In conclusion, my friends, be joyful in your union with the Lord. I don't mind repeating what I have written before, and you will be safer if I do so.

Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.

Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.

Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.

If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good.

Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord."

Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;

love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge;

to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love.

Then they sent to him some of their disciples and some members of Herod's party. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you tell the truth. You teach the truth about God's will for people, without worrying about what others think, because you pay no attention to anyone's status.

Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves. But he who wants glory for the one who sent him is honest, and there is nothing false in him.

Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.

We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth;

No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ.

for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate,

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.

So then, friends, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this matter.

If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good.

Let us conduct ourselves properly, as people who live in the light of day---no orgies or drunkenness, no immorality or indecency, no fighting or jealousy.

Our purpose is to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of others.

We pray to God that you will do no wrong---not in order to show that we are a success, but so that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to be failures.

In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need.

for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct.

he must be able to manage his own family well and make his children obey him with all respect.

Church helpers must also have a good character and be sincere; they must not drink too much wine or be greedy for money;

Their wives also must be of good character and must not gossip; they must be sober and honest in everything.

Instruct the older men to be sober, sensible, and self-controlled; to be sound in their faith, love, and endurance.

In all things you yourself must be an example of good behavior. Be sincere and serious in your teaching.

Our people must learn to spend their time doing good, in order to provide for real needs; they should not live useless lives.

Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times.

Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.

I have chosen him in order that he may command his sons and his descendants to obey me and to do what is right and just. If they do, I will do everything for him that I have promised."

Always be fair and just, so that you will occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you and so that you will continue to live there.

The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: "The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God,

"You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!

The LORD hates people who use dishonest scales. He is happy with honest weights.

The LORD wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.

Children are fortunate if they have a father who is honest and does what is right.

LORD, you make the path smooth for good people; the road they travel is level.

Herod was afraid of John because he knew that John was a good and holy man, and so he kept him safe. He liked to listen to him, even though he became greatly disturbed every time he heard him.

At that time there was a man named Simeon living in Jerusalem. He was a good, God-fearing man and was waiting for Israel to be saved. The Holy Spirit was with him

There was a man named Joseph from Arimathea, a town in Judea. He was a good and honorable man, who was waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Although he was a member of the Council, he had not agreed with their decision and action.

"Captain Cornelius sent us," they answered. "He is a good man who worships God and is highly respected by all the Jewish people. An angel of God told him to invite you to his house, so that he could hear what you have to say."

He must be hospitable and love what is good. He must be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity.

the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity.

He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good.

What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

My dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written you. In both letters I have tried to arouse pure thoughts in your minds by reminding you of these things.

Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.

"Saul and Jonathan, so wonderful and dear; together in life, together in death; swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

His mouth is sweet to kiss; everything about him enchants me. This is what my lover is like, women of Jerusalem.

I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.

I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned ---but if I have no love, this does me no good.

love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;

Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial;

When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways.

Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins.

So then, friends, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will put them in charge of this matter.

"Captain Cornelius sent us," they answered. "He is a good man who worships God and is highly respected by all the Jewish people. An angel of God told him to invite you to his house, so that he could hear what you have to say."

"In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there.

Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have.

and avoid every kind of evil.

He should be a man who is respected by the people outside the church, so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the Devil's trap.

and have a reputation for good deeds: a woman who brought up her children well, received strangers in her home, performed humble duties for other Christians, helped people in trouble, and devoted herself to doing good.

It was by their faith that people of ancient times won God's approval.

Now don't worry, Ruth. I will do everything you ask; as everyone in town knows, you are a fine woman.

A good wife is her husband's pride and joy; but a wife who brings shame on her husband is like a cancer in his bones.

How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels!

He says, "Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all."

God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.

In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature.

Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.

Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised, and this is the work of God's Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings.

For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you,

So you should not pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people's minds. And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve.

With him we are sending the brother who is highly respected in all the churches for his work in preaching the gospel.

Jesus said to them, "You are the ones who make yourselves look right in other people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For the things that are considered of great value by people are worth nothing in God's sight.

Put all things to the test: keep what is good

My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.