American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for {Some ancient authorities read you.}us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell.
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints;
nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them;
for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord: walk as children of light
(for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
proving what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;
and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even {Or, convict}reprove them;
for the things which are done by them in secret it is a shame even to speak of.
But all things when they are {Or, convicted}reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light.
Wherefore he saith, {(?). Compare 1 Timothy 3:16.}Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee.
Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise;
{Greek: buying up the opportunity.}redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled {Or, in spirit}with the Spirit;
speaking {Or, to yourselves}one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to {Greek: the God and Father.}God, even the Father;
subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.
Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.
But as the church is subject to Christ, {Or, so are the wives also}so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it;
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the {Greek: laver.}washing of water with the word,
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself:
for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;
because we are members of his body.
{Genesis 2:24.}For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.
This mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the church.
Nevertheless do ye also severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she fear her husband.
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is made full.
Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every {Or, encumbrance}weight, and the sin which {Or, doth closely cling to us Or, is admired of many}doth so easily beset us, and let us run with {Or, stedfastness}patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus the {Or, captain}author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of sinners against {Many ancient authorities read themselves. Compare Numbers 16:38.}himself, that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls.
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin:
and ye have forgotten the exhortation which reasoneth with you as with sons, {Proverbs 3:11 f.}My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord,Nor faint when thou art reproved of him;
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
{Or, Endure unto chastening}It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not?
But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of {Or, our spirits}spirits, and live?
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.
All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness.
Wherefore {Greek: make straight.}lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees;
and make straight paths for your feet, that that which is lame be not {Or, put out of joint}turned out of the way, but rather be healed.
Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord:
looking carefully {Or, whether}lest there be any man that {Or, falleth back from}falleth short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby the many be defiled;
{Or, whether}lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.
For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was {Or, rejected (for he found no place of repentance), &c. Or, rejected; for…of repentance &c. Compare chapter 6:6; 2 Esdr. 9.11; Wisd. 12.10.}rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.
For ye are not come unto {Or, a palpable and kindled fire}a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no word more should be spoken unto them;
for they could not endure that which was enjoined, {Exodus 19:12 f.}If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;
and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, {Deuteronomy 9:19.}I exceedingly fear and quake:
but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, {Or, and to innumerable hosts, the general assembly of angels, and the church &c.}and to {Greek: myriads of angels.}innumerable hosts of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better {Or, than Abel}than that of Abel.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him {Or, that is from heaven}that warneth from heaven:
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, {Haggai 2:6.}Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.
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:
for our God is a consuming fire.
but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, {Or, and to innumerable hosts, the general assembly of angels, and the church &c.}and to {Greek: myriads of angels.}innumerable hosts of angels,
to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
And these all, having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise,
God having {Or, forseen}provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Behold, I tell you a mystery: {Or, We shall not all &c.}We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed,
for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose {Or, architect}builder and maker is God.
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.