Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition ¹  or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.

Now regarding the arrival ¹  of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, ²  we ask you, brothers and sisters, ³ 

And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, ¹  just as also our dear brother Paul ²  wrote to you, ³  according to the wisdom given to him,

My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish! ¹  But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. ² 

“‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree, ¹  you must consider its fruit to be forbidden. ²  Three years it will be forbidden to you; ³  it must not be eaten.

to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.

“You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, ¹  ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah ²  that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. ³ 

They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, ¹  saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ²  You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. ³ 

But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ¹  that they should avoid ²  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ³  and blood and what has been strangled ⁴  and sexual immorality.”

“‘This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which he ¹  is to present to the Lord.

So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the Lord. ¹ 

where then ¹  is my hope? And my hope, ²  who sees it?

if I looked at the sun ¹  when it was shining, and the moon advancing as a precious thing,

He humbles princes; ¹  the kings of the earth regard him as awesome. ² 

This brought him a reward, an eternal gift. ¹ 

I will meditate on ¹  your precepts and focus ²  on your behavior. ³ 

May I be fully committed to your statutes, ¹  so that I might not be ashamed.

Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem ¹  that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz. ² 

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah about the nations. ² 

As for their wheels, they were called “the wheelwork” ¹  as I listened.