The Parable of the Net

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is (A)like a net that was thrown into the sea and (B)gathered fish of every kind.

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For people will be (A)lovers of self, (B)lovers of money, (C)proud, (D)arrogant, abusive, (E)disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (F)heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, (G)not loving good, treacherous, reckless, (H)swollen with conceit, (I)lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but (J)denying its power. (K)Avoid such people.

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If anyone does not abide in me (A)he is thrown away like a branch and withers; (B)and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

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Test the Spirits

Beloved, (A)do not believe every spirit, but (B)test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for (C)many (D)false prophets (E)have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: (F)every spirit that confesses that (G)Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit (H)that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and (I)now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for (J)he who is in you is greater than (K)he who is in the world. (L)They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and (M)the world listens to them. We are from God. (N)Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know (O)the Spirit of truth and (P)the spirit of error.

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To the Church in Sardis

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him (A)who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation (B)of being alive, (C)but you are dead.

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13 suffering wrong as (A)the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure (B)to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,[a] while (C)they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery,[b] (D)insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts (E)trained in greed. (F)Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, (G)they have gone astray. They have followed (H)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved (I)gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; (J)a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

17 (K)These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. (L)For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, (M)speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely (N)escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them (O)freedom, (P)but they themselves are slaves[c] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, (Q)after they have escaped the defilements of the world (R)through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, (S)the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For (T)it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from (U)the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The (V)dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts love feasts
  2. 2 Peter 2:14 Or eyes full of an adulteress
  3. 2 Peter 2:19 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

He must (A)hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in (B)sound[a] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

10 For there are many who are insubordinate, (C)empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of (D)the circumcision party.[b] 11 They must be silenced, since (E)they are upsetting whole families by teaching (F)for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

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Footnotes

  1. Titus 1:9 Or healthy; also verse 13
  2. Titus 1:10 Or especially those of the circumcision

(A)For the time is coming when people will not endure (B)sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and (C)will turn away from listening to the truth and (D)wander off into myths.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 4:3 Or healthy

20 For I fear that perhaps (A)when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those (B)who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, (C)sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

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Warning Against Idolatry

10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a] that our fathers were all under (A)the cloud, and all (B)passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and (C)all ate the same (D)spiritual food, and (E)all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for (F)they were overthrown[b] in the wilderness.

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as (G)they did. (H)Do not be idolaters (I)as some of them were; as it is written, (J)“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (K)We must not indulge in sexual immorality (L)as some of them did, and (M)twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ[c] to the test, (N)as some of them did and (O)were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, (P)as some of them did and (Q)were destroyed by (R)the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but (S)they were written down for our instruction, (T)on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore (U)let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 10:1 Or brothers and sisters
  2. 1 Corinthians 10:5 Or were laid low
  3. 1 Corinthians 10:9 Some manuscripts the Lord

17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become (A)fishers of men.”[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 1:17 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women

Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and (A)gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

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26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants[a] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, (A)‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, (B)“Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:27 Or bondservants; also verse 28

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