Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹ 

Jonadab replied to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. ¹  When your father comes in to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”

So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came in to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can make a couple of cakes in my sight. Then I will eat from her hand.”

Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!” ¹  Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.

She also saw ¹  that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. ²  Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, ³  she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. ⁴ 

The Beloved about Her Lover: I was asleep, but my mind ¹  was dreaming. ²  Listen! ³  My lover ⁴  is knocking ⁵  at the door! ⁶  The Lover to His Beloved: “Open ⁷  for me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one! My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”

So ¹  the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah: People will not mourn for him, saying, “This makes me sad, my brother! This makes me sad, my sister!” They will not mourn for him, saying, “Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!” ² 

But if you do not agree to our terms ¹  by being circumcised, then we will take ²  our sister ³  and depart.”

So then, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh

Brothers and sisters, ¹  my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites ²  is for their salvation.

In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters, ¹  let him remain in it with God.

So then, my brothers and sisters, ¹  when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

With regard to spiritual gifts, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  I do not want you to be uninformed. ³ 

All the brothers and sisters ¹  send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Now ¹  I want you to know, brothers and sisters, ²  that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ³ 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be ¹  with your spirit, brothers and sisters. ²  Amen.

Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters ¹  who are in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her ²  house. ³ 

We know, ¹  brothers and sisters ²  loved by God, that he has chosen you, ³ 

Now on the topic of times and seasons, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  you have no need for anything to be written to you.

I call on you solemnly in the Lord ¹  to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. ²