¹³ Till I come, give attention to the reading of the holy Writings, to comforting the saints, and to teaching.

¹⁹ And it is to be with him for his reading all the days of his life, so that he may be trained in the fear of the Lord his God to keep and do all the words of this teaching and these laws:

² Be preaching the word at all times, in every place; make protests, say sharp words, give comfort, with long waiting and teaching;

¹⁵ Let it be your care to get the approval of God, as a workman who has no cause for shame, giving the true word in the right way.

¹⁶ But take no part in wrong and foolish talk, for those who do so will go farther into evil,

¹⁷ And their words will be like poisoned wounds in the flesh: such are Hymenaeus and Philetus;

¹⁶ Give attention to yourself and your teaching. Go on in these things; for in doing so you will get salvation for yourself and for those who give hearing to you.

⁶ If you keep these things before the minds of the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, trained in the words of the faith and of the right teaching which has been your guide:

¹⁴ I am writing these things to you, though I am hoping to come to you before long;

¹⁵ But if I am long in coming, this will make clear to you what behaviour is right for men in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of what is true.

²⁶ What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.

⁶ But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching?

³ But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength.

⁸ He who has the power of comforting, let him do so; he who gives, let him give freely; he who has the power of ruling, let him do it with a serious mind; he who has mercy on others, let it be with joy.

¹¹ Now these were more noble than the Jews of Thessalonica, for they gave serious attention to the word, searching in the holy Writings every day, to see if these things were so.

⁴ Then we will give all our time to prayer and the teaching of the word.

³⁹ You make search in the holy Writings, in the belief that through them you get eternal life; and it is those Writings which give witness about me.

⁵¹ Are all these things now clear to you? They say to him, Yes.

⁵² And he said to them, For this reason every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house, who gives out from his store things new and old.

⁴ If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

⁵ Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.

⁹⁷ <MEM> O what love I have for your law! I give thought to it all the day.

⁹⁸ Your teaching has made me wiser than my haters: for it is mine for ever.

⁹⁹ I have more knowledge than all my teachers, because I give thought to your unchanging word.

¹⁰⁰ I have more wisdom than the old, because I have kept your orders.

¹⁰¹ I have kept back my feet from all evil ways, so that I might be true to your word.

¹⁰² My heart has not been turned away from your decisions; for you have been my teacher.

¹⁰³ How sweet are your sayings to my taste! truly, they are sweeter than honey in my mouth!

¹⁰⁴ Through your orders I get wisdom; for this reason I am a hater of every false way.

² But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and whose mind is on his law day and night.

³ He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time, whose leaves will ever be green; and he will do well in all his undertakings.

⁸ Let this book of the law be ever on your lips and in your thoughts day and night, so that you may keep with care everything in it; then a blessing will be on all your way, and you will do well.

¹⁵ On all these points give teaching and help, and make clear what is right with all authority. Let all men give you honour.