I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me? I am going to state my case to him.

Yet God knows every step I take; if he tests me, he will find me pure.

I always do what God commands; I follow his will, not my own desires.

I will never say that you men are right; I will insist on my innocence to my dying day.

I will never give up my claim to be right; my conscience is clear.

I have made a solemn promise never to look with lust at a woman.

He sends disaster and ruin to those who do wrong.

I swear I have never acted wickedly and never tried to deceive others.

If I have turned from the right path or let myself be attracted to evil, if my hands are stained with sin,

If I have been attracted to my neighbor's wife, and waited, hidden, outside her door,

Such wickedness should be punished by death.

When any of my servants complained against me, I would listen and treat them fairly.

The same God who created me created my servants also.

or let orphans go hungry while I ate.

When I found someone in need, too poor to buy clothes,

If I have ever cheated an orphan, knowing I could win in court,

Because I fear God's punishment, I could never do such a thing.

or taken pride in my wealth.

I have not been led astray to honor them by kissing my hand in reverence to them.

I have never been glad when my enemies suffered, or pleased when they met with disaster;

All those who work for me know that I have always welcomed strangers.

Others try to hide their sins, but I have never concealed mine.

Will no one listen to what I am saying? I swear that every word is true. Let Almighty God answer me. If the charges my opponent brings against me were written down so that I could see them,

I would tell God everything I have done, and hold my head high in his presence.

if I have eaten the food that grew there but let the farmers that grew it starve---

O LORD, my God, if I have wronged anyone, if I have betrayed a friend or without cause done violence to my enemy --- if I have done any of these things---

then let my enemies pursue me and catch me, let them cut me down and kill me and leave me lifeless on the ground!

All this has happened to us, even though we have not forgotten you or broken the covenant you made with us.

Yet you left us helpless among wild animals; you abandoned us in deepest darkness.

you would surely have discovered it, because you know our secret thoughts.

"Remember, LORD, that I have served you faithfully and loyally, and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to." And he began to cry bitterly.

And so I do my best always to have a clear conscience before God and people.

I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying

My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent. The Lord is the one who passes judgment on me.

You should each judge your own conduct. If it is good, then you can be proud of what you yourself have done, without having to compare it with what someone else has done.

The purpose of this order is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.

and keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith.

Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have punished by handing them over to the power of Satan; this will teach them to stop their blasphemy.

Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times.

but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say.

which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing off of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God's presence.

And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God's presence.

I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ---in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies.

For those who do such things are not serving Christ our Lord, but their own appetites. By their fine words and flattering speech they deceive innocent people.

Everyone has heard of your loyalty to the gospel, and for this reason I am happy about you. I want you to be wise about what is good, but innocent in what is evil.

We are not like so many others, who handle God's message as if it were cheap merchandise; but because God has sent us, we speak with sincerity in his presence, as servants of Christ.

I am not laying down any rules. But by showing how eager others are to help, I am trying to find out how real your own love is.

"Now then," Joshua continued, "honor the LORD and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the LORD.

Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.

So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate,

so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ.

In all things you yourself must be an example of good behavior. Be sincere and serious in your teaching.

In planning this, did I appear fickle? When I make my plans, do I make them from selfish motives, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?

We put aside all secret and shameful deeds; we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the word of God. In the full light of truth we live in God's sight and try to commend ourselves to everyone's good conscience.

I beg you not to force me to be harsh when I come; for I am sure I can deal harshly with those who say that we act from worldly motives.

The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments;

I will be glad to spend all I have, and myself as well, in order to help you. Will you love me less because I love you so much?

How? Did I take advantage of you through any of the messengers I sent?

Perhaps you think that all along we have been trying to defend ourselves before you. No! We speak as Christ would have us speak in the presence of God, and everything we do, dear friends, is done to help you.

and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit.

Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.

So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.

But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me.

Are there any of you who are wise and understanding? You are to prove it by your good life, by your good deeds performed with humility and wisdom.

Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.

But the wisdom from above is pure first of all; it is also peaceful, gentle, and friendly; it is full of compassion and produces a harvest of good deeds; it is free from prejudice and hypocrisy.

But the grace that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."