⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness^(A) of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire^(B)—may result in praise, glory and honor^(C) when Jesus Christ is revealed.^(D)

³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;^(A) he will purify^(B) the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.^(C) Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,^(D)

Suffering for Being a Christian

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you^(A) to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

⁶ Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts^(A) of the people of Israel.

⁷ At the end of four^[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. ⁸ While your servant was living at Geshur^(B) in Aram, I made this vow:^(C) ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.^[b]’”

⁹ The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,^(D) then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” ¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. ¹² While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel^(E) the Gilonite, David’s counselor,^(F) to come from Giloh,^(G) his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.^(H)