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âDo not judge and you will not be judged. For, just as you judge others, you will yourselves be judged, and the standard that you use will be used for you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your friendâs eye, while you pay no attention at all to the plank of wood in yours? How will you say to your friend âLet me take out the speck from your eye,â when all the time there is a plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take out the plank from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the speck from your friendâs.
âDo not give what is sacred to dogs; they will turn and maul you. Do not throw your pearls before pigs; they will trample them underfoot. Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the person who asks receives, the person who searches finds, and to the door will be opened to the person who knocks. Who among you, when their child asks them for bread, will give them a stone, or when they ask for a fish, will give them a snake? If you, then, wicked though you are, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him!
âDo to others whatever you would wish them to do to you; for that is the teaching of both the Law and the prophets. Go in by the small gate. The road that leads to destruction is broad and spacious, and many go in by it. For the gate is small, and the road narrow, that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
âBeware of false teachers â people who come to you in the guise of sheep, but at heart they are ravenous wolves. By the fruit of their lives you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, too, every sound tree bears good fruit, while a worthless tree bears bad fruit. A sound tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a worthless tree bear good fruit. Every tree that fails to bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So it is by the fruit of their lives that you will know such people. Not everyone who says to me âMaster! Master!â will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me âMaster, Master, was not it in your name that we taught, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many miracles?â And then I will say to them plainly âI never knew you. Go from my presence, you who live in sin.â
âEveryone, therefore, who listens to this teaching of mine and acts on it may be compared to a prudent person, who built their house on the rock. The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, for its foundations were on the rock. Everyone who listens to this teaching of mine and does not act on it may be compared to a foolish person, who built their house on the sand. The rain poured down, the rivers rose, the winds blew and struck against that house, and it fell with a great crash.â
By the time that Jesus had finished speaking, the crowd was filled with amazement at his teaching. For he taught them like one who had authority, and not like their teachers of the Law. (OEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
At the end of two full years, Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he stood by the river. Behold, seven cattle came up out of the river. They were sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river. The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egyptâs magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Then the chief cup bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, âI remember my faults today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, with the chief baker. We dreamed a dream in one night, he and I. Each man dreamed according to the interpretation of his dream. There was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams. He interpreted to each man according to his dream. As he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.â
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing, and came in to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, âI have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.â
Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, âIt isnât in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.â
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, âIn my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river; and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass; and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle; and when they had eaten them up, it couldnât be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke. I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good; and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.â
Joseph said to Pharaoh, âThe dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh. The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one. The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine. That is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming. Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous. The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
âNow therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egyptâs produce in the seven plenteous years. Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. The food will be to supply the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so that the land will not perish through the famine.â
The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. Pharaoh said to his servants, âCan we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?â Pharaoh said to Joseph, âBecause God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house. All my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in the throne I will be greater than you.â Pharaoh said to Joseph, âBehold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.â Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it on Josephâs hand, and arrayed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, âBow the knee!â He set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said to Joseph, âI am Pharaoh. Without you, no man shall lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.â Pharaoh called Josephâs name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. In the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities. He stored food in each city from the fields around that city. Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number. To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, [âManassehâ sounds like the Hebrew for âforgetâ. ]âFor â, he said, âGod has made me forget all my toil, and all my fatherâs house.â The name of the second, he called Ephraim: [âEphraimâ sounds like the Hebrew for âtwice fruitfulâ. ]âFor God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.â
The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end. The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, âGo to Joseph. What he says to you, do.â The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt. All countries came into Egypt, to Joseph, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth. (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
So let a man think of us as Christâs servants and stewards of Godâs mysteries. Here, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by a human court. Yes, I donât even judge my own self. For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each man will get his praise from God.
Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another. For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didnât receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
You are already filled. You have already become rich. You have come to reign without us. Yes, and I wish that you did reign, that we also might reign with you! For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christâs sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor. Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.
I donât write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, you donât have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the Good News. I beg you therefore, be imitators of me. Because of this I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every assembly. Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For Godâs Kingdom is not in word, but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
âAnd to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write:
âHe who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things:
âI know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen the things that remain, which you were about to throw away, [NU & TR read âwhich were about to dieâ instead of âwhich you were about to throw awayâ. ]for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If therefore you wonât watch, I will come as a thief, and you wonât know what hour I will come upon you. Nevertheless you have a few names in Sardis that didnât defile their garments. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
âTo the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write:
âHe who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says these things:
âI know your works (behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut), that you have a little power, and kept my word, and didnât deny my name. Behold, I make some of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie â behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you kept my command to endure, I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly! Hold firmly that which you have, so that no one takes your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will go out from there no more. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
âTo the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write:
âThe Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning [or, Source, or Head ]of Godâs creation, says these things:
âI know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, âI am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing ,â and donât know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me. He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.â (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
âCan a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect?
Is it for your piety that he reproves you,
that he enters with you into judgment?
Isnât your wickedness great?
Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing,
and stripped the naked of their clothing.
You havenât given water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
But as for the mighty man, he had the earth.
The honorable man, he lived in it.
You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Therefore snares are around you.
Sudden fear troubles you,
or darkness, so that you can not see,
and floods of waters cover you.
âIsnât God in the heights of heaven?
See the height of the stars, how high they are!
You say, âWhat does God know?
Can he judge through the thick darkness?
Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesnât see.
He walks on the vault of the sky.â
Will you keep the old way,
which wicked men have trodden,
who were snatched away before their time,
whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
who said to God, âDepart from us !â
and, âWhat can the Almighty do for us?â
Yet he filled their houses with good things,
but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
The righteous see it, and are glad.
The innocent ridicule them,
saying, âSurely those who rose up against us are cut off.
The fire has consumed their remnant.â
âAcquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace.
By it, good will come to you.
Please receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up,
if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
Lay your treasure in the dust,
the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
The Almighty will be your treasure,
and precious silver to you.
For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,
and will lift up your face to God.
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you.
You will pay your vows.
You will also decree a thing, and it will be established to you.
Light will shine on your ways.
When they cast down, you will say, âbe lifted up.â
He will save the humble person.
He will even deliver him who is not innocent.
Yes, he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.â (WEB)
This content from OpenEnglishBible (public domain)
Defend me, O Lá´Ęá´ , for my walk has been blameless;
in the Lá´Ęá´ have I trusted unswervingly:
Examine me, Lá´Ęá´ , and test me;
test my heart and my mind.
For your love is before my eyes,
and your faithfulness governs my way.
I never sat down with the worthless,
nor companied with dissemblers.
I hate the assembly of knaves,
I would never sit down with the wicked;
but, with hands washed in innocence,
I would march round your altar, O Lá´Ęá´ ,
singing loud songs of thanks,
and telling of all your wonders.
O Lá´Ęá´ , I love your house,
the place where your glory lives.
Do not gather me up with sinners;
slay me not with people of blood,
whose hands are stained with villainy,
and whose right hand is filled with bribes.
But my walk is blameless!
O redeem me, be gracious to me.
My foot stands on even ground,
in the choirs I will bless the Lá´Ęá´ .
(OEB)
This content pulled from bible.org.
A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth,good favor more than silver or gold. The rich and the poor are met together; the Lord is the Creator of them both. A shrewd person saw danger and hid himself,but the naive passed on by and paid for it. The reward for humility and fearing the Lord is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the path of the perverse,but the one who guards himself keeps far from them. Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The rich rule over the poor,and the borrower is servant to the lender. The one who sows iniquity will reap trouble,and the rod of his fury will end. A generous person will be blessed, for he has given some of his food to the poor. Drive out the scorner and contention will leave;strife and insults will cease. The one who loves a pure heart and whose speech is graciousâthe king will be his friend. The eyes of the Lord watched over a cause and subverted the words of the treacherous person. The sluggard has said, âThere is a lion outside!I will be killed in the middle of the streets!â The mouth of an adulteress is like a deep pit; the one against whom the Lord is angry will fall into it. Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gainand the one who gives to the richâboth end up only in poverty. Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise,and apply your mind to my instruction. For it is pleasing if you keep these sayings within you,and they are ready on your lips. So that your confidence may be in the Lord, I hereby make them known to you todayâeven you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you,sayings of counsel and knowledge, to show you true and reliable words, so that you may give accurate answers to those who sent you? Do not exploit a poor person because he is poorand do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will plead their case and will rob the life of those who are robbing them. Do not make friends with an angry person, and do not associate with a wrathful person, lest you learn his waysand entangle yourself in a snare. Do not be one who strikes hands in pledgeor who puts up security for debts. If you do not have enough to pay,your bed will be taken right out from under you! Do not move an ancient boundary stone that was put in place by your ancestors. You have seen a person skilled in his workâhe will take his position before kings;he will not take his position before obscure people.
(NET)
Proverbs 22:6: Train Up A Child
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel. At that time, Yahweh said to Joshua, âMake flint knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.â Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt. For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the nation, even the men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didnât listen to Yahwehâs voice. Yahweh swore to them that he wouldnât let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Their children, whom he raised up in their place, were circumcised by Joshua, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way. When they were done circumcising the whole nation, they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.
Yahweh said to Joshua, âToday I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.â Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal [âGilgalâ sounds like the Hebrew for âroll.â ]to this day. The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. They ate unleavened cakes and parched grain of the produce of the land on the next day after the Passover, in the same day. The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. The children of Israel didnât have manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, âAre you for us, or for our enemies?â
He said, âNo; but I have come now as commander of Yahwehâs army.â
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, âWhat does my lord say to his servant?â
The prince of Yahwehâs army said to Joshua, âTake off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.â Joshua did so. (WEB)
This content from World English Bible (public domain)
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded that the golden and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem be brought to him, that the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink from them. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of Godâs house which was at Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of bronze, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
In the same hour, the fingers of a manâs hand came out and wrote near the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the kingâs palace. The king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the kingâs face was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his thighs were loosened, and his knees struck one against another.
The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, âWhoever reads this writing and shows me its interpretation shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.â
Then all the kingâs wise men came in; but they could not read the writing, and couldnât make known to the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his face was changed in him, and his lords were perplexed.
The queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house. The queen spoke and said, âO king, live forever; donât let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him. The king, Nebuchadnezzar, your father âyes, the king, your father â made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting of dreams, showing of dark sentences, and dissolving of doubts were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.â
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, âAre you that Daniel of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you and that light, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known to me its interpretation; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. But I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and dissolve doubts. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.â
Then Daniel answered before the king, âLet your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
âTo you, king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty. Because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed whom he wanted to, and he kept alive whom he wanted to. He raised up whom he wanted to, and he put down whom he wanted to. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. He was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the animalsâ, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that he sets up over it whomever he will.
âYou, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which donât see, or hear, or know; and you have not glorified the God in whose hand your breath is, and whose are all your ways. Then the part of the hand was sent from before him, and this writing was inscribed.
âThis is the writing that was inscribed: âMENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.â
âThis is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE: God has counted your kingdom, and brought it to an end.
TEKEL: you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.
PERES: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.â
Then Belshazzar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean King was slain. Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. (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)