Would you indeed annul ¹  my justice? Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?

In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? ¹  It is God who justifies.

Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, ¹  to exhortation, to teaching.

He said:The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself ¹  to Israel ²  from Seir. He appeared in splendor ³  from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. ⁴  With his right hand he gave a fiery law ⁵  to them.

His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. ¹  He will be successful in what he undertakes. ²  He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones. ³ 

For this reason every one of your faithful followers ¹  should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. ²  Certainly ³  when the surging water ⁴  rises, it will not reach them. ⁵ 

It grew so big it reached the army ¹  of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars ²  to the ground, where it trampled them.

“Woe to you, experts in the law ¹  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ²  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ³  of the righteous.

And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

For false messiahs ¹  and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven ¹  to the other.

And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them ¹  short.

For false messiahs ¹  and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.

Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ¹ 

Won’t ¹  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ²  to him day and night? ³  Will he delay ⁴  long to help them?

For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. ¹  For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, ¹  kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, ¹  that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory. ² 

From Paul, ¹  a slave ²  of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith ³  of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,