I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, {Greek: well-pleasing.}acceptable to God, which is your {Greek: belonging to the reason.}spiritual {Or, worship}service.
And be not fashioned according to this {Or, age}world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is {Or, the will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect}the good and {Greek: well-pleasing.}acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but so to think as to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith.
For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office:
so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.
And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;
or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching;
or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with {Greek: singleness.}liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another;
in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving {Some ancient authorities read the opportunity.}the Lord;
rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing stedfastly in prayer;
communicating to the necessities of the saints; {Greek: pursuing.}given to hospitality.
Bless them that persecute you; bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but {Greek: be carried away with.}condescend to {Or, them}things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men.
Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto {Or, wrath}the wrath of God: for it is written, {Deuteronomy 32:35}Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord.
But {(Proverbs 25:21 f.)}if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Querverweise zu Römer 12,11 Röm 12,11
But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.
And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant.
Go to the ant, thou sluggard;Consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no {Or, judge}chief,Overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her bread in the summer,And gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou {Hebrew: lie down.}sleep, O sluggard?When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
This man had been {Greek: taught by word of mouth.}instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John:
{Greek: Bondservants.}Servants, be obedient unto them that according to the flesh are your {Greek: lords.}masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as {Greek: Bondservants.}servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the {Greek: soul.}heart;
with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men:
knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,So is the sluggard to them that send him.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
{Greek: Bondservants.}Servants, obey in all things them that are your {Greek: lords.}masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:
whatsoever ye do, work {Greek: from the soul}heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men;
knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ.
The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing;But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
For I bear him witness, that he hath much labor for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for them in Hierapolis.
{Greek: lords.}Masters, render unto your {Greek: Bondservants.}servants that which is just and {Greek: equality.}equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
He also that is slack in his workIs brother to him that is a destroyer.
Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.
Exhort {Greek: bondservants.}servants to be in subjection to their own masters, and to be well-pleasing to them in all things; not gainsaying;
Seest thou a man {Or, skilful}diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;He shall not stand before {Hebrew: obscure.}mean men.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another {Many ancient authorities read from a clean heart. Compare 1 Timothy 1:5.}from the heart fervently:
not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
I went by the field of the sluggard,And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,The face thereof was covered with {Or, wild vetches}nettles,And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Then I beheld, and considered well;I saw, and received instruction:
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,A little folding of the hands to sleep;
So shall thy poverty come as a robber,And thy want as an armed man.
above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins:
Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have {Or, thankfulness Compare 1 Corinthians 10:30.}grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with {Or, godly fear Compare chapter 5:7.}reverence and awe:
The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way;A lion is in the streets.
As the door turneth upon its hinges,So doth the sluggard upon his bed.
The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish;It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in {Hebrew: his own eyes.}his own conceitThan seven men that can {Or, answer discreetly}render a reason.
But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.
Whatsoever thy hand {Or, attained to do by thy strength, that do}findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful {Greek: bondservant.}servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter;
Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.
and that ye {Greek: be ambitious. See Romans 15:20 margin.}study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which {Some ancient authorities read ye.}they received of us.
For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you:
not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should imitate us.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat.
For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.
Now them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
And withal they learn also to be idle, going about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
for God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which ye showed toward his name, in that ye ministered unto the saints, and still do minister.
And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the {Or, full assurance}fulness of hope even to the end: