⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards,

⁶ And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was greatly amazed.^(A)

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.^(A)

⁷ Also, it was allowed to wage war on the saints and to conquer them.^[a] It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation,^(A)

¹² These are blots^[a] on your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves.^[b] They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;^(A)

Diotrephes and Demetrius

⁹ I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not welcome us. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the brothers and sisters and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.^(A)

¹³ suffering^[a] the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures^[b] while they feast with you.^{(A) 14} They have eyes full of adultery,^[c] insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!

³ Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.^(A)