American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the {Greek: greater. Compare Matthew 18:1, 4; 23:11}greatest of these is love.
remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and {Or, stedfastness}patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before {Or, God and our Father}our God and Father;
But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
For we through the Spirit by faith wait for the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith {Or, wrought}working through love.
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:
having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of {Or, God who liveth Compare Daniel 6:26.}God, which liveth and abideth.
rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing stedfastly in prayer;
And not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
For {Or, by}in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: {Many ancient authorities read for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?}for who {Some ancient authorities read awaiteth.}hopeth for that which he seeth?
But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with {Or, stedfastness}patience wait for it.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us:
if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the {Greek: good tidings: and so elsewhere; see marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through {Or, stedfastness}patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.
or saith he it {Or, altogether}assuredly for our sake? Yea, for our sake it was written: because he that ploweth ought to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, to thresh in hope of partaking.
Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope;
but as it is written, {Isaiah 64:4; 65:17.}Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not,And which entered not into the heart of man,Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, {Or, having brought}in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the {Or, captain}author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Wherefore also he is able to save {Greek: completely.}to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if {Or, it}he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.
And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Let not your heart be troubled: {Or, ye believe in God}believe in God, believe also in me.
God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,
hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in {Greek: a Son.}his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the {Greek: ages. Compare 1 Timothy 1:17}worlds;
who being the effulgence of his glory, and {Or, the impress of his substance}the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, {Psalm 2:7}Thou art my Son,This day have I begotten thee?and again, {2 Samuel 7:14}I will be to him a Father,And he shall be to me a Son?
{Or, And again, when he bringeth in}And when he again {Or, shall have brought in}bringeth in the firstborn into {Greek: the inhabited earth.}the world he saith, {Deuteronomy 32:43 Septuagint Version; compare Psalm 97:7}And let all the angels of God worship him.
And of the angels he saith, {Psalm 104:4}Who maketh his angels winds,And his ministers a flame of fire:
but of the Son he saith, {Psalm 14:6 f} { Or, Thy throne is God for &c.}Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever;And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of {The two oldest Greek manuscripts read his.}thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed theeWith the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And, {Psalm 102:25 ff.}Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,And the heavens are the works of thy hands:
They shall perish; but thou continuest:And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up,As a garment, and they shall be changed:But thou art the same,And thy years shall not fail.
But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, {Psalm 110:1}Sit thou on my right hand,Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them.
For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard;
God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by {Greek: distributions.}gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.
For not unto angels did he subject {Greek: the inhabited earth.}the world to come, whereof we speak.
But one hath somewhere testified, saying, {Psalm 8:4 ff.}What is man, that thou art mindful of him?Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him {Or, for a little while lower}a little lower than the angels;Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, {Many authorities omit And didst…hands.}And didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet.For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.
But we behold him who hath been made {Or, for a little while lower}a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, {Or, having brought}in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the {Or, captain}author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
saying, {Psalm 22:22}I will declare thy name unto my brethren,In the midst of the {Or, church}congregation will I sing thy praise.
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, {Isaiah 8:17 f.}Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.
Since then the children are sharers in {Greek: blood and flesh. Ephesians 6:12}flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he {Or, may}might bring to nought him that {Or, hath}had the power of death, that is, the devil;
and {Or, may}might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
{Greek: For verily not of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of &c. Compare Isaiah 41:9; Ecclus 4:11; chapter 8, 9 (in the Greek).}For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
{Or, For having been himself tempted in that wherein he hath suffered}For {Or, wherein}in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
He who testifieth these things saith, Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord Jesus.
God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God.
I exhort therefore, first of all, {Greek: to make supplications &c.}that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men;
Be subject to every {Greek: creation.}ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme;
Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work,
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan {Or, obtained you by asking}asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat:
If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any {Or, persuasion}consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions,
make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, {Some ancient authorities read of the same mind.}of one mind;
doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself;
not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a {Greek: bondservant.}servant, {Greek: becoming in.}being made in the likeness of men;
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.
Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name;
that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and {Or, things of the world below}things under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not {Some ancient authorities omit as.}as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.
Do all things without murmurings and questionings:
that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as {Greek: luminaries. Wisd. 13:2; compare Revelation 21:11}lights in the world,
holding forth the word of life; that I may have whereof to glory in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain neither labor in vain.
Yea, and if I am {Greek: poured out as a drink-offering.}offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:
and in the same manner do ye also joy, and rejoice with me.
But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
For I have no man likeminded, who will care {Greek: genuinely.}truly for your state.
For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.
But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child serveth a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the {Greek: good tidings. See marginal note on chapter 1:5.}gospel.
Him therefore I hope to send forthwith, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me:
but I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly.
But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your {Greek: apostle.}messenger and minister to my need;
since he longed {Many ancient authorities read to see you all.}after you all, and was sore troubled, because ye had heard that he was sick:
for indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.
I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy; and hold such in honor:
because for the work of {Many ancient authorities read the Lord.}Christ he came nigh unto death, hazarding his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.
that, being justified by his grace, we might be made {Or, heirs, according to hope, of eternal life}heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.