When Brothers Dwell in Unity

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of David.

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

1 Now the word of the Lord came to ^(A)Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to ^(B)Nineveh, that ^(C)great city, and call out against it, ^(D)for their evil^[a] has come up before me.” ³ But Jonah ^(E)rose to flee to ^(F)Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to ^(G)Joppa and found a ship going to ^(H)Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to ^(I)Tarshish, ^(J)away from the presence of the Lord.

⁴ But ^(K)the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened ^(L)to break up. ⁵ Then the mariners were afraid, and ^(M)each cried out to his god. And ^(N)they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. ⁶ So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, ^(O)call out to your god! ^(P)Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

⁷ And they said to one another, “Come, let us ^(Q)cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” ⁹ And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear ^(R)the Lord, the God of heaven, ^(S)who made the sea and the dry land.” ¹⁰ Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that ^(T)he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

¹¹ Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. ¹² He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, ^(U)for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” ¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard^[b] to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and ^(V)lay not on us innocent blood, ^(W)for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” ¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, ^(X)and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, ^(Y)and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord ^(Z)and made vows.

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

^17 [c] And the Lord appointed^[d] a great fish to swallow up Jonah. ^(AA)And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, ² saying,

¹⁰ And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ² “Arise, go to ^(AP)Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” ³ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now ^(AQ)Nineveh was an exceedingly great city,^[e] three days' journey in breadth.^{[f] 4} Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ^5 (AR)And the people of Nineveh believed God. ^(AS)They called for a fast and ^(AT)put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

The People of Nineveh Repent

⁶ The word reached^[g] the king of Nineveh, and ^(AU)he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, ^(AV)and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ^(AW)“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor ^(AX)beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, ⁸ but let man and ^(AY)beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. ^(AZ)Let everyone turn from his evil way and from ^(BA)the violence that is in his hands. ^9 (BB)Who knows? God may turn and relent ^(BC)and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, ^(BD)how they turned from their evil way, ^(BE)God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,^[h] and ^(BF)he was angry. ² And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? ^(BG)That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a ^(BH)gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and ^(BI)relenting from disaster. ^3 (BJ)Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, ^(BK)for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴ And the Lord said, ^(BL)“Do you do well to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and ^(BM)made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. ⁶ Now the Lord God appointed a plant^[i] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.^[j] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. ⁷ But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching ^(BN)east wind, ^(BO)and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he ^(BP)was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, ^(BQ)“It is better for me to die than to live.” ⁹ But God said to Jonah, ^(BR)“Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should not I pity ^(BS)Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much ^(BT)cattle?”

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, ^(A)he entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a servant^[a] who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³ When the centurion^[b] heard about Jesus, ^(B)he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ^(C)“He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us ^(D)our synagogue.” ⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, ^(E)do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But ^(F)say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸ For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ⁹ When Jesus heard these things, ^(G)he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such ^(H)faith.” ¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Peter and Cornelius

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of ^(A)what was known as the Italian Cohort, ² a devout man ^(B)who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. ^3 (C)About the ninth hour of the day^{[a] (D)}he saw clearly in a vision ^(E)an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” ⁴ And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms ^(F)have ascended ^(G)as a memorial before God. ⁵ And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is lodging ^(H)with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, ⁸ and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter's Vision

⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, ^(I)Peter went up ^(J)on the housetop about ^(K)the sixth hour^[b] to pray. ¹⁰ And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into ^(L)a trance ¹¹ and saw ^(M)the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. ¹² In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. ¹³ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; ^(N)for I have never eaten anything that is ^(O)common or ^(P)unclean.” ¹⁵ And the voice came to him again a second time, ^(Q)“What God has made clean, do not call common.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what ^(R)the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, ^(S)the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate ¹⁸ and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. ¹⁹ And while Peter was pondering ^(T)the vision, ^(U)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰ Rise and go down and ^(V)accompany them without hesitation,^[c] for I have sent them.” ²¹ And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” ²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and ^(W)God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by ^(X)a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and ^(Y)to hear what you have to say.” ²³ So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and ^(Z)some of ^(AA)the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and ^(AB)fell down at his feet and ^(AC)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, ^(AD)“Stand up; I too am a man.” ²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew ^(AE)to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but ^(AF)God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. ²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

³⁰ And Cornelius said, ^(AG)“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at ^(AH)the ninth hour,^[d] and behold, ^(AI)a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, ^(AJ)your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³² Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News

³⁴ So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that ^(AK)God ^(AL)shows no partiality, ³⁵ but ^(AM)in every nation anyone who fears him and ^(AN)does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ As for ^(AO)the word that he sent to Israel, ^(AP)preaching good news of ^(AQ)peace through Jesus Christ (^(AR)he is Lord of all), ³⁷ you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, ^(AS)beginning ^(AT)from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸ how ^(AU)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ^(AV)with the Holy Spirit and with ^(AW)power. He went about doing good and healing all ^(AX)who were oppressed by the devil, ^(AY)for God was with him. ³⁹ And ^(AZ)we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. ^(BA)They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but ^(BB)God raised him on ^(BC)the third day and made him to ^(BD)appear, ^41 (BE)not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as ^(BF)witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² And ^(BG)he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify ^(BH)that he is the one appointed by God to be judge ^(BI)of the living and the dead. ^43 (BJ)To him ^(BK)all the prophets bear witness that ^(BL)everyone who believes in him receives ^(BM)forgiveness of sins ^(BN)through his name.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴ While Peter was still saying these things, ^(BO)the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And the believers from among ^(BP)the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because ^(BQ)the gift of the Holy Spirit ^(BR)was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them ^(BS)speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ^47 (BT)“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit ^(BU)just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he ^(BV)commanded them ^(BW)to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Peter Reports to the Church

11 Now the apostles and ^(BX)the brothers^[e] who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ^(BY)the circumcision party^[f] criticized him, saying, ^3 (BZ)“You went to uncircumcised men and ^(CA)ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ^5 (CB)“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. ⁶ Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² And the Spirit told me to go with them, ^(CC)making no distinction. ^(CD)These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. ¹³ And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; ^14 (CE)he will declare to you a message by which ^(CF)you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ As I began to speak, ^(CG)the Holy Spirit fell on them ^(CH)just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^(CI)‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If then ^(CJ)God gave ^(CK)the same gift to them as he gave to us ^(CL)when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(CM)who was I ^(CN)that I could stand in God's way?” ¹⁸ When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ^(CO)glorified God, saying, ^(CP)“Then to the Gentiles also God has ^(CQ)granted ^(CR)repentance that leads to life.”

Put On the New Self

3 ^(A)If then you have been raised with Christ, seek ^(B)the things that are above, where Christ is, ^(C)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 (D)Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For ^(E)you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ ^(F)who is your^[a] life ^(G)appears, then you also will appear with him ^(H)in glory.

^5 (I)Put to death therefore ^(J)what is earthly in you:^{[b] (K)}sexual immorality, impurity, ^(L)passion, evil desire, and covetousness, ^(M)which is idolatry. ^6 (N)On account of these the wrath of God is coming.^{[c] 7 (O)}In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now ^(P)you must put them all away: ^(Q)anger, wrath, malice, ^(R)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ^9 (S)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(T)you have put off ^(U)the old self^[d] with its practices ¹⁰ and ^(V)have put on ^(W)the new self, ^(X)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(Y)after the image of ^(Z)its creator. ^11 (AA)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[e] free; but Christ is ^(AB)all, and in all.

^12 (AC)Put on then, as ^(AD)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(AE)compassionate hearts, ^(AF)kindness, ^(AG)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (AH)bearing with one another and, ^(AI)if one has a complaint against another, ^(AJ)forgiving each other; ^(AK)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(AL)love, which ^(AM)binds everything together in ^(AN)perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let ^(AO)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AP)in one body. And ^(AQ)be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AR)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AS)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AT)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And ^(AU)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AV)giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Greeting

¹ Paul, ^(A)a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and ^(B)Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker ² and Apphia our sister and ^(C)Archippus our ^(D)fellow soldier, and ^(E)the church in your house:

^3 (F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon's Love and Faith

^4 (G)I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, ⁵ because I ^(H)hear of your love and ^(I)of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, ⁶ and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full ^(J)knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.^{[a] 7} For I have derived much joy and ^(K)comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints ^(L)have been refreshed through you.

Paul's Plea for Onesimus

⁸ Accordingly, ^(M)though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do ^(N)what is required, ⁹ yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now ^(O)a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for ^(P)my child, ^(Q)Onesimus,^{[b] (R)}whose father I became in my imprisonment. ¹¹ (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) ¹² I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. ¹³ I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me ^(S)on your behalf ^(T)during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴ but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be ^(U)by compulsion but of your own accord. ¹⁵ For this perhaps is why ^(V)he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ^16 (W)no longer as a bondservant^[c] but more than a bondservant, as ^(X)a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, ^(Y)both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you consider me ^(Z)your partner, receive him as you would receive me. ¹⁸ If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ^19 (AA)I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. ^(AB)Refresh my heart in Christ.

^21 (AC)Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. ²² At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for ^(AD)I am hoping that ^(AE)through your prayers ^(AF)I will be graciously given to you.

Final Greetings

^23 (AG)Epaphras, my ^(AH)fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, ²⁴ and so do ^(AI)Mark, ^(AJ)Aristarchus, ^(AK)Demas, and ^(AL)Luke, my fellow workers.

^25 (AM)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.