“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God ¹  and the endurance of Christ. ² 

I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan! You were very dear to me. Your love was more special to me than the love of women.

On the second day of the month the family leaders ¹  met with ²  Ezra the scribe, together with all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to consider the words of the law.

Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink! Deliver me ¹  from those who hate me, from the deep water!

You will no longer see a defiant ¹  people whose language you do not comprehend, ²  whose derisive speech you do not understand. ³ 

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower ¹  your nets for a catch.”

For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ¹  to strengthen you,

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds ¹  in Christ Jesus.

so that you may live ¹  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ²  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, ¹  two hundred silver pieces, ²  and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”

Have you not copied their behavior ¹  and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time ²  you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were!

But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching ¹  (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets ²  of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you.