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19 For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.(A)

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Coming Persecutions

16 “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.(A)

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20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults.(A)

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Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.(A) 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. 15 This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.(B) 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.(C) 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.(D) 18 And the fruit of righteousness[a] is sown in peace by those who make peace.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.18 Or justice

15 so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world,(A)

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Prayer of Thanksgiving

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.(A)

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And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight(A)

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22 “For my people are foolish;
    they do not know me;
they are stupid children;
    they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil
    but do not know how to do good.”(A)

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16 Let the word of Christ[a] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.[b](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.16 Other ancient authorities read of God or of the Lord
  2. 3.16 Other ancient authorities read to the Lord

15 and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is[a] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,(A) 17 so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.16 Or Every scripture inspired by God is also

17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.(A)

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Paul’s Prayer

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[a] toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers,(A) 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,(B) 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

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Footnotes

  1. 1.15 Other ancient authorities lack and your love

I will study the way that is blameless.
    When shall I attain it?

I will walk with integrity of heart
    within my house;(A)

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Timothy’s Encouraging Report

But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, just as we long to see you.(A) For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.(B)

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The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.(A)
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see
    or decide by what his ears hear,(B)

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Paul Thanks God for the Colossians

In our prayers for you we always thank God, the[a] Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,(A) for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,(B) because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel(C) that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.(D) This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our[b] behalf,(E) and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s[c] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.3 Other ancient authorities read thank the God and
  2. 1.7 Other ancient authorities read your
  3. 1.9 Gk his

Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.(A)

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Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”(A)

10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,(B) 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you.(C)

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For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.(A) For they report about us what kind of welcome we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God(B)

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The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly(A) remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

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