Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!
And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
The path of the righteous is level; you make level the way of the righteous.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.
And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,
“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.
He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
For by it the people of old received their commendation.
Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
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.