⁸ And, A stone of falling, a rock of trouble; the word is the cause of their fall, because they go against it, and this was the purpose of God.

¹⁴ And he will be for a holy place: but for a stone of falling and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, and to the men of Jerusalem, for a net in which they may be taken.

²³ But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles;

²² What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:

⁴ For certain men have come among you secretly, marked out before in the holy Writings for this evil fate, men without the fear of God, turning his grace into an unclean thing, and false to our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

³ And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.

³² Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;

³³ As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.

¹⁶ But, for this very reason, I have kept you from destruction, to make clear to you my power, and so that my name may be honoured through all the earth.

⁷ And the value is for you who have faith; but it is said for those without faith, The very stone which the builders put on one side, was made the chief stone of the building;

⁹ For God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁶ To the one it is a perfume of death to death; to the other a perfume of life to life. And who is enough for such things?

³⁴ And Simeon gave them his blessing and said to Mary, his mother, See, this child will be the cause of the downfall and the lifting up of great numbers of people in Israel, and he will be a sign against which hard words will be said;

¹⁴ And I will say, Make it high, make it high, get ready the way, take the stones out of the way of my people.