19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

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19 holding on to faith and a good conscience,(A) which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.(B)

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Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

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They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.(A)

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10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

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10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you(A) from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world(B) to test(C) the inhabitants of the earth.(D)

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15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

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15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer(A) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope(B) that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,(C) so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(D)

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Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

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He must hold firmly(A) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine(B) and refute those who oppose it.

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But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

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Those who want to get rich(A) fall into temptation and a trap(B) and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

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I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

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I know your deeds.(A) See, I have placed before you an open door(B) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(C)

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But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

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False Teachers and Their Destruction

But there were also false prophets(A) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.(B) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord(C) who bought them(D)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct(E) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed(F) these teachers will exploit you(G) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

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For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

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It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,(A) who have tasted the heavenly gift,(B) who have shared in the Holy Spirit,(C) who have tasted the goodness(D) of the word of God(E) and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen[a] away, to be brought back to repentance.(F) To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God(G) all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 6:6 Or age, if they fall

14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

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14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(A) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(B)

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And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

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They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.(A)

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This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

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But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.(A) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,(B) boastful, proud,(C) abusive,(D) disobedient to their parents,(E) ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,(F) rash, conceited,(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.(I)

They are the kind who worm their way(J) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,

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10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

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10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.(A)

11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;(B) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;(C) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.(D)

12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts,(E) eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves.(F) They are clouds without rain,(G) blown along by the wind;(H) autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted(I)—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea,(J) foaming up their shame;(K) wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.(L)

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