Blessings for Obedience

¹² “If you heed these ordinances by diligently observing them, the Lord your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors;^{(A) 13} he will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you.^{(B) 14} You shall be the most blessed of peoples, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock.^{(C) 15} The Lord will turn away from you every illness; all the dread diseases of Egypt that you experienced, he will not inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.^{(D) 16} You shall devour all the peoples that the Lord your God is giving over to you, showing them no pity; you shall not serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.^(E)

Teach Sound Doctrine

2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. ² Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good,^{(A) 4} so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.^(B)

⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled ⁷ in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.^(C)

⁹ Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back,^{(D) 10} not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,^{[a](E) 12} training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,^{(F) 13} while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,^[b] Jesus Christ.^{(G) 14} He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.^(H)

¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.^[c] Let no one look down on you.

Maintain Good Deeds

3 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,^{(I) 2} to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.^{(J) 3} For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another.^{(K) 4} But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,^{(L) 5} he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water^[d] of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.^{(M) 6} This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.^{(N) 8} The saying is sure.

I desire that you insist on these things, so that those who have come to believe in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent and profitable to everyone.^{(O) 9} But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.^{(P) 10} After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions,^{(Q) 11} since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.

Final Messages and Benediction

¹² When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.^{(R) 13} Make every effort to send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lack nothing. ¹⁴ And let people learn to devote themselves to good works in order to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.

¹⁵ All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

Grace be with all of you.^[e]

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”^{(A) 44} Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.^{(B) 45} Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”^{(C) 46} Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”^{(D) 47} When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”^{(E) 48} Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”^{(F) 50} Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,^[a] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”^(G)