Pledging

And before all things, my brethren, do not swear, neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, and let your Yes be Yes, and the No, No; that under judgment ye may not fall.

`Again, ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not swear falsely, but thou shalt pay to the Lord thine oaths; — read the full passage →

And on pledged garments they stretch themselves near every altar, And the wine of fined ones they drink <FI>in<Fi> the house of their gods.

`Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed, and shaken, and running over, they shall give into your bosom; for with that measure with which ye measure, it shall be measured to you again.'

but I--I say to you, not to swear at all; neither by the heaven, because it is the throne of God,

Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.

Those rich in the present age charge thou not to be high-minded, nor to hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, who is giving to us all things richly for enjoyment; -- — read the full passage →

for where your treasure is, there will be also your heart.

The ass of the fatherless they lead away, They take in pledge the ox of the widow,

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother, — read the full passage →

because nothing shall be impossible with God.'

then those, indeed, who did gladly receive his word were baptized, and there were added on that day, as it were, three thousand souls,

`Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter. — read the full passage →

And Jesus said to him, `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding--

`When a man voweth a vow to Jehovah, or hath sworn an oath to bind a bond on his soul, he doth not pollute his word; according to all that is going out from his mouth he doth.

`Thou dost not turn aside the judgment of a fatherless sojourner, nor take in pledge the garment of a widow;

if thou dost at all take in pledge the garment of thy neighbour, during the going in of the sun thou dost return it to him:

And Judah sendeth the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he hath not found her.

and he saith, `What <FI>is<Fi> the pledge that I give to thee?' and she saith, `Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which <FI>is<Fi> in thy hand;' and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him;

and he saith, `I--I send a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she saith, `Dost thou give a pledge till thou send <FI>it<Fi> ?'

for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.

and of doing good, and of fellowship, be not forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased.

for a root of all the evils is the love of money, which certain longing for did go astray from the faith, and themselves did pierce through with many sorrows;

and Peter said unto them, `Reform, and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,

and the truth shall make you free.'

for God did so love the world, that His Son--the only begotten--He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.

`Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal, — read the full passage →

Bring in all the tithe unto the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now, with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven? Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space.

And cursed <FI>is<Fi> a deceiver, who hath in his drove a male, And is vowing, and is sacrificing a marred thing to the Lord, For a great king <FI>am<Fi> I, said Jehovah of Hosts, And My name <FI>is<Fi> revered among nations!

(The pledge the wicked restoreth, plunder he repayeth,) In the statutes of life he hath walked, So as not to do perversity, He surely liveth--he doth not die.

A man--he hath not oppressed, A pledge he hath not bound, And plunder he hath not taken away, His bread to the hungry he hath given, And the naked he covered with a garment,

The afflicted and needy he hath oppressed, Plunder he hath taken violently away, A pledge he doth not return, And unto the idols he hath lifted up his eyes, Abomination he hath done!

A man--he doth not oppress, His pledge to the debtor he doth return, Plunder he doth not take away, His bread to the hungry he doth give, And the naked doth cover with a garment,

Whoso is giving to the poor hath no lack, And whoso is hiding his eyes multiplied curses.

A snare to a man <FI>is<Fi> he hath swallowed a holy thing, And after vows to make inquiry.

Take his garment when a stranger hath been surety, And for strangers pledge it.

Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not.

They take violently away From the breast the orphan, And on the poor they lay a pledge.

For thou takest a pledge of thy brother for nought, And the garments of the naked Thou dost strip off.

and these ten cuttings of the cheese thou dost take in to the head of the thousand, and thy brethren thou dost inspect for welfare, and their pledge dost receive.'

thou dost certainly give back to him the pledge at the going in of the sun, and he hath lain down in his own raiment, and hath blessed thee; and to thee it is righteousness before Jehovah thy God.

`And if he is a poor man, thou dost not lie down with his pledge;

at the outside thou dost stand, and the man on whom thou art lifting <FI>it<Fi> up is bringing out unto thee the pledge at the outside.

`When thou liftest up on thy brother a debt of anything, thou dost not go in unto his house to obtain his pledge; — read the full passage →

`When thou liftest up on thy brother a debt of anything, thou dost not go in unto his house to obtain his pledge;

`None doth take in pledge millstones, and rider, for life it <FI>is<Fi> he is taking in pledge.

`And thou hast remembered Jehovah thy God, for He it <FI>is<Fi> who is giving to thee power to make wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He hath sworn to thy fathers as <FI>at<Fi> this day.

And Jacob voweth a vow, saying, `Seeing God is with me, and hath kept me in this way which I am going, and hath given to me bread to eat, and a garment to put on-- — read the full passage →

lo, I have stood at the door, and I knock; if any one may hear my voice, and may open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

and the second <FI>is<Fi> like to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;

A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly; and he did signify <FI>it<Fi> , having sent through his messenger to his servant John, — read the full passage →

he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.

and whoever may have the goods of the world, and may view his brother having need, and may shut up his bowels from him--how doth the love of God remain in him?

if we may confess our sins, stedfast He is and righteous that He may forgive us the sins, and may cleanse us from every unrighteousness;

And faith is of things hoped for a confidence, of matters not seen a conviction,

for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering;

for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind;

and those wishing to be rich, do fall into temptation and a snare, and many desires, foolish and hurtful, that sink men into ruin and destruction,

but it is great gain--the piety with contentment; — read the full passage →

The masters! that which is righteous and equal to the servants give ye, having known that ye also have a Master in the heavens. — read the full passage →

and all, whatever ye may do--out of soul work--as to the Lord, and not to men,

If, then, ye were raised with the Christ, the things above seek ye, where the Christ is, on the right hand of God seated, — read the full passage →

For I wish you to know how great a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, — read the full passage →

For all things I have strength, in Christ's strengthening me;

As to the rest, brethren, as many things as are true, as many as <FI>are<Fi> grave, as many as <FI>are<Fi> righteous, as many as <FI>are<Fi> pure, as many as <FI>are<Fi> lovely, as many as <FI>are<Fi> of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon;

for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God;

and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us,

Be not led astray; God is not mocked; for what a man may sow--that also he shall reap,

And let him who is instructed in the word share with him who is instructing--in all good things.

And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,

with Christ I have been crucified, and live no more do I, and Christ doth live in me; and that which I now live in the flesh--in the faith I live of the Son of God, who did love me and did give himself for me;

through the proof of this ministration glorifying God for the subjection of your confession to the good news of the Christ, and <FI>for<Fi> the liberality of the fellowship to them and to all,

because the ministration of this service not only is supplying the wants of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God,

in every thing being enriched to all liberality, which doth work through us thanksgiving to God,

and may He who is supplying seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

and God <FI>is<Fi> able all grace to cause to abound to you, that in every thing always all sufficiency having, ye may abound to every good work,

each one, according as he doth purpose in heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for a cheerful giver doth God love,

And this: He who is sowing sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who is sowing in blessings, in blessings also shall reap;

Necessary, therefore, I thought <FI>it<Fi> to exhort the brethren, that they may go before to you, and may make up before your formerly announced blessing, that this be ready, as a blessing, and not as covetousness.

avoiding this, lest any one may blame us in this abundance that is ministered by us, — read the full passage →

for if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;

and an opinion in this do I give: for this to you <FI>is<Fi> expedient, who not only to do, but also to will, did begin before--a year ago, — read the full passage →

for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that because of you he became poor--being rich, that ye by that poverty may become rich.

but even as in every thing ye do abound, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love to us, that also in this grace ye may abound;

and not according as we expected, but themselves they did give first to the Lord, and to us, through the will of God,

because in much trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, did abound to the riches of their liberality; — read the full passage →

on every first <FI>day<Fi> of the week, let each one of you lay by him, treasuring up whatever he may have prospered, that when I may come then collections may not be made;

To no one owe anything, except to love one another; for he who is loving the other--law he hath fulfilled,

to the necessities of the saints communicating; the hospitality pursuing.

and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what <FI>is<Fi> the will of God--the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

What, then, shall we say unto these things? if God <FI>is<Fi> for us, who <FI>is<Fi> against us?

For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time <FI>are<Fi> not worthy <FI>to be compared<Fi> with the glory about to be revealed in us;

and God doth commend His own love to us, that, in our being still sinners, Christ did die for us;

for I am not ashamed of the good news of the Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one who is believing, both to Jew first, and to Greek.

all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth <FI>us<Fi> to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

And Joses, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas--which is, having been interpreted, Son of Comfort--a Levite, of Cyprus by birth,

for there was not any one among them who did lack, for as many as were possessors of fields, or houses, selling <FI>them<Fi> , were bringing the prices of the thing sold, — read the full passage →

and all those believing were at the same place, and had all things common, — read the full passage →

and there appeared to them divided tongues, as it were of fire; it sat also upon each one of them,

these things I have spoken to you, that in me ye may have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, but take courage--I have overcome the world.'