²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.^(A)

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.^(A)

¹⁷ Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it commits sin.^(A)

²⁰ Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse,^(A)

³⁰ While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent,^(A)

⁴⁸ The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge,^(A)

³¹ They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain.^{[a](A) 32} To them you are like a singer of love songs,^[b] one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; they hear what you say, but they will not do it. ³³ When this comes—and come it will!—then they shall know that a prophet has been among them.^(B)

⁴ For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit^{(A) 5} and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come^{(B) 6} and then have fallen away, since they are crucifying again the Son of God to their own harm and are holding him up to contempt.^{(C) 7} Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God.^{(D) 8} But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over.^(E)

¹⁸ Those who believe in him are not condemned, but those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.^{(A) 19} And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.^{(B) 20} For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.^{(C) 21} But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”^[a](D)

¹⁶ As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.^(A)