American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
But who is there of you, having a {Greek: bondservant.}servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the {Greek: bondservant.}servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable {Greek: bondservants.}servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
And it came to pass, {Or, as he was}as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing {Or, through the mist of &c.}along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
{Or, There were none found…save this stranger.}Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this {Or, alien}stranger?
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath {Or, saved thee}made thee whole.
And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be {Some ancient authorities omit in his day.}in his day.
But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
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.
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall {Greek: save it alive.}preserve it.
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. {Some ancient authorities add verse 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Matthew 24:40.}
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And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the {Or, vultures}eagles also be gathered together.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest:
and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper,
then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
and the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over {Hebrew: living.}running water.
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the {Hebrew: living.}running water:
and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field.
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
And on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish, and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting.
And the priest shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah:
and he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the place of the sanctuary: for as the sin-offering is the priest's, so is the trespass-offering: it is most holy.
And the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand;
and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah.
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass-offering:
and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.
And the priest shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt-offering;
and the priest shall offer the burnt-offering and the meal-offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
And if he be poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a trespass-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil;
and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt-offering.
And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of meeting, before Jehovah:
and the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah.
And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass-offering; and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand;
and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Jehovah:
and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass-offering:
and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Jehovah.
And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get,
even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, with the meal-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for him that is to be cleansed before Jehovah.
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;
then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house.
And the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goeth in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:
and he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be lower than the wall;
then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.
And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;
then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city:
and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scrape off, without the city into an unclean place:
and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken out the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered;
then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean.
And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.
Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.
And if the priest shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over {Hebrew: living.}running water:
and he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the {Hebrew: living.}running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the {Hebrew: living.}running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
but he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field: so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.
This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall,
and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house,
and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot;
to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
But who is there of you, having a {Greek: bondservant.}servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the {Greek: bondservant.}servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable {Greek: bondservants.}servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
And it came to pass, {Or, as he was}as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing {Or, through the mist of &c.}along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
{Or, There were none found…save this stranger.}Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this {Or, alien}stranger?
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath {Or, saved thee}made thee whole.
And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be {Some ancient authorities omit in his day.}in his day.
But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
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.
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall {Greek: save it alive.}preserve it.
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. {Some ancient authorities add verse 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Matthew 24:40.}
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And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the {Or, vultures}eagles also be gathered together.
that no flesh should glory before God.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
(although Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples),
he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
And he must needs pass through Samaria.
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:
and Jacob's {Greek: spring: and so in verse 14, but not in verse 11, 12}well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat {Or, as he was Compare chapter 13:25}thus by the {Greek: spring: and so in verse 14, but not in verse 11, 12}well. It was about the sixth hour.
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? {Some ancient authorities omit For Jews have no dealings with Samaritians.}(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
The woman saith unto him, {Or, Lord}Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water?
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.
The woman saith unto him, {Or, Lord}Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou saidst well, I have no husband:
for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.
The woman saith unto him, {Or, Lord}Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.
Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: {Or, for such the Father also seeketh}for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers.
{Or, God is spirit}God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things.
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
And upon this came his disciples; and they marvelled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why speakest thou with her?
So the woman left her waterpot, and went away into the city, and saith to the people,
Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?
They went out of the city, and were coming to him.
In the mean while the disciples prayed him, saying, Rabbi, eat.
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not.
The disciples therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat?
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are {Or, white unto harvest. Already he that reapeth &c.}white already unto harvest.
He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
For herein is the saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored: others have labored, and ye are entered into their labor.
And from that city many of the Samaritans believed on him because of the word of the woman, who testified, He told me all things that ever I did.
So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought him to abide with them: and he abode there two days.
And many more believed because of his word;
and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.
And after the two days he went forth from thence into Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.
So when he came into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
He came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain {Or, king's officer}nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.
Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe.
The {Or, king's officer}nobleman saith unto him, {Or, Lord}Sir, come down ere my child die.
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word that Jesus spake unto him, and he went his way.
And as he was now going down, his {Greek: bondservants}servants met him, saying, that his son lived.
So he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend. They said therefore unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judæa into Galilee.
And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
And behold, the veil of the {Or, sanctuary}temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent;
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Jehovah, and died;
and Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy-seat which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat.
Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering.
He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen {Or, turban}mitre shall he be attired: they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on.
And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.
And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.
And he shall take the two goats, and set them before Jehovah at the door of the tent of meeting.
And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for Jehovah, and the other lot for {Or, removal.}Azazel.
And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for Jehovah, and offer him for a sin-offering.
But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement {Or, over}for him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.
And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and shall make atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin-offering which is for himself.
And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from off the altar before Jehovah, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil:
and he shall put the incense upon the fire before Jehovah, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat on the east; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with his blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat:
and he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, even all their sins: and so shall he do for the tent of meeting, that dwelleth with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goeth in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel.
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before Jehovah, and make atonement for it, and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the children of Israel.
And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat:
and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a man {Or, appointed}that is in readiness into the wilderness:
and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a solitary land: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
And Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
and he shall bathe his flesh in water in a holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering and the burnt-offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.
And the fat of the sin-offering shall he burn upon the altar.
And he that letteth go the goat for {Or, removal}Azazel shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
And the bullock of the sin-offering, and the goat of the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that sojourneth among you:
for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall ye be clean before Jehovah.
It is a sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; it is a statute for ever.
And the priest, who shall be anointed and who shall be consecrated to be priest in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen garments, even the holy garments:
and he shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar; and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make atonement for the children of Israel because of all their sins once in the year. And he did as Jehovah commanded Moses.
But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through {Or, whom}which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
And he said unto his disciples, It is impossible but that occasions of stumbling should come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would obey you.
But who is there of you, having a {Greek: bondservant.}servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Doth he thank the {Greek: bondservant.}servant because he did the things that were commanded?
Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable {Greek: bondservants.}servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.
And it came to pass, {Or, as he was}as they were on the way to Jerusalem, that he was passing {Or, through the mist of &c.}along the borders of Samaria and Galilee.
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off:
and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, Have mercy on us.
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God;
and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
{Or, There were none found…save this stranger.}Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this {Or, alien}stranger?
And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath {Or, saved thee}made thee whole.
And being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, Lo, there! Lo, here! go not away, nor follow after them:
for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be {Some ancient authorities omit in his day.}in his day.
But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.
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.
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all:
after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed.
In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back.
Remember Lot's wife.
Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall {Greek: save it alive.}preserve it.
I say unto you, In that night there shall be two men on one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
There shall be two women grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. {Some ancient authorities add verse 36 There shall be two men in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Matthew 24:40.}
- - -
And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the {Or, vultures}eagles also be gathered together.
Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;
and he saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
And he entered into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat.
And when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
And Simon answered and said, Master, we toiled all night, and took nothing: but at thy word I will let down the nets.
And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their nets were breaking;
and they beckoned unto their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
For he was amazed, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken;
and so were also {Or, Jacob}James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt {Greek: take alive.}catch men.
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left all, and followed him.
And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, behold, a man full of leprosy: and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. And straightway the leprosy departed from him.
And he charged him to tell no man: but go thy way, and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, {Leviticus 13:49, 14:2 ff.}according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
But so much the more went abroad the report concerning him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed of their infirmities.
But he withdrew himself in the deserts, and prayed.
And it came to pass on one of those days, that he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, who were come out of every village of Galilee and Judæa and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was with him {Greek: that he should heal. Many ancient authorities read that he should heal them.}to heal.
And behold, men bring on a bed a man that was palsied: and they sought to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
And not finding by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went up to the housetop, and let him down through the tiles with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
And seeing their faith, he said, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this that speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
But Jesus perceiving their {Or, questionings}reasonings, answered and said unto them, {Or, What}Why reason ye in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he said unto him that was palsied), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thy house.
And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his house, glorifying God.
And amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God; and they were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to-day.
And after these things he went forth, and beheld a {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, Follow me.
And he forsook all, and rose up and followed him.
And Levi made him a great feast in his house: and there was a great multitude of {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and of others that were sitting at meat with them.
And {Or, the Pharisees and the scribes among them}the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and sinners?
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are {Greek: sound.}in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick.
I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
And they said unto him, The disciples of John fast often, and make supplications; likewise also the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink.
And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the {That is, companions of the bridegroom.}sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come; and when the bride-groom shall be taken away from them, then will they fast in those days.
And he spake also a parable unto them: No man rendeth a piece from a new garment and putteth it upon an old garment; else he will rend the new, and also the piece from the new will not agree with the old.
And no man putteth new wine into {That is, skins, used as bottles.}old wine-skins; else the new wine will burst the skins and itself will be spilled, and the skins will perish.
But new wine must be put into fresh wine-skins.
And no man having drunk old wine desireth new; for he saith, The old is {Many ancient authorities read better.}good.
Now all the {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.
And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
And he spake unto them this parable, saying,
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.
Or what woman having ten {Greek: drachma, a coin worth about eight pence, or sixteen cents.}pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
And he said, A certain man had two sons:
and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of {Greek: the.}thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain {Many ancient authorities read have been filled.}have filled his belly with {Greek: the pods of the carob tree.}the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:
I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and {Greek: kissed him much. See chapter 7:38, 45.}kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son {Some ancient authorities add make me as one of thy hired servants. See verse 19.}.
But the father said to his {Greek: bondservants.}servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:
for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him.
But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, {Greek: Child.}Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.
But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought unto the priest:
and the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look; and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper,
then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
and the priest shall command to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over {Hebrew: living.}running water.
As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the {Hebrew: living.}running water:
and he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let go the living bird into the open field.
And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water; and he shall be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.
And it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
And on the eighth day he shall take two he-lambs without blemish, and one ewe-lamb a year old without blemish, and three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal-offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
And the priest that cleanseth him shall set the man that is to be cleansed, and those things, before Jehovah, at the door of the tent of meeting.
And the priest shall take one of the he-lambs, and offer him for a trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah:
and he shall kill the he-lamb in the place where they kill the sin-offering and the burnt-offering, in the place of the sanctuary: for as the sin-offering is the priest's, so is the trespass-offering: it is most holy.
And the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And the priest shall take of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand;
and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before Jehovah.
And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass-offering:
and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah.
And the priest shall offer the sin-offering, and make atonement for him that is to be cleansed because of his uncleanness: and afterward he shall kill the burnt-offering;
and the priest shall offer the burnt-offering and the meal-offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.
And if he be poor, and cannot get so much, then he shall take one he-lamb for a trespass-offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and one tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering, and a log of oil;
and two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin-offering, and the other a burnt-offering.
And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tent of meeting, before Jehovah:
and the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass-offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before Jehovah.
And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass-offering; and the priest shall take of the blood of the trespass-offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand;
and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before Jehovah:
and the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass-offering:
and the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before Jehovah.
And he shall offer one of the turtle-doves, or of the young pigeons, such as he is able to get,
even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, with the meal-offering: and the priest shall make atonement for him that is to be cleansed before Jehovah.
This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, who is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
When ye are come into the land of Canaan, which I give to you for a possession, and I put the plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession;
then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, There seemeth to me to be as it were a plague in the house.
And the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goeth in to see the plague, that all that is in the house be not made unclean: and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house:
and he shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the plague be in the walls of the house with hollow streaks, greenish or reddish, and the appearance thereof be lower than the wall;
then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.
And the priest shall come again the seventh day, and shall look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house;
then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city:
and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar, that they scrape off, without the city into an unclean place:
and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones; and he shall take other mortar, and shall plaster the house.
And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, after that he hath taken out the stones, and after he hath scraped the house, and after it is plastered;
then the priest shall come in and look; and, behold, if the plague be spread in the house, it is a fretting leprosy in the house: it is unclean.
And he shall break down the house, the stones of it, and the timber thereof, and all the mortar of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city into an unclean place.
Moreover he that goeth into the house all the while that it is shut up shall be unclean until the even.
And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.
And if the priest shall come in, and look, and, behold, the plague hath not spread in the house, after the house was plastered; then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, because the plague is healed.
And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
and he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over {Hebrew: living.}running water:
and he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird, and in the {Hebrew: living.}running water, and sprinkle the house seven times:
and he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the {Hebrew: living.}running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet:
but he shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open field: so shall he make atonement for the house; and it shall be clean.
This is the law for all manner of plague of leprosy, and for a scall,
and for the leprosy of a garment, and for a house,
and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot;
to teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.
Now all the {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.
And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
And he spake unto them this parable, saying,
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.
Or what woman having ten {Greek: drachma, a coin worth about eight pence, or sixteen cents.}pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it?
And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.
Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
And he said, A certain man had two sons:
and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of {Greek: the.}thy substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain {Many ancient authorities read have been filled.}have filled his belly with {Greek: the pods of the carob tree.}the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:
I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and {Greek: kissed him much. See chapter 7:38, 45.}kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son {Some ancient authorities add make me as one of thy hired servants. See verse 19.}.
But the father said to his {Greek: bondservants.}servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, and make merry:
for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him.
But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, {Greek: Child.}Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.
But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
giving thanks unto the Father, who made {Some ancient authorities read you.}us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
For the law having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things, {Many ancient authorities read they can.}can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect them that draw nigh.
Else would they not have ceased to be offered? because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year.
For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, {Psalm 11:6 ff}Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,But a body didst thou prepare for me;
In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure:
Then said I, Lo, I am come(In the roll of the book it is written of me)To do thy will, O God.
Saying above, Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein (the which are offered according to the law),
then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
{Or, In}By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every {Some ancient authorities read high priest.}priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins:
but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for {Or, sins, for ever sat down &c.}sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet.
For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also beareth witness to us; for after he hath said,
{Jeremiah 31:33 f.}This is the covenant that {Greek: I will covenant.}I will make with themAfter those days, saith the Lord:I will put my laws on their heart,And upon their mind also will I write them;then saith he,
And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
and having a great priest over the house of God;
let us draw near with a true heart in {Or, full assurance}fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil {Or, conscience, and our body washed with pure water: let us hold fast}conscience: and having our body washed with pure water,
let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised:
and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works;
not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins,
but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a {Or, jealously}fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries.
A man that hath set at nought Moses' law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses:
of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified {Greek: a common thing.}an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
For we know him that said, {Deuteronomy 32:35}Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense. And again, {Deuteronomy 32:36}The Lord shall judge his people.
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were enlightened, ye endured a great conflict of sufferings;
partly, being made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, becoming partakers with them that were so used.
For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that {Many ancient authorities read ye have your own selves for a better possession &c. Compare Luke 9:25; 21:19.}ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.
Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward.
For ye have need of {Or, stedfastness}patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.
{Habakkuk 2:3 f.}For yet a very little while,He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry.
But {Some ancient authorities read the righteous one.}my righteous one shall live by faith:And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.
But we are not {Greek: of shrinking back.}of them that shrink back unto perdition; but of them that have faith unto the {Or, gaining}saving of the soul.
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.