American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
and they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs.
But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, {Or, seared}branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron;
forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth.
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it be received with thanksgiving:
for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.
If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed until now:
but refuse profane and old wives' fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness:
for bodily exercise is profitable {Or, for little}for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.
Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation.
For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.
These things command and teach.
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.
Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.
Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.
Now we beseech you, brethren, {Greek: in behalf of.}touching the {Greek: presence.}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of {Many ancient authorities read lawlessness.}sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or {Greek: an object of worship. Acts 17:23.}that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: {Or, only until he that now restraineth be taken &c.}only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord {Some ancient authorities omit Jesus.}Jesus shall {Some ancient authorities read consume.}slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his {Greek: presence.}coming;
even he, whose {Greek: presence.}coming is according to the working of Satan with all {Greek: power and signs and wonders of falsehood.}power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that {Or, are perishing}perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you {Many ancient authorities read as firstfruits.}from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and {Or, faith}belief of the truth:
whereunto he called you through our {Greek: good tidings: see chapter 1:8.}gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel.
And he said unto them, I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: and Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
Jehovah thy God, he will go over before thee; he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.
And Jehovah will do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed.
And Jehovah will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you.
Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for Jehovah thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
And Jehovah, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and unto all the elders of Israel.
And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
when all Israel is come to appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy sojourner that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear Jehovah your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;
and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear Jehovah your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
And Jehovah appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud: and the pillar of cloud stood {Or, by}over the door of the Tent.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?
And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxed fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
that Moses commanded the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, saying,
Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against Jehovah; and how much more after my death?
Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
And Moses spake in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.
Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak;And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
My doctrine shall drop as the rain;My speech shall distil as the dew,As the small rain upon the tender grass,And as the showers upon the herb.
For I will proclaim the name of Jehovah:Ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
The Rock, his work is perfect;For all his ways are justice:A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,Just and right is he.
They have {Or, corrupted themselves, they &c.}dealt corruptly with him, they are not his children, {Or, but a blot upon them}it is their blemish;They are a perverse and crooked generation.
Do ye thus requite Jehovah,O foolish people and unwise?Is not he thy father that hath {Or, possessed Or, gotten}bought thee?He hath made thee, and established thee.
Remember the days of old,Consider the years of many generations:Ask thy father, and he will show thee;Thine elders, and they will tell thee.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,When he separated the children of men,He set the bounds of the peoplesAccording to the number of the children of Israel.
For Jehovah's portion is his people;Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,And in the waste howling wilderness;He compassed him about, he cared for him,He kept him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle that stirreth up her nest,That fluttereth over her young, {Or, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her pinions}He spread abroad his wings, he took them,He bare them on his pinions.
Jehovah alone did lead him,And there was no foreign god with him.
He made him ride on the high places of the earth,And he did eat the increase of the field;And he made him to suck honey out of the rock,And oil out of the flinty rock;
Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock,With fat of lambs,And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats,With the {Hebrew: fat of kidneys of wheat.}finest of the wheat;And of the blood of the grape thou drankest wine.
But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:Thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art become sleek;Then he forsook God who made him,And lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
They moved him to jealousy with strange gods;With abominations provoked they him to anger.
They sacrificed unto demons, which were no God,To gods that they knew not,To new gods that came up of late,Which your fathers dreaded not.
Of the Rock that {Or, bare}begat thee thou art unmindful,And hast forgotten God that gave thee birth.
And Jehovah saw it, and abhorred them,Because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters.
And he said, I will hide my face from them,I will see what their end shall be:For they are a very perverse generation,Children in whom is no faithfulness.
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God;They have provoked me to anger with their vanities:And I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people;I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
For a fire is kindled in mine anger,And burneth unto the lowest Sheol,And devoureth the earth with its increase,And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains.
I will heap evils upon them;I will spend mine arrows upon them:
They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with {Hebrew: burning coals. See Habakkuk 3:5.}burning heatAnd bitter destruction;And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them,With the poison of crawling things of the dust.
Without shall the sword bereave,And in the chambers terror;It shall destroy both young man and virgin,The suckling with the man of gray hairs.
I said, I would scatter them afar,I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men;
Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy,Lest their adversaries should judge amiss,Lest they should say, Our hand is exalted,And Jehovah hath not done all this.
For they are a nation void of counsel,And there is no understanding in them.
Oh that they were wise, that they understood this,That they would consider their latter end!
How should one chase a thousand,And two put ten thousand to flight,Except their Rock had sold them,And Jehovah had delivered them up?
For their rock is not as our Rock,Even our enemies themselves being judges.
For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,And of the fields of Gomorrah:Their grapes are grapes of gall,Their clusters are bitter:
Their wine is the poison of serpents,And the cruel venom of asps.
Is not this laid up in store with me,Sealed up {Or, in my treasuries}among my treasures?
Vengeance is mine, and recompense,At the time when their foot shall slide:For the day of their calamity is at hand,And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.
For Jehovah will judge his people,And repent himself for his servants;When he seeth that their power is gone,And there is none remaining, shut up or left at large.
And he will say, Where are their gods,The rock in which they took refuge;
Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices,And drank the wine of their drink-offering?Let them rise up and help you,Let them be your protection.
See now that I, even I, am he,And there is no god with me:I kill, and I make alive;I wound, and I heal;And there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
For I lift up my hand to heaven,And say, As I live for ever,
If I whet {Hebrew: the lightning of my sword.}my glittering sword,And my hand take hold on judgment;I will render vengeance to mine adversaries,And will recompense them that hate me.
I will make mine arrows drunk with blood,And my sword shall devour flesh;With the blood of the slain and the captives, {Or, From the beginning of revenges upon the enemy}From {Or, the hairy head of the enemy}the head of the leaders of the enemy.
{Or, Praise his people, ye nations}Rejoice, O {Or, ye nations, his people}ye nations, with his people:For he will avenge the blood of his servants,And will render vengeance to his adversaries,And will make expiation for his land, for his people.
And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel;
And he said unto them, Set your heart unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law.
For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying,
Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession;
and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
because ye trespassed against me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
For thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.
Why standest thou afar off, O Jehovah?Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
In the pride of the wicked {Or, he doth hotly pursue the poor}the poor {Hebrew: is set on fire.}is hotly pursued; {Or, They are taken}Let them be taken in the devices that they have conceived.
For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,And {Or, blesseth the covetous, but contemneth &c.}the covetous renounceth, yea, {Or, revileth}contemneth Jehovah.
The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith, He will not require it.All his thoughts are, There is no God.
His ways are {Or, grievous}firm at all times;Thy judgments are far above out of his sight:As for all his adversaries, he puffeth at them.
He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved;To all generations I shall not be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and {Or, fraud}oppression:Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity.
He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages;In the secret places doth he murder the innocent;His eyes are privily set against the {Or, hapless}helpless.
He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert;He lieth in wait to catch the poor:He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net.
{Another reading is, And being crushed.}He croucheth, he boweth down,And the {Or, hapless}helpless fall by his strong ones.
He saith in his heart, God hath forgotten;He hideth his face; he will never see it.
Arise, O Jehovah; O God, lift up thy hand:Forget not the {Or, meek.}poor.
Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God,And say in his heart, Thou wilt not require it?
Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest {Or, travail and grief}mischief and spite, {Or, to take it into thy hand}to requite it with thy hand:The {Or, hapless}helpless committeth himself unto thee;Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.
Break thou the arm of the wicked;And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
Jehovah is King for ever and ever:The {Or, heathen}nations are perished out of his land.
Jehovah, thou hast heard the desire of the meek:Thou wilt {Or, establish}prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear;
To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.
I {Or, was inquired of}am inquired of by them that asked not for me; I {Or, was found}am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation {Or, as otherwise read, that hath not called upon}that was not called by my name.
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, that walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts;
a people that provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense upon bricks;
that {Or, dwell}sit among the graves, and lodge in the {Or, vaults}secret places; that eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
that say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, yea, I will recompense into their bosom,
your own iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, that have burned incense upon the mountains, and {Or, defiled}blasphemed me upon the hills; therefore will I {Or, measure their former work}first measure their work into their bosom.
Thus saith Jehovah, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all.
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
And Sharon shall be a {Or, pasture}fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
But ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for {Hebrew: Gad. See Genesis 30:11.}Fortune, and that fill up mingled wine unto {Hebrew: Meni.}Destiny;
I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame;
behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for {Hebrew: breaking.}vexation of spirit.
And ye shall leave your name for {Hebrew: an oath.}a curse unto my chosen; and the Lord Jehovah will slay thee; and he will call his servants by another name:
so that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of {Hebrew: Amen. See 2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 3:14.}truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of {Hebrew: Amen. See 2 Corinthians 1:20; Revelation 3:14.}truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall {Hebrew: wear out.}long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for {Or, sudden terror}calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring {Or, shall be with them}with them.
And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.
Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest?
For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.
He that killeth an ox is as he that slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as he that breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth {Or, a meal-offering}an oblation, as he that offereth swine's blood; he that {Hebrew: maketh a memorial of.}burneth frankincense, as he that blesseth an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations:
I also will choose their {Or, mockings}delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name's sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame.
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.
Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child.
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be {Or, travailed with for but one day}born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God.
Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her;
that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: {Or, then shall ye suck, ye &c.}and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees.
As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.
For, behold, Jehovah will come {Or, in}with fire, and his chariots shall be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and the slain of Jehovah shall be many.
They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves {Or, in the}to go unto the gardens, behind {Or, one tree (or, Asherah; see Deuteronomy 16:21)}one in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, they shall come to an end together, saith Jehovah.
For I know their works and their thoughts: the time cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory.
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send such as escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.
And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an oblation unto Jehovah, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring their oblation in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.
And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith Jehovah.
And they shall go forth, and look upon the dead bodies of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given {Aramaic: to the burning of fire.}to be burned with fire.
And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.
And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the {Or, meal-offering}oblation to cease; and {Or, upon the pinnacle of abominations shall be &c.}upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.
Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this {Or, age}world, nor in that which is to come.
But the unclean spirit, when {Or, it}he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not.
And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.
This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance;
that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles:
knowing this first, that {Greek: in the last of the days.}in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts,
and saying, Where is the promise of his {Greek: presence.}coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and {Or, through}amidst water, by the word of God;
by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been {Or, stored with fire}stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the {Or, heavenly bodies}elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be {The most ancient manuscripts read discovered.}burned up.
Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,
looking for and {Or, hastening}earnestly desiring the {Greek: presence.}coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the {Or, heavenly bodies}elements shall melt with fervent heat?
But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight.
And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you;
as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and {Greek: unto the day of eternity. Ecclus. 18:10}for ever. Amen.
But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts,
ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
And even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also withstand the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be evident unto all men, as theirs also came to be.
But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, {Or, stedfastness}patience,
persecutions, sufferings; what things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: and out of them all the Lord delivered me.
Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of {Greek: what persons.}whom thou hast learned them;
and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
{Or, Every scripture is inspired of God, and profitable}Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for {Or, discipline}instruction which is in righteousness:
that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.
While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; {Psalm 41:9?}that the scripture might be fulfilled.
but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the {Or, land}earth; and he shall smite the {Or, land}earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
For a Topheth is prepared of old; yea, for the king it is made ready; he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.
And thou wentest to the king with oil, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thine ambassadors far off, and didst debase thyself even unto Sheol.
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
But in his {Or, office}place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: {Or, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory}whosoever acknowledgeth him {Or, shall increase glory}he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
and {Some ancient authorities read I stood &c. connecting the clause with what follows.}he stood upon the sand of the sea.And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as though it had been {Greek: slain.}smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast;
and they {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? and who is able to war with him?
and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority {Or, to do his works during See Daniel 11:28}to continue forty and two months.
And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, even them that {Greek: tabernacle.}dwell in the heaven.
{Some ancient authorities omit And it was given…overcome them.}And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.
If any man hath an ear, let him hear.
If any man {Or, leadeth into captivity}is for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the {Or, stedfastness}patience and the faith of the saints.
And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship the first beast, whose death-stroke was healed.
And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men.
And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived.
And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the breast, {Some ancient authorities read that even the image of the beast should speak;and he shall cause &c.}that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead;
and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is {Some ancient authorities read Six hundred and sixteen.}Six hundred and sixty and six.
After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God:
for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great harlot, her that corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he hath avenged the blood of his {Greek: bondservants.}servants at her hand.
And a second time they {Greek: have said.}say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah.
And a voice came forth from the throne, saying,Give praise to our God, all ye his {Greek: bondservants.}servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying,Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth.
Let us rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let us give the glory unto him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God.
And I fell down before his feet to {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
And I saw the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon {Some ancient authorities omit called.}called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he himself.
And he is arrayed in a garment {Some ancient authorities read dipped in.}sprinkled with blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the {Greek: winepress of the wine of the fierceness.}winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw {Greek: one.}an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the great supper of God;
that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of {Or, military tribunes Greek: chiliarchs.}captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that {See marginal note on chapter 3:9}worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone:
and the rest were killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he is waxed strong through his riches, {Or, all this shall stir up the realm}he shall stir up all against the realm of {Hebrew: Javan.}Greece.
And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these.
And the king of the south {Or, shall be strong; but one of his princes shall be &c.}shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
And at the end of years they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make {Or, equitable conditions}an agreement: but she shall not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in those times.
But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his {Or, office}place, who shall come {Or, against}unto the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.
And also their gods, with their {Or, princes}molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall {Or, continue more years than &c.}refrain some years from the king of the north.
And he shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but he shall return into his own land.
And his sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, {Or, and he}which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and {Or, he}they shall return and war, even to his fortress.
And the king of the south shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand.
And the multitude shall {Or, be carried away}be lifted up, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.
And the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, even {Or, for}of years, with a great army and with much substance.
And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take {Or, the fortified cities}a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not stand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to stand.
But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction.
And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him {Or, upright ones}equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give him the daughter of women, {Or, to destroy it}to corrupt her; but {Or, it}she shall not stand, neither be for him.
After this shall he turn his face unto the {Or, coast-lands}isles, and shall take many: but a {Or, captain}prince shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; yea, moreover, he shall cause his reproach to turn upon him.
Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
Then shall stand up in his {Or, office}place one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom; but within few days he shall be {Hebrew: broken.}destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
And in his {Or, office}place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
And the overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of {Or, his covenant}the covenant.
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.
In time of security shall he come even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance: yea, he shall devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.
And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him.
Yea, they that eat of his dainties shall {Hebrew: break.}destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
And as for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Then shall he return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return to his own land.
At the time appointed he shall return, and come into the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.
For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard unto them that forsake the holy covenant.
And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering, and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate.
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he {Hebrew: make profane.}pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
And {Or, the teachers of the people}they that are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days.
Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries.
And some of {Or, the teachers}them that are wise shall fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
But in his {Or, office}place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: {Or, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory}whosoever acknowledgeth him {Or, shall increase glory}he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south {Hebrew: push at.}contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through.
He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and {Hebrew: to devote many.}utterly to sweep away many.
And he shall plant the tents of his palace {Or, between the seas at}between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
But in his {Or, office}place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: {Or, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory}whosoever acknowledgeth him {Or, shall increase glory}he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but {Or, the teachers}they that are wise shall understand.