¹⁵ but ^(A)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(B)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(C)respect,

⁶ Let your speech always ^(A)be gracious, ^(B)seasoned with salt, ^(C)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

²⁵ correcting his opponents ^(A)with gentleness. God ^(B)may perhaps grant them repentance ^(C)leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from ^(D)the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds ^(A)not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for ^(B)I will give you a mouth and ^(C)wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or ^(D)contradict.

² when they see your ^(A)respectful and pure conduct.

⁷ Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers.

^27 (A)To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are ^(B)the riches of the glory of ^(C)this mystery, which is Christ in you, ^(D)the hope of glory.

¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which ^(A)it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope ^(B)set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into ^(C)the inner place behind the curtain,

6 Therefore ^(A)let us leave ^(B)the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance ^(C)from dead works and of faith toward God,

⁶ but Christ is faithful over God's house as ^(A)a son. And ^(B)we are his house, if indeed we ^(C)hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.^[a]