiness, as Paul continued his address. At last, quite overpowered by his drowsiness, he fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead. But Paul went down, threw himself on him, and put his arms around him.
âDo not be alarmed,â he said, âhe is still alive.â Then he went upstairs; and, after breaking and partaking of the bread, he talked with them at great length until daybreak, and then left. Meanwhile they had taken the lad away alive, and were greatly comforted.
We started first, went on board ship, and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. This was by his own arrangement, as he intended to go by land himself. So, when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went on to Mitylene. The day after we had sailed from there, we arrived off Chios, touched at Samos the following day, and the next day reached Miletus; for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so as to avoid spending much time in Roman Asia. He was making haste to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the Festival at the close of the Harvest.
From Miletus, however, he sent to Ephesus and invited the church elders to meet him; and, when they came, he said to them, âYou know well the life that I always led among you from the very first day that I set foot in Roman Asia, serving the Lord, as I did, in all humility, amid the tears and trials which fell to my lot through the plots of some of the Jewish leaders. I never shrank from telling you anything that could be helpful to you, or from teaching you both in public and in private. I earnestly pointed both Jews and Greeks to the repentance that leads to God, and to faith in Jesus, our Lord. And now, under spiritual constraint, I am here on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that in town after town the Holy Spirit plainly declares to me that imprisonment and troubles await me. But I count my life of no value to myself, if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted me by the Lord Jesus â which was to declare the good news of the love of God. And now, I tell you, I know that none of you will ever see my face again â you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom. Therefore I declare to you this day, that my conscience is clear in regard to the fate of any of you, for I have not shrunk from announcing the whole purpose of God regarding you. Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge, to shepherd the church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life. I know that, after my departure, merciless wolves will get in among you, who will not spare the flock; and from among yourselves, too, people will arise, who will teach perversions of truth, so as to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on your guard, remembering how for three years, night and day, I never ceased, even with tears, to warn each one of you. And now I commend you to the Lord and to the message of his love â a message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christâs people. I have never coveted anyoneâs gold or silver or clothing. You, yourselves, know that these hands of mine provided not only for my own wants, but for my companions also. I left nothing undone to show you that, laboring as I labored, you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said himself â âIt is more blessed to give than to receive.ââ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with them all. All were in tears; and throwing their arms around Paulâs neck, they kissed him again and again, grieving most of all over what he had said â that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship. (OEB)