Let no one defraud you of your prize, priding himself on his humility and on his worship of the angels, and taking his stand on the visions he has seen, and idly puffed up with his unspiritual thoughts.

When Christ, which is our life, shall show himself; then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper];

You became imitators of us and [through us] of the Lord, after you welcomed our message in [a time of] great trouble with the joy supplied by the Holy Spirit;

and to [look forward and confidently] wait for [the coming of] His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who [personally] rescues us from the coming wrath [and draws us to Himself, granting us all the privileges and rewards of a new life with Him].

For this reason also I am giving continual thanks to God, because when you heard from me the spoken word of God, you received it not as the word of men, but as the word of God (which in truth it is), who himself is effectually at work in you believe.

Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.

that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

So, the person who rejects [this exhortation] is not [merely] rejecting what man says but God [Himself], who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

As to brotherly love, I have no occasion to write about it, God himself having instructed you to love one another.

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:

And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].

and to you which are troubled, rest with us; when the Lord Jesus shall show himself from heaven, with his mighty angels,

Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sets himself against,

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

But if any one obey not our word by the letter, mark that man, and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed of himself;

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,

Not one newly taken into the church, for fear that, through his high opinion of himself, he may come into the same sin as the Evil One.

but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not devote himself to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching [that is] in accordance with godliness,

He has an over-high opinion of himself; being without knowledge, having only an unhealthy love of questionings and wars of words, from which come envy, fighting, cruel words, evil thoughts,

who has saved us and called us to a life of consecration ??not for anything we have done but because he chose to do it himself, by the grace which he gave us ages ago in Christ Jesus

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God [which He has laid] stands [sure and unshaken despite attacks], bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord stand apart from wickedness and withdraw from wrongdoing.”

If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

But you should continue [to believe and practice] what you have learned and been convinced of, knowing those from whom you learned it. [Note: These persons would include Lois and Eunice (See 1:5), as well as Paul himself].

so that the man of God may himself be complete and may be perfectly equipped for every good work.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil assault, and He will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

For it is necessary for a Bishop to be a man of virtue, as God's servant; not pushing himself forward, not quickly moved to wrath or blows, not desiring profit for himself;

And he must be hospitable [to believers, as well as strangers], a lover of what is good, sensible (upright), fair, devout, self-disciplined [above reproach—whether in public or in private].

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

whom I have sent back to you himself, that is, my heart,

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].

how will we escape [the penalty] if we ignore such a great salvation [the gospel, the new covenant]? For it was spoken at first by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us and proved authentic by those who personally heard [Him speak],

while God himself added his testimony to it by signs, and marvels, and many different miracles, as well as by imparting the Holy Spirit as he saw fit.

But we see him who was made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, crowned with glory and honour, because he let himself be put to death so that by the grace of God he might undergo death for all men.

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

For not yet does he take upon himself the nature of angels, but he takes upon himself the seed of Abraham.

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Be careful, Brothers, that there is never found in any one of you a wicked and faithless heart, shown by his separating himself from the Living God.

For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

For every high priest is appointed to officiate for men in religious matters, offering gifts and sacrifices for their sins: being chosen from among the people. that as he himself is surrounded with infirmities,

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

and complete himself, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him;

For God Himself addresses Him as a High Priest for ever, belonging to the order of Melchizedek.

For God is not unjust so that He is unmindful of your labour and of the love which you have manifested towards Himself in having rendered services to His people and in still rendering them.

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,

he swore by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And therefore God, in his desire to show, with unmistakable plainness, to those who were to enter on the enjoyment of what he had promised, the unchangeableness of his purpose, bound himself with an oath.

In order that, through means of two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to make himself false, a mighty consolation, we might have, who have fled along to grasp, the fore-lying hope,

whither Jesus himself is entered as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

Just look at how great this man was! Even Abraham the patriarch himself gave him a tenth of what he had captured!

But this person [Melchizedek] who is not from their Levitical ancestry received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who possessed the promises [of God].

A person might even say that Levi [the father of the priestly tribe] himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham [the father of all Israel and of all who believe],

He who is thus described belongs to another tribe, no member of which ever devoted himself to the altar;

(for they indeed have been made priests without an oath; but he with an oath by him that saith of him, The Lord sware and will not repent himself, Thou art a priest for ever);

but He, on the other hand, because He Himself lives on forever, enjoys the only priesthood that has no successors in office.

Therefore, because He Himself lives always to intercede for them always, He is able to save completely any and all who come to God through Him.

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

to officiate as priest in the sanctuary and in that true tent of worship which not man but the Lord himself set up.

But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

For the Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, the copies of the true; but he has entered heaven itself, now to present himself in the presence of God for us.

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerly and confidently waiting for Him.

He then said, "Look, I have come to do what you want." [So], Christ takes away the first [i.e., the animal and grain sacrifices] in order to establish the second [i.e., the sacrifice of Himself].

Again, while every priest stands daily at his service, offering the same sacrifices repeatedly, sacrifices which never can take sins away ??12 He offered a single sacrifice for sins and then seated himself for all time at the right hand of God,

but after offering one sacrifice for sins, he himself sits continually at the right hand of God,

For by one offering [i.e., the sacrifice of Himself], Christ has made perfect forever those people who are being set apart for God.

But the just shall live by faith. And if he withdraw himself, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and by faith he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith he continues to speak, even though he is dead.

But where there is no faith it is impossible truly to please Him; for the man who draws near to God must believe that there is a God and that He proves Himself a rewarder of those who earnestly try to find Him.

By faith Abraham, when tried, offered up Isaac, and he who had received to himself the promises offered up his only begotten son,

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph, and bowed himself toward the top of his scepter.

simply fixing our gaze upon Jesus, our Prince Leader in the faith, who will also award us the prize. He, for the sake of the joy which lay before Him, patiently endured the cross, looking with contempt upon its shame, and afterwards seated Himself-- where He still sits--at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself towards you as towards sons; for who is the son that the father chastens not?

Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.

equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:

Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.

It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].

For if anyone hears the word but is not obedient to it, he is like a man who looks at himself in a mirror

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

Whereas he who gazes into the faultless law of freedom and remains in that position, proving himself to be no forgetful listener but an active agent, he will be blessed in his activity.

If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.