who is coming after me. I am not worthy ¹  to untie the strap ²  of his sandal!”

Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.

What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline ¹  or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away ¹  from the body and at home with the Lord.

“‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband!

In the day he divides his inheritance ¹  he must not appoint as firstborn the son of the favorite wife in place of the other ²  wife’s son who is actually the firstborn.

so that I ¹  would prefer ²  strangling, ³  and ⁴  death ⁵  more ⁶  than life. ⁷ 

Take heed, do not turn to evil, for because of this you have been tested ¹  by affliction.

Receive my instruction ¹  rather than ²  silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.

I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, ¹  just as light is preferable to darkness:

However, I will leave some of these wicked people alive and banish them to other places. But wherever these people who survive may go, they will wish they had died rather than lived,” ¹  says the Lord who rules over all. ² 

Now if I am to go on living in the body, ¹  this will mean productive work ²  for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: ³ 

I would rather appeal ¹  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ²  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ³  –

Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, ¹  I will pay you silver for it.” ² 

He answered her, “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not sell you my vineyard.’” ¹ 

May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, and do not give Jerusalem priority over whatever gives me the most joy. ¹ 

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, ¹  because he existed before me.’

Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind. ¹ 

However, ¹  without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness.