Day 62 of 365

¹For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you was not in vain,

²but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.

³For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception.

⁴But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.

⁵For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),

⁶nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.

⁷But we were like children among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

⁸Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God.

¹⁰You are witnesses with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.

¹¹As you know, as a father with his own children,

¹²we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.

¹³For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.

¹⁴For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Judeans;

¹⁵who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and did not please God, and are contrary to all men;

¹⁶forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

¹⁷But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,

¹⁸because we wanted to come to you-indeed, I, Paul, once and again-but Satan hindered us.

¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is not it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

²⁰For you are our glory and our joy.

¹Therefore, when we could not stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone,

²and sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith;

³that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task.

⁴For truly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know.

⁵For this cause I also, when I could not stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.

⁶But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you;

⁷for this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith.

⁸For now we live, since you stand firm in the Lord.

⁹For what thanksgiving can we render again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God;

¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

¹¹Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you;

¹²and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you,

¹³to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

¹Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, even as you are living, that you excel more and more.

²For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

⁴that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

⁵not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who do not know God;

⁶that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

⁷For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

⁸Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

¹⁰for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;

¹¹and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you;

¹²that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

¹³But we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,

¹⁷then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

¹⁸Therefore comfort one another with these words.

¹My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him.

²He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress- I will never be greatly shaken.

³How long will you assault a man, would all of you throw him down, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

⁴They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

⁵My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him.

⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.

⁷With God is my salvation and my honor. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

⁸Trust in him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.

⁹Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath.

¹⁰Do not trust in oppression. Do not become vain in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

¹¹God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God.

¹²Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.

¹The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.

²"Oh, my son! Oh, son of my womb! Oh, son of my vows!

³Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

⁴It is not for kings, Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to say, 'Where is strong drink?'

⁵lest they drink, and forget the decree, and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted.

⁶Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish; and wine to the bitter in soul:

⁷Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

⁸Open your mouth for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate.

⁹Open your mouth, judge righteously, and serve justice to the poor and needy."

¹⁰Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies.

¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain.

¹²She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

¹³She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.

¹⁴She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.

¹⁵She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.

¹⁶She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷She girds her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.

¹⁸She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn't go out by night.

¹⁹She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

²⁰She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.

²¹She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

²²She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

²³Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

²⁴She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.

²⁶She opens her mouth with wisdom. Faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸Her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:

²⁹"Many women do noble things, but you excel them all."

³⁰Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!