and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them.
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you.
And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”
Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.
I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts.
In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; it is ready for those whose feet slip.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.