to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; ¹  to perseverance, godliness;

Give a shepherd’s care to ¹  God’s flock among you, exercising oversight ²  not merely as a duty ³  but willingly under God’s direction, ⁴  not for shameful profit but eagerly.

to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish ¹  love. ² 

For this very reason, ¹  make every effort ²  to add to your faith excellence, ³  to excellence, knowledge;

where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.

Then a powerful king ¹  will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases.

And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have ¹  two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. ² 

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by ¹  the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.

“Now you, Ezra, in keeping with the wisdom of your God which you possess, ¹  appoint judges ²  and court officials who can arbitrate cases on behalf of all the people who are in Trans-Euphrates who know the laws of your God. Those who do not know this law should be taught.

If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things,” ¹  says the Lord.

And so ¹  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, ²  you accepted it not as a human message, ³  but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.