2 EyomqunguWisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, “Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.” Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
3 EyomqunguAs for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit. Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.'
4 Eyomqungu[[And some were present at that time, reporting to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their offerings. And יהושע answering, said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they have suffered like this? “I say to you, no! But unless you repent you shall all perish in the same way. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Shiloaḥ fell and killed them, do you think that they were greater offenders than all other men who dwelt in Yerushalayim?” I say to you, no! But unless you repent you shall all perish in the same way. And He spoke this parable, “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. “And he said to the gardener, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down, why does it even make the ground useless?’ “And he answering, said to him, ‘Master, leave it this year too, until I dig around it and throw manure. And if indeed it bears fruit, good. But if not so, you shall cut it down.’ ” And He was teaching in one of the congregations on the Sabbath, and see, there was a woman having a weakening spirit for eighteen years, and was bent over and was unable to straighten up at all. And יהושע, seeing her, called her near and said to her, “Woman, you are loosened from your weakness.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was straightened up, and praised Elohim. But the ruler of the congregation, responding, much displeased that יהושע had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men should work, so come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Master answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loosen his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? And this one, being a daughter of Aḇraham, whom Satan has bound, look, for eighteen years, should she not be loosened from this bond on the Sabbath? And when He said this, all His opponents were put to shame. And all the crowd rejoiced for all the splendid works being done by Him. Therefore He said, “What is the reign of Elohim like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his garden. And it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the heavens nested in its branches. And again He said, “To what shall I compare the reign of Elohim? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. And He was going through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Yerushalayim, and someone said to Him, “Master, are there few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because many, I say to you, shall seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Master, Master, open for us,’ and He shall answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ ” then you shall begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ “But He shall say, ‘I say to you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Aḇraham and Yitsḥaq and Ya‛aqoḇ and all the prophets in the reign of Elohim, look.”
[12]But before all this, they will take you and be very cruel to you, giving you up to the Synagogues and to prisons, taking you before kings and rulers, because of my name.
[1]Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:[2]But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.[3]For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:[4](For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)[5]Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;[6]And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.[7]Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.[8]For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:[9]That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.[10]For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.[11]Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.[12]For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.[13]But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.[14]For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:[15]Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,[16]To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.[17]But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.[18]For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
