"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"

"I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.'

And when it was day, He called His disciples to [Himself;] and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

And they prayed and said, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

"not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, [even] to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

"Then he said, 'The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.

(for [the children] not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),

As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

We love Him because He first loved us.

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the [sins] of any, they are retained."

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, [son] of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

He said to him the third time, "Simon, [son] of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

"Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

"And He said to me, 'You [are] My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.'

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

But the LORD said to me: "Do not say, 'I [am] a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

"and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on [some] points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God,

that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called [me] through His grace,

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle -- I am speaking the truth in Christ [and] not lying -- a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you --

"By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

The fruit of the righteous [is a] tree of life, And he who wins souls [is] wise.

Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, And fill the face of the world with fruit.

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

"For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap [their] hands.

Then the remnant of Jacob Shall be in the midst of many peoples, Like dew from the LORD, Like showers on the grass, That tarry for no man Nor wait for the sons of men.

Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.

that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient --

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

which has come to you, as [it has] also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as [it is] also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

"since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Now also when [I am] old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to [this] generation, Your power to everyone [who] is to come.

We will not hide [them] from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.

That the generation to come might know [them,] The children [who] would be born, [That] they may arise and declare [them] to their children,

One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.

"Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds." ' But they did not hear nor heed Me," says the LORD.

Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers? "So they returned and said: 'Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us.' " ' "

"And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.

"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, [as] in your ignorance;

because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, [like] silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [received] by tradition from your fathers,

He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

when they observe your chaste conduct [accompanied] by fear.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

"If you ask anything in My name, I will do [it.]

"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

"Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."