From Paul, ¹  a prisoner of Christ Jesus, ²  and Timothy our ³  brother, to Philemon, our dear friend ⁴  and colaborer,

The righteous person is cautious in his friendship, ¹  but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

A relative ¹  offended ²  is harder to reach than ³  a strong city, and disputes are like the barred gates ⁴  of a fortified citadel. ⁵ 

The Lover to His Beloved: I have entered my garden, O my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk! The Poet to the Couple: ¹  Eat, friends, and drink! ²  Drink freely, O lovers!

And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, ¹  as your rulers did too.

Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my good friend Stachys.

She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. ¹  For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” ² 

When the Philistines saw he had no attendants, they gave him thirty groomsmen who kept him company. ¹ 

But you, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  are children of the promise like Isaac.

He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave ¹  for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. ² 

Because of all my enemies, people disdain me; ¹  my neighbors are appalled by my suffering ²  – those who know me are horrified by my condition; ³  those who see me in the street run away from me.

My child, ²  if you have made a pledge ³  for your neighbor, and ⁴  have become a guarantor ⁵  for a stranger, ⁶ 

He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he ¹  and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

When his family ¹  heard this they went out to restrain him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

When they were released, Peter and John ¹  went to their fellow believers ²  and reported everything the high priests and the elders had said to them.

Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, ¹  who was the first convert ²  to Christ in the province of Asia. ³ 

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves ¹  from everything that could defile the body ²  and the spirit, and thus accomplish ³  holiness out of reverence for God. ⁴ 

Brothers and sisters, ¹  pray for us too.

But in your case, dear friends, even though we speak like this, we are convinced of better things relating to salvation.

Dear friends, do not be astonished ¹  that a trial by fire is occurring among you, ²  as though something strange were happening to you.