Go the Second Mile^(A)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ^(B)‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ^39 (C)But I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^(D)But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹ And whoever ^(E)compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴² Give to him who asks you, and ^(F)from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies^(G)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(H)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(I)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [a]But I say to you, ^(J)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(K)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(L)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(M)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (N)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[b]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[c]tax collectors do so? ^48 (O)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(P)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

⁷ Consider what I say, and ^[a]may the Lord ^(A)give you understanding in all things.

⁸ Remember that Jesus Christ, ^(B)of the seed of David, ^(C)was raised from the dead ^(D)according to my gospel, ^9 (E)for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, ^(F)even to the point of chains; ^(G)but the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(H)I endure all things for the sake of the ^[b]elect, ^(I)that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ This is a faithful saying:

The Promise Granted Through Faith

¹³ For the promise that he would be the ^(A)heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴ For ^(B)if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because ^(C)the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be ^(D)according to grace, ^(E)so that the promise might be ^[a]sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, ^(F)who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, ^(G)“I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, ^(H)who gives life to the dead and calls those ^(I)things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ^(J)“So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, ^(K)he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), ^(L)and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised ^(M)He was also able to perform. ²² And therefore ^(N)“it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

²³ Now ^(O)it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe ^(P)in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ^25 (Q)who was delivered up because of our offenses, and ^(R)was raised because of our justification.

Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. ^38 (A)When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

^39 (B)Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but ^(C)your inward part is full of ^[a]greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Foolish ones! Did not ^(D)He who made the outside make the inside also? ^41 (E)But rather give alms of ^[b]such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

^42 (F)“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and ^(G)pass by justice and the ^(H)love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ^43 (I)Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the ^[c]best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ^44 (J)Woe to you, ^[d]scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^(K)For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

⁴⁵ Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”

⁴⁶ And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! ^(L)For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47 (M)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ^(N)‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ^51 (O)from the blood of Abel to ^(P)the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

^52 (Q)“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

^53 [e]And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him, ^[f]and ^(R)seeking to catch Him in something He might say, ^[g]that they might accuse Him.

Peter Defends God’s Grace

11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^(A)those of the circumcision contended with him, ³ saying, ^(B)“You went in to uncircumcised men ^(C)and ate with them!”

⁴ But Peter explained it to them ^(D)in order from the beginning, saying: ^5 (E)“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² Then ^(F)the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover ^(G)these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ^13 (H)And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ¹⁴ who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, ^(I)as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ^(J)‘John indeed baptized with water, but ^(K)you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ^17 (L)If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(M)who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸ When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ^(N)“Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Barnabas and Saul at Antioch

^19 (O)Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰ But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to ^(P)the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(Q)the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and ^(R)turned to the Lord.

²² Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out ^(S)Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. ²³ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and ^(T)encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. ²⁴ For he was a good man, ^(U)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. ^(V)And a great many people were added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas departed for ^(W)Tarsus to seek Saul. ²⁶ And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.