{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "This story is good news. It is all about Jesus Christ, God’s son. The story starts like this."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2-3", "text": "A long time before Jesus was born, God told a man called Isaiah to write in God’s book about something God was going to do for Jesus. And it happened the way Isaiah wrote. He wrote this, “God will send a man to get everything ready for him. That man will talk about him and make a way for people to listen to him. That man will be out in the bush, and he will call out to people, and he will say, ‘You mob get ready. God is coming to this country, so you have to get ready for him. It is like when a big boss comes, and you have to make a good road for him.’ ”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4-6", "text": "Isaiah was talking about a man called John. God sent him to get things ready for Jesus, so he started to tell people God’s message. He lived out in the bush and wore rough clothes made out of camel’s hair, and a leather belt. He ate grasshoppers and bush honey. John talked to people out there in the bush. He said, “You mob have to be really sorry for the wrong way you are living. You have to turn right around and live God’s way.” He also told them, “If you do that, I will baptise you. That means, I will take you through a special washing ceremony. And God will not do payback for the bad things you did.” A lot of people went out into the bush to listen to John. They came from the city called Jerusalem and from other towns in that country called Judea. Some people told John that they were sorry for the wrong things they did, so he baptised them in the Jordan River."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "John told them, “A man will come to this country later. He is more important than me, and he is stronger than me. I’m not good enough to untie his shoes. I’m just nothing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "You see, I baptised you just with water, but this new man will put the Holy Spirit in you. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "At that time, Jesus was living in a town called Nazareth, in Galilee country. Then Jesus left his home, and he walked all the way south to a place on the Jordan River. John was baptising people there."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "After he got to that place, Jesus went down into the water and John baptised him. As he came up out of the water, Jesus looked up, and he saw the sky split open, and he saw the Holy Spirit. It looked just like a pigeon, and it flew down to Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "And God said to Jesus, “You are my son. I love you very much, and I’m very happy with you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "Straight away, the Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the bush."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "Jesus stayed out there for 40 days. And Satan went to him and tried to trick him. Satan is the boss over all the bad spirits. He tried to make Jesus do something bad. But Jesus didn’t do it. There were wild animals in that place, but angel messengers went and looked after Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "One day, that country’s government boss was angry with John the Baptiser, so he sent some soldiers to grab John and put him in jail. After that, Jesus went back to Galilee country, and he told everyone God’s good news."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "He said, “Now is the right time for God to take people into his family. You mob have to take notice and turn right around and live God’s way. You have to believe this good news.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "One day, Jesus walked next to a big lake, called Lake Galilee, and he saw 2 men throwing a net into the water to catch fish. That was their job. One man was called Simon, and the other man was his young brother Andrew."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "Jesus said, “I want you 2 to come with me. I want you to stop catching fish and start catching people for me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "Straight away, Simon and Andrew dropped their nets and followed Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "Jesus kept walking along next to the water, and he saw James and John getting their nets ready to catch fish. And their father Zebedee was with them too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "Like before, Jesus called out to James and John to stop their work and follow him. Straight away, they left their father and the other work-men in the boat, and they followed Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus and his followers went to a town called Capernium. On Saturday they went to the Jewish meeting house, and Jesus taught God’s word to the people. You see, Saturday was their day to rest and show respect to God."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "Jesus talked with clear and strong words, and the people listened to him, and they were really surprised. They knew that he was teaching God’s words really straight. The Jewish law teachers didn’t talk like that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "Then, in the middle of the meeting, a man with a bad spirit in him called out,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "“Leave us, Jesus from Nazareth. Why do you trouble us bad spirits? Are you going to finish us up? We know you. You are God’s special man.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "Jesus talked to the bad spirit strongly. He said, “Be quiet. Come out of him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "The bad spirit knocked the man down and made him shake and scream out loud as it came out of him, and then it went away."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "All the people were watching, and they were really surprised. They asked each other, “What’s going on? This man is teaching us something new, and he has so much power. He tells bad spirits to get out of people, and they do what he tells them to do. They just go away.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "28", "text": "Then all those people went out and told everyone about Jesus. Everyone in Galilee country heard that story about him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "29", "text": "After that, Jesus left the meeting house and went with Simon and Andrew to their house. James and John went with them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "30", "text": "Simon’s mother-in-law was sick. She was lying in her bed, really hot and sweating a lot. They told Jesus, “She is very sick.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "31", "text": "So he held her hand and started to lift her up. Straight away, she got better. Then she got up, and she gave them some food to eat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "32", "text": "Late that afternoon, just after the sun went down, all the people from that town got all the sick people, and the people with bad spirits in them, and they brought them all to Simon’s house."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "33", "text": "A big mob of people were there outside that house."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "34", "text": "Jesus made lots of sick people better, and he forced lots of bad spirits to go out of people. The bad spirits knew that Jesus was God’s son, but Jesus wouldn’t let them tell everyone. He forced those bad spirits to be quiet."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "35", "text": "The next day, Jesus got up very early, before the sun came up, and he walked out from the town to pray by himself."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "36", "text": "Then Simon and the others went and looked everywhere for Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "37", "text": "After they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "38", "text": "But Jesus said to them, “Come on, let’s go. I have to go to the other towns around here too, and tell everyone the good news. That’s the job I came to do.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "39", "text": "So Jesus went all around Galilee country, talking to people in their meeting houses, and telling them God’s story. And he forced bad spirits to go out of lots of people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "40", "text": "A man walked up to Jesus. He had a really bad skin sickness. He got down on his knees in front of Jesus to show him respect, and he kept on asking Jesus to make him better. That man said, “I know that if you want to, you can make me better.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "41", "text": "Jesus felt really sorry for the sick man, and said, “I do want to make you better.” Then Jesus touched him with his hand, and said, “You are better now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "42", "text": "And straight away, that man was better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "43-44", "text": "Then Jesus told him strongly, “I don’t want you to tell anyone about this. But I want you to go to God’s ceremony house and show your skin to the leader of the Jewish ceremonies there, so that he can see that you are better. And you have to do the right ceremony that Moses gave us, to say thank you to God. When you do that ceremony, everyone will know that you are better.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 1, "verse": "45", "text": "But the man didn’t do what Jesus said. He went away and told everyone, “Jesus made me better.” After people heard the man’s story they went to Jesus from everywhere. Lots of people went to him and stood around him. So he couldn’t go into the towns any more, because there were too many people. So he had to stay out in the bush. But people still came from everywhere and found him, even in the bush."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "Some time later, Jesus went back to the town called Capernium. The people heard that Jesus was at a house there,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "so they all went to see him. Soon the house was too full and there was a big mob outside too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "Jesus was inside the house, teaching the people God’s story. Then 4 men brought a crippled man to that house. He couldn’t walk so they carried him on a swag. They wanted to get that man close to Jesus, so that Jesus could make him better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "But those men found a lot of people blocking the house. So they carried the sick man up on to the flat roof of the house and made a hole in it. Then they picked up the sick man on his swag and put him down through the hole into the house where Jesus was."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "Jesus saw them do that, and so he knew that they really trusted him. Then Jesus said to the crippled man, “You know all the bad things you did? I say you are not guilty of those things, and God will not punish you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "But some of the Jewish law teachers didn’t like Jesus saying that. Those law teachers were thinking,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "“He can’t say that. Only God can talk like that. This man is talking like he is God. He can’t talk like that. He is shaming God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8-9", "text": "Straight away, Jesus knew what the Jewish law teachers were thinking, so he said to them, “You are thinking the wrong way. I might say to this man, ‘You did bad things, but I say you are not guilty of them.’ Or I might say to him, ‘Get up, pick up your swag and go home.’ I can do both of those things."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "I will show you that God made me the boss over both of those things, so I can say that people are not guilty, and God will not punish them. I’m God’s special man from heaven, and I have the power to say those things, and I have the power to do those things.” Then Jesus looked at the crippled man and said,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "“Come on, get up, pick up your swag and go home.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "Straight away, that man got up, and he picked up his swag in front of all the people, and he walked out of the house and went home. Everybody there saw him do it, and they were really surprised. They started talking about it. They praised God, telling him that he is really good. They said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "After that, Jesus left the house and walked along next to the lake. The people from the town kept coming to him, so he kept on teaching them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "At that time, the Roman people were the bosses over all that country, and they got some Jewish people to take tax money from the other Jewish people and give it to the Roman government. One of those tax men was called Levi, and his father’s name was Alfius. Jesus walked along, and he saw Levi and said to him, “I want you to be one of my followers. Come on, follow me.” And straight away, Levi stood up and went with Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "Later that day, Jesus and his followers were eating some food at Levi’s house. There were lots of people there. Some of them were men that used to get tax money from people and give it to the Roman government, and some other people there didn’t live God’s way."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "Some of the Jewish law teachers saw Jesus eating with all those people. Those law teachers also belonged to the Pharisee mob. They were really strong for the law, so they asked Jesus’s followers, “Why does Jesus eat with those people that don’t live God’s way?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Jesus heard them, and said to them, “Listen, sick people need a doctor, but healthy people don’t need a doctor. I’m telling you, I’m like a doctor. You mob reckon these people do bad things, so I’m here to help them turn around and do good things. But you mob think you never do anything wrong yourselves, so I can’t help you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "The mob called Pharisees, that were strong for the Jewish law, they sometimes stopped eating food for a while to show God that they respected him. The followers of John the Baptiser did the same. Some people went to Jesus and asked him, “How come your followers don’t stop eating food to show God that you respect him, you know, just like the Pharisee mob and John’s followers do?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "Jesus said to them, “At a wedding ceremony everybody is happy, and they all eat food together with the man that is getting married. It’s the same way for my followers. I’m still here, so they are happy and don’t need to stop eating food. Not yet."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "One day, my enemies will take me away, then my followers will be sad, and they will stop eating food.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "Then Jesus told them 2 picture stories about the things he was teaching, to get them to start thinking a new way. He said, “If you have an old coat with a hole in it, you can’t fix that hole with a new bit of cloth. If you try to do that, and then if you wash it, the new cloth will tear away from the old cloth, and the coat will still be useless."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "And this is another story. You don’t put new drink into an old cracked bottle. That drink will all leak out and you will lose it. You have to put new drink into new bottles.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "23", "text": "One day, on the Jewish rest day, Jesus and his followers walked through a garden that had seed food growing in it. They walked along and they got a bit hungry, so his followers grabbed some of the seeds to eat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "24", "text": "Some of the Pharisee mob saw Jesus’s followers doing that. That mob were strong for the Jewish law, so they got angry. They said to Jesus, “Your mob are doing the wrong thing. Our Jewish law says that today is the rest day. But your mob are getting seeds off those plants. That is work. They are breaking our law.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "25-26", "text": "Jesus said to them, “Remember the story about David and his men. You know, it was when Abiathar was the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies. David and his men were really hungry, and they didn’t have any food. So David went into God’s ceremony place and got the special bread. Only the men that look after the Jewish ceremonies can eat that bread. But David and his men ate that special bread, and so they broke our Jewish law, but God didn’t punish them.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "27", "text": "Then Jesus said to them, “Listen to me now. God gave us the rest day to help us, not just to give us another law to follow."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 2, "verse": "28", "text": "Listen, I am God’s special man from heaven, and I’m boss over everything. I am even the boss of our Jewish rest day. So I’m not worried about my followers grabbing some seeds to eat.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus went to the Jewish meeting house again on another rest day, and he saw a man with one hand that was no good. It was all dried up and useless."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "Some of the Pharisee mob were there. They were strong for the Jewish law. They wanted to make trouble for Jesus, so they watched him there. They wanted to see if he was going to help the man with the dried up hand, and make it better on their Jewish rest day. If he did that, they were going to say, “He worked on the rest day, so he broke the law.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "Jesus knew they were thinking like that, and so he said to the man, “Come here and stand in front of everybody, so they can see you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "Then Jesus said to the Pharisee mob, “What does our law say about our rest day? Is it right to do good things on our rest day, or is it right to do bad things? Can I make this man better? Or can I hurt him?” The Pharisee mob said nothing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "Jesus looked at them. They didn’t care about people, they only worried about their law, and that made Jesus really angry. And it made him really sad, too. Then Jesus said to the man with the useless hand, “Hold out your hand.” The man put his hand out, and straight away it was better. It wasn’t dried up any more."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "Then the Pharisee mob went away and had a meeting with another mob of Jewish leaders. That other mob were good friends with the big boss called Herod. At that meeting they tried to work out a way to kill Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "Jesus and his followers went away to the big lake, called Lake Galilee, and a big mob of people followed them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "Those people came from a lot of places. They came from Galilee country, and from Judea country, and from Idjumia country, and some people came from Jerusalem city, and other people came from the country near the towns called Tyre and Sidon, and some people came from the other side of the Jordan River. All those people heard about the things that Jesus did, so they wanted to see him themselves."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9-10", "text": "Jesus made lots of people better that day, and a lot more people wanted to touch him to get better too. A lot of people pushed up close to him, so he said to his followers, “Get a boat ready for me. I might need more room. If they push me too much, I will get up on that boat.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Some of the people had bad spirits living inside them. Every time those people saw Jesus, the bad spirits pushed them down to the ground and they shouted out, “You are God’s son.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "And every time they shouted out, Jesus told them strongly to stay quiet. He said, “Don’t tell anyone that I’m really God’s son.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "One day, Jesus walked up a hill and called out to some of the people to follow him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14-15", "text": "Then Jesus picked out 12 of them. He wanted them to be his special workers. Jesus told them, “You mob will walk around with me and live with me, and after that, I will send you to other places to tell people God’s good news, and God will give you the power to force bad spirits out of people.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16-19", "text": "These are the names of those 12 men that Jesus picked out, – Simon. Jesus gave him another name. He called him Peter. – James and John. They were Zebedee’s sons, and they were loud men, so Jesus gave them another name. He called them Thunder men. – Andrew – Philip – Bartholomew – Matthew – Thomas – James. He was the son of Alfius. – Thadius – Simon. He used to be one of the mob that wanted to fight the Roman government bosses. – Judas Iscariot. Some time later he turned against Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20", "text": "Jesus went into a house, and a big mob of people came there to see him. They were a really big mob of people, so Jesus and his followers were really busy, and they couldn’t even stop and eat some food."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21", "text": "Somebody went and told Jesus’s family about him. So his family said, “He is mad,” and they went to get him. They wanted to take him home to look after him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "22", "text": "Some teachers of the Jewish law that were from Jerusalem were there in that place. They said, “The boss over all the bad spirits is living inside Jesus. That bad spirit boss is called Beelzebul, and he is also called Satan. He is the one that gives Jesus the power to force bad spirits out of people.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "23", "text": "Jesus knew the law teachers were rubbishing him like that, so he called out to them and said, “Come here and listen to me.” Then he told them stories to teach them. He said, “Think about Satan, the boss over the bad spirits. Do you reckon he fights against his own mob of bad spirits? That doesn’t make sense."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "24", "text": "Listen to me. If a tribe splits up into 2 mobs that fight against each other, that tribe will get weak and finish up."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "25", "text": "In the same way, people in a family, if they fight each other all the time, they will split up and will stop being a family."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "26", "text": "So, if Satan is fighting against his own mob of bad spirits, he will get weak and will not have any power. So Satan never does that. You have got it all wrong."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "27", "text": "Listen to this picture story. A man wanted to take some things from a strong man’s house. First he tied up that strong man. After that, he took all the strong man’s things. Well, in that story Satan is like that strong man, and I’m like the man that tied him up, and now I’m taking my people away from him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "28", "text": "Listen, people might do bad things, and they might say bad things against God, but later, if they are sorry for those bad things, God can say they are not guilty."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "29", "text": "But if somebody says bad things about the Holy Spirit, they are always guilty. God will blame them and punish them for ever.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "30", "text": "That’s what Jesus said to those Jewish law teachers. You see, they reckoned that Jesus had a bad spirit in him. That is the reason why Jesus talked so straight to them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "31", "text": "Jesus’s mother and his young brothers came to the house where Jesus was teaching, and they sent somebody in to tell him to come out and talk to them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "32", "text": "There was a big mob of people sitting around Jesus, listening to him at that time. The people said to him, “Your mother and your younger brothers are outside looking for you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "33-34", "text": "Jesus looked around at the people sitting there and said, “Do you want to know my real family? You just have to look around. These people here are my real family."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 3, "verse": "35", "text": "My real family are the people that listen to God, and that do what he says. Those people are my brothers, and my sisters, and my mothers.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus went down to the lake again, and he started to teach people. A big mob of people went to listen to him, so he got into a boat and sat in it. He was a little bit away from the dry ground. All the people stayed on the dry ground and listened to his words."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "He told them picture stories to teach them lots of things. Jesus told them this story. He said,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "“You mob listen to me now. A man wanted to grow some seed food in a garden."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "He threw the seeds all over the garden. Some seeds went too far and fell on the road. The road was hard, so the seeds couldn’t grow there. Some birds saw those seeds lying there, so they ate them and finished them up."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5-6", "text": "And some seeds went another way. They fell on ground that had too much rock in it. Those seeds grew up really fast, but they had too much rock and only a little bit of ground, so when the sun got hot, they dried up and died."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "Some other seeds fell into the rubbish grass that was growing right next to the garden. Those seeds tried to grow, but the rubbish grass blocked them, so they couldn’t grow properly. They didn’t grow any new seeds on them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "But some of those seeds fell on really good ground, and those seeds grew properly and became seed food plants. When they were ready, they had really big mobs of new seeds on them.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "Then Jesus said, “You’ve got ears, so you have to listen to me properly, and take notice of my words.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "Some time later, Jesus came away from that big mob of people. Then just his 12 special workers and a few other people sat around him. They said to him, “You tell us picture stories, but we can’t understand them. What are your stories all about?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "Jesus said, “You mob follow me, so God wants you to know what my stories are all about, so I will tell you what they mean. Those stories are about how God gets people into his family. But other people don’t follow me, so they only get the picture stories. I will not tell them what they mean."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "You know, God got one of his men to write these words, and they are in God’s book. He wrote, ‘People will look with their eyes at what I do, but they will not try to understand what it means. They will hear my words with their ears, but they will not try to understand them properly. If they do understand me properly, then they will turn around and come back to God, and then God will not blame them for the bad things they did. But they don’t want to know about that.’ And those things are happening now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "Jesus kept on talking. He said, “Why can’t you understand this picture story? If you can’t understand this easy story, you will not understand the other stories that I’m going to tell you."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Listen to me again. In my story, a man threw the seeds into his garden, to grow some food. He is a picture of somebody that tells God’s word to people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "I said that some seeds fell on the road, and birds ate them up. Those seeds are a picture for God’s word, and the birds are a picture of Satan, the boss over the bad spirits. When some people hear God’s word, Satan makes them forget it, so they take no notice of its message."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "In my story there was ground with too much rock in it. That is a picture of people that listen to God’s word and they are happy about it, and they start to take notice of it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "But other people see them believing that word, and those other people make trouble for them, so they stop taking notice of God’s word. They soon turn their back and walk away from it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "In my story the man threw some seeds into rubbish grass, and that grass blocked them, so they couldn’t grow. This is a picture of people that hear God’s word,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "but after that, they let other things stop them, so they don’t live properly for God. They worry too much about the things they want in this life. They start to think too much about money, and they trick themselves. They want a lot of different things all the time, and they worry too much about all those things. They just think about what they want for themselves, and that stops them listening properly to God’s word, so they can’t live properly for God."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "In my story, the seeds that fell on the good ground grew properly, and after those plants grew up big, they made lots of new seeds. This is a picture of people that are ready to listen to God’s word, and do what he says. When they believe God’s word, they grow stronger and stronger for God, and they live God’s way.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "Then Jesus said, “When somebody lights a candle, they don’t put it under a bowl. And they don’t put that candle under their bed. No way. People put candles up high, so everyone can see clearly."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "22", "text": "Well, just like that, God wants people to understand the things that are true. He will not hide them away. You see, there are some things that God hasn’t told anyone yet, but people will know them soon. It will be like a light will shine on them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "23", "text": "You’ve all got ears, so you have to listen to me properly, and take notice of my words.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "24-25", "text": "Then Jesus said, “Make sure you listen to the right message and think about it properly. When you really take notice of a true message, God will help you understand it, and he will help you to know more and more of his word. But if you don’t want to listen to that message, God will stop you from understanding the little bit you did hear.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "26-29", "text": "Jesus kept on teaching. He said, “I want you to know how God’s family grows. This is another picture story. A man wanted to grow some seed food, so he threw some seeds on the ground in his garden. Then that man walked away and left the seeds there. Those seeds grew all by themselves in that ground, and that man didn’t know what made those seeds grow. He just left them there for a few months, and they grew. At first the long stick part grew, and after that, the head part grew with all the seeds inside it. Then, when the seeds were ready, that man cut those plants down and picked up the seed food. God is boss for everyone, and his family will grow just like the plants in that story.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "30", "text": "Jesus talked some more. He said, “Do you know what God’s family is like? I will tell you another picture story to help you understand it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "31", "text": "God’s family is like a little seed, like the seed of the plant we call mustard. Its seeds are very little."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "32", "text": "When somebody puts one of those little seeds into the ground, it grows and grows. Later it gets really big with lots of branches. It gets bigger than all the other plants in a vegetable garden, and birds can sit down in the shade of its branches, and they can make their nests there too. Well, that is a picture of how God’s family will grow.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "33", "text": "Jesus taught the people this way whenever they were ready to listen."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "34", "text": "Whenever he talked to all the people, he used picture stories. But later, when Jesus was sitting down with only his followers, he told them what those stories really mean."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "35", "text": "On that same day, while Jesus was teaching, the sun started to go down. He was still sitting in the boat, so he stopped teaching and told his followers to take him across the lake."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "36", "text": "So they left all the other people behind, and his followers started to take him across the lake in their boat. Some other people got into their boats and followed them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "37", "text": "A little bit later a really strong storm came. The wind got very strong, and the waves started to fill the boat with water, so it was starting to sink."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "38", "text": "Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow. His followers were frightened, so they woke him up, and they shouted at him, “Teacher, we will all drown, and you don’t care. Why don’t you do something?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "39", "text": "Jesus opened his eyes, then he stood up, and he talked strongly to the wind and the water. He said, “Stop. Be quiet.” Straight away, the wind stopped and the water lay down flat. Everything was quiet and still."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "40", "text": "Then Jesus said to his followers, “Why are you so frightened? You should know by now that you can trust me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 4, "verse": "41", "text": "They said to each other, “Look. The wind and the water listen to this man, and they do what he says. He is really powerful.” So they were really surprised and frightened."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers went to the other side of the lake, to the country called Gerasene."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2-5", "text": "There was a man there that had a bad spirit in him. He was mad. He camped in the cemetery there. Before Jesus came to that place, that man walked around in the cemetery, and all over the hills there, and he yelled out and screamed all the time. He did that in the day time and also at night time. And he cut himself with stones. People couldn’t tie him up, not even with chains. They tried to do that lots of times. They tied up his hands and his feet, but it was no good. He was too strong. He just broke those chains every time. Nobody was strong enough to hold him or make him sit down quiet. When Jesus got out of the boat,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "that mad man saw him from a long way off. He ran right up to Jesus. The spirit in him knew that Jesus was stronger than him, so he got down on his knees in front of Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7-8", "text": "Jesus said to the bad spirit, “Come out of this man.” But the spirit in him made him yell at Jesus, “Why did you come here? I know you. You are Jesus. You are the son of God. He is the big boss over everything. Promise me truly that you will not hurt me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Our name is Big Mob. You see, we are a mob of bad spirits inside this man."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "Please don’t send us away from this country.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "There were about 2,000 pigs feeding themselves on the hill nearby."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "The bad spirits asked Jesus, “Can we go into that big mob of pigs over there?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "So Jesus sent those bad spirits out of the man and let them go into the pigs. Then those pigs went mad, and they ran down the steep hill into the lake, and they drowned themselves in the water."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "The men that looked after the pigs were frightened, and they ran back to their town, and they told everyone what happened. They told that story to the people in the town, and they told it to the people that lived outside of the town too. A lot of people wanted to see what happened,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "so they ran out to that place where Jesus was. They saw that man sitting down quiet and wearing clothes. He wasn’t mad any more. Then those people got frightened."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "The men that looked after the pigs told them the story about the man and the pigs."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "Then all that mob started to ask Jesus strongly to go away from their country and leave them alone."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "Jesus listened to them, and he started to get into the boat. Then the man that used to have the bad spirits in him, asked Jesus, “Please, can I come with you?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19", "text": "Jesus said, “No, I want you to go back to your family, and to your own mob. I want you to tell everybody about the good things God did for you. Tell them that God felt sorry for you, and he was really good to you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "20", "text": "Then that man went all over that country called Ten Towns, and he told everybody that story. He told them all about the good things Jesus did for him. Everybody that heard him was really surprised."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus and his followers got back into the boat and went to the other side of the lake. A really big mob of people were waiting for them there, beside the water."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "22", "text": "There was a Jewish meeting house near there. One of the bosses of that meeting house saw Jesus and went up to him, and he got down on his knees in front of Jesus, to show him respect. That man’s name was Jairus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "23", "text": "He strongly asked Jesus to help his daughter. He said, “My little girl is really sick, and I think she will die. Please come and put your hands on her. I know that you can make her better, so that she will not die.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "24", "text": "Jesus listened to the man and started to go with him. The big mob of people followed them. They went up really close and pushed up against Jesus, all around him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "25", "text": "While they were walking along, a sick woman was there. A long time before this, she started bleeding, and that bleeding didn’t stop."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "26", "text": "She went to every doctor, but none of them could help her. She spent all her money trying to get better, but it was no good, she only got worse. She kept on bleeding for 12 years."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "27-28", "text": "Then somebody told her about Jesus, and she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his coat, I will get better.” So she came up behind Jesus, and she touched his coat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "29", "text": "And straight away, her bleeding stopped. She knew she was better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "30", "text": "Jesus knew straight away that power went out from him, so he stopped walking, turned around, and asked the people, “Who touched my clothes?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "31", "text": "Jesus’s followers said, “There are big mobs of people here pushing up against you. Why do you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ Lots of people touched you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "32", "text": "Jesus kept on looking around to see the person that used his power."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "33", "text": "That woman knew that she was the person that got better, so she was very frightened, and she was shaking. She came to Jesus, and she got down on her knees in front of him, to show him respect, and she told him her story. She told him that she touched him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "34", "text": "Jesus said to her, “My friend, you really believed in me, so now you are better. You can go home, and you will not have any more trouble. You are not sick any more.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "35", "text": "While Jesus was talking to the woman, a man from Jairus’s house came to him with bad news. He said, “I’m sorry, it’s too late. Your little girl is dead. Don’t bother Jesus now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "36", "text": "Jesus heard the man’s words, but he took no notice of them. He said to Jairus, “Don’t be frightened. Just trust me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "37", "text": "Then Jesus told the people, “Don’t come with me to this man’s house.” He only let a few people go with him. They were the girl’s mother and father, and 3 of his special workers, Peter, James and John. They were the only people that went with him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "38", "text": "They got close to the house, and Jesus heard other people inside it making a big noise. They were crying for that dead girl and shouting out loud."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "39", "text": "Jesus went into the house, and he asked them, “Why are you making all this noise? That little girl isn’t dead. She is just sleeping.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "40", "text": "But they just laughed at Jesus. So he told them all to get out of the house. Then Jesus said to the girl’s mother and father, and to his 3 followers, “You come with me.” Then they went together into the room where the girl lay."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "41", "text": "Jesus held the girl’s hand and talked to her in their language. He said, “Talitha koum.” That means, Get up, little girl."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "42", "text": "Straight away, that girl got up and walked around the room. Her mother and father were really surprised. Their little girl was alive again. She was 12 years old at that time."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 5, "verse": "43", "text": "Jesus told them strongly, “Don’t tell anyone that I made this little girl alive again.” Then he said to them, “Now give her some food to eat.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus and his followers left that country and went back to his own town, called Nazareth."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "2-3", "text": "On the Jewish people’s rest day, Jesus went to the Jewish meeting house, and he started to teach the people God’s message. A lot of the people heard his words, and they were really shocked. They said, “How does he know so much? How come he can do powerful things? He’s nobody special. We know him. He grew up here, in this town. His mother, Mary, lives here, with his brothers, James, Joses, Judas and Simon, as well as his sisters. His job here is to make things with wood.” So those Nazareth people got angry, and they wouldn’t take any notice of him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "4", "text": "Jesus then said to them, “If God gives a man a message, lots of people know he is God’s man, and they respect him. But not his own people. They lived with that man and knew him from the time he was a little boy. They don’t respect him. Even his close family and relatives don’t listen to him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "5-6", "text": "You see, the people of Jesus’s own town didn’t believe in him, and he was really shocked. He couldn’t do anything really powerful there, because they didn’t believe in him. He only touched a few sick people and made them better. Then he left Nazareth, and went to other towns, and taught God’s word to the people there."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "7-11", "text": "Jesus called together his 12 special workers. He told them, “You have to go to every town and tell my message to the people. Let them take care of you when you go there. Don’t take a bag, or food, or money, or spare clothes with you. Just take your shoes and a walking stick. After you get to a town, if the people in that town are happy for you to stay there, just stay in one house. Don’t move around to different houses. But if the people in that town don’t want you to be there, and if they will not listen to you, then you have to go away from that town. As you leave it, shake the dirt off your feet. That will show those people that they will get trouble. It will be like you are telling them, ‘You didn’t take any notice of my message, so God will judge you and punish you.’ ” And Jesus told his special workers, “I’m giving you my power to force bad spirits out from people.” Then Jesus split them up into 6 teams with 2 men in each team, and he sent them out to do God’s work."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "12", "text": "So his special workers went to other towns, and they told everyone to turn around, to change their lives, and to come back to God’s way."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "13", "text": "Those men forced a lot of bad spirits out of people. And they put olive oil on a lot of sick people, like medicine for them, and those sick people got better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "14-29", "text": "This is the story about what happened to John, the man that baptised people. The big boss over that country was Herod, and his brother was Philip. Philip’s wife’s name was Herodias. But Herodias left Philip, and Herod married her. John kept on telling Herod, “You are breaking God’s law. You shouldn’t have your brother’s wife.” Herodias hated John for saying that, and she wanted to kill him, but Herod sent some soldiers to grab John and keep him in jail, so Herodias couldn’t do anything to him. John was a good man, one of God’s own men, so Herod respected John, and he was a bit frightened of him too. Herod used to talk with John. He didn’t really understand John’s message, but he liked to listen to him. Some time later, Herod had a birthday party. All the leaders of Herod’s army, and the government bosses from Galilee country, they were all there at Herod’s party. Herodias’s daughter danced for them at that party. Herod and everybody else really liked to watch her dance. She made them really happy, so Herod made a strong promise to her. He told her, “I want to give you something really good. You can ask for anything. I will give you anything you ask for, even as much as half of this country. This is true. I’m not lying.” That young girl went outside and asked her mother, “What will I ask for?” Her mother said, “Go back in and ask the big boss to send a soldier to cut off John the Baptiser’s head and give it to you.” The girl ran back into the party and said to Herod, “I want you to give me John the Baptiser’s head on a big plate, and I want it right now.” When Herod heard her say that, he was really sad. But he didn’t want to break his promise. He didn’t want to feel shame in front of his friends, so he sent a soldier to cut off John’s head, and to bring it back to the girl on a big plate. The soldier went to the jail, and he cut off John’s head, and he brought it back to the party, and he gave it to the young girl, and then she gave it to her mother. John’s friends heard the bad news, so they came and got his body, then they took it away and buried it. Later lots of people heard about what Jesus was doing, and they talked about him all the time. Some people said, “Jesus is really Elijah, that old man that told God’s messages a long time ago. God made him alive again.” Some other people said, “Jesus is a man talking for God, just like those other men that told God’s messages a long time ago.” But some people reckoned, “Jesus is really John the Baptiser. God made John alive again, and God gave him power to do great things.” Herod heard those stories, and he said, “I got my soldiers to cut John’s head off, but this man, Jesus, he has to be John the Baptiser. I reckon God made him alive again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "30", "text": "Some time later, Jesus’s 12 special workers came back from telling his message to all the towns. They stood around Jesus and told him everything they did, and everything they taught the people in the towns."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "31", "text": "While they were talking, lots of other people kept on coming up to Jesus, and Jesus and his followers didn’t have time to eat any food. So Jesus said to his followers, “Let’s go to a quiet place out bush, so that we can rest for a while.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "32", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers got into a boat and started to go across the lake, to a quiet place away from all the people. But lots of people saw them leave."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "33", "text": "Those people were from a lot of different towns, but they knew the place that Jesus and his special workers were going to, so they ran around the side of the lake, and they got there first, before the boat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "34", "text": "Then Jesus and his special workers got to that place, and they got out of the boat. Jesus looked at the mob of people waiting for him, and he felt sad for them. They didn’t have anyone looking after them. They were like a mob of sheep that had nobody to take care of them. So Jesus started to teach them lots of things."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "35", "text": "At the end of the day, Jesus’s followers went to him and said, “It’s nearly time for the sun to go down, and we are way out here in the bush."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "36", "text": "You have to send the people away from here so that they can find some food. They can go to a nearby farm or to a town, to buy some food to eat.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "37", "text": "Jesus said to them, “No. You mob give them some food to eat.” But they said, “What? We haven’t got that much food. Do you want us to go and buy a lot of bread for them? That will cost thousands of dollars.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "38", "text": "Jesus said to his followers, “How much food have you got? Go and see what there is.” They came back to him and said, “We’ve got 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "39-40", "text": "Jesus told his followers to get the people to sit on the green grass in groups, maybe about 50 people in each group, or maybe 100 people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "41", "text": "Then Jesus picked up the bread and the fish, then he looked up to the sky, and he said, “Thank you God for this bread and this fish.” Then Jesus broke the bread and the fish into bits, and he gave them to his followers to give to the people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "42", "text": "All of the people got some bread and some fish, and they ate until they were full."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "43", "text": "After that, Jesus’s followers picked up the bits of food that nobody ate. They filled up 12 big baskets with that left-over food."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "44", "text": "A really big mob of people ate that food. There were 5,000 men in that mob, as well as women and kids."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "45", "text": "As soon as they finished eating, Jesus told his followers, “Get into the boat and row across the lake, to the place called Bethsayida. I will follow you mob some time later.” Then he started telling all the people, “You mob can all go home now. Goodbye.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "46", "text": "After he said goodbye to them, Jesus went up into the hills to pray."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "47", "text": "Then night time came, and Jesus was still alone on the land, and the boat was half-way across the lake."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "48", "text": "Later that night, Jesus looked out and saw that his followers were having a hard time rowing the boat. The wind was stopping them. Just before day-light, Jesus walked to them on top of the water, and it looked like he was going to keep going past them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "49-50", "text": "His followers saw him walking on the water, and they thought he was a ghost. They got really frightened, and they screamed. Straight away, Jesus said to them, “It’s all right. It’s me, I’m Jesus. Don’t be frightened.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "51", "text": "Then Jesus got into the boat with his followers, and straight away the wind stopped blowing. The men in the boat were surprised."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "52", "text": "They still couldn’t understand about Jesus. They saw what he did with the bread and the fish the day before, but they couldn’t work it out. It was like their brains were no good."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "53", "text": "Then they got to the dry land again, in the country called Gennesaret, and they tied up the boat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "54", "text": "A lot of people saw Jesus getting out of the boat, and they knew who he was,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "55", "text": "so they ran around everywhere in that country, and they put the sick people on swags, and they carried them to Jesus, to wherever people said that Jesus was."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 6, "verse": "56", "text": "Jesus went to little towns, and to big towns in that country. Wherever he went, the people carried their sick friends and family to the middle of the town, and they put them on the ground. Those sick people asked Jesus if they could touch his clothes, and everyone that touched his clothes got better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "1-4", "text": "There were some Jewish law teachers, and some of the Pharisee mob, that were strong for the Jewish law, they went from Jerusalem to see Jesus and his followers. A long time before that, those mobs made up a lot of rules that are not in God’s book. One of those rules that they made up was this. Before they could eat anything, they had to wash their hands in a special way, and after people came home from the shops, they had to wash that same way. There were other rules, too, that those leaders made up, a long time ago. They had rules about the way to wash cups, and billycans, and cooking pots, and the chairs they sat on to eat their food. Those rules didn’t come from God. After they got there from Jerusalem, they saw that some of Jesus’s followers didn’t wash their hands that special way before they ate food."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "5", "text": "So they said to Jesus, “Your followers are going wrong. They are not following the rules that our old leaders gave us a long time ago. They didn’t wash their hands the right way before they started to eat their food. You have to make them follow the rules properly.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "6", "text": "Jesus said to them, “You mob tell everyone you are good, but really, you are not good. You know the man that was called Isaiah. He lived a long time ago, and he told God’s messages. He wrote true words about you, and they are in God’s book. He wrote, ‘These people show respect to me with their mouths, but really, they think another way."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "7", "text": "They have ceremonies for me, but, really, they rubbish me. You see, they teach rules that men made up themselves, and they tell everybody that those rules come from God.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "8", "text": "You mob are just like that. You turn your back on God’s law, but you are strong on the rules that men made up.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "9", "text": "And Jesus kept on talking to them. He said, “You mob are tricky in the way you turn your back on God’s law, and follow your own rules."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "10", "text": "You see, God told Moses to tell everyone to look after their old people. Moses wrote this law, ‘You have to respect your father and mother.’ And he also wrote, ‘You have to punish anyone that rubbishes their father or mother. You have to kill that person.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "11", "text": "But you mob reckon that somebody can tell their father or mother, ‘I want to help you old people, but I’m sorry. I know that you need that thing, but I promised to give it to God, so I can’t give it to you.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "12", "text": "You reckon that if a person says that to their father or mother, they don’t have to help their father or mother."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "13", "text": "When you tell people that, you take God’s word away from them, so they will just follow the rules that you made up. You do all sorts of wrong things like that all the time.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "14", "text": "Then Jesus called out to all the people to come and listen to him. He said, “Listen to me, everyone, and try to understand what I’m saying."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "15-16", "text": "It’s not the things you eat that make you no good. Don’t worry about what goes into you, but worry about what comes out of you. It’s the things that come out of you that make you no good.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "17", "text": "After that, Jesus stopped talking to all the people, and he went into his house, to take a break. His followers went in with him, and they asked him what he meant by the words he just told the people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "18-19", "text": "Jesus said, “What’s wrong with you? You still don’t understand what I’m saying. Listen. If you eat something, it goes into your belly, then, some time later, it goes out of your body into the toilet. It doesn’t go into your brain. So God will not say, ‘You ate the wrong food and made yourself no good.’ No, he will not say that.” (Jesus said that about food, and he made it clear for us that every sort of food is all right.)"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "20-23", "text": "Then Jesus kept on teaching his followers. He said, “People think inside their heads about bad things, and then they go wrong. They do those bad things, and that makes them no good. These are the things they might do. – They might think about all sorts of bad things. – They might sleep with somebody that is not their own husband or wife, and do what married people do together. – They might steal things. – They might murder somebody. – They might sleep with somebody else’s husband or wife, as if they are married to them. – They might be greedy, and try to get lots of money and things. – They might do really bad things. – They might trick people. – They might do the first bad thing that they think about. – They might want to get something that other people have. – They might rubbish people. – They might think that they themselves are great. – They might only think about what they want for themselves, and do really stupid things. All those bad things come from people thinking the wrong way inside their heads, and those things make people no good.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "24", "text": "After that, Jesus left Galilee country and went north to a town called Tyre. The people that lived in Tyre were not Jewish people. Jesus and his followers stayed at somebody’s house there. He didn’t want other people to know that he was in that house. But a lot of people heard that he was there."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "25-26", "text": "There was a woman in that town that was not a Jewish woman. She was from a place called Fonisha, in Syria country. Her daughter had a bad spirit inside her, so that woman went to Jesus to get help. She got down on her knees in front of Jesus, to show him respect, and she asked him to force the bad spirit out of her daughter."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "27", "text": "Jesus said to her, “You know, a man gives food to his own kids first. He will not take their food and throw it to the dogs. Well, that is a picture of me. I belong to the Jewish nation. I have to look after my own people first, not you people that are not Jewish.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "28", "text": "The woman said, “Yes, teacher, you are right about that, but while the kids in that picture story are eating, they drop a few little bits of food, and the dogs under the table can eat those little bits of food. So you can still do a little thing to help me, even though I’m not Jewish.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "29", "text": "Jesus said, “That’s a good answer. It shows me that you trust me. You can go home now. I just made that bad spirit go out from your daughter.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "30", "text": "Then the woman went home and found her daughter lying down quietly on a bed. The bad spirit was not in her any more."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "31", "text": "Then Jesus left Tyre and walked back through another town called Sidon. Then he went around the north of Lake Galilee to the country everyone called Ten Towns."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "32", "text": "Some people brought a man to Jesus. That man was deaf, and he couldn’t talk properly. His friends asked Jesus strongly to put his hand on their friend and make him better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "33", "text": "Jesus took the man away from all the other people there and put his fingers in the man’s ears. He spat and touched the man’s tongue."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "34", "text": "Then Jesus looked up into the sky and prayed for the man. He talked in their language. He said, “Efatha.” That means, Open up."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "35", "text": "And straight away, that man could hear properly, and his tongue was better so he could talk properly."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "36", "text": "Jesus went back and told the people strongly, “Don’t tell anyone about the great thing I just did.” But they didn’t listen to Jesus. Jesus kept on telling them not to talk about it, but they just kept on telling other people, “Jesus made that man better.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 7, "verse": "37", "text": "Everyone was really surprised, and they said to each other, “Jesus does everything properly. He does really good things for people. He makes deaf people better, so they can hear again. And people that can’t talk, he makes them better too, so they can talk.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus kept on teaching the people in that country. A big mob of people stayed there and listened to him for 3 days. And in that time, they finished up all their food."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "2", "text": "Jesus called to his followers to come to him, and he said, “I feel really sorry for this mob. They are hungry, and they haven’t got anything to eat."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "3", "text": "I can’t send them home like this. Some of them have walked a long way to get here, and if they start walking home now, they will get weak and fall down. We have to give them some food.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "4", "text": "His followers said, “But they are a really big mob of people. We can’t get enough food out here in the bush to feed them all.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "5", "text": "Jesus said, “How much bread have you got?” The men said, “7 loaves of bread.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "6", "text": "Then Jesus told the people to sit down on the ground. Then he picked up the 7 loaves of bread and said, “Thank you God for this bread.” Then Jesus broke it into bits and gave it to his followers, and they gave it out to all the people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "7", "text": "Somebody had some little fish there, and they gave them to Jesus, and he said, “Thank you God for these fish.” Then Jesus also gave the fish to his followers, to give out to the people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "8", "text": "They all ate and ate until they were full, and there was a lot of food that they didn’t eat. Then they picked up all those left-over bits of food, and they filled up 7 baskets with it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "9", "text": "There were 4,000 men in that big mob. After they finished eating that food, Jesus told them to go home."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "10", "text": "Straight away, Jesus and his followers got into a boat and went across the lake to a place called Dalmanutha."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "11", "text": "There were some of the Pharisee mob at that place. They were strong for the Jewish law. They heard people say that Jesus was there, so they came to talk to him. They wanted to trick him, so they started to argue with him. They said, “Hey, show us that God sent you here. Do something powerful so we can see that you have special power from God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "12", "text": "Jesus was a little bit upset. He breathed deeply and said, “You mob that are alive today always want to see something powerful, and if I don’t do something powerful, you will not believe that I came from God. Listen, I will not do anything powerful for you mob here now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "13", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers walked away from that Pharisee mob, and they got into a boat and went across to the other side of the lake."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "14", "text": "But, before they got into the boat to go across the lake, Jesus’s followers forgot to buy more food. So they only had one loaf of bread with them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "15", "text": "Jesus talked straight to his followers. He said, “You know how we make damper. We put some baking powder into the flour to make it swell up. Well, I’m telling you this, stay away from the baking powder that comes from the Pharisee mob, that are strong for our law, and stay away from the baking powder that comes from Herod, the big boss.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "16", "text": "Jesus’s followers didn’t understand what Jesus meant, and they started to argue with each other. They said, “We didn’t get enough food for the trip. That is what he is talking about.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "17", "text": "Jesus knew what they said to each other, and he said, “Why are you mob arguing about food? You still haven’t learned about me. You don’t understand me. Maybe your minds are closed."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "18-19", "text": "You’ve got eyes, but you don’t look. You’ve got ears, but you don’t listen. Do you remember the time we had 5 loaves of bread, and I gave food to 5,000 men? How many baskets of left-over bits did you pick up?” They said, “12 baskets full.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "20", "text": "Then Jesus said, “Do you remember the time we had 7 loaves of bread, and I gave food to 4,000 men? How many baskets of left-over bits did you pick up?” They said, “7 baskets full.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "21", "text": "Then Jesus asked them, “So how come you still don’t understand about me?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "22", "text": "Jesus and his followers got to a place called Bethsayida, on the west side of Lake Galilee, and they got out of the boat. Some people brought a blind man to him, and they asked Jesus to touch him and make him better."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "23", "text": "Jesus held the man’s hand and took him outside the town. Then Jesus spat on the man’s eyes, and then put his hands on him and said, “Can you see anything now?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "24", "text": "The man looked around and said, “Yes, I can see a little bit. I can see people, but they look like trees walking around.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "25", "text": "So Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes again. Then the man carefully looked around again, and his eyes were properly better, and he saw everything clearly."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "26", "text": "Jesus told the man to go straight home. He said, “As you walk home, don’t go into that town. Don’t let anyone see that I made you better.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "27", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers left Galilee country, and they went north to some towns in the country called Caesarea-Philippi. As they walked along the track, Jesus asked his followers, “When people talk about me, who do they reckon I really am?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "28", "text": "They said, “They reckon you are one of God’s men that died, but then God made you come alive again. Some people reckon you are John the Baptiser. Other people reckon you are Elijah, that man that lived a long time ago. And other people reckon you are one of those other men that told God’s messages a long time ago.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "29", "text": "Then Jesus asked them, “Who do you reckon I really am?” Peter said straight out, “You are the Christ, the special man that God promised to send to save us.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "30", "text": "Jesus told them strongly, “Don’t say that to anyone else. Don’t tell anyone about me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "31", "text": "Then Jesus told his followers about the bad things that were going to happen to him. He said, “I am God’s special man from heaven, but our Jewish elders, and our ceremony bosses, and our law teachers, they will all reckon I’m no good. They will hurt me badly in lots of ways, and they will kill me. I will be dead for 2 nights, then on the 3rd day I will come alive again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "32", "text": "Jesus talked straight to them, but Peter couldn’t believe it. He took Jesus away from the others and told him not to talk like that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "33", "text": "Jesus turned around and looked at his other followers there, then he said strongly to Peter, “Go away from me. You are like Satan, the boss over the bad spirits. You are not thinking God’s way. You are just thinking like a man.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "34", "text": "Then Jesus called out to all the people that were there. He called them to come up close, with his followers, and he said to them all, “If any of you wants to follow me properly, you have to stop thinking only about yourself. You have to live like me. You have to be ready to die, yes, die like a criminal on a cross, just like I will die."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "35", "text": "If you only want to look after your own life here on earth, you will lose it. You will not live for ever with me. But if you are ready to give up your life here, and live my way, and tell other people the good news about me, then you will find real life, and you will live with me for ever."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "36", "text": "You see, you might get lots of money and things for yourself, and you might even get everything in the world. But if you miss out on real life, and you don’t live for ever with me, all that stuff is useless to you."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "37", "text": "You can’t use it to get that real life."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 8, "verse": "38", "text": "You know that some people are really bad, and they don’t take any notice of God. If you are frightened of them, so that you don’t tell them about me, and you don’t say that you belong to me, then later, I will not say that you belong to me. I’m God’s special man from heaven, and one day my father, God, will make me really great, and I will come back here to the earth, with all God’s angel messengers. But if you don’t tell people now that you belong to me, then when I come back here, I will not say that you belong to me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "1", "text": "Then Jesus said, “Listen, some of you people will see a very special thing. God will show you that he is boss over everything, and you will see that he is really powerful. You will see that happen before you die.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "2", "text": "After 6 days, Jesus got Peter, and James, and John, and they went by themselves up to the top of a big hill. While they were there, Jesus started to look different."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "3", "text": "His clothes got really white and shiny. Nobody can wash clothes good enough to make them properly white like that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "4", "text": "And Peter, James and John saw 2 men that lived a long time ago. They were Elijah and Moses. Elijah was a man that told God’s messages to people, and Moses was a leader of the Israel nation. They were there, and they talked to Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "5-6", "text": "Peter, James and John were very surprised and frightened, and they didn’t know what to say. But Peter talked anyway. He said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good that we are here. We can put up 3 special bush shades here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "7", "text": "Then a cloud covered them all, and God talked to them from the cloud. He said, “This is my son. I love him very much. You have to listen properly to him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "8", "text": "Then Peter, James and John looked around for those 2 old men, but they couldn’t see them any more. Only Jesus was there with them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "9", "text": "Then they all started to come down from the hill. And as they walked along, Jesus told them really straight, “Don’t tell anyone what you just saw. You have to wait until after I die. I’m God’s special man, and I will die, and then I will come back alive again. After that, you can talk about what you saw.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "10", "text": "So Peter, James and John kept quiet about it. They didn’t tell anyone, but they talked to each other about the words Jesus said, “I will die, and then I will come back alive again.” They didn’t know what Jesus meant."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "11", "text": "Then they asked Jesus about the Jewish law teachers. They said, “Those law teachers say that first of all Elijah has to come back, God’s man that lived a long time ago. He has to come back, and after that, God will send his special man.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "12-13", "text": "Jesus said, “Those law teachers are right. That man did come, and he told them God’s message, just like Elijah did a long time ago. That man got things ready for me, but bad people killed him. And they will do the same to me, God’s special man from heaven. They will turn against me and not listen to me, and they will hurt me a lot. A long time ago God got his men to write about that, and it is in God’s book.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "14", "text": "They came back down the hill, and they found Jesus’s other followers arguing with the Jewish law teachers. There were lots of people standing around."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "15", "text": "That mob looked up and saw Jesus, and they were surprised, and they all ran to him, and they said hello to him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "16", "text": "Jesus asked them, “What are you mob all arguing about?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "17", "text": "One of them said, “Teacher, my son has a bad spirit inside him, and it stops him from talking."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "18", "text": "It pushes the boy down on to the ground, and his body goes stiff, and he rubs his teeth together, and spit comes out of his mouth. I asked your followers, ‘Please force that bad spirit out of him.’ But they can’t do it.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "19", "text": "Jesus said, “Look, you mob, I’ve been here with you a long time, but still you don’t trust God properly. I can’t stay here and wait for you for ever. All right, bring the boy here to me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "20", "text": "The people brought the boy to Jesus. As soon as that bad spirit saw Jesus, it shook the boy and pushed him down, so that he wriggled around on the ground, and a lot of spit came out of his mouth."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has your boy been like this?” The man said, “For a long time, from when he was a little kid."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "22", "text": "Lots of times the bad spirit pushed him into fires and into water. That bad spirit is trying to kill him. Please feel sorry for us, and help him if you can.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "23", "text": "Jesus said, “You said to me, ‘If you can.’ But you know that God is strong enough to do anything if you trust him to do it, right?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "24", "text": "The boy’s father yelled out, “I believe God can do it. But please help me believe properly.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "25", "text": "Jesus looked around, and he saw a big mob of people coming to watch, so he talked strongly to the bad spirit. He said, “Listen, you bad spirit. You stop people from talking and hearing. I’m telling you now, come out of this little boy, and stay out of him. You can never go back into him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "26", "text": "Then the bad spirit screamed, and it forced the boy to have another bad fit and fall down on the ground, then it went out of the boy. The boy looked like he was dead, and a lot of people said, “Poor boy, he’s finished.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "27", "text": "But Jesus grabbed the boy’s hand and helped him stand up. Then the boy’s father took him home."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "28", "text": "After that, Jesus and his followers went into a house, and his followers asked him quietly, “Why couldn’t we force the bad spirit out of that boy?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "29", "text": "Jesus told them, “The only way you can force that sort of bad spirit out of somebody is to pray to God, and get him to force it out.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "30-31", "text": "Later Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee country. He didn’t want everyone to know where he was going, so they went along secretly and quietly, and he was teaching his followers as they walked along. He told them about what was going to happen to him. He said, “I’m God’s special man from heaven, but bad men will grab me, and they will kill me. I will be dead for 2 nights, then on the 3rd day I will come alive again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "32", "text": "His followers couldn’t understand what he was talking about. But they felt shame, so they didn’t ask him about it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "33-34", "text": "While they walked along the road, Jesus’s followers argued with each other about which one of them was the most important. Then, after they got to Capernium, they all went into a house, and Jesus asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” His followers didn’t answer him. They felt too much shame."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "35", "text": "Then Jesus sat down to teach them, and he called to his 12 special workers to come close to him, and he said, “If any one of you wants to be the leader, you have to think to yourself, ‘I’m not important at all.’ And you have to be a worker for everyone else.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "36-37", "text": "There was a young kid in that house, and Jesus picked him up and said, “Look at this little kid. If you follow me, and if you are friendly to little kids like this one, and if you help them, well, really you are friendly to me too. And if you are friendly to me, well, really you are friendly to my father in heaven too. He is the one that sent me here.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "38", "text": "John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw a man forcing bad spirits out of people, and he was using your power by saying your name. But he’s not one of our mob. So we told him to stop.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "39", "text": "But Jesus said, “No. Don’t stop him. If somebody uses my power by saying my name to do good and powerful things for people, that person can’t soon turn around and say bad things about me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "40", "text": "You see, if somebody is not trying to stop us, well, that person is really on our side."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "41", "text": "And listen, if somebody knows that you are my follower, and so they try to help you, even if they just give you a drink of water, God will be sure to pay that person with something good for that good thing they did.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "42", "text": "Jesus kept on teaching his followers. He said, “If a little kid trusts me, and if somebody gets that little kid to do something bad, God will properly punish that person. Suppose somebody gets a big stone and ties it to that person’s neck and throws them into the sea and drowns them, that is bad for that person, but it is not as bad as the trouble God will give them for getting that little kid to go wrong."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "43-44", "text": "Look, if there is something that gets you to go wrong, you have to stop yourself. If you want to do something bad with your hand, you have to stop yourself from doing it. It is like you have to cut off your hand. It is better for you to live with God for ever with only one hand, than for God to send you to hell with 2 hands. That fire in hell never goes out."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "45-46", "text": "In the same way, if you want to do something bad with your foot, you have to stop yourself from doing it. It is like you have to cut off your foot. It is better for you to live with God for ever with only one foot, than for God to send you to hell with 2 feet."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "47", "text": "It is the same for your eye. If you want to look with your eye at something, and if it gets you to do something bad, you have to look away. It is like you have to dig your eye out. It is better for you to be in God’s family with only one eye, than for God to send you to hell with 2 eyes."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "48", "text": "Hell is a really bad place and people that go there will have bad pain all the time. It will be like maggots are eating them all the time, and like a fire is burning them all the time. Their pain will never stop.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "49", "text": "Jesus also said to them, “God is going to let you have some trouble. He wants to test you to see if you are following him properly. You know how people shake salt on to food to make it good? Well, this trouble will be like God is shaking fire on to you, and it will make you good."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 9, "verse": "50", "text": "You know that salt is good. It makes food better. But if that salt loses its salty taste, it is no good any more, and you can’t fix it up. That is a picture of you mob. You have to be like good salt for people. You have to try to make their lives better, and don’t fight with anyone, but live happy and quiet together.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus left Capernium in Galilee and went south, through Judea to the country on the east side of the Jordan River. A lot of people went to him there, and he taught them God’s word, the same as he always did."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "2", "text": "Some of the Pharisee mob also went to Jesus. They were strong for the Jewish law, and they tried to trick Jesus with a hard question. They said, “Is it all right for a man to break up his marriage, and send his wife away?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "3", "text": "Jesus said, “What did Moses write in the law part of God’s book?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "4", "text": "The Pharisee mob said, “Moses wrote a law like this, ‘A man can split up from his wife. That man has to write a divorce letter to say she is not his wife any more. He has to give that letter to his wife, and then he can force her to go away.’ ”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "5", "text": "Jesus said to them, “You people have closed ears, and you will not listen to God, so Moses had to write those words for you like that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "6", "text": "But God tells us in his book that he made people and everything else. His book says, ‘He made them man and woman.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "7", "text": "And he tells us, ‘A man will leave his mother and father and marry a woman. The man and his wife will join with each other, and their bodies will be like one body again.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "8", "text": "So they are not 2 people any more. They are like just one body."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, God joined them together like that, so don’t let anyone split them up.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "10", "text": "After that, Jesus went back to the house with just his followers, and they asked him more about the things he said."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "11", "text": "Jesus said to them, “If a man splits up from his wife, and then if he marries another woman, he is sleeping with the wrong woman as if she is his proper wife. But she is not, and he is breaking God’s law, and he is doing wrong to his proper wife."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "12", "text": "And if a woman splits up from her husband, and then if she marries another man, she is sleeping with the wrong man as if he is her proper husband. But he is not, and she is breaking God’s law, and she is doing wrong to her proper husband.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "13", "text": "Some time later, some people took their kids to Jesus. They wanted him to put his hands on them, and ask God to be good to them. But Jesus’s followers got angry with those people and told them to take their kids away."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "14", "text": "Jesus saw his followers stopping the kids from coming to him, and he got upset. He said, “Don’t stop those kids. Let them come to me. They are the sort of people God wants. You see, if you are like these little kids, God will let you join his family."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "15", "text": "You know, little kids know they are weak and not important, so they trust their mothers and fathers and do what they say. Well, I’m telling you straight, you have to be like those kids. You have to trust God and let him be your boss. If you can’t do that, you can’t be in God’s family.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "16", "text": "Then Jesus held those kids in his arms, and he prayed for God to be good to them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "17", "text": "After that, Jesus started to leave that place. Then a man ran up to him and got down on his knees to show Jesus respect. The man said, “Teacher, you are a good man. Tell me, what can I do so that I will live with God for ever?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "18", "text": "Jesus said, “You call me good, but think about it. Only God is properly good."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "19", "text": "You know God’s laws, – Don’t murder anyone. – Don’t sleep with a woman that is not your wife, as if you are married to her. – Don’t steal things that belong to other people. – Don’t tell lies about anybody. – Don’t trick people to get something from them. – You always have to respect your father and your mother.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "20", "text": "That man said, “Teacher, I always do all those things. I always lived like that, from when I was a boy.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus looked at him, and he loved him. And Jesus said, “There is still one more thing you have to do. Go and sell all your things to get some money, and give all that money to people that haven’t got anything. After you do that, God will be really happy with you. And later, in heaven, he will give you lots of other good things. So go and do what I told you, then come with me, and follow me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "22", "text": "That man heard what Jesus said, and he got really sad. He was a rich man, but Jesus told him to give all his things away. That made him very sad, and he just walked away with his eyes looking down."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "23", "text": "After that man left, Jesus looked around at his followers, and he said, “It’s really hard for rich people to join God’s family and to let him be their boss.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "24-25", "text": "This shocked Jesus’s followers. So he told them more. He said, “It is hard for anyone to let God be their boss. Think about a big camel. Do you reckon it can go through the little hole in a needle? No, it can’t. But I’m telling you, it’s more easy for a big camel to get through that little hole, than for a rich person to get into God’s family. Rich people find it really hard to let God be the boss over their lives.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "26", "text": "This shocked Jesus’s followers, and they said to each other, “Is there anyone that God will save and take into his family? Maybe nobody.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "27", "text": "Jesus looked straight at them and said, “Nobody is good enough to get into God’s family. But God can make people good enough. God can do anything.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "28", "text": "Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you. What about us?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "29-30", "text": "Jesus said, “Listen, if anyone leaves anything, so that they can tell people God’s good news, they will get back more than they leave. If somebody leaves their home, or their brothers, or their sisters, or their mother, or their father, or their kids, or their land, so that they can follow me and tell people God’s good news, they will get a much better life. They will get a lot more homes, a lot more brothers and sisters, a lot more mothers, a lot more kids, and a lot more land. But I have to tell you this, too. If they do this work for me, they will get trouble from other people. But later they will live with God for ever."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "31", "text": "People that are important leaders today will find out later that they are nothing. God will make them workers for everybody. And people that are just workers today will be the important leaders later.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "32", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers walked along the road towards Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of his followers. Jesus’s special workers were shocked because there were people in Jerusalem that wanted to make big trouble for Jesus, but he wanted to go there anyway. And his other followers were frightened too. Then Jesus stopped walking, and he took his 12 special workers away from the other people, and he told them what was going to happen to him later."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "33", "text": "Jesus said, “We are all going to Jerusalem, and after we get there, somebody will change sides, and he will help the other mob catch me. That other mob are the bosses of our Jewish ceremonies and our law teachers. I’m God’s special man from heaven, but those Jewish leaders will grab me and take me to the Roman bosses. The Jewish leaders will say that I’m guilty, and they will tell the Romans to kill me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "34", "text": "Then the Romans will make fun of me, and spit on me. They will hit me with whips, and then they will kill me. I will be dead for 2 nights, then on the 3rd day I will come alive again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "35", "text": "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went up to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do something good for us. Will you do what we ask you?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "36", "text": "Jesus asked them, “What do you want me to do?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "37", "text": "They said, “Later you will be the most important leader. Can you make us the next most important? Can you let one of us sit on one side of you, and the other one sit on the other side of you?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "38", "text": "Jesus said, “You 2 don’t understand what you are asking me. People will give me a really hard time. Do you reckon you can stay strong for God even when people give you a really hard time? I will have really bad pain. It’s like I will have to drink really bad drink, like poison. I will even die.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "39", "text": "James and John said, “Yes. We can do that.” So Jesus said, “You are right. You will get the same hard time as me, and you will get bad pain like I will get."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "40", "text": "But I can’t give you what you want. God is the one that picks the people that will be the important leaders, and he picks the people that will sit beside me later on.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "41", "text": "Jesus’s other 10 special workers heard what James and John asked for, and they got angry."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "42", "text": "So Jesus called them all together and said, “You know what government people are like here in this world. They like to be bosses over everybody. It is like that everywhere in this world, the leaders boss everyone around, and the big bosses like to show everyone that they are strong."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "43-44", "text": "But I don’t want you to be like that. If you want to be a leader of my people, you have to really want to help them, so you have to work hard for them, and don’t think about pay. And if you want to be the most important person, you have to be a worker for everyone."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "45", "text": "You see, all the leaders of my people have to be like that. They have to be just like me. I’m God’s special man from heaven, but I didn’t come here to be bossy and get people to work for me. I came here to work for other people. And I came here to die for a lot of people. I will let God punish me instead of them. He will punish me for the bad things that they did.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "46", "text": "Jesus and his followers kept going towards Jerusalem, and they walked through a town called Jericho. As they left Jericho, a big mob of people walked with them along the road. A blind man was sitting at the side of that road, asking people to give him money so that he could buy some food. He was called Bartimayus. His father’s name was Timayus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "47", "text": "Bartimayus heard that Jesus, from Nazareth, was coming along the road, so he started to yell out, “Jesus, you belong to David’s family, and you are the man that God promised to send to us. Please feel sorry for me, and help me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "48", "text": "A lot of the people there told him to shut up, but he kept on yelling out even louder, “You belong to David’s family, and you are the man that God promised to send to us. Please feel sorry for me, and help me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "49", "text": "Jesus stopped and said, “Tell him to come to me.” So they called out to the blind man, and they said, “Listen, Jesus is calling out for you. So you can be happy now. Get up and go to him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "50", "text": "That blind man jumped up. He didn’t worry about his coat. He left it behind on the ground. He just got up and walked to Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "51", "text": "Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” That blind man said, “Teacher, I just want to see again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 10, "verse": "52", "text": "Jesus said to him, “You believe in me, so now you can see again. You can go home now.” Straight away, Bartimayus could see again, and he joined in with the other people and followed Jesus along that road."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus and his followers kept going, and they got near to Jerusalem. They came to the 2 towns called Bethany and Bethfage, on the hill called Olive Trees Hill."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "2", "text": "Then Jesus told 2 of his followers to go to a town nearby. He said, “As soon as you get there you will see a donkey tied to a post. Nobody ever rode that young donkey yet. I want you to untie that donkey and bring it to me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "3", "text": "If anyone asks you why you are taking that donkey, you can say, ‘Our leader needs it for a while, but don’t worry, he will send it back to you later.’ ”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "4", "text": "The 2 men went into the town, and they found the donkey near the door of a house, then they started to untie him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "5", "text": "Some people standing there said to them, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that young donkey?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "6", "text": "Jesus’s followers told them what Jesus said, and then those people let them take the donkey and go."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "7", "text": "They took the donkey back to Jesus. Then they put their coats on top of the donkey, and Jesus sat on their coats on the donkey, and he started to ride it into Jerusalem."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "8", "text": "A lot of people laid their coats down on to the track in front of the donkey, and other people cut leafy branches from trees, and they put them on the track for the donkey to walk on."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "9", "text": "Some of the people walked in front of Jesus, and some of them walked behind him. They all kept on yelling out, “God, you are really great and powerful. God, we want you to look after the man you have sent. Make him strong and happy."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "10", "text": "God, please make this man our big boss, just like David was our big boss. David was our grand-father that lived a long time ago. God in heaven, you are very great and powerful.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "11", "text": "Then Jesus got to Jerusalem, and he went into God’s ceremony house. He looked around at everything that was going on there. The sun was starting to go down, so Jesus left God’s ceremony house, and he and his 12 special workers went back to Bethany."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "12-13", "text": "The next morning, Jesus and his followers started to walk from Bethany back to Jerusalem. Jesus saw a tree not far away. It was the sort of tree that gets fruit, called figs. Jesus was hungry, so he went to look for some figs on that tree, but there was nothing. It had lots of leaves, but no fruit. You see, it was not yet the right time of the year for that sort of fruit."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "14", "text": "His followers heard Jesus say to that tree, “Nobody will ever eat any fruit from you again.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "15", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers went into Jerusalem, and they went to God’s ceremony house. Inside that house people were buying and selling animals and pigeons, to use in their ceremonies. And other people were taking people’s Roman money and giving them Jewish money, to give to the bosses of God’s ceremony house. But they did those things inside that house. They didn’t respect God’s house, so they were wrong. So Jesus hunted all those people out of God’s ceremony house. He hunted out all the men that sold things, and the people that bought things, and those people that changed money. He knocked over their tables with their money on them, and he knocked over the chairs of the men that sold pigeons."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "16", "text": "He wouldn’t let anyone carry those things through God’s ceremony house."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "17", "text": "Then Jesus taught everyone. He said, “Do you know what God says? These words are in his book, ‘God wants his special house to be a place for people from every tribe to come and pray in.’ But you mob turned God’s house into a place where criminals steal money from people.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "18", "text": "The Jewish law teachers and the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies heard about what Jesus did at God’s house, and they were angry. But all the other people were really happy with Jesus. Whenever he taught them, they listened to him, and they were really surprised by the things he said. So the Jewish leaders were frightened of him. They thought that maybe everyone was going to listen to Jesus and stop listening to them. So those leaders started to work out a way to kill Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "19", "text": "Later that day, when the sun started to go down, Jesus and his followers left Jerusalem and went back to Bethany."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "20", "text": "In the morning, Jesus and his followers walked past that fruit tree that he talked to the day before. They looked at it. It was dead and dry, right down to the ground."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "21", "text": "Peter remembered the words Jesus said to it, and Peter said, “Teacher, that tree you cursed is already dead and dry.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "22", "text": "Jesus said, “If you trust God properly, you can do things like that too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "23", "text": "Listen, if you ask God to do something, and if you really trust him to do it, then he will do it for you. If you trust him properly, you can even say to a big hill, ‘God will pick you up and throw you into the sea,’ and God will do it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "24", "text": "So I’m telling you, if you ask God for something, and if you trust him properly, that is, if you believe that he will give you that thing, then God will make it happen for you."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "25-26", "text": "And whenever you pray, first think about this. If somebody did a wrong thing to you, you have to let it go. Don’t think about payback. If you let it go, then God will let go all the wrong things you have done, too. He will say you are not guilty, and he will not do payback. So before you pray to God, you have to let go all the wrong things that people did to you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "27", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers went into Jerusalem, and they walked into the yard of God’s ceremony house. As Jesus walked along, some Jewish leaders went up to him. They were some bosses of the Jewish ceremonies, and some law teachers, and some elders."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "28", "text": "They asked Jesus straight, “Who told you to hunt all those people out of God’s ceremony house? What big boss said that you can do that?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "29", "text": "Jesus said to them, “You answer my question first. If you answer me, then I will tell you which big boss said that I can hunt those men out of God’s ceremony house."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "30", "text": "My question is about John the Baptiser. Who told him to do that washing ceremony for people? Did people tell John to do that, or did God tell him to do it?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "31", "text": "Those Jewish leaders talked together to work out their answer. They said to each other, “If we say that God told John to do it, then we will be in trouble. He will say to us, ‘So why didn’t you mob listen to him?’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "32", "text": "But we can’t say that people told him to do it.” You see, those leaders were frightened of the people there. They knew that the people believed that John was God’s man. So if those leaders said that John wasn’t God’s man, then the people might hit them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 11, "verse": "33", "text": "So the Jewish leaders said, “We don’t know who told John to do that washing ceremony for people.” Then Jesus said, “You did not answer me, so I will not answer you. I will not tell you which big boss said that I can do those things.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "1", "text": "After that, Jesus told them all a picture story. He said, “A man planted some fruit trees in his garden. Then he built a strong fence around it, and he made all the things he needed to look after those trees properly. Then he got some men to look after those trees for him. They agreed to give him some of the fruit from that garden, instead of paying rent money for it. After that, the owner went away to another country."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "2", "text": "The time came for the men to pick the fruit, and the owner sent one of his work-men to get some of his fruit from the garden."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "3", "text": "But the men in the garden grabbed that work-man, and they beat him up, and they sent him back with nothing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "4", "text": "Then the owner sent another work-man to the garden, but those men hit him on the head and said bad things to him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "5", "text": "After that, the owner sent another work-man to the garden, and this time the men killed him. Again and again the owner sent work-men to get some of his fruit, but the men in the garden killed some of them, and they beat up the others."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "6", "text": "The owner of the garden had one more person to send to get the fruit from the garden. The owner said to himself, ‘I will try one more time. I will send my son. I love him, and those men in the garden will respect him too.’ So he sent his son to that garden."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "7", "text": "But the men in the garden saw the owner’s son, and they said to themselves, ‘After that old man dies this young man will get this garden for himself. Let’s kill this man now so that we can get the garden for ourselves.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "8", "text": "So they grabbed the young man, and they killed him and chucked his body out of the garden.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "9", "text": "Then Jesus asked the people, “What do you reckon the owner of that garden will do? I’m telling you, he will go to the garden and kill all those men there. Then he will get other people to look after the garden for him.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "10", "text": "Then Jesus said, “You mob can read this picture story in God’s book, so think about its message. God said, ‘Some workers built a house out of big stones, but those workers thought one of those stones was rubbish, so they chucked it away. They were wrong. That stone was properly good, and now God made it the most important stone of all."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "11", "text": "Yes, God did that, and we are really happy about it. We reckon he did something great.’ ”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "12", "text": "The Jewish leaders heard that story, and they knew that it was a picture of themselves, that they were the bad workers in the story. They got angry, and they wanted to grab Jesus and take him to jail. But they were frightened of the big mob of people there, so they just walked away and left him alone."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "13", "text": "Then the Jewish leaders sent some other men to try to trick Jesus. They sent some of the law men that were called Pharisees, and they sent some men that were good friends of Herod. Herod was the big government boss at that time. Those men tried to get Jesus to say something wrong, so they could make trouble for him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "14", "text": "They said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that you always want to do the right thing, and you always say true words. You talk to everyone the same way, people that are important and people that are not important. You always teach God’s words the right way. Well, we have a question about the Roman government bosses over our country. Is it right or wrong for us Jews to pay tax money to them?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "15", "text": "Jesus knew that if he said, “Don’t pay that tax money,” then he will be in trouble with the Roman bosses, and if he said, “Pay that tax money,” then he will be in trouble with the Jewish people. They wanted to be free from the Roman bosses. So Jesus said, “Don’t try to trick me. Have you got some money? I want to look at a coin.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "16", "text": "The men gave Jesus a coin. He looked at it and said, “Who is this on this money? Whose picture is this? And whose name is this?” They said, “That is Caesar, the Roman government’s big boss.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "17", "text": "Jesus said, “Well, you have to give Caesar and the Roman government whatever belongs to them, and you have to give God whatever belongs to him.” When they heard him say that they were all really surprised."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "18", "text": "There were some Jewish people that believed that after somebody dies they will stay dead, and they will never come alive again. They were called Sadducees. They tried to trick Jesus too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "19", "text": "They said to him, “Teacher, Moses wrote down God’s law like this, he said, ‘If a married man has no kids, and if he dies, then his brother has to marry his widow. Then they have to have kids, and everyone will call those kids that dead brother’s kids.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "20", "text": "But what about this. There were 7 brothers. The oldest brother got married, but he died before his wife could have a baby."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "21", "text": "So the next brother married that woman to follow God’s law, but he died too, before they could have a baby. Then the next brother did the same, but he died too, before they could have a baby."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "22", "text": "The same happened to all of those brothers. They all followed God’s law and married the woman, but each of them died before they could have any kids. And then last of all, that woman died too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "23", "text": "Well, you reckon that one day all the dead people will come alive again. So here is our question. If all those brothers and that woman come alive again, which brother will have that woman as his wife? All 7 brothers had her as their wife before they died.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "24", "text": "Jesus said, “You mob have a problem. You don’t know God’s word properly, and you don’t know about God’s power."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "25", "text": "You see, after all the dead people come alive again, they will be like God’s angel messengers in heaven. Those angels never marry each other. And people that come alive again will be the same. Nobody will promise a wife to anyone, and nobody will marry anyone."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "26-27", "text": "You mob reckon that dead people will never come alive again, but think about this story about Moses. You can read it in God’s book. Moses saw a little tree on fire, and then God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and I am the God of Isaac, and I am the God of Jacob.’ He didn’t say, ‘At one time, I used to be the God of those men.’ He said that he is their God now. That means those men are alive, not dead. They are living right now, with God. You see, you mob are really wrong.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "28", "text": "One of the Jewish law teachers listened to Jesus and thought that Jesus answered them well. Then he asked Jesus, “Which one of God’s laws is the most important one?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "29", "text": "Jesus said to him, “The most important law is this one, ‘Listen to me, you Israel people, our God is the only God. He is the number one boss over everybody."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "30", "text": "You have to love God properly, not just a little bit. You have to love God from right inside yourself. You have to love God in the way you feel, and in the way you think. And you have to love God in the way you do things.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "31", "text": "The 2nd most important law is this one, ‘You have to love other people just as much as you love yourself.’ Those 2 laws are the strongest and most important laws.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "32", "text": "The Jewish law teacher said, “That is a good answer, teacher. God is the number one boss over everybody. There is no other god, just him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "33", "text": "We have to love God properly, not just a little bit. We have to love God from right inside ourselves. We have to love God in the way we feel, and in the way we think. And we have to love God in the way we do things. That is really important for us. It is not so important for us to do ceremonies, like we do when we burn meat to give it to God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "34", "text": "Jesus heard the man’s words and knew this man was thinking the right way, so Jesus said, “You are right. You are nearly ready for God to take you into his family.” After that, nobody was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions to try to trick him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "35", "text": "Then Jesus taught people in the yard of God’s ceremony house. He said, “You know that David lived a long time ago, and now our Jewish law teachers say that one of his grand-sons will be the special man that God promised to send, called the Christ. What do they mean by that?"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "36", "text": "Think about this. God’s Holy Spirit told David to write these words, and they are in God’s book. He wrote, ‘God said to my boss, “Come here and sit down beside me until I make you boss over all your enemies.”’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "37", "text": "You know, David was talking about that special man that God was going to send, and David called him boss, so how can that man be David’s grand-son?” A lot of people listened to his words, and they were really happy with him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "38", "text": "Jesus kept on teaching the people. He said, “Look out for those Jewish law teachers. They think they are great. They wear real good clothes so that people will think they are important. They like people to say hello to them whenever they go shopping."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "39", "text": "Those law teachers want everyone to respect them, so they want to have special chairs at the meeting houses, and if they go to parties, they want to have special places to sit."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "40", "text": "But they do bad things. They trick old women that haven’t got anybody to look after them. They take everything off those women. They take their houses and all their things, and then those law teachers go to the meeting house and say long prayers, so that people will think they are good. They just pretend to live God’s way. You know, God will punish them more than he will punish the other people that do bad things.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "41", "text": "Then Jesus sat down near the money box at God’s ceremony house, and he watched the people put money in the box to give it to God. Some rich people put in a lot of money."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "42", "text": "But then a poor widow woman came in, and she didn’t put much money into the money box. She just put in 2 very little coins."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 12, "verse": "43-44", "text": "Jesus called his followers to him and said, “Listen, this poor woman gave more money than those rich people. You see, those rich people gave some of their money, but they still have lots more back at their homes. But that poor woman gave all the money she had. She kept nothing for herself, not even money to buy some food for herself.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "1", "text": "Jesus and his followers started to leave God’s ceremony house, and as they walked along, one of them said, “Teacher, look at these lovely buildings. And look at these big stones. This is a really good house that they made for God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "2", "text": "Jesus said, “You see these lovely big buildings? One day, these buildings will not be here. Somebody will knock them all down. They will just be a big pile of rubbish.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "3", "text": "Then Jesus and his followers went out of Jerusalem, and they sat down on the hill called Olive Trees Hill. They could see God’s ceremony house from there. Peter, James, John and Andrew talked quietly to Jesus. They asked him,"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "4", "text": "“When will somebody knock that building down? Will there be something to show us that it will soon happen?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "5", "text": "Jesus said, “Listen, you have to be careful. Don’t let anybody trick you."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "6", "text": "A lot of people will come and say, ‘I’m Jesus Christ, the man that God sent,’ and they will trick a lot of people."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "7", "text": "You will hear stories about big fights, and somebody might tell you stories about big fights that will happen later. Don’t let those stories frighten you. Those fights will happen, but the world will not finish up yet."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "8", "text": "There will be a lot more fights. People from some tribes will get up and fight against people from other tribes, and people from some nations will get up and fight against people from other nations. And in lots of different places the ground will shake in earthquakes. And sometimes there will not be any food, and people will be really hungry. These bad things will happen, and after that, more big trouble will come. You know about women, when they have babies. At first a woman has some pain, then later her pain gets really bad. Well, the trouble I just told you about is like the first pain for a mother, and after that, the trouble will get really bad."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "9", "text": "You have to watch out. You see, you follow me, but some people don’t like me, so they will not like you. They will grab you and take you to their leaders, and they will punish you. And people will beat you up in their meeting houses. They will take you to court, so that you will stand up in front of big leaders and big government bosses. Then you can tell everyone about me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "10", "text": "You see, people everywhere will hear about me. The people in every nation will hear the good news about me, and some time after that, the world will finish up."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "11", "text": "Yes, people will grab you to take you to court. But before you get there, don’t worry about what you will say to the judge. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words to say, so just talk the way the Holy Spirit tells you to."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "12", "text": "You see, there is going to be so much trouble that people will fight their own families. Some men will turn against their own brothers, and they will get people to kill them. And some fathers will do that to their own kids. And some kids will turn against their mothers and fathers and get people to kill them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "13", "text": "And everybody will know that you follow me, so they will hate you. But if you stay strong and don’t give up, God will save you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "14", "text": "Then Jesus said, “Somebody will put a really bad thing inside God’s ceremony house. That bad thing ruins everything around it, so it shouldn’t be in God’s house. It will bring a lot of trouble.” (Everyone that reads this story has to try hard to understand what it means.) And Jesus said, “When you see that happen, you mob that live in Judea country have to quickly run away to the hill country."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "15", "text": "If you are outside your house, don’t go back into it to get anything."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "16", "text": "Or if you are in a paddock, don’t go back to your house to get something, not even your coat. Just run away quick."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "17", "text": "It will be hard for women that are carrying babies inside them, and for mothers with little kids at that time."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "18", "text": "You have to ask God to stop this trouble from coming at the time when the weather is bad and it’s hard to go anywhere."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "19", "text": "This trouble will give people really bad pain. People never had bad pain like that before, not in all the time since God made everything. And nothing that bad will ever happen again."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, if God lets that trouble keep on going, everybody will die. But God has picked out some people, and he doesn’t want them to die, so after a short time he will stop that trouble so that they will not die."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "21", "text": "Don’t believe people that say, ‘We have found the Christ, the special man from God. Here he is.’ Or if they say, ‘There he is over there,’ don’t believe them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "22", "text": "There will be a lot of people that will tell lies and try to trick you. Some people will say that they are the Christ, the special man from God. Other people will say that they are telling people God’s words, and they might do all sorts of clever things. Those people will be thinking, ‘Maybe we can trick the people that God picked out for himself.’ But really, they can’t do that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "23", "text": "So keep on being careful. You see, I’m telling you about it now, so that later, when it happens, you can be ready for it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "24", "text": "After that time of trouble, things will happen that God tells us about in his book. He says, ‘The sun will go dark, and the moon will stop shining."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "25", "text": "The stars and the other powerful things in the sky will all shake about and fall out of the sky.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "26", "text": "Then everybody will see God’s special man come back from heaven in the clouds. People will see that he is really strong, and powerful, and shining really bright."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "27", "text": "Then he will send God’s angel messengers out to every place in the world. They will not miss any place, anywhere. They will get all the people that belong to God. He picked out those people for himself. The angels will bring all those people to God."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "28", "text": "Think about this. Whenever you see new leaves on a bush tucker tree, you know that the weather’s going to change soon. Those new leaves show you that."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "29", "text": "It’s the same with all these things that I’m telling you about now, they will show you something too. You will see these things happen, and you will know that I will come really soon."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "30", "text": "Listen, there are some people alive now that will still be alive when these things happen."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "31", "text": "One day, everything will finish up. The sky, and the ground, and everything, it will all finish up, but not my words. My words stay true for ever. They will never finish up.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "32", "text": "Then Jesus said, “I’m telling you straight. Nobody knows the time when God will do these things. Nobody knows what day it will be, or what the time will be on the clock. God’s angel messengers in heaven don’t know. Even I don’t know. My father in heaven is the only one that knows."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "33", "text": "You don’t know what time God will do these things, so you have to always be ready and keep on remembering everything I told you, like you have to stay awake and keep on looking out for me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "34", "text": "Listen to this picture story. A man wanted to go to stay in another place for a while, so he told his workers to look after everything at his house while he was away. He told each one of them to do their own jobs. He said to the guard at the gate, ‘Keep looking out to see me coming back.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "35-36", "text": "Those workers didn’t know what time that boss was going to come home. He might come after the sun goes down, or he might come in the middle of the night, or he might come as the birds call out in the morning, or he might come back after the sun comes up. So those workers have to be ready all the time. You are like those workers in that picture story, and I am like that boss. You don’t know what time I will come back here, and you have to be ready for me all the time. So you have to keep on looking out for me, like that guard at the gate has to keep on looking out. Don’t get lazy."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 13, "verse": "37", "text": "I’m telling you mob to be careful, like I tell everybody else. You’ve got to always be ready for me to come.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "1-2", "text": "Every year Jewish people went to Jerusalem for a special ceremony where they ate flat damper for a week. On the first day of that ceremony, they ate a special dinner called Passover. It was 2 days before that ceremony was going to start, and the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies and the law teachers met together to work out a way to grab Jesus and kill him. But they wanted to grab him when nobody was looking. So those leaders said to each other, “Everybody likes Jesus, so we have to wait a bit. We can’t grab him while there are lots of people here for the ceremony. They will get angry with us, and we will have a very big fight.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "3", "text": "At the time, Jesus was at the town called Bethany. A man lived there that used to have a skin sickness, but then he got better. His name was Simon. Jesus went to Simon’s house, and he was eating dinner there. A woman came into the house with some special perfume in a pretty bottle. That perfume smelled really good and it cost a lot of money. She opened the bottle and poured the perfume on Jesus’s head."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "4", "text": "Some of the people there said to each other, “Why did she waste that perfume?"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "5", "text": "Why didn’t she sell it and get a lot of money, and give that money to poor people?” And they said angry words to her too."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "6", "text": "But Jesus said to them, “Leave her alone. Don’t make trouble for her. She did something really good to me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "7", "text": "You will always have poor people with you, and you can give them money whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "8", "text": "I will die soon, and people will bury my body. This woman poured the perfume on me to get my body ready. She did a good thing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "9", "text": "Listen. People will go everywhere in the world to tell people God’s story, and they will remember this woman and they will tell people about her too, and about the good thing she did today.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "10", "text": "Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 men that Jesus picked out to be his special workers. But at this time he turned against Jesus, and he went to the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies, and he said, “I can help you catch Jesus.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "11", "text": "They heard him say that, and they were very happy. They promised to pay him money. So he waited for a good time to help them catch Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "12", "text": "The day came for people to kill a young sheep to cook it and eat it. That was the start of the ceremony time called Passover. They ate flat damper at that time too, and they remembered the time, long ago, when their grand-fathers were in Egypt, and God’s angel messenger passed over them, and didn’t kill any of them. On that day, some of Jesus’s followers went up to him, and they asked him, “Where do you want us all to eat this dinner? We can go and get it ready.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "13", "text": "Jesus said, “All right, you 2 go over there into Jerusalem city, and after you get there you will meet a man. He will be carrying a big jug of water. Follow him, and he will go into a house."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "14", "text": "You talk to the boss over that house. You tell him, ‘Our teacher wants you to show us the room you have for visitors. He wants to eat the Passover dinner there with his followers.’"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "15", "text": "Then that boss will take you upstairs to a big room that he’s got set up and ready. You can get the dinner ready for us there.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "16", "text": "Those 2 men left him and went into Jerusalem. Everything happened just like Jesus told them. So they got the food ready for that special Passover dinner."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "17", "text": "When the sun went down, Jesus and his special workers went to that house to eat the Passover dinner."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "18", "text": "While they were eating, Jesus said to them, “Listen, one of you men, that is eating with me here right now, will turn against me and help the people that want to kill me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "19", "text": "His 12 special workers were sad, and each of them said to him, “Were you talking about me? No, not me. I will not do that.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "20", "text": "Jesus said, “It is one of you that is eating food with me right now."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "21", "text": "I’m God’s special man from heaven, and I have to die just like God says in his book, but the man that helps my enemies to catch me will get really bad trouble from God. He will wish he was never born.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "22", "text": "After that, while they were still eating their dinner, Jesus picked up some damper and thanked God for it, then he broke it into bits and gave it to his special workers. He said, “This damper is my body. Take a bit and eat it.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "23", "text": "Then he picked up the cup of wine and said thank you to God for it, and he gave it to them, and they passed it around, and each of them drank a little bit of wine."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "24", "text": "He told them, “This wine is my blood. I will die and pour out my blood for a lot of people. It’s like this, God has agreed to save people, and I will die so he can do that. My blood will come out, and it is like I’m using my blood to sign God’s new agreement with people, to say that they are not guilty of the bad things they did."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "25", "text": "Listen, I will not drink any wine again until the day that I sit down with God and all his family, and he will show everyone that he is the biggest boss. Then I will drink a new sort of wine with you.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "26", "text": "After Jesus said that, they all sang a song to God, and then they went out of that house to go to the hill called Olive Trees Hill."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "27", "text": "They walked along the road, and Jesus talked to his followers. He said, “All you mob will run away and leave me. A long time ago, God got one of his men to write about this in his book. He wrote, ‘God will knock down the man that looks after the sheep, and all his sheep will run away.’ He wrote those words about me. I will die, like he wrote about that man, and you will all run away."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "28", "text": "But after that, God will make me alive again. Then I will go ahead of you to Galilee country, and I will wait for you there.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "29", "text": "Peter said, “Maybe all the others will run away, but not me. No way.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "30", "text": "But Jesus said to him, “Listen to me, Peter. Tonight you will tell people that you don’t know me. You will say that 3 times, and then a chook will yell out 2 times, just like it always does before the sun comes up.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "31", "text": "But Peter talked really strong to Jesus. He said, “No. People might try to force me to say that. They might even tell me that they will kill me, but I will never say that I don’t know you.” All the other followers said the same thing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "32", "text": "Jesus and his followers got to the place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “I want you to sit here and wait for me. I’m going to pray to God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "33", "text": "He asked Peter, James and John to go with him, and they walked away from the others."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "34", "text": "Then he said to them, “I feel really sad right now. I feel so sad, it’s like I’m dying. Stay here and keep on looking out for trouble.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "35", "text": "Then Jesus walked away from them a little bit and lay down on the ground."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "36", "text": "He said to God, “Father, you can do anything. You can take this trouble away from me. It’s too hard for me. But you do what you want to do, not what I want.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "37", "text": "Jesus went back to his 3 followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Wake up, Simon. Can’t you stay awake with me for just one hour?"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "38", "text": "Stay awake and pray to God so that nothing will get you to go wrong. I know that you want to do the right thing, but your body is weak and wants to sleep.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "39", "text": "Jesus left them again, and he prayed again. He kept on asking God the same thing."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "40", "text": "Jesus’s 3 followers were very tired, and they just couldn’t stay awake. Then Jesus came back to them again, and they were asleep again. After they woke up, they felt shame, and they didn’t know what to say to him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "41", "text": "Jesus went away and prayed to God again. Then he came back to his 3 followers and said, “Are you still resting? You can’t sleep any more now. Look. I’m God’s special man from heaven, but those bad men will soon come and get me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "42", "text": "So get up, we have to go now. See, here is the man that is helping them catch me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "43", "text": "Just before that time, the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies and the law teachers and the Jewish elders, they told a big mob of men to go with Judas to grab Jesus. Those men all had long knives and fighting sticks. Judas was one of Jesus’s 12 special workers, but he changed sides, and he took that mob of men to Gethsemane to grab Jesus. They got there while Jesus was talking to his followers."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "44-45", "text": "Judas walked up to Jesus and said, “Hello teacher,” and kissed him on the cheek. He did that to show those men which man they had to grab."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "46", "text": "So they grabbed Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "47", "text": "One of Jesus’s followers was standing right there, and he pulled out his long knife. He cut off the ear of a man that worked for the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "48", "text": "Jesus said to the mob, “Why have you got all these long knives and fighting sticks? I’m not a criminal. No way."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "49", "text": "I was always in God’s ceremony house, and I taught the people there every day, but you didn’t grab me then. But a long time ago, God said that you will grab me. It is in his book. So you will grab me now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "50", "text": "Then Jesus’s followers got frightened, and they ran away and left him there."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "51", "text": "There was a young man there that followed along a little bit behind Jesus. He was just wearing a sheet wrapped around him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "52", "text": "That mob of men tried to grab him, but they only grabbed the sheet. He wriggled out of it and ran away naked."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "53-54", "text": "That mob took Jesus to court at the house of the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies. All the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies, and the elders, and the law teachers, they all went to that court too. That house had a yard with a wall around it. Peter followed a little bit behind the mob, and he followed that mob into the yard of that house, and he sat down with them near their fire."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "55", "text": "All the Jewish leaders there tried to get somebody to say, “We saw Jesus do bad things,” so that they could kill him, but nobody told a strong story against him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "56", "text": "Lots of people stood up and told lies about Jesus, but they didn’t agree with each other. Their stories were all mixed up."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "57", "text": "Some men stood up and told this lie."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "58", "text": "They said, “We heard this man say, ‘I will knock down God’s ceremony house and build another one in 3 days. Lots of men built this one, but I will build a new one just by myself.’ ”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "59", "text": "But even those men had their stories mixed up. They didn’t agree with each other."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "60", "text": "The big boss of the Jewish ceremonies stood up in the meeting and said to Jesus, “All those people said that you did bad things. You heard them. What do you say?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "61", "text": "But Jesus didn’t answer him. He just kept his mouth shut. Then that boss said, “All right, tell us this. Are you the Christ, that special man that God promised to send to save us? Are you the son of God?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "62", "text": "Jesus said, “Yes, I am. I’m God’s special man from heaven. And one day, you mob will all see me sitting there in heaven on the right-hand side of God, the powerful one. And you will also see me come back here in the clouds.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "63-64", "text": "Then that big boss of the Jewish ceremonies got so angry that he tore his clothes and said to the Jewish leaders, “Did you hear that? This man said that he is the same as God. We don’t need anyone to say anything more. We heard it ourselves. So what do you reckon, did he break our law?” They all said, “He did. He broke our law. He’s got to die.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "65", "text": "Some of the people in that meeting spat on Jesus. They tied a rag across his eyes so that he couldn’t see, then they hit him with their hands and said, “Hey. You reckon that God gives you power to know things, so tell us, who hit you?” Then the guards grabbed Jesus and hit him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "66-67", "text": "All this time, Peter sat next to the fire in the yard of the big boss of the Jewish ceremonies. One of the girls that worked in that house came along and saw Peter there. She looked at him and said, “I think you were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "68", "text": "But Peter said, “No. I don’t know what you are talking about.” Then Peter went back to the gate of that yard. Just then a chook yelled out."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "69", "text": "That girl saw Peter at the gate and started to tell the people, “This man is one of Jesus’s mob.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "70", "text": "But again Peter said, “No, I’m not.” A little bit later those people there at that gate said to Peter, “You talk like the Galilee people talk, and Jesus is from Galilee, so you have to be one of his followers.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "71", "text": "Peter got really wild, and he said, “I’m telling you, I don’t know that man. I don’t know what you are talking about. God knows that this is true, or if not, he can kill me.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 14, "verse": "72", "text": "Straight away, that chook yelled out again. Then Peter remembered the words Jesus said to him before, “Tonight you will tell people that you don’t know me. You will say that 3 times, and then a chook will yell out 2 times.” When Peter remembered these words, he was very sad, and he cried a lot."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "1", "text": "Early in the morning, the men of the Jewish Leaders Council talked with each other about what they will do with Jesus. That council mob were the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies, and the law teachers, and the elders. They tied Jesus’s hands together, and they took him over to the big government boss. His name was Pilate. They asked him to judge Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "2", "text": "So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the big boss over the Jewish nation?” Jesus said, “Those are your words.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "3", "text": "The bosses of the Jewish ceremonies blamed Jesus, and they told Pilate he did a lot of bad things, but Jesus didn’t say anything."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "4", "text": "Then Pilate said to him, “They are saying lots of bad things about you. Why don’t you say something for yourself?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "5", "text": "But Jesus said nothing, and Pilate was really shocked."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "6", "text": "Every year, at the ceremony time called Passover, Pilate always did something special for the people in Jerusalem. He let one prisoner go free from the jail."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "7-8", "text": "At this Passover time, some of the Jerusalem people came to Pilate and asked him to let a prisoner go free, like he always did. They came up to Pilate while Jesus was still there. At the same time, there was a murderer in jail there. His name was Barabbas. Before that time, Barabbas and his mob fought against the government and killed some of the government people, so the soldiers grabbed him and put him in jail."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "9-11", "text": "Pilate knew that the bosses of the Jewish ceremonies were jealous of Jesus, and that was the only reason why they brought him to Pilate. They wanted Pilate to kill him. So when those Jerusalem people asked Pilate to let a prisoner go free, Pilate said, “All right, how about I let Jesus go? You reckon he says that he is your big boss. What do you reckon, will I let him go?” But the ceremony bosses got all those people to be angry with Jesus, and those people told Pilate, “No. Not him. We want you to let Barabbas go free.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "12", "text": "Pilate said, “So what do you want me to do with this man that you Jewish people call your big boss?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "13", "text": "They all yelled, “Kill him. Nail him to a cross and let him die there.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "14", "text": "Pilate said, “Why? What did he do that was so bad?” But they didn’t listen. They yelled even louder, “Kill him. Nail him to a cross.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "15", "text": "Pilate didn’t want that mob to get wild, so he did what they wanted. He let Barabbas go out of jail, and he told his Roman soldiers to hit Jesus a lot with whips. After they finished whipping him, Pilate told them to nail Jesus to a cross and leave him to die."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "16", "text": "The soldiers took Jesus outside into the yard of the big house where Pilate lived. They called out to the rest of the soldiers there to come out into that yard."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "17", "text": "They put a purple coat on Jesus. Then they made some prickly branches into a headband that looked like a crown, like a big boss wears, and they put it on Jesus’s head."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "18", "text": "And they made fun of him. They got down on their knees in front of Jesus and said, “Hey, you reckon that you are great. And you reckon that you are the Jewish people’s big boss. But you are not.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "19", "text": "And they kept on hitting him on the head with a stick, and they spat on him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "20", "text": "When they finished making fun of him, they took off the long purple coat and put his own clothes back on him. Then they took him out to another place to kill him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "21", "text": "There was a man walking past them on the road at that time. He was coming into the city from the bush. His name was Simon, and he was from the country called Cyrene. (He was the father of our friends Alexander and Rufus.) The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "22", "text": "Then they got to the place called Golgotha in their language. That name means Skull Place."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "23", "text": "Then the soldiers tried to give Jesus some wine to drink. That wine had some medicine called myrrh mixed in it. But Jesus wouldn’t drink it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "24-26", "text": "Then the soldiers nailed Jesus’s hands and feet to the cross. Then they stood it up, and they left him to die like that. And they made a sign and put it above his head, to say why they killed him. It said, “The big boss over the Jews.” It was 9 o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to that cross. After that, the soldiers gambled with each other to get his clothes."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "27-28", "text": "The soldiers also nailed 2 criminals to crosses next to Jesus. One criminal was on his left-hand side, and the other criminal was on his right-hand side."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "29", "text": "Some other people walked past Jesus and rubbished him too. They stood there and shook their heads to shame him, and they said, “You reckon you can knock down God’s ceremony house, and then build it again in 3 days, do you?"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "30", "text": "All right, if you are so smart, save yourself. Get off the cross and come down.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "31", "text": "The bosses of the Jewish ceremonies and the law teachers joined in and laughed at Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "32", "text": "He thinks he is the Christ, the special man that God promised to send to save us. He reckons he is the big boss over us Israel nation. No way. We will not believe him unless we see him come down off that cross.” The men on the other crosses joined in too and rubbished Jesus."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "33", "text": "In the middle of the day, at about 12 o’clock, all of the country got dark, like it was night time. It stayed dark for about 3 hours, until 3 o’clock in the afternoon."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "34", "text": "Then Jesus yelled out in his language. He said, “Eloy, Eloy, lama sabakthani?” That means, My God, my God, why did you go away and leave me all by myself?"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "35", "text": "Some of the people standing around heard Jesus say that. They thought that he called out for Elijah to come to him from heaven."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "36", "text": "One man got up quickly and got a sponge, and he filled it with sour wine, and he put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus’s mouth, so he could suck a bit of it. And that man said, “All right, just leave him. Let us wait and see if Elijah will come and get him down.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "37", "text": "Jesus yelled out again, and then he died."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "38", "text": "Over in Jerusalem, in God’s ceremony house, there was a big curtain that blocked off God’s special place. At the same time that Jesus died, that curtain just ripped right down the middle from the top to the bottom, into 2 bits."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "39", "text": "And at the cross, the boss over those Roman soldiers stood near Jesus, and he saw the way Jesus died. Then that boss soldier said, “I reckon this man really was the son of God.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "40-41", "text": "There were some women there at the cross too. Before this time, those women went everywhere with Jesus in Galilee country. They looked after him there, and after that, they came with him to Jerusalem. While Jesus was dying, they stood looking from a long way off. They were Mary Magdalene, and Salomi, and the other Mary that was the mother of young James and Joses, and some other women with them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "42", "text": "That day that Jesus died was the day when the Jewish people got everything ready for their rest day. That rest day was going to start when it got dark."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "43", "text": "There was a man there that was called Joseph, and he was from a place called Arimathia. Everyone said that he was a good man, and he was one of the Jewish Leaders Council men, too. He was waiting for the time when God will get all his family together and show everyone that he is the biggest boss. So when it was nearly night time, before that rest day started, he went to Pilate. He was a little bit frightened, but he went to Pilate anyway, and he asked him, “Can I get Jesus’s body to take care of it our way?”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "44-45", "text": "Pilate was shocked. He said, “Is that man dead already?” He sent somebody to get the boss over the soldiers, and he asked that boss soldier, “Is it true? Is that man properly dead now?” That boss soldier told Pilate, “Yes, it is true.” Then Pilate told Joseph, “All right, you can take Jesus’s body.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "46", "text": "So Joseph bought a good sheet, and he took Jesus’s body down from the cross and wrapped it in that sheet. Then he took Jesus’s body and put it in a cave to bury it. That cave was a special place to put dead bodies. It was a big hole, like a little room that somebody cut in the rock. Then Joseph rolled a big flat stone in front of that cave to block it."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 15, "verse": "47", "text": "And those women, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses, they saw the place where Joseph put Jesus’s body."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "1", "text": "The next day was Saturday. It was their rest day. When the sun went down, that rest day was finished. Then some women went and bought some perfume to put on Jesus’s body, so they could bury him the right way. They were Mary Magdalene, and Salomi, and Mary the mother of James."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "2", "text": "Early on Sunday morning, when the sun was just starting to come up, they went to that cave to find Jesus’s body."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "3", "text": "As they walked along, they said to each other, “Who will roll away that big stone to open up the cave for us? It’s way too big for us.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "4", "text": "But when the women got there they looked up and saw that the big stone was not blocking the cave any more. Somebody already came before them and rolled that big stone away."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "5", "text": "Then they walked into the cave, and they saw a young man sitting there on the right-hand side, wearing really white clothes. They got a big surprise."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "6", "text": "He said to them, “Don’t be frightened. You are looking for the body of Jesus, the man from Nazareth that they killed on a cross. God made him alive again. He isn’t here. Look, see this place just here. They put his body here, but it isn’t here now.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "7", "text": "And he said to them, “Go back to his followers and tell them, ‘You mob have to go back to Galilee country. Jesus will go there ahead of you, and when you go back there you will see him. You remember, he told you about that some time ago.’ Make sure you tell that message to Peter and the other followers.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "8", "text": "The women didn’t know what to think. They were so frightened they were shaking. They came out of that cave and ran away. Those women were too frightened to talk to anybody. They just ran away."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "9", "text": "Early on Sunday morning, before those women went to the cave, Jesus came alive again. He let Mary Magdalene see him first. (Some time before this, Jesus forced 7 bad spirits out of her.)"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "10", "text": "After Mary saw Jesus, she went to his friends, the people that used to walk around with him. When she got there, they were all very sad and crying."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "11", "text": "Mary told them, “Jesus is alive again. I have just seen him.” But they didn’t believe her."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "12", "text": "A little while after that, 2 of Jesus’s other followers were walking from Jerusalem to another place out in the bush. Jesus came to them, and he let them see him, but he made himself look like a different man, so they didn’t know it was him."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "13", "text": "Then, after they found out it really was him, they turned around and quickly went back to Jerusalem, and they told Jesus’s other followers that they saw Jesus. But those other followers didn’t believe them."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "14", "text": "After that, Jesus’s 11 special workers were eating food together, and Jesus came to them, and he let them see him alive. He said to them, “Why didn’t you listen to those people that said they saw me? What they said was true, but you didn’t believe them.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "15", "text": "After that, Jesus said to his followers, “You have to go out to everywhere in the world and tell everybody the good news about me."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "16", "text": "Some people will believe your message. You have to take them through that special washing ceremony, called baptism, and God will save them. But God will not save people that don’t believe that message. He will blame them and say they are guilty."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "17", "text": "And the people that believe in me will do great things with the power that I will give them, to show everyone that they are God’s people. They will force bad spirits out of people. And they will talk in different languages that they never learned."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "18", "text": "And if they pick up a cheeky snake, it will not hurt them. And if they drink poison, it will not hurt them. And they will put their hands on sick people, and those sick people will get better.”"}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "19", "text": "After Jesus finished telling his followers all those things, God took him up to heaven. And Jesus sat down at the right-hand side of God, the place where only a really important person can sit."}
{"book": "MRK", "chapter": 16, "verse": "20", "text": "After that, his followers went everywhere and told people the good news about Jesus. And our leader, Jesus himself, worked with them. He gave them power to do great things so that everyone knew that he was with them, and that their message about him was true."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. I work for Jesus Christ, and God picked me to be Jesus’s special worker, to go and tell people the good news that he will save them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "A long time ago, God promised to do that. He got some of his men to tell people about it, and they wrote about it in God’s book."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3-4", "text": "That good news is about our leader Jesus Christ. He was born into David’s family. David was the big boss of the Jewish nation a long time ago. Jesus was born as a human being into David’s family, but really, Jesus is God’s own son. God showed us in a powerful way that Jesus is his son. He did it like this. People killed Jesus, but God used his Holy Spirit to make him alive again."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "And you know, God is very good to me. He picked me to be Jesus’s special worker. He told me to go to people that are not Jews to tell them about Jesus, and get them to believe in him and do whatever he says."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "And God wanted you to believe in him and to do what he says too. God picked you, so now you belong to Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "I’m sending this letter to all you people that belong to God, and that live in the city called Rome. God picked you to follow him, and to be his people. I’m asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "The first thing I want to do is to say thank you to my God. I can talk to God and say thank you because Jesus Christ made us God’s friends. I thank God for all of you Christian mob there. You really believe in Jesus now, and people everywhere in the world are talking about how you really trust in Jesus."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "I pray to God all the time, and I ask him to help you. That’s true. God knows it’s true. I work hard for God, I tell everyone the good news about his son."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "Whenever I pray to him, I ask him that, if he agrees, he will let me come and see you soon."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "I have been waiting for a long time. I really want to see you. I want to help you get more power from God to make you strong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "Then I will see how much you trust God and you will see how much I trust God, and that will make all of us happy."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "You know, friends, I tried to come and see you lots of times, but God stopped me every time. I want to come and work there with you and get more people to follow Jesus, just like I do at other places."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "I’ve got to tell God’s word to all sorts of people. I have to tell it to people that have my culture, and to people that have other cultures. I have to tell it to people that can think good and to people that can’t think good. I have to tell everybody God’s word."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "So I want to come to Rome and tell God’s good news to all you mob there, too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "I don’t feel any shame about God’s good news. It is a really good story because it has God’s power in it. Whenever people believe this good news, God saves them. It is the same for everybody, for Jewish people and for people that are not Jews."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "God’s good news is this. God saves people that trust him, and he makes them properly good. God says this in his book, “If you trust God, he will say you are good, and you will really live.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "God in heaven gets very angry with people that do bad things. He gets angry whenever they do things against him, and whenever they do bad things to other people. They go against God, but that’s not all, they try to stop other people hearing the true story about God. And that makes God very angry."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "God clearly shows everybody enough for us to understand the true story about him. Everybody knows about him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "Even though we can’t see God, we can know about him. If we look at the things he has made, we can know about him, that he is really great and really strong. Ever since he made the world, we can look at everything that he made, and we can know about him from those things. So nobody can say that they don’t know about God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "The trouble was this. Even though people could work that out about God, they really didn’t want to know him. They didn’t want to say to him, “Thank you, you really are the true God.” They couldn’t think properly about him. They could only think in stupid ways. They didn’t understand anything."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "They told everybody that they could think really good, but they were fools."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "They didn’t respect the wonderful God that never dies, but instead they made models of things that do die. They made things that look like people, or birds, or animals, or snakes, or those sorts of things, and they respected those things. They didn’t respect God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "So God let them go their own way, and they did whatever they felt like doing. They did whatever their dirty minds thought about, so they did bad things with each other’s bodies."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "They didn’t want the true story about God. They wanted to believe a lie, and they respected the things that God made instead of respecting God himself. You know, God is really great, and everyone has to tell him, “You are really good.” And they have to keep on doing it for ever. Yes, that’s right, but people didn’t respect God like that."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "So, after people turned away from God, he let them do whatever dirty things they thought about. Even women didn’t want to sleep with men any more, like wives do with their husbands, but instead they did things with each other that were not normal."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "And men too did the same sort of thing. They didn’t want to sleep with women any more, they wanted to sleep with other men, as if they were women. They did bad things with each other, and that gave them real problems. And those problems were the right thing for them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "28", "text": "You see, they didn’t like to even think about God, so he let them think about lots of bad things, and they did all sorts of wrong things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "29", "text": "They are very bad, and they are greedy, they want lots of money and things. And they are really horrible. They want to take things that belong to other people. They murder people, they argue, they cheat other people, and they do mean things to people. They gossip,"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "30", "text": "they say bad things about other people, they are cheeky, and they hate God. They think that they themselves are never wrong. They think they are great, and that is what they tell everybody. They always think up new ways to do something bad, and they never respect their parents."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "31", "text": "They are stupid, they don’t do what they say they will do, they don’t love anybody, and they never feel sorry for anybody."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "32", "text": "A long time ago, God said, “Anyone that does these sorts of things has to die.” That is true, and those people know that God said that, but they don’t take any notice of him. They keep on doing those bad things, and worse still, they push other people to do them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "And you do those same bad things too. You might try to blame other people, but you are just as bad as them, so if you try to blame them, you really blame yourself."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "And, you know, God will judge people that do bad things, and he knows the true story, so he will judge them the right way."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "So if you do the same bad things as the people you blame, God will punish you too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "Think about this. God is very good to you, he doesn’t easily get angry with you, and he doesn’t punish you straight away for the bad things you do. You know that God is good like that, right? He is good to you. He tries to get you to come back to him and stop doing bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "If you don’t turn around and come back to God, you just make things worse for yourself. One day, he will get really angry with you. On that day he will judge everybody properly and fairly."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "God will give each of us the right pay for whatever we have done."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "Some people keep on doing good things, and later on God will be good to them. They want to make God happy, so they listen to him, and they do the good things he tells them to do. Later on, he will give them life that never ends. They will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "But he will get really angry with selfish people that don’t want to know the true story but just want to do bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9-11", "text": "And God will not treat one sort of people any better than all the others. It will be the same for Jewish people and for people that are not Jewish. God will punish everyone that does bad things, he will punish Jewish people that do bad things and people that are not Jewish that do bad things. They will all get very big trouble. But God will do good to everyone that does good things, Jewish people and people that are not Jewish. God will make them great. They will feel happy and quiet inside themselves, and everybody will respect them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "God gave the law to the Jewish people, so they know that law, and if they do bad things, God will punish them the way that law says. And the same too for people that are not Jewish, if they do bad things, he will punish them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "It doesn’t matter if you know that law or not, if you do good things, God will tell you, “You are all right.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "There are people that aren’t Jewish, but sometimes they do good things just like the law says. They don’t have that law, but they know in their minds what is right and what is wrong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "They show that God wrote his law inside them. They feel bad whenever they do something that is wrong, but sometimes they do something that is right, and it makes them feel good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "God sees everything that everybody does and everything that everybody thinks. Nobody can hide anything from him. One day, God will get Jesus Christ to judge everybody about these things. That is the message that I tell everybody."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "So what about those of us that are Jewish people? Will God be more good to us than to other people? No way. Both Jewish people and other people do bad things, just like I already said."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "It is like God says in his book, “Nobody is really good, not even one person,"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "nobody understands about God, nobody even tries to get to know him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "Everybody turns away from God, they all go wrong, not even one of them does good things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "They say things that make big trouble for other people, whenever they talk, they tell lies and trick people. Their words hurt people, their mouths are just as bad as cheeky snakes."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "They swear at other people and say bad things about them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "They are always ready to kill other people."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "Wherever they go, they hurt people and make them really sad."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "They don’t know how to live without fighting."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "They don’t respect God or take any notice of him.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "19-20", "text": "You know, it’s like this. God gave his law to the Jewish people for them to follow. And God is the judge of everybody in the whole world. And nobody has kept all of that law, so nobody can argue with him. Nobody can tell God, “I have kept all those laws, so I’m all right. You can’t punish me.” We can’t say that, because we all broke that law at some time. So why is the law there? It is there just to let us know that we always go wrong. That’s what it is there for."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21-22", "text": "But now it is different. God showed us a different way. And if we follow his way, he will be happy with us and say that we are all right. His way is not about that law, it is about us trusting Jesus Christ. God tells us about this in his book. God says that if we trust in Jesus, he will save us. It doesn’t matter who we are. God treats everybody the same."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "23", "text": "We all went the wrong way, and we did bad things. Nobody is properly good, like God wants us to be."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "24", "text": "But Jesus Christ died for us. He took the payback for those bad things that we did. So now God is really good to us, and he says that we are all right now, and he will not blame us any more. And we don’t have to pay anything."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "25", "text": "God sent Jesus to die for us, so that, if we believe that Jesus died for us, God isn’t angry with us any more. Jesus let people kill him, and his blood came out, so now, if we trust him, God says we are all right. That shows that God was right and fair in the past, at those times when he didn’t punish people for the bad things they did."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "26", "text": "And he shows that he is fair at this time now, when he tells everyone that believes in Jesus that they are all right now."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "27", "text": "So none of us can talk up big about anything that we ever did. The only thing that matters is this, we believe in Jesus."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "28", "text": "It is like this. We believe in Jesus, so God tells us, “You are all right now.” But if we only think about that law and try to do the things it says, God will not tell us that we are all right."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "29", "text": "So now, what do you reckon? Is God just the God of the Jewish people, or is he the God of other people that are not Jews, too? Of course he is God of both. He is God for the people that are not Jewish as well as for the Jews."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "30", "text": "There is only one God. He makes Jewish people all right if they believe in Jesus, and he makes other people all right if they believe in Jesus, too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 3, "verse": "31", "text": "So what do you reckon about God’s law? We believe in Jesus now, so do we have to forget everything God said in his law? No way. If we believe in Jesus, we agree that the law is from God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "Remember that story about Abraham, that old man that lived a long time ago. God promised him that one day the people born into his family would be great people everywhere in the world. And Abraham believed that word that God promised him. Abraham didn’t have the law at that time. He just believed God, and then God said that Abraham was good, and God promised to look after his family."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Don’t think that God only promises good things to people that follow the law of Moses. Nobody can follow that law properly, so if God only promised good things to people that follow the law, nobody would get those good things. And if God only promised good things to people that follow the law, it wouldn’t matter if people trust God or not. But really, God is not like that. He promises good things to people that trust him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "People try to follow that law, but they can’t do it, and whenever they break that law, God gets angry with them and punishes them. So all the law does is give us trouble. (The only way people will not break the law is if there is no law to break.)"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "So it is important that we trust God, just like Abraham trusted God. It doesn’t matter if we are Jewish or not Jewish. If we believe God, like Abraham did, we belong to his family, like he is our grand-father."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "God promised that a long time ago, and it is in his book. God told Abraham, “I will make you the father of lots of nations.” Abraham believed that God can do that. You know, God can do anything. He can even make dead people alive again, and he can make new things out of nothing."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "Everyone reckoned that Abraham was too old to have any kids, but he believed that God was going to make him the father of lots of nations. God promised Abraham that later on lots of people were going to be born into his family and they were going to be a real big mob."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "Abraham kept on believing God, and he waited for God to do that, just like he promised. Abraham knew that his body was old. It was so old it was nearly dead. He was about 100 years old. And Sarah, his wife, she was also too old to have a baby. But Abraham kept on believing anyway."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "He didn’t start thinking, “Maybe God will not keep his promise after all.” No, he kept on believing, and that made him strong, so that he could tell everyone that God is good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "He just thought, “I know that God will do whatever he promised.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "22", "text": "So God said to Abraham, “Now I’m saying you are properly good, like you never did anything wrong”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "23", "text": "That’s in God’s book. God told his men to write it there, but they didn’t write it just for Abraham."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "24", "text": "They wrote it for us too, so we can be sure about this. If we really trust God, he will also tell us, “You are properly good.” You know, our leader Jesus died, but after that God made him alive again."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 4, "verse": "25", "text": "It was us who did bad things, but God let people kill Jesus instead of us. He took the payback for those bad things we did. Then God made him alive again, so now God tells us, “You are all right.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1-2", "text": "So we believe in Jesus now, and God says we are all right, and he will not punish us. God is really good to us. Jesus Christ, our leader, did all that for us. Now we can be happy and think about how good it will be for us later, when we will be with God. God will show us how great he is, and he will make us great too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "We can be happy now, too, even if things go wrong for us and we get trouble. We know that God lets us get trouble to make us strong, so that we will learn how to keep on believing, even if we have problems."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "And after we learn to keep on believing, then we will become better people. And after we become better people, we can think about the time that will come, the time when everything will be good for us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "And we can be sure that God will be good to us then, because he already gave us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in us, so we know that God loves us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "Jesus Christ died for us while we were still really weak. At that time, we didn’t care about God at all. But Jesus came, just at the right time, and he died instead of us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, people don’t usually agree to die instead of somebody else, not even instead of a good person. Maybe there is somebody that would die to save a really good person."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "8", "text": "But Jesus Christ died for us while we were still really bad people. That shows that God really loves us very much."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "And that’s not all. Jesus Christ bled and died instead of us, so now God tells us, “You are all right,” and he will not be angry with us when he judges everyone."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "It is like this. We were God’s enemies, then his son Jesus died for us, so now we are God’s friends. And that’s not all. Now that we are God’s friends, Jesus lives in us and saves us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "So we are really happy now, because Jesus saved us and made us good friends with God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "Think about the story about Adam. God told him, “If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die.” Then Adam did the wrong thing, he ate that fruit, so he died. And it’s the same for everybody now. We are all from Adam. We are all in his family, and we all do wrong things, so we all die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13-14", "text": "You see, before God gave Moses the law, it was like this, everybody did wrong things, so they died. They didn’t have the law to show that what they did was wrong, but they all died. So that shows us that they all did wrong things. Yes, all the people from Adam did wrong things, even though they didn’t break a rule, like Adam did. At first Adam came, and Jesus came later. I will talk about them both now."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "Jesus Christ did something very different from the wrong thing Adam did. Adam did a bad thing, so lots of people have to die. But Jesus Christ did a good thing, so that God can give lots of people new life. Yes, God is very good to us, even though we are not good. So, you see, Jesus does a better thing for us than Adam did."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "That new life that God gives us is a lot different from the trouble we got from Adam. Adam did one bad thing, and God said that he was guilty. And he died. So now we all do bad things, and we get trouble. But we get something really good from Jesus. Even though we did bad things, God says we are all right."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "That one man, Adam, he did something bad, so now lots of people die. But that other man, Jesus Christ, he did something good, so now lots of people will live with God for ever. God is really good to them now, and he makes them good too. Yes, Jesus did a much better thing for us than Adam did."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "Adam went wrong, and after that, everybody did bad things. So God had to punish everybody. But then Jesus did something really good, so after that, God will not punish us, but he will let us live with him for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19", "text": "That one man, Adam, did something wrong. He did something God told him not to do, so now lots of people do wrong things. But that other man, Jesus, he did something good. He did everything God told him to do, so now he will make lots of people good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, the law came and showed people that they did wrong things. But that didn’t stop them. They still did wrong things. Yes, people kept on doing more bad things, but at the same time God kept on being good to people, more and more."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 5, "verse": "21", "text": "It was like this. We couldn’t stop ourselves doing bad things, so we all had to die. But now, nothing will stop our leader, Jesus Christ, from being really good to us. He did a really good thing for us, so now God says that we are good too, and we will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "1", "text": "God was really good to us even though we did bad things. So what do you reckon? Maybe we should keep on doing bad things, so that people can see how good God is."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "2-4", "text": "No way. Just think about that baptism ceremony. Church leaders baptised us to show that we joined up with Jesus Christ. And you know that Jesus died, and they buried him, but God, our really great father, made him alive again. And we joined up to him, so we can’t think about doing bad things any more. It is like we died to those bad things. And it is like God makes us alive again to do good things. That baptism ceremony was to show that we died to bad things and got buried, just like Jesus Christ died and got buried, but God gave us new life too, just like Jesus came back to life. If we live in a new way like that, we will not go wrong any more. So if we start to think about doing something bad, we have to remember that we are dead to doing bad things, and so we can’t do it. We have to live like that all the time."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "5", "text": "We joined up with Jesus Christ and it is like we die, just like he died, and then it is like we come back to life, just like he came back to life."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "6", "text": "We know that they nailed Jesus Christ to that cross, and it was like they nailed a part of us there too, that old part of us that makes us do wrong things all the time. It got nailed to that cross with Jesus, and it is dead. So now it doesn’t have any power over us. It can’t make us do bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, if something is dead, it can’t do anything. Well, that bad old part of us is dead now, so it can’t make us do bad things any more."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "8", "text": "It is like we died, just like Jesus Christ died, and now we know that we will also live again with him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "9", "text": "He came back to life after he died, so we are sure that he can never die again. Nothing can kill him ever again."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "10", "text": "He died once and took the payback for the bad things that people do, but God made him alive again, and now he lives and works for God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "11", "text": "Well, we have to think about ourselves in that same way. We joined up with Jesus Christ, so now, if we start to think that we want to do something bad, we have to remember this, that bad part of us died, just like Jesus died, so we can’t do anything bad. We have to think about living God’s way, so we live and work for him, just like Jesus Christ does."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "12-14", "text": "So don’t just think about the law that comes from Moses. It talks about the bad things people do. If you just think about that, you will want to do those same bad things yourself. Then that law will be your boss, and your bodies will make you want to do bad things too. Don’t be like that. Don’t let any part of your body be your boss. Don’t do whatever it wants. Instead, you have to give your bodies to God and let him use you to do good things. You have to think about him all the time, and remember that he is very good to you, and that he made you alive again in a new way. If you think like that, you will not want to do anything bad. God is really good to you. That law is not your boss any more."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "15", "text": "But maybe you think like this, “We can do whatever bad things we want to do, because that law is not our boss any more and God will be good to us anyway.” No way. Don’t think like that."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "16", "text": "You know that if you always do whatever another person wants, you make that person your boss. So if you do bad things all the time, you make those bad things your boss, and in the end you will die. But if you do whatever God wants all the time, you make him your boss, and in the end he will say that you are really good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "17", "text": "Actually, you used to do bad things all the time, but now you have made God your boss, and you really want to do whatever he wants. I thank God for that."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "18", "text": "You are free now. You don’t have to do those bad things any more. You have got a new good boss now, and you have to do good things all the time."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "19", "text": "I’m trying to say this in a way that you will really understand. In the past you used your body for wrong things. It was like those bad things were your boss, so you kept on doing more bad things. But now you have to use your bodies for good things. You work for God, and he gets you to do good things so that you will be his special people."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "20", "text": "In those days you worked for the wrong boss. You made those bad things your boss. So you did bad things, and you never wanted to do good things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "21", "text": "And what did you get after you did bad things? You got shame, that’s all. And you know that people that do those bad things have to die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "22", "text": "So now you can’t think about doing bad things any more, but instead, you have to only think about working for God. Then you will do good things, and then you will be God’s special people and you will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 6, "verse": "23", "text": "That’s how it is. If we do bad things, we will get our pay for doing those things. We will die. That’s all the pay we will get. But if we join up to our leader, Jesus Christ, God will give us properly good life. We will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "1", "text": "I am talking now to my own countrymen, you Jewish people. You know the law that God gave to Moses. That law is for people to follow only while they are alive. It is not there for them after they die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "2-3", "text": "I’ll talk about one part of the law to show you what I mean. That law says that a woman is only allowed to marry one man. If a married woman sleeps with a man that is not her husband, as if he is her husband, she breaks that law, and she is guilty. But if her husband dies, then she can marry another man and sleep with him, and she will not be breaking any law."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "4", "text": "You know that Jesus died for us. His body was dead on the cross. And, my friends, you believe in Jesus, so it is like you died too. So that old law is not for you any more. You belong to Jesus now. He came alive again, and it’s like you have a new life now too. God gave you that life so that you can do a lot of good things for him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "5", "text": "You know, we all have a bad part in us that wants us to do bad things. And at first, when we didn’t believe in Jesus, that bad part in us was our boss. And when that law told us not to do bad things, that bad part in us made us think about those bad things and want to do them, and so we did them anyway. So we had to die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "6", "text": "But now we believe in Jesus, we don’t have to live that old way any more. It’s like we died to that old way, so we don’t have to follow that old law any more. We have the Holy Spirit in us now, and he helps us to do what God wants us to do. So we live that new way now."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "7", "text": "Some people might reckon that the old law is no good because it made us go wrong, but that’s not true. The law is good. You see, God gave people the law to clearly show them what is right and what is wrong. For example, a part of that law says, “If something belongs to somebody else, don’t think about getting it for yourself.” Now think about this. If somebody doesn’t know that law, they don’t know that God said it is wrong to want to get other people’s things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "8", "text": "And, you know, we all have a bad part in us that wants to do bad things, so when that bad part in us hears the law, it makes us want to do that same wrong thing that the law talks about. But if we don’t hear that law, that bad part in us can’t get us to go wrong like that."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "9", "text": "And you know, some people didn’t know that law at first, but after they heard it, that bad part in them made them want to do those bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "10", "text": "So then they had to die. You see, it’s like this. That law’s job is to show us how to live, but we don’t do everything it says, so the law tells us that we have to die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "11", "text": "That bad part of us uses that law to trick us, so that we do bad things. And then we have to die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "12", "text": "But that law itself is really good. It tells us to do things that God says are right and good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "13", "text": "So, does that good law kill people? No way. It’s like this. That law shows us the things that God said are wrong, and that law says that we have to die if we do those wrong things. So that law shows us that it is really bad to go wrong, and to do bad things against God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "14", "text": "The problem is not the law, it is us. We know this. That law came from God, so there is nothing wrong with that law. But there is something wrong with us. We keep on going wrong. There is a bad part inside us that makes itself our boss, and we do whatever that boss tells us to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "15", "text": "We don’t understand it. We want to do good things. But we can’t do those good things that we want to do. Instead, we do the things that we hate."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "16", "text": "We don’t want to do those bad things. We know that they are wrong. So that shows that, really, we agree with the law and we reckon the law is good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "17", "text": "So really, it’s not us that does those bad things. It’s that bad part of us that is inside us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "18", "text": "We know that we can’t do anything good by ourselves. We want to do the right thing, but we can’t."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "19", "text": "We keep on trying to do good things, but we can’t. No, we keep on doing the bad things we don’t want to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "20", "text": "That proves it. It’s not us that does those bad things. It’s that bad part inside us that does those bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "21", "text": "This is what happens. It is like another law. Every time we try to do something good, that bad part of us wants to take control and make us go wrong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "22", "text": "Really, we ourselves, we want to live the right way,"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "23", "text": "but there is a big fight going on inside us. That bad part of us makes its own law. It makes us think the wrong way. It makes us its prisoners so that we can’t do the things we really want to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "24", "text": "We feel really sorry for ourselves. How can we get free from this bad boss in our bodies that will make us die? Who can make us free?"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 7, "verse": "25", "text": "Thank God, Jesus Christ can make us free. He is the answer. God made a way for us to be free. Jesus will be our new leader, and he is stronger than that old boss inside us. This is what I have been saying up until now. We ourselves, we really want to do things that are right, but we have a bad part in us that is our boss, and it makes us do things that are wrong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "1", "text": "The important thing that I want to say now is this. If we belong to Jesus Christ, God will never say we are guilty."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "2", "text": "His spirit is in us, and he gives us new life, and he makes us strong so that we can say no to that bad part of us that tries to make us go wrong. That is the new way that we live, because we belong to Jesus, and it makes us free from the old way of doing bad things and ending up dead."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "3", "text": "You see, the law that came from Moses couldn’t help us. We were too weak. If we thought about some bad thing that we wanted to do, then we couldn’t help ourselves, we just did it. That law just made us think about those bad things, and then we wanted to do them. But God set us free from all that. He sent his own son to us. Jesus had the same sort of body that we bad people have. Then God punished him instead of us. Jesus died instead of us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "4", "text": "If we listen to his spirit in us, and if we do whatever he says, we will not listen any more to that old part of us that tells us to do bad things. We will do good things, like the things in his law."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "5", "text": "Some people just think about themselves, so they only do whatever makes them feel good. They let that bad part inside them be their boss, and they do whatever it tells them to do. But other people think about God and his spirit, and they do whatever the Holy Spirit tells them to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "6", "text": "If we let that bad part inside us be our boss, and if we only do whatever makes us feel good, we will die. But if we do the things the Holy Spirit tells us, and if we let him control us, we will live happy and quiet inside ourselves."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "7-8", "text": "That bad part inside us fights against God, so if we do whatever it says, we don’t do the things that God wants us to do. If we are like that, we can never follow God’s laws. If we live like that, we can never make God happy."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "9", "text": "But I know that you aren’t like that any more. You haven’t let that bad part of you be your boss, but you have joined up with the Holy Spirit, and now he lives inside you. That’s right. If people don’t have the spirit of Jesus Christ in them, they don’t belong to him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "10", "text": "But Jesus Christ does live inside you. Yes, you did bad things, so your bodies will die, but God says that you are all right now, so his spirit makes you alive."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "11", "text": "Remember that Jesus died, but God made him alive again. And God will do that for you too. Your bodies will die, but after that, God will make them alive again. His spirit will do that. He lives inside you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "12", "text": "So, my friends, you don’t have to do bad things any more. You don’t have to do whatever that bad part of you tells you to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "13", "text": "If you keep on doing those bad things, you will die. But if God’s spirit is in you, he can help you block that bad part of you, like you kill it, and then you will not do those bad things, and you will live with God for ever."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "14", "text": "It is like this. God’s kids are those people that listen to his spirit and follow him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "15", "text": "God didn’t give you his Holy Spirit to make you frightened of him. No, he gave you his spirit to make you his kids. You are not like a prisoner that has to work for a cheeky boss, and that boss makes him frightened all the time. No way. You have God’s spirit in you, so you can talk to God and say, “Dad, you are my own good father.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "16", "text": "And his spirit in us talks to our own spirits, and he tells us, “That is right, you really are God’s kids.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "17", "text": "We joined up with Jesus Christ, God’s son, so we are part of God’s family now, and we will get some of the good things that God gives to his son. But people gave Jesus a lot of trouble, and they will give us a lot of trouble too, because we belong to him. Yes, we will get trouble, and we will get good things too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "18", "text": "But don’t worry about the trouble we get now. Later God will make everything so good for us that we will not even think about the trouble we get now."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "19", "text": "It is like this, everything in the world is waiting for that time when God will set everything right and show everyone who his kids really are."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "20", "text": "Think about Adam and Eve. They went wrong, and after that, God let everything in the world get messed up. It was people that went wrong, not the other things in the world, but everything else went wrong anyway, from the things that the people did."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "21", "text": "So now everything in the world is waiting for God to fix things up, so that nothing will go bad and rot away like it does now. And one day, God will fix it all, and at the same time he will show everyone that we are his family."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "22", "text": "We know that everything in the world now just dies and rots away. Everything has got that problem. Think about a woman. At the time she has a baby, she gets trouble and has a lot of pain. Well, that is a picture of the way everything in the world is now. There is a lot of trouble and a lot of pain."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "23", "text": "And we get trouble too. We are Christians, and we have the Holy Spirit in us, but we still get trouble. God gave us that Holy Spirit to show us a little bit of the good that will come later. But right now, we get pain and problems too. So we just wait for God to fix everything up and to really make us his family. Then he will give us new bodies, just like he promised us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "24-25", "text": "We are really sure that he will save us and fix everything up for us even though he hasn’t done it yet. We know he will do it one day, so we just have to keep on waiting for it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "26", "text": "And we can be sure too that the Holy Spirit will always help us. We know that we are weak, and we don’t understand very much, so sometimes we don’t know what to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays with us and talks to our father for us. He even groans with words that nobody can properly say."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "27", "text": "And our father understands the Holy Spirit. God already knows everything that everybody thinks and the way everybody feels, so the Holy Spirit always prays for God’s people and asks for the things that God already wants."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "28", "text": "And we know too that God picked us out to be his people, to love him and to do whatever he wants, so he makes everything work out good for us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "29", "text": "A long time ago, God knew about each of us, and he knew which of us will believe in him, so he planned to make us like his son. He sent Jesus to us. He is God’s son, and he is like the older brother to all of us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "30", "text": "So, after he picked us out, he called to us to come to him, and after we came to him, he said that we are all right now, and he will make us really great too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "31", "text": "So as we think about all of this, what do we learn? It is this. We are on God’s side. He is with us, so it doesn’t matter who is against us, they can’t win against God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "32", "text": "He really did a lot for us. He sent his own son to die instead of us. And that’s not all. He will give us everything else that we need too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "33", "text": "God himself is the one that says, “You are good,” so nobody can blame us and tell God, “They are no good.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "34", "text": "God picked us out to be his own people, so nobody can tell him to punish us. You see, Jesus Christ died for us, and God made him come back to life, and now he sits up there with God in heaven and asks God to help us. He will not turn around and tell God to punish us. No way."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "35", "text": "But sometimes things go wrong for us, and sometimes we get trouble. Does that mean that Jesus Christ has stopped loving us? No way. Nobody can ever stop him loving us. Some people don’t want us to follow Jesus, so maybe they will hit us, and maybe they will be hard on us. Then can we think that Jesus has stopped loving us? No way. Or if we get too cold from not enough clothes, or if we go hungry, or if people hurt us or kill us, then does that mean that Jesus has stopped loving us? No way. Nothing will ever stop him from loving us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "36", "text": "It is like God says in his book, “Some people find out that we belong to God, and they kill us. They reckon we are weak like sheep and they can kill us whenever they want to.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "37", "text": "Don’t worry about any of these things. We win every time. Jesus loves us all the time, so he helps us get through it all, and we win in the end."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 8, "verse": "38-39", "text": "I’m really sure that nothing at all can make God stop loving us. Even if they kill us, it doesn’t matter, God still loves us. Those good spirits, the angels, they will not stop him. And those bad spirits, they can’t make him stop loving us. Things that happen now will not stop him, and things that will happen later will not stop him either. No strong spirit anywhere can stop him from loving us. Nothing anywhere. Nothing way up in the sky, nothing way down in the sea, nothing anywhere can stop him loving us. You see, God showed us that he loves us. He sent Jesus Christ, our leader, to die for us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "5", "text": "It’s like this. A long time ago, Moses wrote that God will say that people are all right if they follow all of God’s law. He wrote, “If anybody always does everything in God’s law, they will live.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "6", "text": "But God’s book also tells us that if we trust God, he will say that we are all right, even though we don’t always do everything in God’s law. So don’t think that somebody has to go up to heaven, to bring Jesus Christ down to the earth."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "7", "text": "And don’t think that somebody has to go down to the place where the dead people are, to get Jesus Christ and make him alive again."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "8", "text": "This is what God says in his book, “You already have God’s message. You know that message, so you can think about it, and you can talk about it.” That message is the same message that we tell everybody. We say, “You have to trust Jesus.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "9", "text": "Yes, you have to really believe that God made Jesus alive again after he died, and you have to tell people that you belong to Jesus. If you believe like that, and if you talk like that, God will save you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "10", "text": "If you really believe God, and if you tell everybody that you believe in him, then he says that you are all right, and he saves you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "11", "text": "God says this about Jesus in his book, “Everybody that trusts him will always know that they are going the right way, and God will save them.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "12", "text": "That message is for everyone, Jewish people and people that are not Jewish. We are all the same, we have the same God, and he is good to everyone that asks him for help."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "13", "text": "And God says this in his book too, “God will save everybody that calls out to him for help and asks him to save them.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "14", "text": "But what about people that don’t believe in God? They can’t call out to him, right? And what about people that have never even heard about Jesus? They can’t believe in him, right? Somebody has to tell them about him, and then they can believe in him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "15", "text": "And somebody has to send those messengers to go and tell the people about Jesus. God says this in his book too, “It is really good to see God’s messengers come and bring his good news.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "16", "text": "But some people don’t want to hear God’s message. A long time ago, one of God’s men, Isaiah, wrote this in God’s book, “Hardly anybody believes the message we tell them, God.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 10, "verse": "17", "text": "But, you see, people have to hear that good message about Jesus Christ before they can believe in him."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "1", "text": "My Christian friends, God is so very good to us. So I really want you to use your bodies to live for him. A long time ago, God told his people to give him animals to show him respect. They did it like this. They used to kill the animals and burn them up. But now it is different. Now you have to use your bodies to live for him and do good things, it’s like you are giving your own bodies to God while you are still alive. If you do that, you will make God happy. That is the proper thing to do to show that you follow God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "2", "text": "Don’t be like most of the people in the world that like to do bad things. You have to be different from them. You have to let God change the way you think, so that you will become new people. Then you will be able to find out the things that God wants you to do, and you will know what is good, and the things that really make God happy."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "3", "text": "God wants me to tell you this, and he helps me to say it. Don’t think that you are better than you really are, but think properly about yourself. God himself makes it possible for you to believe in him, so think about how much you trust him. That is the important thing."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "4", "text": "I will tell you a picture story. Christians are like a body. You know that we each have a body, but that body has a lot of different parts. Each part of our body has its own job to do. But the parts all belong to that one body, so they all belong to each other."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "5", "text": "Well, that is a picture of us, God’s people. We all belong to Jesus Christ, and it is just like each of us is a part of his body. Each of us has our own job to do. We all belong to Jesus, so we all belong to each other."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "6", "text": "God is good to us and gives each of us the power to do something properly. So if God gave you the power to tell his message to people, well you have to do that whenever you believe he has a message for you to tell."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "7", "text": "Or maybe God gave you the power to help other people, well you have to do that. Or if God gave you the power to teach other people, well he wants you to do that."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "8", "text": "Or maybe God gave you the power to cheer people up, well that is your job. Or maybe he gave you the power to share your money and things with other people, well he wants you to share them with people that need them. Or maybe God gave you the power to be a leader, well you have to try to lead people properly. Or if God gave you the power to feel sorry for people that have troubles, and the power to be good to them, well that is his job for you, so be happy while you do it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "9", "text": "Don’t just pretend to love other people. You have to love them properly. That means you have to hate everything that is bad for them and love everything that is good for them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "10", "text": "You have to love each other like brothers and sisters that belong to the same family. You have to respect other Christians more than you respect yourself."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "11", "text": "Don’t get lazy as you work for God, but work hard and be really happy about it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "12", "text": "We know that everything will be really good after God fixes everything up, so think about that and you will be really happy. But if people give you trouble now, don’t give up, but stay strong for God. And keep on talking to God about everything."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "13", "text": "If any of God’s people need anything, you have to give them whatever you can. If they are visiting your town, and they need somewhere to stay, let them stay at your place."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "14", "text": "If anyone makes trouble for you, don’t ask God to punish them, but ask him to help them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "15", "text": "If somebody is happy, you be happy with them too. If somebody is sad, you be sad with them too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "16", "text": "Always try to be friends with other Christians and don’t argue with them. Don’t think to yourself, “I’m too good to be with them.” Sit down with anybody and be their friend. Remember, you don’t know everything."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "17", "text": "If people do some bad things to you, don’t do payback to them. You have to do good things, so that people will know that you are good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "18", "text": "Try not to argue with anybody, and try not to fight with anybody."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "19", "text": "Listen, my good friends, if somebody does something bad to you, don’t do something bad to them. Don’t do payback to them. No, just wait for God. He will get angry with them, and he will do payback to them one day. We can read this in God’s book, “God says, ‘It is my job to do payback to people for the bad things they do. I will punish them, so don’t try to do it yourself.’ ”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "20", "text": "Instead of you doing payback to them, you have to do like God says in another place in his book. He says, “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. Then they will be sorry and feel shame for the bad things they did to you.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 12, "verse": "21", "text": "So don’t do payback to anybody. Don’t do bad things to them. If you do that payback, it is like you let that bad part of you win. But instead, you have to be good to everybody. That’s how you properly win against bad things."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "1", "text": "Now I will talk about the government bosses. Remember that God put them there and gave them their jobs as bosses, so you have to do what they say. They make laws for everybody, and they make sure we all follow those laws."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "2", "text": "So if you don’t do the things that their law says, you’re going against the people that God put there. And he will get those bosses to punish you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "3", "text": "People that do whatever is right don’t have to worry about those bosses. But people that do things that are wrong will get frightened of them. So if you do things that are right, the bosses will say that you are good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "4", "text": "Those government bosses really work for God, and their job is to make things good for you. But if you do things that are wrong, look out, you can be frightened of them. They will get you and punish you. God gave them that job to punish everybody that does bad things, and he helps them do it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "5", "text": "So you have to do what they say so that they don’t punish you. And you know that it is the right thing to do, so you will not feel bad about it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "6", "text": "You have to pay tax money to the government too, for the same reason. Those government bosses work for God, and they need that money to do their job."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "7", "text": "So you have to give everybody whatever you owe to them. You have to pay taxes and pay the bills the government bosses send you. And you still have to respect those bosses."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "8", "text": "If ever you borrow anything from anybody, you have to give it back, so that you don’t owe anything to anybody. But you always owe each other this one thing, you have to love each other. If you love other people, you keep God’s law."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "9", "text": "God’s law says, “Love other people just as much as you love yourself.” You know there are lots of other laws too, like, “Don’t sleep with somebody that you are not married to, as if they are your wife or husband,” and, “Don’t murder anybody,” and, “Don’t steal anything,” and, “If something belongs to somebody else, don’t think about getting it for yourself.” But if you really love other people, you will not do any of those wrong things anyway. So that law, that says to love people, it says what all the other laws put together say."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "10", "text": "If you really love people, you will never do bad things to them, so you will be doing what God’s law says you have to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "11-12", "text": "And here is another thing to think about. You know that Jesus will come back soon and save us from the bad things that are going on. There is not much time left. It is closer now than it was at the time when we first believed in him. It’s like it’s night time now, but Jesus will come back soon, so it is like the day-light will come soon. It’s like it’s time for us to wake up from sleep. We have to stop doing the bad things that people do in the dark. Instead, we have to do the good things that people do in the light."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "13", "text": "We have to do things that are right and good and honest, like the things people do in the day-light. We can’t go to wild grog parties, and we can’t get drunk. We can’t sleep with anyone that is not our own wife or husband, as if we are married to them. We can’t do wrong things with our bodies. We can’t get into fights and arguments. We can’t be jealous of other people."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 13, "verse": "14", "text": "But instead, you have to be like our leader, Jesus Christ, so that whenever other people look at you, it will be like they see him. And whenever that bad part inside you makes you want to do something bad, take no notice of it. Just don’t think about doing it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "1", "text": "There are some Christians that are not sure if it is right or wrong for them to do some things. But don’t worry, let people like that be in your church, and don’t argue with them about whatever they think they have to do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "2", "text": "It’s like this, some people believe that God will let them eat all sorts of food, but other people are not so sure, so they only eat vegetables."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "3", "text": "People that eat all sorts of food can’t think that they are better than the others. And people that only eat vegetables can’t tell the other people that they are wrong. God is happy with both sorts of people, people that only eat vegetables and people that eat everything."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "4", "text": "So you can’t tell anybody else that they are wrong. God is their boss, not you. Only God can say, “You are right,” or, “You are wrong.” And he can help them to keep on doing good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "5", "text": "Here is another thing. Some people think like this, “Some days are special for God, and the other days are not.” Other people think, “Each day is the same as every other day.” Each of us has to make up our own mind about it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "6", "text": "People that make one day special, they do that to give respect to God on that day. And people that eat all sorts of food, they do that to give respect to God. They say thank you to God for that food. And in the same way, people that don’t eat some sorts of food, they do that to give respect to God. They say thank you to God too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "7-8", "text": "None of us is our own boss. We belong to God, and he is our good boss all the time. He is our good boss while we are alive, and he is our good boss after we die."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "9", "text": "Remember that Jesus died and then came alive again. So now he is the good boss over people that are alive and also the boss over people that are dead."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "10", "text": "So then it is God, not you, that can tell other Christians that they are wrong. You can’t think that you are better than any other Christian. No. We’ve all got to stand in front of God one day. Then God will tell each of us the things that we did right and the things that we did wrong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "11", "text": "We can read this in God’s book, “God says, ‘This will happen, for sure. Everybody will get down on their knees in front of me to give respect to me. And everybody will say that I’m really good. They will say that I’m the only great God.’ ”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "12", "text": "That means that one day every one of us will have to face God and tell him all about everything that we ever did."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "13", "text": "So we have to stop being like judges. We have to stop telling each other, “You are wrong.” Instead of that, we have to make sure that we help other Christians, and make sure we don’t do anything that makes them go wrong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "14", "text": "I know for sure that our leader, Jesus, said that it’s all right to eat any sort of food. But somebody might believe that it is wrong to eat some sort of food. Then it is wrong for that person to eat it, but not for anybody else."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "15-16", "text": "Sometimes you might know that something is all right, so you think you will eat it. But if you know that another Christian will get upset when you eat it, then leave it. Don’t eat it. If you love other Christians, you will not do things that hurt them. Remember, Jesus Christ died for those people, so don’t eat that food. You know that it is all right to eat it, but leave it anyway. Then nobody will blame you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "17-18", "text": "We belong to God. He doesn’t give us rules about the things that we can’t eat or drink, but he wants us to have his spirit in us so that we will do the things that are right, and we will always feel good and quiet inside ourselves, and we will always be happy. If we live like that as we work for Jesus Christ, then we make God happy. And other people are happy with us too."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "19", "text": "So we have to do everything we can to help each other. We have to try to agree with each other and to help each other get strong."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "20", "text": "God is bringing people into his family, but if you eat something that upsets another Christian, so that they go away, you will mess up God’s work. So don’t do that. You know that there is nothing wrong with the food itself, but it is wrong for you to make another person stop believing."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "21", "text": "So if another Christian will get upset and go wrong because you eat meat or drink wine, then don’t eat any meat, and don’t drink any wine."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "22", "text": "If you believe it is all right for you to do it, then just keep quiet about it. You know it is all right, and God knows it is all right, but don’t show it off in front of other people. Make up your mind about the right thing to do, and do it. Then you will be happy."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 14, "verse": "23", "text": "But if anyone is not sure if it is right or wrong for them to eat something, then they can’t eat it. If they don’t believe that it is all right to eat, and if they eat it anyway, then God will say that they do wrong. If we don’t believe that something is all right, then it is wrong for us to do it."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "1", "text": "Some of us are strong and trust God about these things, but other Christians are weak and worry about them a lot. We strong Christians have to be easy on those weak Christians, and help them get strong. We have to think about the problems they have with these things. We can’t just do whatever makes us happy."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "2", "text": "No, we have to do whatever the other Christians think is right, to help them get strong and trust God more."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "3", "text": "Remember what Jesus Christ did for all of us. He didn’t just do things that made himself happy. No. He let those cheeky people say bad things about him, like God’s book says, “People said bad things about you, God, and they said those same bad things about me.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "4", "text": "You know, a long time ago, God got his men to write lots of things like that in his book. He did that to teach us mob that are here today about God. As we think about those things that they wrote, God cheers us up and helps us keep going for him, and we know for sure that God will do everything he promised to do for us."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "5-6", "text": "I want God, the father of our leader, Jesus Christ, to do that for you. He is the one that can cheer people up, and he keeps them going. I’m asking him to help you follow Jesus Christ properly so that you all live happy together like one family. Then you will all thank him and say that he is really good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "7", "text": "So you have to be good to other Christians, and let them join you, just like Jesus Christ was good to you, and he let you join God’s family. Then people will say that God is really good."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "8", "text": "Remember this. Jesus Christ came here and worked for his own nation, the Jewish people. A long time ago, God promised some things to their elders, and later, Jesus came to show them that God will do what he promised."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "9", "text": "And Jesus came for the people that are not Jews too, to show them that God feels sorry for them, and that God is good to them, so that they will thank God and tell everybody, “God is really good.” God got his men to write about this, and their words are in God’s book. One of them wrote, “All right God, I will tell all the people that are not Jews about you, and I will sing to you and say, ‘You are really great.’ ”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "10", "text": "And another one of God’s men wrote, “You mob that are not Jews can be happy, together with God’s people.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "11", "text": "And another one of God’s men wrote, “All you mob that are not Jews can say, ‘God is really great,’ And all the people everywhere can say, ‘God is really good.’ ”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "12", "text": "And Isaiah, another one of God’s men, wrote, “A Jewish man from David’s family will become the leader of every nation, even the people that are not Jews, and they will be sure that he will save them.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "13", "text": "You see, you can be sure that God can save you. So now I ask him to help you trust him properly, and to make you really happy, and feel good and quiet inside yourselves. Then the Holy Spirit will use his power to help you be really sure that God will do everything that he said he will do."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "14-15", "text": "My Christian friends, I’m sure that you already know about the things that I wrote in this letter. Before I started to write this letter, I remembered that you are good people and that you know a lot, and you even teach each other about the things I wrote about. But I got brave and started to write to you anyway, to get you to think a bit more about some of those things. God is good to me,"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "16", "text": "and he picked me out to be a worker for Jesus Christ. My job is to tell the good news about Jesus to people that are not Jews. After I tell them that good news, God’s spirit works in them to make them good and right, and God is really happy with them. It is like I give them to God, like a really good gift."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "17", "text": "So I like to tell everybody about the things that Jesus Christ has helped me do in my work for God."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "18-19", "text": "But I will not talk about anything else. I just want to talk about whatever Jesus Christ did. He used me, but he is the one that did it. He got me to tell his true message to people that don’t know God, and his Holy Spirit got me to do powerful things too. After they heard my message and saw the things I did, they turned around and believed God. I started to tell people in Jerusalem the good message about Jesus Christ, and I kept on telling people that message everywhere I went, right out to Illyricum."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "20", "text": "I always want to tell that good story to people that have never heard about Jesus Christ. I don’t want to go to places where somebody else already told them about Jesus, and just tell them a bit more. No, I want to go and tell people that haven’t heard about Jesus."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "21", "text": "It is like God’s book says, “There are people that have never heard about God. Nobody ever told them anything about him. But they will hear the message about him. And they will understand it.”"}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "30", "text": "My Christian friends, I really want you to pray to God with me. You believe in our leader, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit gets us to love each other, so please pray for me."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "31", "text": "I will go to Judea soon, so ask God to save me from the mob there that don’t believe in Jesus. Ask God too that his people in Jerusalem will be happy with the way I will help them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "32", "text": "Then, if God wants me to, I will come to you mob in Rome. I know I will be really happy to meet you, and I will have a good rest with you there."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 15, "verse": "33", "text": "And now I ask God to be with all you mob. He can make us live happy together. Yes, that’s right."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 16, "verse": "17", "text": "Listen, my Christian friends, I’m telling you straight, you’ve got to be really careful about people that make you split up and argue with each other. Remember that you heard the true message about Jesus Christ, and you learned to follow his way, but there are some people that want you to leave that way and go another way. They tell you a different story, and they get you to argue with each other. So don’t listen to them. Keep away from them."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 16, "verse": "18", "text": "They don’t work for our leader, Jesus Christ, but they just work for themselves. They try to trick people. They talk really nicely to people and say good things about them. They do that to get whatever they want for themselves. They trick people that don’t think about it properly."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 16, "verse": "19", "text": "But don’t let them trick you. Everyone knows that you do what God wants, so I’m happy about you. But I also want to tell you to be careful. I want you to understand the things that are good, and don’t even think about doing the things that are bad."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 16, "verse": "20", "text": "You know, Satan, the boss over the bad spirits, he tries to get you to go wrong. But God is stronger than Satan. God is the one that makes us happy and quiet inside ourselves. And he will beat Satan, so that Satan can’t do anything to you any more. I ask our leader, Jesus, to be really good to you."}
{"book": "ROM", "chapter": 16, "verse": "25-27", "text": "God is really great and powerful, so everybody has to tell him that he is good. He can make you strong. This is his message. It is the good news about Jesus Christ. A long time ago, God planned to get both the Jewish people, and the people that are not Jews, to believe in him. But at first he kept it a secret, and he just got the Jewish people to follow him. After that, he got his men to write about it ahead of time, and that is in his book. Now his message about Jesus is for every nation. It is not just for the Jewish people, but everybody everywhere can trust him, and they can listen to him and do what he wants. God is the only one that can think good enough to make it all work out like that. So everybody has to tell God and Jesus Christ, “You are great.” They have always got to do that for ever. From Paul"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. God wanted me to go and tell people about Jesus Christ, so he picked me to be his special worker. And Sosthenes is here with me. He is our Christian friend, and he is helping me write this letter."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "I’m sending this letter to you Christians there in Corinth city. God picked you to be his own special people, and he joined you to Jesus Christ. You are in God’s family now, along with everyone that says to Jesus, “You are my leader.” He is their leader, and he is our leader too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "I’m asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "I always thank God for you mob. You belong to Jesus Christ now, and God is really good to you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "Yes, Jesus Christ gave you everything you need. He lets you know a lot of things, and he gives you the power to tell God’s message to people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "That shows that the message we told you about Jesus Christ is true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "You really want our leader, Jesus Christ, to come back from heaven, and while you are waiting for him, you have all the spiritual power that he gives us to do his work."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "God will keep you believing properly in our leader Jesus Christ, and you will stay strong for him until the day when he will come back from heaven. At that time, nobody will be able to blame you or say that you did anything wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "God picked you to be a friend of his son, our leader Jesus Christ. And you can trust God, he will keep you strong for Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "My Christian friends, our leader Jesus Christ wants me to say this to you. All you Christians have to agree with each other and stay together. Don’t split up. Please think the same way as each other, and agree together about the right way to follow Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, my friends, some of Chloe’s mob told me what is going on there in Corinth. They reckon that you are arguing too much with each other and you are splitting into different groups."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "They reckon some of you say, “Paul is our leader,” and others say, “That other man, Apollos, he is our leader,” and others say, “No, not them. Our leader is Peter,” and others say, “Jesus Christ is our leader.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "Listen, that’s not right. Don’t split up into groups like that. If you do that, it’s like you are splitting up Jesus Christ. Stop and think about it. Did I, Paul, die for you on a cross? No way. And when Christian leaders baptised you, when they took you through that special washing ceremony, did they baptise you to show that you belonged to me, Paul? No way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14-15", "text": "I thank God that I only baptised a few of you, so, none of you can say, “Paul baptised me, so he is my leader.” I only baptised Crispus and Guyus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "And I just remembered, I baptised Stefanas and his family too. But I can’t remember baptising anyone else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "You see, Jesus Christ didn’t send me to baptise people. He sent me to tell the good news to people, that Jesus died for them. That message is powerful. God didn’t send me to say smart words to people. That sort of talk is useless. People might just think about my smart words, and not listen to God, and so they will not hear God’s powerful good news."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "We tell everybody the message that Jesus died on a cross to save them. Some people hear that message and think it is stupid. Those people’s spirits are finishing up, and they are lost. But other people hear that message and think it is good. You are like that mob, and so are we. We know that message is from God. It tells us that he is using his power to save us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "It is like God says in his book, “People might think they are smart, and they might reckon they know everything, but God shows them that they are not wise, and he will stop them from doing what they are thinking about.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "So what does that tell us about the smart people in this world? And what about those people that reckon they properly know the Jewish law? And what about those people that can talk really good, so that they win arguments? None of them get to know God. They leave God out. They don’t think about him, and in the end God shows us that they are all stupid."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "You see, God is properly wise. He knows that most people in this world want to be smart and think up their own ideas about God. But he blocks them, so they will never get to know him that way. Instead, God is happy to save everybody that believes his message. And we tell you that message, even though other people think we are stupid."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "You see, the Jewish people want to see God do something powerful, and then they reckon they will believe him. And other people that are not Jews, they just want to hear about smart ideas."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "But we are not like those people. We tell people about Jesus Christ, and we tell them that he died for them on the cross. The Jewish people can’t understand that. It isn’t what they want, so they don’t believe it. And the other people that are not Jews, they reckon it is stupid, so they don’t believe it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "But we are different. God has picked us to save us. Some of us are Jews and some of us are not Jews, but when we listen to that message about Jesus Christ it is a powerful message for us. We believe it and God saves us. And we know that God is really wise because he sent Jesus to save us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "People might reckon that is a stupid thing for God to do, but God’s way is better than the best idea any person ever had. And people might reckon that God is weak, they might reckon that he just let his son die. But they are wrong. God did that to show us that he is stronger than anyone else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "My Christian friends, remember what you were like before God picked you. Most of you were not the smart sort of people. Most of you were not powerful people. Most of you didn’t belong to important families."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "You see, people in this world reckon you are stupid, but God picked you anyway. He did that to show that those smart people are wrong, and they have to feel shame. Yes, God picked the weak people in this world to show that the powerful people are useless, so they have to feel shame."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "28", "text": "And God picked people from this world that are not great, and people that are like nothing, so that in the end, those other people that reckon they are great, they will become like nothing."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "29", "text": "God does that so that nobody can ever get up in front of God and say, “I’m really good. I’m better than other people.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "30", "text": "But as for you, God joined you to Jesus Christ. You and us together, Jesus helps us to be wise, like God. And Jesus makes us to be God’s friends, so that he will tell us we are all right. And Jesus makes us God’s own special people too. Jesus died to pay for us and set us free from everything that is wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 1, "verse": "31", "text": "So we have to talk the way God tells us to. He says this in his book, “If you want to talk about great things, don’t talk about yourself, but talk about God, and tell everyone about the great things that he does.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "My Christian friends, remember when I first came to you and told you God’s message. I didn’t use smart words, like a man that thinks he knows everything."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "No. I only told you about Jesus Christ, and that he died on the cross for us. I didn’t talk about other things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "I felt weak and frightened while I was with you. I was so frightened I was shaking."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "I didn’t think up smart ideas or use smart words to get you to believe my message. No. I trusted God’s spirit to use his power to show everyone that my message is true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "I did that so that you will not trust in a smart person, but you will trust in the power of God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "You see, whenever I am with people that trust in Jesus, and are strong for him, that’s when I can talk about things that are wise and good. I don’t mean smart ideas that people in this world think up, like how the bosses in this world plan things. Those bosses will finish up anyway."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "No, the wise and good things that we talk about are the things that belong to God. He planned those things a long time ago, before he made the world, but he didn’t tell anybody about them until now."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "None of the bosses in this world understood those things. So they killed Jesus. They nailed our very great and good leader to a cross."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "But, you know, God says this in his book, “God got good things ready for the people that love him. Those things are better than anything anybody else can ever think up. Nobody ever saw or heard anything as good as the things that God got ready for us.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "But God’s spirit shows these things to us. His spirit understands everything, even those things that God has not yet told anybody."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, nobody knows what another person is thinking. Only that person’s own spirit knows, nobody else. Well, it is like that with God, too. Only God’s spirit knows what God is thinking."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "And remember this, God didn’t get us to think the way the people of this world think. No. God gave us his spirit, and his spirit helps us, so we can understand all the good things God gave us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "Those are the things that we tell you about. We don’t use words that smart people taught us, but we use the words that God’s spirit teaches us. And we tell God’s message to people that have God’s spirit living inside them, and we help them understand it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, if God’s spirit is not living inside people, they can’t believe any message from God. They can’t understand what God wants to teach them. They think it is all stupid. You see, the Holy Spirit is the only one that can help people understand the things of God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "People that have God’s spirit can think about all these things and understand them. But people that haven’t got God’s spirit can never understand the people that have got his spirit."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "God says this in his book, “Nobody can know what God is thinking. Nobody can try to tell him the right way to think.” But the Holy Spirit is in us, so we can think the same way that Jesus Christ thinks."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "Now listen, my Christian friends, when I was there with you, you started to believe in Jesus, but you didn’t understand a lot about him, and you didn’t let the Holy Spirit control you. You still let your old human spirits control you. You were just like babies that don’t understand things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "You know, babies can’t eat hard food. They can only drink milk. Well, that is a picture of you mob. I couldn’t teach you hard things. You couldn’t understand them. And even now you are not ready to listen to me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "Even though you are Christians you still don’t live like Christians. You still let your old human spirits control you. You want things that other people have. And you argue with each other. That shows that you are letting your human spirits control you, not the Holy Spirit. You are still like people that don’t know God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "You see, some of you say, “Paul is our leader,” and others say, “No, not Paul, Apollos is our leader.” And you argue with each other. You are just like the people of the world, not God’s people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5-8", "text": "Just think about Apollos and me, Paul. We are not important bosses. We are only workers for God. God gave each of us our jobs, and we helped you believe in Jesus Christ. I’ll use picture talk now. Think about a garden. One worker plants seeds, and another worker puts water on the young plants to help them grow properly. But it is God that makes the seeds grow up to be big plants. The worker that plants the seeds is not important, and the worker that gives water to the plants is not important. The important one is God. He makes the plants grow. Well, that picture story about a garden is a picture of you mob. God is making you grow like he makes those plants grow. And Apollos and me, we work in God’s team, just like those workers in that garden. I started telling you about Jesus, and Apollos taught you more about him. We both want you to have life, but we can’t give you new life. God is the one that gives you new life. We are just his workers, and, you know, God will pay each of us for our work."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "We are like 2 men that work for God in his garden, and you are like God’s garden. And I’ll use another picture story. This picture story shows that you are like God’s house that he is building for himself."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10-11", "text": "This is the picture story. One builder starts to build a house. First, he puts cement down on the ground for the building to stand on. That cement is called the foundation. Then other builders build the house on that cement foundation. This story is a picture of you getting into God’s family. God was good to me and gave me the power to work for him. I told you about Jesus, and it is like I put down a good foundation for you at that time. And now other Christian workers are teaching you more about Jesus. They are like the builders that build on that foundation. They have to do it properly. Jesus is the only strong foundation. Nobody can put down any other foundation for God’s family."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "I’ll tell you more of this picture story about the builders. Good builders build with really good things like gold, or silver, or jewels. But other builders don’t work properly, they don’t care, they only use wood, or grass, or leaves. If a fire comes, the parts of the house that are made of wood, or grass, or leaves, those parts will burn up. But the parts that are made of gold, or silver, or jewels, those parts will stay good. So you can know which builders did a good job. Christian workers are like those builders in the picture story. Some Christian workers do a good job and tell God’s word properly, and some don’t do a good job."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "One day, Jesus Christ will come back, and then God will show which workers did a good job, like the fire in the picture story shows if part of the house is good or not."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "If they did a good job, it will stay good a long time, like the good parts in the picture story. And if they did a good job, God will pay those good workers."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "But if it is no good, it will finish up, like the rubbish parts in the picture story. And if it is no good, God will not pay those workers, but he will still save them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "You know that God’s spirit lives in you Christian people. You are like a special house that God lives in."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "Yes, you mob are God’s special people, like his special house here on earth. So if somebody makes a Christian mob split up, it is like they break up God’s house, and God will punish that person properly."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "Some of you mob think you are really smart, but you are thinking wrong, like the people of this world that don’t know God. So stop tricking yourselves. Instead, you have to think God’s way. Other people might think you are fools, but really, you will be wise."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "19", "text": "The people of this world think they are very smart, but God knows they are fools. We can read this in God’s book, “People reckon they are smart, but God uses their own smart ideas like a trap, and he catches them.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20", "text": "And we can read this in another place in God’s book, “Smart people think up great ideas, but God knows those ideas are useless.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21", "text": "So don’t think that any human person is the important leader. You see, Jesus is your leader, and God gives you everything you need."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "22", "text": "Yes, he gives you his workers to help you. He gave you me, and he gave you Apollos, and he gave you Peter. We are all here to help you. God uses everything to help you. If you live, or if you die, God will make it good for you. He will use things that happen now to help you, and he will use things that will happen later, to help you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 3, "verse": "23", "text": "You see, you belong to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ belongs to God. And God is the most important one."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "So when you think about me and Apollos, remember that we are just workers for Jesus Christ. You see, at first God didn’t tell anyone his message, but now he wants Apollos and me to tell that message to people. That is the special job that God gave us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "And, you know, if a boss gives his worker an important job, the worker has to be careful to do it properly."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "And when you mob think about me, maybe you think I’m doing a good job, or maybe not. Well, I don’t care what you think. I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. It doesn’t even matter what I think about myself."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "I reckon I haven’t done anything wrong, but that doesn’t make me right. You see, God is my judge, and I only care about what he thinks about me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "So I’m telling you, don’t judge people before the right time comes. You have to wait until our leader Jesus comes back again from heaven. He knows every secret. He will show everyone the secret things that people think about doing. And at that time God will praise each of his good workers, and he will say good things about them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "My Christian friends, I’ve been talking about Apollos and me, to help you to understand the things we teach you. You know that wise people say this, “Don’t do anything more than what is in God’s book.” We want to help you learn what that means. You see, nobody can say that one person is better than another person."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "You yourselves are no better than other people. God gave you everything that you have. So you can’t reckon that you got it for yourselves, so you are really smart."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "You think you know everything, and you think you don’t need to learn anything more, but you are wrong. You think that you are spiritually rich, but you are not. You think you have a lot of power, like you think you are big bosses, and you think that we haven’t got any power, but you are wrong again. You know, it would be good if you had God’s power so that you can be big bosses for him, and Apollos and me can be bosses with you, but that is not the way it is."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "No, I reckon it is like this. Even though we are Jesus’s special workers, God lets us look weak. You know how soldiers take prisoners out to kill them in a place where everybody can watch them die. Well, I reckon it is like that with us. God lets us look weak, like those prisoners, so that everyone on the earth, and in heaven too, can look at us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "They see that we work for Jesus Christ, and lots of people think we are fools. But you mob think you are different. You reckon you are really smart because you know Jesus Christ. Yes, everyone thinks we are weak, but you reckon you are strong. You reckon everyone has to respect you, but you don’t care if they respect us or not."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, the bad people of this world were always hard on us special workers, and they are still hard on us right up to now. We go hungry, and thirsty, and our clothes are old rags. We haven’t got anywhere to live."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "We have to work hard all the time to get money for food. Some people swear at us and ask bad spirits to hurt us, but we just ask God to be good to them. If people are hard on us, we just put up with it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "If people say bad things about us, we answer with good words. But people keep on treating us like we are the world’s worst rubbish."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "I’m telling you all this to help you see that what you are doing is wrong. I’m not trying to shame you. You see, I love you like you are my own kids, and I want you to live the right way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "I’m like a father to you. I was the first person to tell you the good news about Jesus Christ, and he gave your spirits new life, so I’m your spiritual father on this earth. And even if you have lots of other people teaching you about God, I was the first person to tell you about him, so I’m the only one that is like your father in Christian things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "So I’m asking you to live the way I live, and to do the same sorts of things that I do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "That is the reason why I sent Timothy to you. He will help you do that. He is like a son to me, and I love him very much. He always keeps on working properly for Jesus. He will help you remember the way I live for Jesus Christ. He will teach you the same things that I teach in every church everywhere."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "You see, some of you reckon you are really great, and you say, “Paul is frightened to come back here.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "But you are wrong. I want to go and visit you. So if our leader Jesus wants me to, I will do that soon. And then I will find out if you really have God’s power, or if you are just talking."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, if people are really in God’s family, they have God’s power, and they will live God’s way. They don’t just talk and keep on living the bad way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "So think about this. Will you keep on doing bad things, or will you stop? I am coming to you, and if I find you still doing bad things, I will punish you. Is that what you want? But if you stop doing bad things, I will love you, and I will be easy on you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "Now listen. I have to talk straight to you about this. Some people have told me there is something bad going on in your church family. One of you has his father’s wife as his girlfriend, and he is sleeping with her as if they are married. Look, even people that don’t know God don’t do that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2", "text": "But you mob don’t seem to care, and instead, you think you are great. But listen, you really have to feel shame and be sad, not happy. That man is doing a very bad thing, so you can’t let him stay in your church family."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "Listen, I’m not there with you mob, but I think about you mob a lot, and I’m thinking about that man that is doing that very bad thing, so I’m telling you what you have to do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "I know that you will meet together as followers of our leader Jesus, and I will be thinking about you and praying for you. It will be like I will be there with you, and the powerful spirit of Jesus will be there with you too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "Then, at that meeting, you have to ask God to let Satan hurt that man. Satan is the boss over the bad spirits. Satan will hurt that man’s body, and then God can save that man’s spirit, when our leader Jesus comes back."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "So stop telling everyone that you are properly good. It’s not true. Let me tell you a picture story about baking powder. We put a little bit of baking powder into the flour when we make damper. And that little bit of baking powder goes into all the flour in the bowl and makes all the dough swell up."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7", "text": "That is a picture of that one person in your mob that does bad things. He is like that baking powder in the picture story. He will get all of you mob to go wrong, like that baking powder made all the dough swell up. So get rid of that bad person. Then you will be straight and clean, like new clean dough that hasn’t got any baking powder in it. And really, you are clean like that. Remember, Jesus Christ died for us to clean us from the wrong things we did, so we are like that clean dough. Jesus is like the young sheep that the Jews kill and eat at their ceremony called Passover. Well, just like that young sheep dies, Jesus died for us. And think about this. Before that ceremony, they have to get rid of all that stuff that makes damper swell up, and then they eat flat damper."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "8", "text": "That is a picture of us church people. Just like they have to get rid of all that stuff that makes damper swell up, we have to get rid of everything that is bad, and we have to stop doing bad things. Instead, we have to be good and honest and true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "I wrote you a letter before, and I told you, “Don’t be good friends with bad people. There are some people that sleep with somebody that is not their own wife or husband, as if they are married to them. Keep away from those people.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "But I did not mean that you have to keep away from the people of this world that don’t know God. Some of them sleep with somebody that is not their own wife or husband. Some of them are greedy, like they want a lot of things and money. Some of them trick other people to get their money, and some of them respect bad spirits and make them their gods. If you try to keep away from all those bad people, you will have to leave this world, and you can’t do that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "No. This is what I meant. Don’t be good friends with people that reckon they are Christians, but they do bad things all the time. If they sleep with somebody that is not their own wife or husband, as if they are married to them, then don’t be good friends with those people. Or if they are greedy, don’t be good friends with them. If they respect bad spirits, and if they make those spirits their gods, don’t be good friends with them. If they yell and swear at other people, don’t be good friends with them. If they always get drunk, don’t be good friends with them. If they trick other people to get their money, don’t be good friends with them. Don’t even eat food with a Christian that does things like that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12-13", "text": "You see, I can’t be the judge of people that are not Christians. God will judge those people, and he will punish those people that do bad things. But if a Christian in your church group does bad things, you have to work out how to punish them. You have to do what God says in his book, “Get rid of bad people from your group.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "1", "text": "There is something else I have to talk to you about. If one of you Christians has a problem with another Christian, why do you go to the court house to sort it out? That is not right. Those court house people are not God’s people. No. You have to get Christians to sort it out. Remember, we Christians are God’s special people"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "2", "text": "and one day God will get us Christians to be the judges of all the other people in the world. So, if you are going to be a judge of other people one day, why can’t you sort out your own little problems now?"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "3", "text": "You know, one day we Christians will even be judges of God’s angel messengers. So we have to know how to sort out our problems here on the earth."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "4", "text": "Sometimes you don’t agree with each other about some little thing, and then you go to other people, and you get them to be your judges."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "5", "text": "I talk like this so that you will feel shame. I reckon there has to be somebody there in your church that is wise enough to help you sort out these problems between yourselves."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "6", "text": "But no, you don’t do it that way. Instead, one of you Christians goes to the court house people to argue against another Christian. You stand up in front of judges that don’t believe in Jesus Christ, and you get them to sort it out. That’s not the right way to settle your problems."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "7", "text": "You see, when you go to the court house to argue about these things you are letting the bad spirits win. Look, if people do bad things to you, just let them do those things and don’t worry about it. That’s the better way. Even if they rob you, don’t worry."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "8", "text": "But instead of that, you mob are doing those bad things yourselves. That is wrong. You even do bad things to other Christians, and you even rob other Christians."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "9", "text": "Listen. You know what will happen to bad people, right? They will not be in God’s family. They will never get the good things that God will give to his people. Don’t let anyone trick you about this. I’ll tell you now about the sort of people that will not be in God’s family. People that sleep with somebody that’s not their wife or husband, as if they are married. Those people will not be in God’s family. Or 2 men that sleep together as if one of them is a woman, they will not be in God’s family. And people that respect other spirits more than they respect God,"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "10", "text": "and people that steal things, and greedy people that want a lot of money and things, they will not be in God’s family. And people that always get drunk, and people that yell at other people and swear at them, and people that trick other people to get their money, none of those people will be in God’s family."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "11", "text": "And I know that some of you used to be bad people like that before. You did that sort of bad thing, but now you believe in Jesus Christ and let him be your boss. And God’s spirit came into you and washed you inside, and he made you God’s own special people, so that God says you are all right now."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "12", "text": "Some of you say, “I’m free from the Jewish law now, so I can do anything I want to.” Yes, but not everything will be good for you. You see, I can say that too. I can say, “I’m free from the Jewish law, so I can do anything I want to.” But I don’t want to do bad things. And if I think about doing bad things, I will start doing bad things, and I will not be able to stop myself. But I don’t want that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "13", "text": "Some of you say, “God made our bellies for food, and he made food to fill our bellies.” So you think that you can do what you want with your bodies, and it doesn’t matter. You think you can sleep with somebody that is not your wife or husband, as if you are married to them. But you are wrong. Don’t forget that, in the end, God will finish up your bellies, and he will finish up the food too. You see, God made your bodies for you to live his way. You can’t sleep with anyone you want to. You have to use your bodies the way God wants you to use them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, our bodies are important to God. Our leader, Jesus died, but then God made him alive again. And God will use his power to make our bodies alive again, too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "15-16", "text": "Think about this. God says this in his book, “The man and his wife will join with each other, and their bodies will be like one body.” So, if a man pays a woman money to let him sleep with her, he joins his own body to her body and becomes like one body with her. And you know, your bodies are parts of Jesus Christ’s body. So don’t let part of Jesus’s body join up to the body of a bad woman. No way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "17", "text": "But, you know, if you join on to our leader, Jesus, you join your spirit to his spirit, and the 2 of you become like one spirit."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "18", "text": "So never sleep with anyone that is not your own wife or husband and do what married people do together. Get away from that sort of bad thing. You see, other bad things that you do are outside of your own body. But if you sleep with a person you are not married to, you hurt your own body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "19", "text": "And you know, God gave you his spirit and he lives in you. Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit. You don’t belong to yourself any more, but you belong to God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 6, "verse": "20", "text": "Remember this, God bought you. He paid a lot for you. So you have to use your body to live for him, to show everyone that God is really great and good."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "1", "text": "You wrote a letter to me and asked me some questions, and now I will answer one of those questions. You asked me, “Is it good for a man to stay single and never marry a woman?” My answer is, “Yes, but only if he can stay single without going wrong.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "2", "text": "You see, a lot of people can’t do that. They try to stay single, but then they go wrong, and they end up sleeping with somebody, as if they are married to each other. So, I reckon, every man has to have his own wife and only ever sleep with her, and every woman has to have her own husband and only ever sleep with him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "3", "text": "If a wife needs her husband to sleep with her and do what married people do together, he has to agree to it, to make her happy. And if a husband needs his wife to sleep with him and do what married people do together, she has to agree to it, to make him happy."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "4", "text": "You see, the wife’s body does not only belong to her, it also belongs to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body doesn’t only belong to him, it also belongs to his wife."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "5", "text": "So, if your husband or wife wants to sleep with you, to do what married people do together, you can’t say, “No.” But both of you can agree to wait for a while without sleeping together, so you can use the time to pray. Then, soon after that, you have to sleep together again. If you don’t, Satan might trick you. He knows you can’t control yourselves very well. If you go too long without sleeping together, then he will try to get one of you to sleep with somebody else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "6", "text": "I’m not saying that you have to stop sleeping together. I’m saying that if you both agree to stop for a while, so you can pray more, that’s all right."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, I reckon it is good for everyone to stay single, like me. But God helps people in different ways. He helps some people be a good husband or wife, and he helps other people stay single without going wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "8", "text": "Now I will talk to you people that are not married. Maybe your wife or husband has died, or maybe you never married anyone. This is what I reckon. Stay single, like me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "9", "text": "But you have to control yourself properly. If that is too hard for you, then marry somebody. If you are always wanting to sleep with somebody and do what married people do together, don’t try to stay single."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "10", "text": "Now I will talk to you Christians that are married, and your partner is another Christian. Don’t get divorced. This rule comes from our leader, Jesus, not just from me. A wife can’t leave her husband."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "11", "text": "But if she does leave him, she has to stay single. Or she can go back to her husband. And it is the same for a husband. He can’t leave his wife."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "12", "text": "Now I will talk to you people that are married, but your partner is not a Christian. This is not a rule that comes from our leader, Jesus, but this is what I reckon. If a Christian man has a wife, and if she doesn’t believe in Jesus, but she agrees to stay with him, that man can’t split up the marriage, he can’t divorce her."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "13", "text": "If a Christian woman has a husband, and if he doesn’t believe in Jesus, but he agrees to stay with her, that woman can’t split up the marriage, she can’t divorce him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, if a woman believes in Jesus, but her husband doesn’t, God says it’s good for them to stay married. And in the same way, if a man believes in Jesus, but his wife doesn’t, God says it’s good for them to stay married. And I’ll tell you about their kids, too. If their mother or father believes in Jesus, God reckons those kids are special, not just like kids whose mothers and fathers don’t believe in him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "15", "text": "So if you have a husband or wife that isn’t Christian, and they want to leave you, then you can let them go. Christians don’t have to try to make their partners stay with them if their partners are not Christians. God wants us to be quiet and happy. He doesn’t want us to be arguing and fighting with each other. But if your husband or wife isn’t Christian, but they agree to stay with you, then don’t leave them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "16", "text": "Listen, Christian wife, maybe you can help your husband turn around and let God save him. And listen, Christian husband, maybe you can help your wife turn around and let God save her."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "17", "text": "You know, I’ve been talking to you about marriage, and I said that married people have to stay married. Well, our leader Jesus gives us all different lives. Some people are married, some people are not married. Some men have had a young man operation, some men haven’t. Some people are workers with no pay, some people are free. But this is the rule that I tell Christians in all the churches, everywhere I go. I tell them, “You don’t have to try to change those things. You can just stay the same as you were when God picked you to be in his family.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "18", "text": "It’s like this. Some of you were born Jews, so your Jewish family did a young man operation on you. After that, God picked you to be in his family. All right, don’t try to get another operation to change it back again. And some of you are not born Jews, but God has picked you to be in his family. All right, don’t try to be Jewish now. Don’t get a young man operation."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "19", "text": "It doesn’t matter if you get that Jewish operation, or not. This is what’s important, you have to do what God tells us all to do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, God picked each of you to be in his family, so don’t try to change everything. Stay the same as you were at that time when God picked you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "21", "text": "Sometimes bosses own their workers. Those workers belong to their bosses and their bosses control them. They have to do what their bosses say, and they don’t get any pay. If God picked you while you were a worker like that, don’t worry. Don’t try to run away and get free. (But if your boss says you can go free, then do that.)"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "22", "text": "Some of you are that sort of worker. Your boss owns you and controls you. But think about this. God picked you to join up with Jesus, and you are in his family, so now you are properly free. You are free from the bad things you used to do. They don’t control you any more. In the same way, some of you are free people, nobody owns you. But think about this. God picked you, and you are in Jesus’s family, so now Jesus owns you and you work all the time for him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "23", "text": "You see, God bought you and he paid a lot for you. So don’t let anyone else control you and get you to go wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "24", "text": "You see, my Christian friends, I’m telling you that each one of you has to live for God, and stay the same as you were when God picked you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "25", "text": "I’m going to talk now about young people that are not married, and I will try to answer your question. Our leader Jesus didn’t tell me what to say about this, but I will tell you what I think. God is good to me and he helps me think properly, so I reckon you can believe me. This is what I think."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "26", "text": "People everywhere are making trouble for God’s people these days, so I reckon it is best for every man to stay the way he is."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "27", "text": "This is what I reckon, if you have a wife, don’t try to leave her. But if you don’t have a wife, don’t look for one."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "28", "text": "The bad people in this world will make a lot of trouble for God’s people, and married people will find it hard to live with that trouble. I want to save you from getting too much trouble, so I’m telling you to stay single. But if you do marry somebody, you are not doing wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "29-31", "text": "My Christian friends, listen to what I’m saying. There is not much time left before Jesus will come back, and he will change this world. So don’t just think about the things of this world. That is the reason why I’m telling you men that are married, after Jesus comes back, it will not matter if people are married or single. And I’m telling you people that are sad, don’t worry, the trouble that makes you sad will go away when Jesus comes back. And I’m telling you people that are happy, the things that make you happy will go away when Jesus comes back. And I’m telling you people that buy things for yourselves, you will not own those things after Jesus comes back. You see, we do those things in this world now, but soon, when Jesus comes back, all those things will finish up. So don’t just live for those things now."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "32", "text": "You see, I don’t want you to be worried about the things in this world. A single man thinks a lot about Jesus, and he only wants to make Jesus happy."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "33", "text": "But a married man wants to make his wife happy too, so he also thinks a lot about the things in this world."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "34", "text": "So he has a lot to think about. He doesn’t just think about God, but he thinks about his family too. And it is like that for women, too. A single woman thinks a lot about God, and she wants both her body and her spirit to belong to him. But a married woman wants to make her husband happy too, so she also thinks a lot about the things in this world."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "35", "text": "I’m saying this to help you. I’m not making rules for you, but I want you to listen properly to God, and think about him, and work properly for him. Don’t let anything get in your way and stop you from doing that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "36", "text": "Maybe a young woman was promised to a man, but those 2 think it is better to work for God, and they agree not to get married yet. And maybe that woman is getting older now, and soon she will not be a good age to marry, so that man thinks that it is best for him to marry her now. That’s all right. He has to do what he thinks is good. It’s all right for them to get married. He will not be doing anything wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "37", "text": "But maybe another young woman was promised to a man, and those 2 agreed to work for God and not to get married, but this man still wants to stay single, and he can control himself. Well, he can stay single if he wants to. If he doesn’t get married, that is good."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "38", "text": "This is what I reckon. The man that marries his promise does something good. But the man that stays single does something better."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "39", "text": "And now I will tell you about widows. A married woman has to stay with her husband while he is alive. She can’t leave him and go away and marry another man. But if her husband dies, then she can marry again. But she has to marry a Christian."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 7, "verse": "40", "text": "But I reckon she will be more happy if she stays single, and I think God’s spirit is telling me what to say to you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "1", "text": "I will answer your next question now, about those statues that some people make, and they think those statues are gods. They give food to those statues, and they reckon the statues give that food power. Then those people eat that food, or they sell it to other people. And you Christians asked me, “Can we eat that food that they gave to those statues?” That’s what you asked me. Well, before I answer your question, I want you to remember this. All of us know something, but if we think we know more than other people, we start thinking wrong, like we reckon we are really smart. No, we can’t try to be smart. Instead, we have to love people. If we love other people, it helps them to get strong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "2", "text": "So if you reckon you know all about everything, you don’t really know much at all. You still have to learn a lot more."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "3", "text": "But if you love God, then God really knows you, like you are his good friend."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "4", "text": "All right, now I will answer your question about the food that people give to those statues that they think are gods. We Christians know that a statue is not really a god at all. We know that there is only the one God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "5", "text": "But some people, that are not Christians, they respect lots of spirits. They respect spirits in the sky, and spirits on the earth. And they think those spirits are gods, and they let those spirits be their bosses. And people make statues that they think look like those spirits, and they think those statues get power from those spirits."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "6", "text": "But we Christians know that those statues are nothing at all. We know there is only one God. He is our father. He made everything, and we want to do whatever he wants, as long as we live. And there is only one true boss. He is Jesus Christ. He worked with God, and together they made everything. And Jesus gives us Christians real life."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "7", "text": "But some Christians don’t understand all that. They showed respect to those statues for a long time before they became Christians, and then they believed in Jesus, but they still think those statues have power. They can’t work out what is true and what is not true. They know that it is wrong to respect those statues, so they don’t eat any of the food that people give to those statues. They think that if they do eat that food, then they are doing something wrong, and it makes them feel bad, like they are not clean."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "8", "text": "But really, it doesn’t matter if we eat that food or not. If we eat it, we will not get anything special, and if we don’t eat it, we will not miss out on anything. You see, no food can help us be close friends with God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "9", "text": "But you have to be very careful. Even though you are free to eat anything, you have to think about those Christians that can’t work out what is true and what is not true. You don’t want to make them go wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "10", "text": "It’s like this. Some of you Christians know it’s all right to eat food in that place where people show respect to those statues. But if you go and eat that food, another Christian might see you there. If that other Christian doesn’t know what to think about that food, they might think that you are showing respect to that statue when you eat that food, so that Christian will think it’s all right to show respect to that statue. And then that Christian will show respect to that statue, and that is wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "11", "text": "So you will wreck that other Christian that is not so sure about these things. You see, you yourself know that food has no power, but if then you eat it, and that makes another Christian go wrong, you are doing wrong because you wreck that other Christian. And Jesus Christ died for that person."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "12", "text": "You see, if other Christians are not sure what is right or wrong, and if they see what you do, and if that gets them to do something wrong, you are really bad. If you hurt them like that, you are really hurting Jesus Christ. Don’t do that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 8, "verse": "13", "text": "So, you see, this is what I think. I reckon every other Christian is like a brother or a sister to me, so I will not eat anything that gets them to go wrong. If something that I want to eat might get another Christian to do something wrong, I will never eat it, as long as I live."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "1", "text": "Some of you mob might ask me if it is all right for me to write to you and tell you all these things. Yes, it is all right. You see, God has picked me to be Jesus’s special worker. I’m free to tell you these things. I have seen Jesus, our leader, with my own eyes. I work for him, and I told you mob about him, and now you belong to him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "2", "text": "Maybe other people reckon I’m not Jesus’s special worker, but you know that I am. You see, you believed what I told you, and now you are Christians. That shows that Jesus sent me to you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "3", "text": "Some people think that maybe Jesus didn’t send me, and they ask me a lot of questions, so I tell them about the way I work for Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "4", "text": "I work like this. I never ask people for food or drink. You know, it’s all right for me to ask for it. It can be my pay, for the work I did when I told them about Jesus. But I never ask for it. If I need anything, I buy it for myself."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "5", "text": "And it is all right for me to have a Christian wife and take her everywhere with me, but I don’t do that. Jesus’s other special workers, and his brothers, and Peter, they all have wives, and they take their wives with them when they go to other places. But not me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "6", "text": "And I think that it’s only Barnabas and me that work hard to get our own money to pay for the things we need. I don’t think the others do that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, everyone that works gets some sort of pay for their work. You know about soldiers. They don’t have to buy their own food or their gear. And you know about gardeners. They work, and they always eat some of the food they grow. And it is the same for people that look after cows. They work, and they can drink some of the milk they get. You see, it’s right for people to work and then get something for it. So, if my work is to tell you about Jesus, it’s right for you to give me something for my work. But I never ask you to give me anything."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "8", "text": "And I’m not just saying what people reckon. God says the same thing in his laws."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, a long time ago, God gave Moses this law, “If you get an animal to work for you, you have to let that animal eat something while it works.” That is the law. And listen, God wasn’t just thinking about animals when he gave Moses that law."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "10", "text": "He was thinking about us people too. People have to get food, just like animals do. Listen to this picture story about the gardeners that grow food. One man digs up the ground and puts seeds in the ground. Then those seeds grow into food plants, and after that, another man gets the food from those plants and puts it in a shed. Those 2 men both worked hard, so they both get some of that food."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "11", "text": "That garden is a picture of all of you Christians, and those gardeners are like the people that told you God’s good news. You see, we worked hard when we told you God’s good news. We gave you what your spirits needed. So now it is only fair for you to give us the things that our bodies need. But we never ask you to give us anything."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "12", "text": "Other people ask you to give them things, and that’s all right for them, so it has to be all right for us, too. But we never ask you to give us anything. You see, if we ask for things when we tell people the good news about Jesus Christ, some of them will not listen to that good news. But we want everybody to listen to our message about Jesus, so we never ask anybody for anything. We reckon it’s better to go short of things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "13", "text": "You know about the Jewish people that work all the time in God’s ceremony house. They cook the meat that other people bring to give to God. They also get some of that meat for themselves, and that’s good. You see, they get something for their work."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "14", "text": "And just like that, our leader Jesus said that his workers have to get something too. He said that the people that hear the good news and get new life, they have to give something to the people that told them that good news, so that Jesus’s workers get the food and other things that they need."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "15", "text": "Well, I am the one that told you the good news, but I haven’t asked you for anything. And even now, while I write to you, I’m not asking you for anything. I reckon it is better for me to die than to ask you for something. Now I can tell people that I gave you that good news, and I didn’t ask for anything. You got it for nothing, and that makes me happy."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "16", "text": "You see, God told me to tell the good news to everyone, so I’ve got to do it. If I don’t tell people that good news, God will give me big trouble. So I can’t say, “I’m really good. I tell people that good news.” No. I can’t do that."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "17", "text": "But suppose I got this job just because I wanted it, then I will want some pay for it. But no, it wasn’t like that. I’m just doing what God told me to do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "18", "text": "And I’m very happy when I can give everyone that good news for nothing. That is like my pay. You see, it is all right for me to ask them for those things. I know that. But I don’t do it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "19", "text": "You know, I’m a free man and nobody can force me to work for them. But I work for everyone without pay, so that a lot of people will listen to me and believe in Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "20-21", "text": "I do it like this. If I’m with my own people, the Jews, I live like a Jew, so the Jews will listen to me and believe in Jesus. I follow the Jewish law like they do. I know that the Jewish law is not really for me any more, but I want the Jewish people to believe in Jesus. (I don’t forget God’s law. I always follow the law that Jesus Christ gave us.) Or if I’m with people that don’t know the Jewish law, so they never worry about it, I live like they do. I don’t worry about that law either. I live like they do, so they will listen to me and believe in Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "22", "text": "Or if I’m with weak people, I become weak too, so they will listen to me. I go to all sorts of people and live like they live. I do everything I can to get them to listen to me, so some of them will believe in Jesus, and God will save them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "23", "text": "I do all these things so that I can help more people hear the good news about Jesus Christ, so that I can be happy, together with all the people that believe in Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "24", "text": "Now think about the people that run in a race. They all run, but only one of them wins that race and gets the prize. Well, we have to be like those people that run in a race. We have to try hard to win. That is, we have to try hard to do whatever God wants, so that in the end God will give us new life. That will be like our prize."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "25", "text": "Those people that run in races, they control themselves and train their bodies so they can win a prize, even though that prize will only be good for a little while. But it is better for us. We control ourselves properly so that we will win a prize that will be good for ever. God will give us new life, so that we will live for ever."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "26", "text": "So, you see, I’m like a good runner that runs in a straight line to the end of the race. And I’m like a fighter that hits and doesn’t miss."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 9, "verse": "27", "text": "I control my body, and I make it do what is right. I want God to give me that good prize. I don’t want God to say to me, “You went wrong. You didn’t do what you told other people to do. So you don’t get new life.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "1", "text": "My Christian friends, remember the story about my mob, the Israel people. A long time ago, they all followed Moses and walked out into the hot dry country. And God put a big cloud above them, and that cloud showed them where to go. Then they came to the Red Sea, and God pushed the water back so that they all walked through the Red Sea on dry ground."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "2", "text": "It was like God baptised everyone that followed Moses, at first in the cloud, and then in the sea."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "3", "text": "They all ate the food that God gave them,"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "4", "text": "and they all drank the water that God gave them. He used his power to put a special rock there for them, and water came from that rock, and they drank it. And that rock followed them all the time in that dry country. That special rock was really Jesus Christ. He went along with them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "5", "text": "That’s how God helped the people. But later most of them went wrong, and he was not happy with them. So he killed them, and their bodies lay everywhere in that dry country."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "6", "text": "All those things happened to the Israel people to show us that God is not happy with people that do bad things. Those things happened so that we will not want to do bad things, like they did."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "7", "text": "Don’t do what some of them did. They showed respect to statues that they thought were gods. God says this in his book, “The people sat down to eat and to drink, to show respect to those statues. Then they stood up to play.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "8", "text": "And some of them slept with a person that was not their own wife or husband, and they did what married people do together. So God killed 23,000 of them in one day. This story tells us that we can only sleep with our own wife or husband, not with anybody else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "9", "text": "And some of them tried to test God. They tried to see how far wrong they could go before he punished them. And he did punish them. Cheeky snakes came and killed them. This story tells us that we can’t try to test Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "10", "text": "And some of them complained about God and said that he was not fair, and one of God’s angel messengers came and killed them. This story tells us that we can’t complain about God and say he is not fair."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "11", "text": "All those things happened to that mob a long time ago, and God got his men to write it all in his book, to show us that those things are wrong. We have to think about those stories and learn from them. You see, we’re living in the end time now, and soon Jesus will come back."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "12", "text": "So be careful. If you think you are standing strong for Jesus, look out. You might fall down and go wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "13", "text": "Sometimes you will want to do bad things and you will find it hard to stop yourself, but remember that other people find it hard to stop themselves from doing bad things too. And remember this, God wants to help you. He will show you a way to stop yourself from going wrong, and he will help you to go the right way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "14", "text": "Listen, my friends, I’m telling you this. Keep away from those statues that people think are gods. Don’t respect them at all."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "15", "text": "I know that you people can think properly, so you yourselves work out what is right."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "16", "text": "Think about when we get together to remember what Jesus did for us. We all drink from that cup, and we remember that Jesus Christ died for us, and his blood came out, and we thank God for him. That joins us together with him and with each other. And when we break up the flat damper and eat it, we all remember that Jesus Christ’s body got broken for us. And that also joins us together with him and with each other."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "17", "text": "You see, we are a lot of people, but all of us eat from one damper, so all of us are like one body when we eat from that same damper."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "18", "text": "Think about the Israel people. They give animals to God and cook their meat on a special table. They show respect to God as they eat that meat, and that joins them together with God and with each other."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "19", "text": "You see, this is what I’m saying. Those statues that people think are gods, they are really nothing. And if people give food to those statues, that food doesn’t get any power at all."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "20", "text": "Really, those people are showing respect to bad spirits, not God, and they are joining themselves to bad spirits. Don’t do that. I don’t want you to join up with bad spirits."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "21", "text": "You can’t go 2 ways at the same time. You can’t drink from the cup of our leader, Jesus, and then drink from the cup of bad spirits. You can’t eat the damper from the table of Jesus, and then eat food from the table of bad spirits."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "22", "text": "If you do, you will make God jealous, and he will get angry with you. And he is a lot stronger than you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "23", "text": "Some of you might say this, “We are free from that Jewish law. We can do anything we like. We can eat that food that they give to those statues, and it will not hurt us.” All right, but I’m telling you, “No. Not everything is good for us Christians to do.” And you might reckon, “We are free, so we can do anything.” But I’m telling you, “No. Not everything helps us be better Christians.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "24", "text": "Don’t just think about yourself, and what is good for you, but think about what is good for other people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "25", "text": "So, all right, this is what you can do. You can buy food from anyone that sells it, but don’t ask them if they first gave it to one of those statues. And don’t ask yourself, “Is it all right for me to eat this food, or not?”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "26", "text": "You see, God’s book says, “The earth, and everything in it, belongs to God.” Yes, all food is from God, so it is all right for us to eat that food."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "27", "text": "Maybe there are some people there that don’t believe in Jesus, and they ask you to eat dinner with them. If you say, “Yes,” and you go to their place, then you can eat whatever food they give to you there. Don’t ask yourself, “Is this food all right or not?” Don’t think about it. Don’t ask them any questions about that food."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "28", "text": "But then, if somebody there says to you, “They gave this food to those statues that they think are gods,” then stop. Don’t eat that food. Think about the person that told you about it. That person might not know if it is all right to eat that food or not, and you don’t want to give that person a problem."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "29", "text": "It will not matter to you. You know it is all right to eat that food. But that other person doesn’t know, and he might think you are doing wrong. Maybe you ask me, “Why can another person say what I can do and what I can’t do?"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "30", "text": "I thank God for my food. So, if I eat that food, nobody can blame me when I eat it.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "31", "text": "Don’t think like that. You have to think like this, that we have to live in a way that shows everyone that God is great and God is good. So whatever you do, even when you eat and drink, do it the way God wants."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "32", "text": "Don’t do anything that might give other people problems. Don’t make problems for Jewish people, or for people that are not Jewish. And don’t make problems for God’s people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 10, "verse": "33", "text": "Be like me. I always try to do what makes everyone happy. I try to help other people. I don’t just do things to help myself. You see, I want God to save those other people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "1", "text": "So you have to try to live the way I live, and do the same sorts of things that I do, just like I try to live the way that Jesus Christ lived."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "2", "text": "There is another thing I want to talk to you about now. I know that you always remember me, and you do the things I taught you. That makes me very happy."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "3", "text": "But I also want you to know this. Jesus Christ is the leader of every man, like he is the head one. And men are the leaders of women, like they are the head ones. And God is the head one of Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "4", "text": "So think about that when you meet together, and think about what other people might reckon when they see what you do. If a man prays, or if he tells a message from God in your meeting, he can’t cover his head. If he covers his head, other people will reckon that he isn’t following his leader, and that will shame his leader, Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "5", "text": "But for women it is different. If a woman prays in your meeting, or if she tells a message from God, that woman has to cover her head. If she doesn’t cover her head, other people will reckon she isn’t following her leader, her husband, and that will shame him. You know, if somebody cuts off all the hair from a woman’s head, that will shame her. And like that, if a woman doesn’t cover her head in your meetings, she shames her husband."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "6", "text": "If she will not cover her head, maybe she has to cut off all her hair, right? No. If she does that, then she will shame herself. She can’t do that. And she can’t shame her husband either. So she has to cover her head in your meetings."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "7", "text": "You see, God made the man like himself, to show everyone that God is great and good. So a man can’t cover his head. He has to show that he respects God. And a man looks after his wife, and she shows how good her husband is, so she has to cover her head to show that she respects him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "8", "text": "Remember that God made the man first, then he made the woman. He took a part of that first man to make the first woman. God didn’t take a part of that first woman to make the man."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "9", "text": "And God didn’t make the first man to help the woman, but he made the first woman to help the man."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "10", "text": "So a woman has to cover her head to show that she respects her husband as her leader. And, you know, God’s angel messengers can see everything we do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, we all belong to our leader Jesus. And in his family the women need the men, and the men need the women."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "12", "text": "It’s like this, God made the first woman by taking a part of the first man, but after that, every man was born from a woman. But really, everything comes from God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "13", "text": "So if a woman in your meeting doesn’t cover her head when she prays to God, do you reckon that’s all right? You work it out for yourselves."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "14", "text": "It is usually like this. If a man has long hair, people will rubbish him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "15", "text": "But if a woman has long hair, it is beautiful, and people will say she looks good. God gave her long hair to cover her."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "16", "text": "I know some people might want to argue with me about all of this, but I’m telling you that we always do it that way. It is our custom. All of God’s churches do that when they meet together."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "17", "text": "There is something else now that I have to talk to you about. I’m not happy about what happens at your meetings. They are not good, they are bad."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "18", "text": "You see, some people told me what happens at your church meetings. They say that there are different groups among you, and each group argues with the other groups when you meet together. And I believe that some of that is true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "19", "text": "Look, you don’t have to split up into different groups, but if you do, God will show which of you is right."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "20", "text": "And when you meet together, you reckon you eat food together to remember that Jesus died for us. But you don’t really do that. You don’t even share your food with each other at that dinner, so you are not respecting Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "21", "text": "You bring your own food and drink, but nobody shares their food with anybody else. And none of you waits for anyone else. So some of you go hungry, while others get drunk."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "22", "text": "Listen. Each of you have your own home where you can eat and drink. But there are poor people that haven’t got any food at your meetings, and if you don’t share your food with them, you shame them. That is bad. You are rubbishing God’s people, his church. I’m not happy with you when you do that. I can’t say anything good about you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "23", "text": "Listen. Our leader Jesus gave me this message, and I taught it to you. It is this. One night our leader, Jesus, had dinner with his special workers, and on that same night, one of those followers turned against him and went to help Jesus’s enemies grab him. At that dinner, Jesus picked up some flat damper"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "24", "text": "and thanked God for it. Then he broke it into bits and said, “This damper is my body. You see, I will let bad people break my body. I will do that for you. So whenever you eat this special meal, remember what I did for you.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "25", "text": "And Jesus did something like that at the end of the dinner too. He picked up a cup of wine and said, “Drink from this cup. God has agreed to save people, and I will die so he can do that. My blood will come out, and it is like I’m using my blood to sign God’s new agreement with people, to say that they are not guilty of the bad things they did. So every time you have this special dinner and drink from this cup, remember that my blood came out, and that I died for you.” That’s what Jesus said that night."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "26", "text": "You see, every time you eat that damper and drink from that cup you are saying that Jesus died for you. And you will keep on doing that until he comes back again."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "27", "text": "You see, you want to remember that Jesus died for you, so you eat that damper and you drink from that cup together. But if you do it in a bad way that doesn’t respect Jesus, you are guilty. You are just as guilty as those people that hurt Jesus’s body and made his blood come out."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "28", "text": "So, when you eat this meal together, first of all, you each have to think very carefully about yourselves, and the way you live your lives. Then, after you do that, you can eat that damper and you can drink from that cup."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "29", "text": "You see, if you don’t respect the body of Jesus when you eat that damper and drink from that cup, you are doing wrong, and God will judge you and punish you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "30", "text": "That is the reason why a lot of you are weak and sick now, and some of your mob have died."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "31", "text": "But if we think carefully about ourselves and how we live, and if we are sorry for the wrong things we did, God will not punish us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "32", "text": "But if God does punish us, he does it to teach us to do good things. So later, when God judges everyone in the world and punishes all the bad people, he will not punish us too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "33", "text": "So, my Christian friends, this is what I’m telling you. Whenever you meet together to eat, to remember that Jesus died for you, you have to wait for each other to be ready."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 11, "verse": "34", "text": "And don’t come to that meeting hungry. If you are hungry, eat something at home before you come to the meeting, so when you meet together, you will not do something wrong, and God will not punish you. That’s all I want to say about this matter right now. There are some other things that I want to talk to you about, but I will wait until I come and visit you, and then we can sort them out."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "1", "text": "My Christian friends, you know that the Holy Spirit gives special power to Christians. I want to tell you more about that, so that you will understand it properly."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "2", "text": "Remember this. Before you knew God, you listened to other people that didn’t know God, and you did what they did. You used to respect those statues that you thought were gods, but you know, they are just dumb statues, they can’t say anything."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "3", "text": "Now listen, I want you to understand this. If God’s spirit is inside somebody, they can never say, “Jesus, get away from me.” And the only people that can really say, “Jesus is my leader,” are the people that have God’s spirit inside them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "4", "text": "You know, the Holy Spirit gives us special powers to do things. We call those powers the gifts that he gives us. There are different sorts of gifts, but they all come from the same Holy Spirit."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "5", "text": "We work for God in a lot of different ways, but all of us work for Jesus."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "6", "text": "Different people can do different things, but it is the same God that gives each person the power to work for him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "7", "text": "It’s like this. The Holy Spirit works in each one of us. He gives us these gifts so we can help each other."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "8", "text": "The Holy Spirit gives one person the power to say a wise message for somebody, and he gives another person the power to know something special."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "9", "text": "The same Holy Spirit gives another person the power to believe God strongly for something. And he gives another person the power to make sick people better."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "10", "text": "The same Holy Spirit gives another person the power to do great things. And he gives another person the power to tell messages straight from God. The same Holy Spirit gives another person the power to know if something comes from God’s spirit, or if it comes from bad spirits. He gives another person the power to talk in special languages, and he gives another person the power to say what those special language words mean."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "11", "text": "It is the same Holy Spirit that does all those things. He gives gifts to each person, just the way he wants to."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "12", "text": "You know, a body has a lot of parts. All those different parts make only one body. And it is like that with Jesus Christ too. We Christians are like his body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "13", "text": "Some of us are Jews, and the rest of us are not Jews. Some of us are free, and some of us are like prisoners that have to work for no pay. But no matter what we are, God put his spirit into all of us, that is, he baptised us in his spirit. He did that to join us together into one body. Now we all have that same Holy Spirit in us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "14", "text": "And you know that a body doesn’t have just one part. It has a lot of different parts."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "15", "text": "Suppose a foot thinks to itself, “I’m not a hand, so I don’t belong to this body.” That doesn’t change anything, it is still a part of the body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "16", "text": "Or suppose an ear thinks to itself, “I’m not an eye, so I don’t belong to this body.” But no matter what it thinks, it is still a part of the body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "17", "text": "Suppose the whole body was an eye, it wouldn’t hear anything. Or suppose the whole body was an ear, it wouldn’t smell anything."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "18-19", "text": "Suppose each part of the body was the same, it wouldn’t really be a body. But, you see, God put all the different parts in the body just like he wanted them. In the same way, God put different Christians together to become the church."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "20", "text": "Yes, a body has a lot of parts, but they make only one body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "21", "text": "And a body needs every part. Its eye can’t reckon, “I don’t need that hand.” And its head can’t reckon, “I don’t need those feet.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "22", "text": "A body needs every part, even the parts that we think are weak. In the same way, the church needs every sort of Christian."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "23", "text": "There are some parts of our bodies that we think are not very nice, and we don’t want anyone to see them, so we carefully look after those parts and cover them up."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "24", "text": "But we don’t need to cover the beautiful parts of our bodies. God has joined all those parts together to make one body. We might think some parts are not important, but God has made them really important."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "25", "text": "So all the parts of our bodies live quietly together and help each other."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "26", "text": "If one part of a body hurts, every other part hurts with it. Or if one part of a body is feeling good, every other part is happy with it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "27", "text": "You see, you are all like Jesus Christ’s body. Each of you Christians is a part of his body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "28", "text": "And God gives people different jobs in his church, and he gives them the power to do those jobs. – 1st, there are Jesus’s special workers, that God sends to other places to tell people his good news. – 2nd, there are those other people that God uses to tell his messages. – 3rd, there are those people that can teach other people. – After that, there are those people that have the power to do great things. – Then there are those people that have the power to make sick people better. – And there are those people that can help other people. – And there are those people that can lead other people. – And there are those people that can talk in special languages."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "29", "text": "Did God send all of you out to other places to be Jesus’s special workers? No, he didn’t. Did he give all of you the power to tell his messages? No. Did he give all of you the power to be teachers? No. Did he give all of you the power to do great things? No, he didn’t."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "30", "text": "And he didn’t give all of you the power to make sick people better. He didn’t give all of you the power to talk in special languages, and he didn’t give all of you the power to say what those special language words mean."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 12, "verse": "31", "text": "You see, God gives different powers to different people. So you have to really want the best powers from God. But there is another really good way, so now I will tell you about that way. It is the best way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "1", "text": "You see, we can have power from God, but if we don’t love people, we are nothing. Suppose we talk in the languages of other people and even talk in the languages of angels, but if we don’t love people, all of that is useless. We will only be making a noise, like somebody banging a drum or hitting a bell."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "2", "text": "Suppose we tell people God’s messages, and suppose we know God’s secrets and understand all about everything, and suppose we trust God so strongly that we can get him to move mountains, but if we don’t love other people, we are nothing."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "3", "text": "Suppose we give everything that we have to poor people, and suppose we stay strong for Jesus, even if somebody burns our bodies so that we die, but if we don’t love people, all of that is useless."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "4", "text": "If we love people, we will be good to them, and we will not get angry with people that give us trouble. If we love people, we will not be jealous of them. If we love people, we will not reckon we are better than they are, and we will not think we are really good when we are not good."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "5", "text": "If we love people, we will not be rude to them or shame them. If we love people, we will think about what they want, not just what we want for ourselves. If we love people, we will not get angry with them quickly, and we will not keep on remembering the bad things they did to us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "6", "text": "If we love people, we will not be happy if they do things that are wrong, but we will be happy if they do things that are right and true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "7", "text": "If we love people properly, we will keep on loving them, no matter what happens. If we love people, we will keep on believing good things about them, and we will keep on hoping good things for them, and even if we are getting trouble, we will not give up."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "8", "text": "You know, I talked to you already about the special power that God gives to his people, and now I’m telling you that one day we will stop using that special power. But we can’t stop loving people. If you love somebody properly, you will always love them. But the time will come when God will not need to give us special power any more. When that time comes, God will not tell people his special messages, and God will not get people to talk in special languages, and God will not let people know special things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, now we only know a little bit, and the special messages that we get from God only tell us a little bit."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "10", "text": "Right now we only have a little bit of what God wants to give to us. But the time will come when he will let us understand everything properly. Then we will not worry about the little bits any more."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "11", "text": "I’ll use a picture story about myself to show you what I mean. When I was a little kid I talked like a little kid, and I thought about things the way a little kid thinks about things. I only understood what a little kid can understand. But then I grew up, and now I’m a man, and I’ve stopped thinking like a little kid."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "12", "text": "This is what that story means. Now we only understand a little bit. It is like we are looking at things in a dark mirror now. But the time will come when everything will be clear to us, like we are looking straight at them, not in a mirror. Right now we only know a little bit, but at that time we will know everything properly, just like God knows us properly."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 13, "verse": "13", "text": "So I’m saying there are 3 important things for us to keep on doing. – We have to keep on believing in God. – We have to keep on knowing for sure that God will be good to us. – We have to keep on loving God and people. We have to keep on doing those 3 things, and the most important one is this, – We have to keep on loving God and people."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "1", "text": "So always love other people. That is most important. And ask God’s spirit to give you special powers too. Ask him for the power to tell special messages from God. That is more important than the power to talk in a special language."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "2", "text": "If somebody talks in a special language, they are only talking to God, not talking to people. Nobody can understand them. The Holy Spirit is getting them to talk about secret things, but nobody can understand what they are saying."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "3", "text": "But if somebody tells messages from God, they are talking to other people, and helping them to understand things better and get strong. Those messages from God help people and make them happy, even if they have trouble."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "4", "text": "You see, a person that talks in a special language helps only themselves. But a person that tells messages from God helps all the people in the church to get strong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "5", "text": "I’m happy if you all talk in special languages, but I’m more happy if you all tell people messages from God. The person that can tell God’s messages is greater than the person that talks in special languages. But if somebody tells everyone what those words mean, then it is all right. They will help the church get strong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "6", "text": "My Christian friends, if I come and talk to you in a special language that you don’t understand, that will not help you. But if God shows me something, and if I tell you about it, that will help you. Or if he lets me know something new, and if I tell you about it, that will help you too. Or if he gives me a message for you, and if I come and tell you, or if I teach you something, that will help you too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "7", "text": "Think about things that make sounds, like guitars. If we don’t play them the right way, nobody will think it is proper music."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "8", "text": "And think about soldiers. Their leader gets one man to blow a trumpet to tell the other soldiers what to do, but if he doesn’t blow it properly, they will not know what to do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "9", "text": "Well, it is like that for you. You have to talk clearly and say words that people can understand. If they can’t understand your words, you will be talking to nobody."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "10", "text": "You know, there are a lot of different languages in this world, and all of them make sense to the people that know those languages."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "11", "text": "But if somebody talks to me in a language that I don’t know, I will not understand them. I will be like a stranger to them, and they will be like a stranger to me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "12", "text": "And it is the same for you too. I know that you really want God’s spirit to give you special powers, so ask God to give you the powers that will help the church people be strong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "13", "text": "So in your meetings, if anyone talks in a special language, they have to ask God to show them what those words mean so they can tell everybody the message."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, it is like this. If I pray in a special language, I’m not using my mind. I’m not thinking about my words while I pray. Only my spirit is praying."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "15", "text": "So what will I do? Sometimes I will pray with my spirit, and sometimes I will pray with my mind. And sometimes I will sing with my spirit, and sometimes I will sing with my mind."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "16", "text": "You see, if you only thank God with your spirit, in a special language, other people in the meeting can’t understand what you are saying, so they can’t agree with you and say, “That’s right.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "17", "text": "You might be thanking God, but your words don’t help anyone else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "18", "text": "I thank God that I talk in special languages more than any of you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "19", "text": "But if I talk in a church meeting, I want to tell people more about God, and I want them to understand my words. So, I reckon, if I say 5 words that they can understand, that is better than if I say 10,000 words in a special language that they can’t understand."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "20", "text": "My Christian friends, don’t be like little kids in the way you think. You know, little kids don’t know much about anything. They don’t understand really bad things. So whenever you think about bad things, be like little kids. But whenever you think about anything else, be grown up people. Think properly and understand things properly."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "21", "text": "You know, God got one of his men to write this in his book, “God will get people from other tribes to talk to this mob. They will talk to them in strange languages. But even if God gets strangers to talk to this mob, they will not listen to him.” That is what God said."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "22-24", "text": "It is like this. If you talk in special languages, God will use that talk, but not the way you think. He will use it to show you that it is useless to do that when you are all together in a church meeting. Suppose some strangers come into that meeting, people that don’t know very much, and don’t believe in God. They will hear you all talking in those strange languages, and they will say, “You mob are all mad.” But if you tell God’s special messages, God will use that to show you that it is right to do that in your church meetings. Suppose some strangers come into the meeting, and they hear you telling messages from God. They will listen to what you say, and they will understand it. Then they will know that they are not God’s friends, and they will know that they have to turn around and stop doing bad things."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "25", "text": "Those messages from God will show them every secret thing that they think about, and they will get down on the ground and show respect to God. And they will say, “It’s true, God is really here with you mob.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "26", "text": "So, my friends, this is how to have proper church meetings. Whenever you church people meet together, each one of you can have something to help the other people there. One of you might have a song that all of you can sing to God. Another person might have something that they can teach you. Somebody else might want to tell you about something that God has shown them. Another person might talk in a special language, and then somebody else can tell everybody what those words in that special language mean. Do all those things to help each other be strong Christians."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "27", "text": "Only let 2 or 3 people talk in special languages in your meetings, and they have to take turns. Only let one person talk at a time, and then, each time, somebody has to tell everybody what those words in that special language mean."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "28", "text": "But if there is nobody there that can do that, then don’t let anybody talk in special languages. They have to be quiet. They can’t talk out loud in a special language, but they can talk to themselves and to God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "29", "text": "And if the Holy Spirit has given some of you the power to tell messages from God, well, 2 or 3 of you can tell those messages. And the other people there have to think carefully about each message and check it, to make sure each message is really from God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "30", "text": "And if one person is telling a message, and while they are talking somebody else gets a message from God, that first person has to stop talking, so that the next person can tell their new message from God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "31", "text": "Each of you can tell a message from God, but you have to wait for each other so that only one person talks at a time. Then everyone will learn something, and you will all feel strong for God."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "32", "text": "You see, if you have power from the Holy Spirit to tell God’s messages, you can control your own spirit, and you will wait for the right time to talk."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "33", "text": "God wants you to respect each other and listen to each other. He doesn’t want your meetings to be mixed up and noisy. And now I’ll talk to you about another matter. This is what it’s like for God’s people in all the other churches."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "34", "text": "The women have to be quiet in the church meetings. They have to do what the leaders say. That’s what the law says."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "35", "text": "If a woman wants to ask about something, she can wait and ask her husband at home. If women talk in a church meeting, they shame the church."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "36", "text": "Maybe you think I’m wrong, but remember this, you don’t know everything in God’s word. It didn’t start with you, and you are not the only people that ever heard it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "37", "text": "Somebody might reckon that the Holy Spirit gave them the power to tell God’s messages, and that they listen to the Holy Spirit all the time. All right, but they have to understand that this letter I’m writing comes from our leader himself, and his people have to do what he says."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "38", "text": "So if that person will not take any notice of this letter, then you mob can’t believe their messages. Don’t take any notice of anything they say."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "39", "text": "So, my Christian friends, this is what I’m telling you about your meetings. If you want to tell messages from God, that is good. And don’t stop people from talking in special languages."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 14, "verse": "40", "text": "Do everything properly. Do everything the right way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "1", "text": "My Christian friends, I want you to remember the good news that I taught you. You listened to that message and believed it, and you still strongly believe it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "2", "text": "And if you keep on believing that good news, God will save you. If you don’t keep on believing it, I reckon you didn’t believe it properly in the first place."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "3", "text": "You know, God told me that message, and then I taught it to you. And, you know, a long time ago, God got his men to write about some of those things, and they are in God’s book. Now I’ll tell you the important part of that message again. Everybody did bad things. We are all bad, but Jesus Christ died instead of us. That message is in God’s book."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "4", "text": "People buried Jesus. Then after 2 nights, on the 3rd day, God made him alive again. That message is in God’s book, too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "5", "text": "After that, Jesus showed himself to Peter. Then later he showed himself to all of his 12 special workers."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "6", "text": "After that, he showed himself to more than 500 of his followers at the same time. Most of those 500 people are still alive, but some of them have died."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "7", "text": "Then he showed himself to James, and later he showed himself to all of his special workers."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "8", "text": "All those people saw Jesus. But I was different from Jesus’s other special workers. He didn’t show himself to me until some time later."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "9", "text": "But before I ever saw Jesus, he sent out his other special workers. They were the first people to go out and tell his message, so they are all more important than me. You see, I used to make a lot of trouble for God’s own people, so I’m not really good enough for anyone to call me one of Jesus’s special workers."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "10", "text": "But God was very good to me. He changed me and made me the way I am now. And so more people heard the good news about Jesus. You see, I’ve worked harder than any of his other special workers. But it wasn’t really me that did that work. No. It was God that gave me the power to do his work, so he is the one that did it."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "11", "text": "So it doesn’t really matter who told you God’s message. Maybe it was me, or maybe it was one of his other special workers. We all tell people the same good news about Jesus Christ, and that is the good news that you believed. That is the important thing."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "12", "text": "This is our message. Jesus Christ died, and then God made him alive again. But some of you reckon that God never makes dead people alive again. But you are wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "13", "text": "You see, if you reckon that God never makes dead people alive again, you are also saying that God didn’t make Jesus Christ alive again."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "14", "text": "And if you reckon that God didn’t make Jesus Christ alive again, you are saying that our message is useless, and that you believed something that was wrong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "15", "text": "If that’s what you reckon, you are saying that we lied to you about God when we told you that he made Jesus Christ alive again. But you are not right."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "16", "text": "You see, if you reckon that God never makes dead people alive again, you are saying that he didn’t make Jesus Christ alive again."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "17", "text": "And if God didn’t make Jesus Christ alive again, like you reckon, then you believed in Jesus for nothing, and it means that you are still guilty of the bad things you did."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "18", "text": "And if you reckon that God never makes dead people alive again, you are saying that the Christians that died are now lost and gone for ever."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "19", "text": "You reckon that we can only be sure that Jesus Christ will look after us here in this life. But we Christians get trouble in this life, and other people in the world are more happy than us. So if God will not make us alive again after we die, they can feel sorry for us. But that is not true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "20", "text": "Listen, this is the true story. Jesus Christ died, and God made him alive again. Jesus was the first person to die and then come back to life again, and to live for ever."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "21-22", "text": "You see, it’s like this. God said that everyone that does bad things has to die. Remember the first man, called Adam. He did something bad, so he died. And we are all from Adam, so we are all in his family, and we all do bad things too, so we all have to die. But then another man came, and he only did good things. That man is Jesus Christ. So now, after people die, God can make them alive again. You see, everyone that believes in Jesus Christ is in Jesus’s family now, so God will make them alive again."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "23", "text": "But we each have to wait for our turn. The first one was Jesus Christ. He died, and then God made him alive again. He is the first one to live again. After he comes back, all his people will live again too."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "24", "text": "Then Jesus will finish up all the bad spirits. Some of them are bosses, and some of them have power. He will take away their power, and he will finish them all up. Then the end will come, and Jesus will give everything to God, the father, and God will be the biggest boss for everybody."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "25", "text": "You see, Jesus Christ will keep on being the big boss, until he wins against his enemies, and God makes all those enemies do what Jesus says."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "26", "text": "In the end he will stop us from dying. He will keep everything alive, and nobody will die any more."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "27", "text": "God’s book says this, “God will win, and he will make everything do what he says.” Those words tell us that God is the one that will make everything do what Jesus says. You see, Jesus will not be the boss over God, but he will be the boss over everything else."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "28", "text": "When God makes everything do what Jesus Christ says, then Jesus, God’s son, will have God as his boss. Then God will be the only big boss, and he will control everything everywhere."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "29", "text": "You know, sometimes a Christian dies before anyone baptised them, so sometimes you mob try to help them, and you baptise another Christian instead of them. But think about it, if dead people will never live again, that is a useless thing for you to do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "30", "text": "And think about me and the other people that work with me. We tell everyone God’s message, and some people get angry with us and they want to kill us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "31", "text": "Every day, I worry that somebody might kill me. My Christian friends, I’m very happy that you are trusting our leader Jesus Christ, so I’m telling you this."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "32", "text": "At that town called Ephesus, I got trouble for telling people about Jesus. Some men there tried to kill me, and I had to fight back. I was like a man fighting wild animals. But, if God will not make me alive again after I die, it means I got all that trouble for nothing. Some of you reckon that dead people will never live again. If that is true, then we can be like the people that say this, “We are going to die tomorrow, so today we will have fun. We will eat and drink as much as we like, and we will not worry about tomorrow.” That is what they say, but it is not true."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "33", "text": "Listen, don’t let anyone trick you with that sort of talk. Remember that wise people say this, “Don’t have friends that do bad things, or they will get you to do bad things too.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "34", "text": "So start thinking properly, and do what is right. Stop doing bad things. I think that some of you don’t really know God. I’m saying this to make you feel shame."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "35", "text": "Somebody might hear me say that dead people will come alive again, and they might ask me, “How can that happen? What sort of bodies will they have?”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "36", "text": "That’s a stupid question. You know, all sorts of things die and then they get new bodies. Think about seeds and plants. If you plant a seed in the ground, that seed dies. But that is not the end. A new plant grows up. That seed comes alive again and grows up into a new plant."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "37", "text": "The thing you put into the ground was just a seed (maybe a wheat seed, or whatever). You don’t put the body of the plant in the ground, but just the seed."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "38", "text": "Then God makes it grow up and become a new plant, with its own sort of body. God gives every sort of seed its own sort of body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "39", "text": "Every sort of thing that is alive has a different sort of body from every other sort of thing. People have one sort of body. Animals have a different sort of body. Birds have another sort of body, and fish have another sort of body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "40", "text": "And other things have different sorts of bodies too. There are bodies in the sky, and there are bodies here on the earth. They are all beautiful in their own way. The bodies in the sky are beautiful in a different way from the bodies on the earth."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "41", "text": "The sun is bright and beautiful. And the moon is beautiful too, in a different way from the sun. The stars are bright and beautiful too, but they are different again, and some stars are brighter than other stars."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "42", "text": "Well, it will be like that for us when God makes us alive again. The bodies we have now will die. But after God makes us alive again, our new bodies will never die."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "43", "text": "The bodies we have now are weak and not very good. But after God makes us alive again, our new bodies will be beautiful and strong."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "44", "text": "The bodies we have when we die are normal bodies. But after God makes us alive again, we will have new bodies, and they will be spiritual bodies. You see, there are normal bodies, and there are spiritual bodies."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "45", "text": "This is what God says in his book, “The 1st man, Adam, became a living person.” But we can think of Jesus, that he is the last Adam. You see, he is the spirit that makes people alive."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "46", "text": "It is like this. Right now, each of us has a normal body. They are the bodies we got at first. But later we will each get a new spiritual body."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "47", "text": "And think about Adam. He was the 1st man, and he came from the ground. But Jesus, the 2nd man, came from heaven."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "48", "text": "Everyone on earth has a body like the man that came from the ground. But the people that belong to heaven will have a body like the man that came from heaven."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "49", "text": "You see, the bodies that we have now are like Adam’s body. He was the 1st man, and God made him out of the ground. But our spiritual bodies will be different. They will be like Jesus’s body. He is the man that came from heaven."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "50", "text": "My Christian friends, this is what I’m telling you. We can’t go to God and live for ever in his family in our normal bodies. They are made of meat, blood, bones, skin, and all that. These bodies that we have now have to die. They can’t go on for ever."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "51", "text": "Listen, I’m telling you something new. God didn’t tell other people this message before, but it is important. He will change all of us. Some of us will still be alive at that time, but maybe some of us will be dead. It doesn’t matter, God will change all of us."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "52", "text": "It will happen like this. We will hear the sound of somebody blowing the last trumpet, then straight away God will change us. It will be quick, as quick as you can blink your eyes. You see, as soon as that trumpet makes its sound, God will make his dead people alive again. At that time, he will give us new bodies that will never die. God will change all of us, those of us that are alive and those of us that are dead at that time."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "53", "text": "You see, the bodies we have now will die, but they will get new life. God will change our normal bodies into bodies that can never die."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "54-56", "text": "You know, whenever we do bad things, we break God’s law, and God’s law says we have to die for doing those bad things. There is a power that gets us to go wrong and die like that. It is like a cheeky scorpion that stings us and kills us. But God will change our bodies into bodies that will never die, and at that same time God will finish up that power that makes us go wrong. You know, a long time ago, one of God’s men wrote about this, and it is in God’s book. He wrote, “God will finish up that power that makes everything die.” “It will be gone. It will not sting us any more, and people will not die any more.” And it will happen just like those men wrote."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "57", "text": "You see, our leader Jesus Christ has won the fight. So with Jesus we win too. And we say, “Thank you God.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 15, "verse": "58", "text": "So always remember those things, my Christian friends. I love you, and I want you to stay strong for God. Don’t let anything take you away from him. Keep on working hard for our leader Jesus. Remember, he will help you, so that everything you do with him will be good. It will not be useless."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "1", "text": "All right, now I want to talk to you about something else. I will answer the question you asked me about the money that you want to give to God’s people in Jerusalem. You know, I talked to the people in the churches in Galatia country, and I told them how to give money to God’s people in Jerusalem, and I want you to do it the same way."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "2", "text": "Do it like this. On the 1st day of every week, each of you can pick out some of the money that you got that week, and keep it in a separate place. I will come to you soon, and you will have that money ready for me. You will not have to quickly look around and try to find it when I get there."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "3", "text": "And you can pick a few of your men to take that money to Jerusalem and give it to God’s people there. But wait for me to get to you at Corinth. Then I will write some letters to tell the Jerusalem mob that each of those men is a good man. They can take those letters with them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "4", "text": "And I might go with them, too. If I think it is the right thing for me to do, I will go with them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "5", "text": "But before I get to Corinth, I have to go through Macedonia country, and after that, I will visit you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "6", "text": "Maybe I will stay with you for a while. I might even stay until the end of the cold weather time, and then you can give me the things I will need for my trip to the next place."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "7", "text": "You see, I want to stay here in Ephesus for a little while, and then I can come to you. And when I come, I don’t want to stay a short time and then go to another place, but I want to stay with you for some time. I hope that our leader, Jesus, agrees with this plan, so that I can stay with you for a little longer time."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "8", "text": "But right now I will stay here until that day called Pentecost comes."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, God is helping me do great and powerful things for him here. But there are a lot of people here that are trying to stop me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "10", "text": "I want to talk to you now about Timothy. He is doing God’s work, the same as me. So if he comes to visit you, make him feel good with you there. Don’t let anyone make trouble for him,"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "11", "text": "and don’t let anyone rubbish him. And when he gets up to come here to me, you mob help him and give him what he needs for his trip. I’m waiting for him here, and I’m waiting for the other Christians that are coming with him."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "12", "text": "And now I want to tell you about our friend Apollos. When those other Christians went to visit you, I really wanted Apollos to go with them and visit you, too. I kept on telling him to go, but he reckoned that it was not the right time. He will visit you later, when he can."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "13", "text": "Now I want to tell you this. You have to always be ready for anything. It’s like you have to stay awake and keep on watching what is going on. Never stop believing in God. Always be brave, and be strong in your spirits."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "14", "text": "And keep on loving God and other people all the time, and do things to help them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "15", "text": "You know about Stefanas and his family. They were the first people in Akaya country to believe in Jesus. And they help God’s people all the time. So, my Christian friends, I strongly ask you this."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "16", "text": "I want you to agree with them and do what they want. And do the same for anyone that works hard for God, like they do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "17", "text": "I was very happy when Stefanas, Fortunatus and Akayacus came to me here. You see, you mob were too far away, and you couldn’t help me, but instead, they came and helped me."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "18", "text": "They made my spirit happy, just like they made your spirits happy. Let them know, and let anyone like them know, that you are happy with them for the good things they do."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "19", "text": "The people in the churches here in Asia country say hello to you. And so do Aquila, and his wife Priscilla, and the Christians that meet in their house. They know that you belong to Jesus, and they love you, and they say hello to you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "20", "text": "All the Christians here say hello to you. And you, too, whenever you meet other Christians, show them that you know they are special, and that you are happy to see them."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "21", "text": "Look, I’m now writing this part of this letter with my own hand, so that you can know for sure that it is me, Paul, sending this letter to you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "22", "text": "And I want to say this to anyone that doesn’t love our leader, Jesus, “God will punish you.” And I’m telling Jesus, “Please come back soon.”"}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "23", "text": "I’m asking our leader, Jesus, to be good to all of you."}
{"book": "1CO", "chapter": 16, "verse": "24", "text": "I love all of you that belong to Jesus Christ. From Paul"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. God got me to be one of Jesus Christ’s special workers. I’m sending this letter to all God’s people there at Ephesus, all you people that follow Jesus Christ properly."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "I’m asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "God is the father of our leader Jesus Christ. God joined us to Jesus, and he gave us every good thing that our spirits need. So we have to thank him a lot."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "A long time ago, before he made the world, God picked us to be his people, and he joined us to Jesus Christ, so that now God can say we are good, like we never did anything wrong. He loved us,"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "so he got Jesus to bring us into his family, and now we can be God’s own kids. God did that because it is what he really wanted to do."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "So we thank him a lot for that. God loves his son, Jesus, very much, and after we are joined to his son, God is really good to us too."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, we were prisoners of the devil, the boss over the bad spirits. But Jesus died for us, and his blood came out for us. Jesus paid for us with his own blood, and he set us free from the devil. So now God will not punish us for all the bad things we did. Yes, God is very good to us."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "He does all that for us, and he also makes us wise and helps us to think properly."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "God planned it all a long time ago, and nobody knew about it. But now he let us know about it. He told us that he is using Jesus to do the things he planned, things that make him happy."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "And at the right time he will finish doing the things he planned. He will bring everything together, the things in heaven, and the things on the earth. God will bring them all together, and Jesus Christ will be the leader and boss over everything."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "God always does everything that he plans. And a long time ago, he picked us, and planned to join us to Jesus Christ and make us his people."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "At first he picked the Jewish people. They were the first to trust Jesus Christ, and to wait for him to save them. God wanted the Jews to be the first people to praise him, and to say that he is really great."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "Now it is your turn. You people that are not Jews, you heard that good news that God saves you, and you believed in Jesus Christ. And God gave you his Holy Spirit, just like he promised. His spirit in you is like his sign on you, to show everyone that you belong to him."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "And now God promises us that one day we will be properly free from doing wrong things. He gives us the Holy Spirit now. It is the first good thing that he gives us, and it shows us that he will give us other good things, for sure. So we really thank God, and we say that he is really great."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "Some people told me about you, that you keep on trusting our leader Jesus, and they also told me that you love God’s people. They told me those things,"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "so now I never stop thanking God for you, and I always remember to pray for you."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "I pray to our very great father, the God of our leader Jesus Christ. I pray that his spirit will help you to think properly and show you more about God, so that you will know him better."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "God promised very great things to his people, and now he has them ready for you. I pray that he will show them to you clearly, like he will switch on a light in your minds, so you can know and be sure about these good things."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "I pray that you will know that God is stronger and more powerful than anyone, and that he will use his power to do good things for all of us that trust him. God is very powerful."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, people killed Jesus Christ, but God used his power to make him alive again, and to take him up into heaven. That shows that God is really powerful. Then God put Jesus in the most important place in heaven. He is sitting right next to God, on his right-hand side."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus is now the biggest boss. He is bigger than all the other bosses everywhere, and he is bigger than all the spirits everywhere. He is the big boss over everyone in this world now, and he’s the big boss over everyone in the world that will come later. Not one of them is stronger than Jesus. Only Jesus has God’s power."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "God made Jesus the boss over everyone. It’s like everything is under Jesus’s feet. And God made Jesus the leader of his people. Those people are his church."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "Jesus lives in God’s people, like we are his body, and Jesus is our head. He comes into his people and fills them up. He is the boss over everything, everywhere."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "You know, in the past you mob did lots of bad things. You couldn’t be friends with God. It was like your spirits were dead."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "You didn’t do what God wants, but instead, you always did bad things, just like the other people in this world do. You used to do the things the devil wants. He is the boss over those strong bad spirits that are in the air. That devil is working now inside everyone that will not do what God wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "And it wasn’t only you mob that were bad. We were all bad. We were like those other people in this world. We did whatever we wanted to do. We did whatever made us feel good. We did whatever our own bodies and minds told us to do. And that made God angry with us, just like he is angry with everyone else."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4-5", "text": "But God didn’t punish us. He felt very sorry for us. He loved us, even though we were doing bad things. It is like our spirits were dead. But he was very good to us, and he saved us. He loved us so much that he made our spirits alive, just like he made Jesus Christ alive."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "And God joined us to Jesus, and God lifted us up to sit with Jesus Christ in heaven."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "God did those things to show everyone that he is very good to us. He showed those things to people in the past, and he shows them to us now, and he will keep on showing them to everyone for ever. He is showing everyone that he is better than anyone else. He is really good to everyone that belongs to Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "God is really good to you. You believed in Jesus, and God saved you. You didn’t do anything good, and you didn’t pay God anything, but he saved you anyway."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "You can’t do things to save yourself. Even if you do a lot of good things, you can’t save yourself. No way. It is God that saves you. Nobody can say, “I’m really good, that is the reason why God saved me.” Nobody can talk like that. No way."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "God is the one that made us what we are, and he wants us to do good things. He already has those good things ready for us to do. He turned us into new people, and he joined us to Jesus Christ, so now we can do those good things."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11-12", "text": "Think about what you were at first. You were not Jews, so you didn’t belong to the special mob called Israel. And at that time you were not friends with Jesus Christ. You didn’t know that God promised to send him to save us. And before, when God promised to look after the Israel mob if they agreed to keep his law, he didn’t promise that to you. You didn’t know anything about those things. You were living without God, and there was nothing good for you in this world. You didn’t know anything about the young man operation that God told the Jewish people to do on all their boys. That’s the reason why the Jewish people rubbish you. But don’t worry about that. They are only talking about the operation that people do to their bodies. They are not talking about the job that God does inside us."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "But now it is different for you. At first you were far away from God, but then you believed in Jesus. You believed that he died, and that his blood came out for you. Then God joined you to Jesus Christ, and he brought you really close to himself."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, you mob that are not Jews, you were enemies with us Jewish mob at first. There was something that made us enemies with each other. It was like a wall standing between us. But Jesus broke down that wall, and he brought us together, and he made us become one new group. He has made us friends with each other now."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15-16", "text": "You know, Jesus let people kill his body, and he died for all of us. When he did that, he made all those Jewish laws useless, along with all their rules. Jesus Christ died on the cross for everybody. He died for the Jewish people, and he died for the people that are not Jews. When he died, he stopped the Jews from being enemies with other people, and he brought both mobs to God, to be God’s friends. He brought them together into one new group."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Jesus came and told people God’s message. He said that everyone can be friends with God, and they can be friends with each other. He said that you mob that are not Jews, can be friends with God. You mob were far away from God at that time. And he also said that us Jewish mob can be friends with God. We were more close to God at that time."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "So now the Holy Spirit helps us all to come close to God our father, because Jesus Christ died for all of us. It is the same Holy Spirit that helps us both. He helps Jews, and he helps people that are not Jews."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "So now, you mob that are not Jews, you are not strangers any more. You don’t belong to a different nation any more, but you belong to God’s family, and you are in God’s mob now."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20-22", "text": "I will use a house as a picture story. It is like God used Jesus and all his people to build a special house for himself. He used Jesus Christ to start building that house. He is the most important one. Then God used Jesus’s special workers, and the other people that told God’s messages. They are like the cement slab that the house sits on. Now God is using you mob, with us Jewish mob, to make the rest of the house. It is like God’s people are the bricks and the wood. You mob are not Jews, but you are still part of that house. God’s spirit carefully joins us together, to make that house bigger all the time, and God lives in his special house. That picture of a house shows us that God is living in us all the time."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "You mob know about me, Paul, that I am in jail now. You see, I told you mob the message about Jesus. But the bosses didn’t like me talking about Jesus to people that are not Jews. So they put me in jail."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "And you know that God was very good to me, and he picked me to tell you his message."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "You see, a long time ago, God planned to save people that are not Jews, as well as Jewish people. At that time he didn’t tell everybody about it, but later he told it to me. Remember, I already wrote to you about this."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "When you read those words, you will understand that I know what God planned about Christ."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "God didn’t tell that message to the people that lived before me. But now, God picked Jesus’s special workers and other people that tell his messages, and God’s spirit told them his plan."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "And this is what God planned. He will be good to everyone that believes the good news about Jesus. It doesn’t matter if they are Jews, or not Jews. If they believe in Jesus, God will save them. Both will get what God promised. They both belong to the same mob now. They both belong to God, just like arms and legs belong to the same body."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "God was really good to me. He used his power to help me to be strong. Then he gave me this special job. I have to tell people this good news about Jesus."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "I’m not important. All of God’s people are more important than me. But God was good to me, and he gave me this special job. He sent me to tell the people that are not Jews about the really great things that Jesus Christ can give them. These things are so great that nobody can understand them properly."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "And God sent me to help everyone to understand the message about his plan. A long time ago, when God made everything, he didn’t tell anyone that message. He kept it secret at that time."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "But now God wants everyone to hear that message. He wants to use his church people to show all the spirit bosses, everywhere, that God is really wise, and that he understands all about everything."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "God always planned to save people, and he sent our leader, Jesus Christ, to do it."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "We trust in Jesus, and we are joined to him, so we can come to God, and we can be sure that he will listen to us. We don’t have to be frightened of him."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "So when some people make trouble for me, don’t let that worry you. I tell you God’s word, and they don’t like it, so they make trouble for me. But don’t worry. I want you to be strong. You can always feel happy whenever they make trouble for me."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "When I think about all these things that our father does, I get down on my knees and pray to him."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "He made everything in the world, and everything in heaven, and he put every family here too."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "He is very great, and he can work powerfully in you, so I pray that he will do that. I pray that his spirit will make your spirits strong, inside yourselves."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "I pray that you will trust Jesus Christ properly, so that he will live inside you. I pray that you will always love God properly, and that you will always love other people too, so that you will always keep standing strong for him, like the roots of a tree always keep it standing up strong."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18-19", "text": "I pray for you, and for all God’s people. I pray that you will know, in a powerful way, that Jesus Christ loves us very much. He loves us so much that nobody can properly know all about it. But I want you to understand that he loves everybody very much, so that you will become like him in every way, and you will live the good way he wants you to live."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20-21", "text": "We have to thank God now. His power works in us, and he does really great things. He can do a lot more than we can ask him for. He can even do more than we can think about. And we are God’s people. We are his church. So we always have to praise God and show everyone that he is very great and good. We have to show them what Jesus Christ does, and that he is really great. And we have to keep on doing it for ever and ever. Yes, that’s right."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "So now, even though I’m in jail because I follow Jesus, I’m asking you strongly to live the right way. You see, God picked you to be his own people, so you have to live his way."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "Don’t think that you are more important than other people. You have to be good to other people, you have to listen to them and try to understand them. Don’t get angry with each other, but you have to love each other all the time."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "Try hard to let God’s spirit keep you together as friends, without any trouble between you."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "All of God’s people are like parts of one body, with the one Holy Spirit living in all of us. God picked us to be his own people, so we are all sure of this one thing, that he will do everything that he promised to us."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "We all have only one leader, Jesus. There is only one true message that we all believe, the good news about Jesus. We all went through that one ceremony called baptism, to show that we follow Jesus."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "And there is only one God. He is the father of all of us. He is the biggest boss over everything, and he lives inside all of us to get all of us to do what he wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "You see, Jesus Christ has been good to us. He has given each one of us the spiritual power to do something properly. They are spiritual gifts that he gives us, and he himself picks the person to get each gift."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "A long time ago, God got one of his men to write this in his book, “He went up to the highest place, and he made lots of prisoners follow him. And he gave gifts to people.”"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "That man wrote, “He went up.” But think about it. He couldn’t go up unless he first came down. You see, at first Jesus Christ came down to the low parts of the earth, and after that he went back up."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "It was the same man, Jesus, that came down here, and then went up high, right up above all the sky. So now he can be everywhere."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11-12", "text": "And Jesus Christ gives these special gifts to his people, so that they can help other people in the church. These gifts are the powers he gives to Christians. He gave some of his people the power to be his special workers, and he sent them out to other people to tell them his good news. And he gave other Christians the power to tell God’s messages to people. And he gave some of them the power to help other people to believe in Jesus. And he gave some Christians the power to be pastors, to look after Christians and teach them God’s way. God gave all these powers to his people to get them ready, so that they can work together for him. God works like that, so that his people get stronger, and so that more people join his family. We are like the body of Jesus Christ here on earth, and he wants that body to get bigger and stronger"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "God will keep on using the people with this spiritual power until we all join in together, and we all work together properly. We all believe in God’s son, so we all have to work together, and we all have to get to know Jesus better. Then we, God’s people, will become like Jesus Christ himself. We will become what God wants us to be."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "So then liars will not trick us, like they trick little kids. Lots of tricky people will try to teach us new messages that sound good, but are wrong. But we will not be like little kids. We will not believe their lies. Instead, we will be strong, and we will not stop believing the true message."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "We will love people, and at the same time we will tell them the true message. Then we will get stronger for Jesus Christ and become more like him. It’s like we are his body, and he is the head."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "He holds the whole body together. He’s like the strings in a body that join every part together. Each of us is a different part of his body, and if every one of us does our job properly, and if we love each other, the whole body will grow, and it will get stronger."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "I’m telling you this message that our leader, Jesus, wants me to tell you, so you have to take notice of it. Don’t live any more like the people that don’t know God. They can’t think straight."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "They can’t understand anything properly. It is like their minds are in darkness. They don’t want to know God, and they are a long way away from him. He doesn’t give them new life. They do bad things, but they never feel sorry about it."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "They don’t know what is right, or what is wrong, any more. They only want to do all sorts of bad things, and dirty things, and they really want to keep on doing those wrong things."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "But when you learned about Jesus Christ, you didn’t learn to live in a bad way like that."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "I’m sure that you heard the good story about Jesus, and you learned the true things that Jesus taught to people."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "22", "text": "You learned that we all have a bad part inside us that gets us to only think about what we want for ourselves, and it gets us to go wrong, and it gets us to do bad things. And you learned that now we have to turn around and stop doing those things. So don’t take any notice of that old bad part inside you. Don’t think about those bad things any more,"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "23", "text": "but let the Holy Spirit show you how to think in a new way."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "24", "text": "You have to live a new way now. You have to live for God. He makes you into a new person, to be like himself, so you have to properly do what is right, and do what is good, like he does."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "25", "text": "You know, we all belong to Jesus, like each one of us is a part of his body. So don’t lie to each other. Only say the things that are true."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "26", "text": "And if you get angry, don’t do anything wrong. Don’t stay angry all day, but quickly stop being angry."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "27", "text": "Don’t make it easy for the devil, the boss over the bad spirits, to get you to go wrong."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "28", "text": "Anyone that steals things from other people has to stop doing that. Instead, they have to do honest work to get things for themselves, and they have to give things to other people that need them."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "29", "text": "And don’t swear, or say any bad talk. Only say good things that will help people, and say things that they need to hear. When you do that, your words will be good for the people that hear you."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "30", "text": "Don’t make the Holy Spirit sad. Remember, he is in you. God gave him to you so that you can be really sure that you belong to God, and that one day God will set you free from everything bad."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "31", "text": "So don’t get upset with people, and don’t think about them in a bad way. Don’t get angry with anyone. Don’t argue or fight with people. Don’t yell at anyone, or say bad things about them. Don’t do anything bad to anyone."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "32", "text": "Instead, be good to each other, and try to understand how other people feel. If somebody does wrong to you, don’t do payback to them, but let it go. Be good to each other, just like God is good to you. He doesn’t do payback to you. You belong to Jesus Christ now, so God doesn’t punish you for those bad things you did."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "You are God’s kids, and he loves you, so try to be like God. He is good all the time."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2", "text": "Always love other people, just like Jesus Christ loves us. He loved us so much that he took our payback, and he died instead of us. You know how people used to kill animals and burn them, to give them to God, for the good smell to make him happy. Well, just like those animals, Jesus died. When Jesus died, he gave himself to God. Jesus did that because he loved you. So you have to love other people too."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "So don’t sleep with somebody that is not your own wife or husband, as if you are married to them. And don’t be greedy, wanting lots of money and things. You are God’s own people, so don’t even think about doing bad things like that. That’s not the way for God’s people to live."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "And don’t talk in a dirty way or tell dirty jokes, and don’t say stupid things. It’s not right for God’s people to talk like that. Instead, when you talk, you have to thank God a lot."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "Listen, this is true. If you do those bad and dirty things, you will never get the good things that God gives to his people. It’s like this, if you think in a dirty way, you can’t be in God’s family, you can’t be with Jesus Christ. And if you sleep with somebody that is not your wife or husband, as if you are married to them, you can’t be in God’s family. And if you are greedy, wanting lots of money and things, you can’t be in God’s family. You see, greedy people really respect money and things more than they respect God."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "Don’t believe anyone that says you can do those bad things. Don’t let them trick you. Don’t believe their lies. God will get really angry with people that do those bad things, and he will punish those people that will not listen to him or do what he says."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7", "text": "So don’t join in with people that tell you to do bad things. Don’t do what those people do."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "8", "text": "You see, you used to be like that before. You didn’t know what was right, like you were living in the dark. But then you came to our leader, Jesus, and now you are in the light. So live like people that belong to the light."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "You know, if people have God’s light in them, they live in a way that is good, right, and true."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "So find out what makes God happy, and do that."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "People that belong to the darkness do wrong things. Don’t ever join in with them. Don’t do those things that are wrong and useless, but instead, tell everybody that those things are wrong."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "Those people do bad things when nobody can see them. Those things are so bad that if we talk about them, we feel shame."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "But whenever light shines on something, everyone can see it."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "The light shows us what something really is. So some people say this, “Stop doing bad things. It’s like you are asleep, so wake up now. It’s like you are dead, so come alive again now. Then Jesus will show you the right way to live, it’s like he will shine light on you.”"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "So you have to be very careful to live the right way. You have to understand what is right and good. Don’t live like stupid people."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "Do good things every time you can, because lots of people do lots of bad things these days."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "Don’t be fools. But instead, understand what God wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "Don’t get drunk. If you drink too much grog, you will go wild, and you will do stupid things. Don’t do that, but instead, keep on letting the Holy Spirit come into you and fill you up."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19", "text": "Use God’s songs to talk to each other. You know, you can sing hymns and songs that the Holy Spirit gives you. Sing and make music to God from inside yourselves."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "20", "text": "Remember our leader, Jesus Christ, and always thank God, our father, for everything."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "21", "text": "Each of you has to think about what other Christians want, and agree with them, because you really respect Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "22", "text": "You women that are wives, you have to think about what your husbands want, and agree with them, just like God’s people always have to agree with what our leader, Jesus, wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "23", "text": "You see it is like this. Each body has a head that controls it. Well, we are God’s people, his church, and we are like a body, and Jesus is like our head. He is the one that saved us. In the same way, husbands are like the head of their wives."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "24", "text": "Yes, wives always have to think about what their husbands want and agree with them, just like God’s people always have to agree with what Jesus Christ wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "25", "text": "Yes, and you men that are husbands, you have to do your part too. You have to always love your wives properly, just like Jesus Christ loves the people in his church properly. Jesus let people kill him so that he could save us."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "26", "text": "He washed us properly clean, not just with water in the baptism ceremony, but with his word too."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "27", "text": "So now we can be properly good, and he can bring us to himself, with nothing wrong with us at all."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "28", "text": "Well, husbands have to love their wives properly, just like Jesus loves us. You know that everyone loves his own body and looks after it properly. Well, in the same way, husbands have to love their wives and look after them, just as much as they love their own bodies. A man that loves his wife, loves himself."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "29", "text": "No man ever hates his own body. No, instead he gives it food and takes care of it. Jesus Christ does that too. He takes care of his people, the church."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "30", "text": "We all belong to Jesus, like we are parts of his own body."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "31", "text": "God says this in his book, “A man will leave his mother and father and marry a woman. The man and his wife will join with each other, and their bodies will be like one body.”"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "32", "text": "Those words tell us important things, and they are a picture of something else too. They show us how Jesus Christ and his church are joined together, like one."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "33", "text": "So I say this to you married people. Every one of you husbands has to love your own wife as much as you love yourself. And every wife has to respect her husband."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "1", "text": "Now I’m talking to you kids. You belong to our leader, Jesus, so you have to do what your father and mother tell you to do. That is the right way to live."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "2-3", "text": "You see, God made this law, “Always respect your father and your mother. If you do that, you will be happy, and you will live for a long time on the earth.” That was the first time God made a law and promised something with it."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "4", "text": "Now I’m talking to you fathers. Don’t make your kids angry. But instead, as they are growing up, you have to teach them the way God wants them to live, and show them how to live the right way."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "5", "text": "Now I’m talking to you workers, you people that have to work for other people all the time. Your bosses are only people, but that doesn’t matter, you have to respect them properly, and do whatever they tell you. Work hard for them, like you are working for Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "6", "text": "Do what they say, and try to make them happy. Don’t only do it when they can see you, but also when they can’t see you. Work happily in your job, like you are working for Jesus Christ, and then you will be doing what God wants."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "7", "text": "Your bosses are only people, but try to work properly for them, like you are working for Jesus, not working for people."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "8", "text": "Remember this, if you do good things, Jesus, our leader, will pay you with something good later. He will do that, no matter if you work for nothing, like a prisoner, or if you are free."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "9", "text": "Now I’m talking to bosses. You have to do the same, you have to be good to your workers. Don’t say anything to frighten them, like saying you are going to punish them. Remember that God in heaven is your boss, and he is the boss over your workers too. And he treats everyone the same, no matter if you are a boss or a worker."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "10", "text": "The last thing that I want to say to you is this. You are joined to our leader, Jesus, and he is very strong, so you have to use his strong power to fight against the devil, the boss over the bad spirits."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "11", "text": "You know that a soldier puts on special gear to stop the enemy from hurting him. Well, you have to do that with the special gear that God gives us. Then you will keep strong against the devil, and you will not let him trick you. He tries all sorts of clever ways to fight against us."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "12", "text": "You see, we are not fighting against people, but we are fighting against a big mob of bad spirits. We are fighting against the bad spirit bosses that we can’t see in this bad world. And we are fighting against the powerful bad spirits that live above the earth too."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "13", "text": "So you have to use all the special gear that God gives you, so that you can stand up to those bad spirits whenever they come at you, and they will not win. And at the end of the fight, you will still be standing strong."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "14", "text": "So put on that special gear from God, so you can stand up against the devil. This is what that gear is. – You know that a soldier wears a belt, to hold his clothes on tight, so he can move quickly in a fight. Well, just like that, you take notice of what is true, so you can fight better against the devil. – And a soldier wears an iron plate, to stop the enemy from hitting his chest. Well, you have to always do what is right, and that will be like an iron plate for you, to stop the devil from hitting you. –"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "15", "text": "And a soldier wears special shoes, so that he can always be ready to fight. Well, you have to remember the good news about Jesus, that he makes us God’s friends. Then you will be ready to fight the devil. –"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "16", "text": "You know that a soldier always has a shield, to stop the spears that the enemy throws at him. In the same way, you have to always trust God. Whenever you do that, it is like you are holding up a shield that stops the things that the devil throws at you. They are like burning spears, but if you trust God, he will stop them and put them out. –"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "17", "text": "And a soldier wears an iron hat, that stops the enemy from hurting his head. Well, you remember that God has saved you. That will be like an iron hat for you, to keep you safe. – And you know the long knife a soldier has, called a sword? He uses it to fight back against his enemy. Well, in the same way, you can use God’s word to fight back against the devil, and the Holy Spirit will help you."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "18", "text": "And always pray in the way that God’s spirit leads you. Pray about every problem, and pray in all sorts of ways, and ask God for whatever you need. So always keep on praying for all God’s people."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "19", "text": "And pray for me too. Ask God to give me the right words to say every time I start to tell people the good news about Jesus. Pray that I will not be too frightened to tell them that message properly. God kept it secret for a long time,"}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "20", "text": "but now he has sent me to tell this good story to everybody. The bosses here didn’t like me telling that story, so they put me in jail. I want you to ask God to make me brave, so that I keep on telling his good story."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "21-22", "text": "Now I’m sending Tikicus to you to tell you about me and about what I’m doing these days. He is my Christian friend that I love, and he is a good worker for God. He will tell you all the news about me, and the news about the other people that are here with me. And I also want him to help you feel strong and brave."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "23", "text": "You mob are my Christian friends. You believe in God, our father, and you believe in our leader Jesus Christ. So I’m asking them to be really good to you, and to help you to be happy and quiet inside yourselves. And I’m asking God to help you to love him, and to love other people, and to help you to keep on trusting Jesus."}
{"book": "EPH", "chapter": 6, "verse": "24", "text": "I want God to be very good to everyone that never stops loving our leader, Jesus Christ. From Paul"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me, and it is from Timothy too, because he is helping me write it. We work all the time for Jesus Christ. We are sending this letter to all God’s special people at Philippi, you people that belong to Jesus Christ. We are writing to you Christian leaders, and to you church helpers, and to all you Christians."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "We are asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "Every time I think about you mob, I thank God for you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "And every time I pray for you, I’m really happy."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "You believed the message about Jesus right from the first day that you heard it, and you helped me tell it to other people. Yes, you helped me with my work. And you are still doing it."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "I know that God is working inside you. He has already started doing a good thing in you, and he will keep on working in you until he has properly finished it. That will be when Jesus Christ comes back again. I’m really sure that God will finish doing this good thing inside you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "You see, I love you mob very much, so it is all right for me to think about you like that. You are my friends and God is good to you, just like he is good to me. So you help me every time God lets me tell people the good news about Jesus. Right now I’m tied up in jail, and sometimes they take me to court, and I tell them the message about Jesus, and I show them that it is true. And you help me do that."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "Yes, I love you, just like Jesus Christ loves you, and I want to be with you again. God himself knows that is true."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "So I pray like this for you. I ask God to help you to love each other more and more, and to know God better. I ask God to help you to understand spiritual things better."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10-11", "text": "Then you will know the right way to live, and you will do a lot of good things. And I ask Jesus Christ to help you so that you will always do good things, and never do bad things. Jesus is going to come back again, and I want you to be living in that good way. You will show people that God is good, and they will say that he is really great."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "My Christian friends, I want to tell you about myself. You know that bad things happened to me, and now I’m in jail. But don’t worry, it is good that I am in jail. Now I can tell more people about Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "So now everybody here knows that I belong to Jesus Christ, and that is the reason why I’m in jail. All the guards, and soldiers, and everyone else that works in the big boss’s house here, they all know that is the reason why I’m in jail."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "And the Christians here heard that I’m in jail. Then most of them trusted in our leader Jesus more strongly and got brave, and they are not frightened to tell other people God’s message."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15-17", "text": "There are Christians here that think in a good way and they want to help me, so they tell people about Jesus. They love me, and they know that God let people put me in jail so that I can tell a lot more people the message about Jesus and show them that this message is true. But there are other Christians that are a bit jealous of me, and they think they can give me trouble while I’m in jail. They want other Christians to think that they are more important than me. So they tell people about Jesus Christ, and they hope they will get a lot of people to say they are great. They are thinking the wrong way. They only think about themselves."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "But it doesn’t matter. Both mobs are telling people about Jesus Christ. That is the most important thing. Maybe some of them are thinking the wrong way. But the others are thinking the right way. And all of them are telling people about Jesus Christ, so I’m very happy about it. Yes, and I will stay very happy."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "You mob are praying for me and the spirit of Jesus Christ is helping me, so I’m sure that God will get me out of this jail."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "I want to be brave and stay strong for Jesus Christ, just like I always am. Then I will not feel shame. Maybe they will kill me, or maybe they will let me stay alive. It doesn’t matter. I want to stay strong for Jesus Christ and show everyone how great he is, no matter what."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "You see, while I’m alive, I want to let people know that Jesus Christ is really great. That is what I live for. But if they kill me, that is even better for me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "Maybe they will not kill me, and I will keep on living in this body. Then I will keep on working for Jesus, and I will help more people know him properly. I don’t really know what will be best, for me to live, or for me to die."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "I want to do both. I want to leave this body and go to be with Jesus Christ. That will be a lot better for me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "But at the same time, you mob need me, so I want to keep on living in this body so I can help you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "When I think about it, I’m sure that God will let me stay alive here, so I can keep on helping all of you. Then you will trust God more, and you will be more happy."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "Yes, I reckon I will come and visit you again and you will be happy to see me. You will tell everyone, “This is awesome. Jesus Christ is really good and really powerful. He got Paul out of jail and brought him here to help us.” You will talk like that to everyone."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "Listen, you heard the good news about Jesus Christ, and you trusted him, so keep on living the way he wants you to live, no matter what happens. Maybe I will come and visit you again, but maybe not. Maybe I will only hear what people tell me about you. Anyway, I want to find out that you are staying strong for Jesus, and that God’s spirit is joining you all together, so that you are all agreeing with each other and working together to tell people about Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "28", "text": "Some people will try to stop you living for Jesus. Don’t be frightened of those people. Stay strong for Jesus. Then you will show those people that, in the end, God will finish them, but he will save you. Yes, God will make that happen."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "29", "text": "You see, God lets you believe in Jesus Christ. But not only that, sometimes people make trouble for you because you believe in Jesus. God lets that happen too."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 1, "verse": "30", "text": "Those bad people are making trouble for you, just like they made trouble for me when I was there in your town. And bad people are still making trouble for me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "Listen. You know that you belong to Jesus Christ, and he helps you to be strong and brave. You know that he loves you, so you are happy. You know that God’s spirit is in you, and you share your lives with him. You know how to feel sorry for each other, and how to help each other. You know all that, right?"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "So now make me properly happy. I want you all to love each other properly, and I want you all to agree with each other, and work together, and think the same way about what is right."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3-4", "text": "Each of you has to think about what is good for the others. Don’t only think about what is good for yourself. Don’t think that you are better than other people, but think that they are better than you. And don’t do things only to get people to say you are good. And don’t try to be a boss over other people."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "You have to think the same way that Jesus Christ thought."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "He was the same as God. He was just as important as God. But he didn’t reckon that he had to keep on being important, like God is."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "Instead, he left all that, and he made himself like a nobody. He was born into this world and looked like other human beings. He was a man living here. And he worked hard to help people."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "And then he made himself even less important. He did everything that God wanted him to do, he even died. He let people nail him to a cross and kill him."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "So then God made him alive again and lifted him up to the most important place in heaven. And God made him more powerful than everyone else."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "One day, everyone will hear the name of Jesus, and they will get down on their knees and show him respect. All the people and spirits will show respect to Jesus. Everything in heaven, and everything on the earth, and everything under the earth, they will all show respect to Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "And every one of them will say out loud, “Jesus Christ is the boss.” That will happen to show that God our father is very great and good."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "So, my good friends, you always have to do what God wants. I know that you did that when I was with you, and I reckon you still do it now that I’m not with you any more. So you have to work hard and keep on trying to do what God wants. You see, God saved you, so give him proper respect and try to live his way. You have to be too frightened to do any bad thing that will make him angry."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "God is the one that is working inside you. He helps you think the right way, so that you want to do the good things that make him happy, and he gives you the power to do those good things."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "And while you do those things, don’t get angry or argue about them."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "Then you will be properly good, so that nobody can blame you for anything. You are God’s kids living among really bad people that always go wrong. So you have to live in a way that is properly good. Then everyone will see that you are properly good. You will be like bright stars in a dark sky."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "And you have to keep on believing the message about Jesus that gives us real life. Then when Jesus Christ comes back, I will be very happy, and I will know that I didn’t waste my time when I worked among you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Yes, I’m happy about you. And even if they kill me, I will still be happy. I know that you believe in Jesus and you work for him, and when you do that, you are giving yourselves to God. And if they are going to kill me, I will be giving my body to God too. So we can all be happy about it together."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "Yes, you can be happy too. Even if they are going to kill me, you can be happy with me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "Now I will tell you what I want to do. Timothy is here with me, and I want to send him to you soon. So if that is what our leader Jesus wants, I will send him to you. After that, he will come back and tell me all about you, and that will make me happy."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "Timothy is different from the other people here. He really cares about you and about how you are going."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "The others think about the things they want, not the things that Jesus Christ wants."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "But you know Timothy. Everyone can see that he is a good man. He works with me just like a son works with his father. Together we tell people the good news about Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "23", "text": "So I will send him to you. But first I will wait and see what they are going to do to me, then I will send him to you,"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "24", "text": "even though I’m sure that God will let me visit you soon, too."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "25", "text": "Right now I’m sending Epafroditus back to you. You sent him to me a while ago when I needed help. He came here and looked after me. He has been a good Christian friend to me here. We work together. We are both like soldiers fighting for God. But now I reckon I have to send him back to you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "26", "text": "He really wants to see you all again. And you know, after he came here, he got sick, and then somebody told you about it. So now he worries about you. He doesn’t want you to be sad and feel sorry for him. So he really wants to go back and see you all again."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "27", "text": "Yes, he was very sick a while ago, and he nearly died. But God felt sorry for him, and for me too. God was good to him and made him better. And when God did that, he was good to me too. You know, I am already sad about some things, and if Epafroditus died, that would make me really sad. But he didn’t die."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "28", "text": "So now I really want to send him to you, and when you see him again you will be happy, and I will not worry about you any more."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 2, "verse": "29-30", "text": "Epafroditus belongs to our leader, Jesus, just like you do. You couldn’t come and help me a while ago, so he came instead of you. And then he nearly died. But he didn’t worry. He knew he was working for Jesus Christ while he was helping me, and he was ready to die for Jesus. You have to really respect people like Epafroditus. So when he comes back to you, be happy and say, “Good to see you again. You are our good Christian friend.”"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "And now, my Christian friends, before I finish this letter, I want to tell you this. Be happy all the time. Remember that you belong to our leader Jesus. Yes, I told you all these things before, and I am telling you again. I don’t get tired of telling you, and this message will stop you from going the wrong way."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2-3", "text": "Look out. There are some men that want to teach you the wrong things and get you to go the wrong way. They are like dogs. They go the wrong way. They only want to cut men’s bodies. They say that you don’t belong to God unless you do what the Jewish law says and have a young man operation. They are wrong. We have God’s spirit in us, and he helps us respect God the right way. We know what Jesus Christ did for us, and we trust him. We know that ceremonies that people do will not save us, so we don’t trust them. So really, we are the ones that belong to God. Those people that only follow that Jewish law don’t belong to him."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "Look at me. I’m more Jewish than they are, and I trusted that Jewish law more than them, but it didn’t save me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "I was born into the Israel nation, and I belong to the Benjamin tribe. They did that young man operation on me when I was 8 days old, just like the Jewish law says. When I grew up, I joined the Pharisee mob, that are really strong for the Jewish law. I’m properly Jewish."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "I really wanted to make God happy, but I followed the Jewish way, and I made a lot of trouble for Christians. And I was strong for the Jewish laws. Nobody could say that I broke any of them."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "I used to think that if I lived like that, God will like me. But then I found out the true message about Jesus, and I knew that I was wrong. Those things didn’t help at all. Now that I know Jesus Christ properly, I reckon all those things are useless."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "Yes, they are useless. But I know Jesus Christ. That is the only important thing. He is my leader, and he is really special to me now. I have left every other way, and I only follow him now. I reckon all those other things are rubbish, and I have chucked them away, so that I can join up with Jesus Christ,"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "and belong to him properly. I have stopped trying to follow that Jewish law to get God to say that I’m all right. Instead of that, I trust in Jesus Christ, and that is the reason why God will say that I’m all right. God makes us right because we believe in Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "And I really want to know Jesus Christ properly. And I want God’s power to be in my life, the same power he used to make Jesus alive again. And I even want to share the pain that Jesus got. I will even let his enemies kill me, like they killed him."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Then later, God will make me alive again, one way or another."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "I’m not saying that I have already done all that. I’m not saying that I’m properly good now. But, you see, Jesus Christ picked me to be one of his people, so I’m trying hard to be the sort of person that he wants me to be."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "Friends, I don’t reckon I’m all that good yet, but I keep on looking ahead. I’m like a man running in a race. I forget what I did in the past, and I think about what God wants me to do later."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "I keep trying to be like Jesus, so that God will take me up to properly join up with Jesus. That will be my prize."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "And all of us have to think like that. That will show that we are spiritually strong now and live properly for Jesus. But if you think differently about anything, God will help you, and he will show you the right way."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "We started to learn about the way God wants us to live, so we have to keep on living his way and keep on doing the things he taught us to do. That is the most important thing for all of us to do."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "My Christian friends, you know how I live, so you all have to try to live the same way. And look around at each other, and see the way you all live. Look at those people that live the same way as I live, and you do the same."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "You see, there are a lot of people that don’t live the right way. I have often told you this before, and now I’m telling you the same thing again. When I think about it, I get so sad that I cry. There are people that reckon they are Christians, but they are really enemies of Jesus Christ. They live in a way that shows they are against the good things that Jesus died for on the cross."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "19", "text": "They don’t listen to God. They listen to their own bodies, and they do bad things so that their bodies feel good. They do those bad things, but they don’t feel shame. Instead, they think they are smart. They only think about the things that belong to this world. And in the end God will finish them up for ever."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20", "text": "But we belong to heaven. That is our real home. And we are waiting for our leader, Jesus Christ, to come back from heaven. He is the one that saves us, and we really want him to come back."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21", "text": "He will change these weak bodies that we have now, and he will make them into new bodies. They will be like the wonderful body that he has now. Jesus can do that because he is really powerful. He is so powerful that he can be the boss over everything."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "So think about all that, my Christian friends, and keep on following our leader Jesus. And keep on trusting him properly. I love you very much, and I really want to see you again. You make me very happy, and it is like you are the prize that I get for winning a race."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "Now I just want to talk to Yuwodia and Sintiki. I ask you 2 women very strongly to stop arguing with each other, and to try to think the same way as each other. Remember, you both belong to our leader Jesus."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "And now I’m talking to my other good friend there. Listen, my friend, you worked hard with me, and you always tried to follow Jesus properly. Now I want you to help those 2 women to be friends with each other. They both worked hard to tell people the good news about Jesus. They worked with me and Clement and some other Christians. God wrote the names of all those Christians in his special book called the book of life, where he writes the name of every person that will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "Now I’m talking to all of you Christians. You belong to our leader, Jesus, so always be happy. This is important, so I’m saying it again, “Be happy.”"}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "Always be easy with people, and be nice to them, so that everyone will see how good you are. Remember that our leader, Jesus, will come back soon."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "Don’t worry about anything, but pray to God and ask him for everything you need. And always thank God for what he has already done."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "Then God will get you to feel happy and quiet inside yourselves. You belong to Jesus Christ, and he will do that to look after your minds, so that you will think properly. Nobody knows how God does it, but he can do it."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "And one more thing, my Christian friends. Keep thinking about the things that are true, and the things that people should respect. Keep thinking about the things that are right, and good, and lovely. Think about things that everyone reckons are really good. Think about the things that we can thank God for."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "And remember, when I was with you, I taught you the right things to do. You agreed with me about those things. And you know the things that I said, and the things that I did when I was with you. Well, keep on doing all those things. Then God will be with you, and he will get you to feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "Now I will tell you how things are going with me here. I’m really happy, thanks to our leader Jesus. I know that you were worried about me here in jail, and you wanted to send something to help me, but at first you couldn’t do it. Then later, you found a way to send me something, and that made me happy. It shows that you are still thinking about me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "I’m not saying this because I need anything. I have learned to be happy, no matter what happens to me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "I know what it is like to need things, and I know what it is like to have a lot of things. I have learned this secret, to be happy all the time no matter what happens. Sometimes I can eat plenty of food, and sometimes I go hungry. But it doesn’t matter, I can be happy anyway. Sometimes I have everything I need, and sometimes I haven’t got anything. But it doesn’t matter, I can be happy anyway."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "You see, Jesus Christ makes me strong, so I can do all these things."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "And you have been very good to me. I have been getting trouble, but you remembered me, and you helped me a lot."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "Remember the time when I first came to tell you the good news about Jesus. Then I left your country, called Macedonia, and I went to tell other people this story. You know, you were the only Christian church that gave me something to help me do that."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "And when I was in the town called Thessalonica, I needed money, you mob kept on sending me money and things, to help me."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "I’m not telling you this to get you to send me more things. But I want you to keep on doing good things like that, so that God will be happy about you. He will add those good things to the list of all the good things you have done, and one day, he will pay you for it all."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "But right now I have everything I need, and even more than I need. You are so good to me. You gave lots of money and things to Epafroditus to bring to me. But you didn’t only give them to me. You gave them to God. They are the right sort of gift, a really nice one, so he is very happy."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "You know, God looks after me, and he will look after you too. You belong to Jesus Christ, and God will give you everything you need. He is really rich and powerful. So he can give you everything you need."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "He is our God and our father. Everybody has to always say that he is very great, for ever and ever. That’s right."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "Say hello to all God’s people there that belong to Jesus Christ. The Christians that are with me here say hello to you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "22", "text": "All of God’s people say hello to you. There are some Christians here that live in the house that belongs to the really big government boss, and they say a special hello to you."}
{"book": "PHP", "chapter": 4, "verse": "23", "text": "I pray that our leader, Jesus Christ, will keep on being really good to all of you. From Paul"}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I’m Paul, and this letter is from me. And Timothy is helping me write it, too. God made me Jesus Christ’s special worker."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "We are writing this letter to God’s people that live at Colossae. You joined up with Jesus Christ, and you keep on trusting him, so you are like brothers and sisters to us. We are asking God our father to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3-5", "text": "People tell us good things about you, so now, every time we pray for you, we always say thank you to God for you. He is the father of our leader Jesus Christ. You heard the true message about Jesus, and you believed it. Now you are really sure that God will give you the good things that he promised. You know that he is keeping them safe for you in heaven. So you keep on believing in Jesus Christ, and you keep on loving all God’s people. That is what people tell us about you."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "And other people everywhere are hearing that same true message that you heard about Jesus. And they are believing in Jesus and doing good things too."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "Epafras told you the message about Jesus. He works for Jesus Christ, just like we do, and we love him very much. You see, we couldn’t go and tell you the message about Jesus, but he went instead of us. He is a good man. You can always believe what he tells you."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "After that, Epafras came back here, and he told us about you. He said that the Holy Spirit now helps you to love everybody."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "Yes, Epafras told us about you, and so now we pray for you all the time. We ask God to help you to know what he wants you to do. And we pray that he will help you to understand spiritual things properly, and think about them properly."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "Then you will live the way that our leader, Jesus, wants you to live, and you will do lots of good things that will make him happy. And you will know God better and better all the time."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "And we ask God to use his great power to make you strong, so that you will stay strong for him and you will not give up. And if people give you trouble, we pray that you will not worry or get upset. And we ask him to make you happy all the time."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "And we want you to always say thank you to God, our father. He brought you into his family so that you will get the good things that he promised to give to his people. Then you will live with him in his good place."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13-14", "text": "You know, the boss over the bad spirits always used to push us to do bad things. It’s like we were in a bad place, where he is the boss. But God sent his son, Jesus, to get us out of that place. He took the payback for us, so that now God will not punish us. He set us free from that bad boss, and now we belong to the family of God’s son. God loves his son Jesus very much."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15-16", "text": "Nobody can see God. But God’s son, Jesus, is just like God, and he showed people what God is like. You see, Jesus was there with God a long time ago, and he worked with God to make everything. They made all the things in heaven, and all the things on the earth. They made the things we can see, and the things we can’t see. They made all the spirits, even the spirit bosses that we can’t see. God worked with his son to make everything, so that now everything has to respect God’s son. Jesus is God’s son, and he is the boss over everything."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "He was there at first, before anything else, and now he holds everything together, everything everywhere, and he keeps it all working properly."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "Jesus is the leader of all God’s people, and God’s people are the church. It’s like God’s people are a body, and Jesus is their head. He is the church’s leader. He was the first one to ever die and then come back to life and keep on living. So he is really great. He is greater than anyone else, and anything else, anywhere."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "At the time when God’s son became a man, God lived in him properly. God was happy to live in him."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "God used him to get everything to come back to himself. God’s son bled and died on the cross, so that now everything can stop being God’s enemies, and become God’s friends again. Some of those things are in heaven, and some of them are on the earth, but Jesus died on the cross, so that they can all come back to God."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "And I’m talking about you too. At first you were not God’s friends. You were his enemies. You always thought in a bad way, and then you did bad things."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "But God sent Jesus Christ to live as a man, in a human body, and then he let people kill Jesus’s body. When Jesus died, he took the payback for the bad things you did, so you can be friends with God. It’s like he washed you of those bad things, so you are properly good and clean inside. So at the time when God will judge everyone, he will see that you are clean and he will not blame you, he will say that you are not guilty."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "If you stay strong, God will do that for you. You have to always remember the good news that you heard about Jesus, so that you keep on trusting him and know that he will save you. You see, God got his workers to tell people everywhere that Jesus died to save us. It is really good news. And I, Paul, am one of God’s workers now. My job is to tell people that good news."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "Yes, I tell people the message about Jesus. Some people don’t like it, and they give me trouble. But that doesn’t matter, that message helps people that believe it. You believe it, so it helps you. So I am happy, and I keep on telling it. You know that Jesus Christ got a lot of trouble. In the same way, I get a lot of trouble. But I want to keep on helping his people. They are the church. They are like the body of Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "And God gets me to work for his people, so I do this to help you. My job is to tell you God’s word, and help you understand it properly."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "At first, God didn’t let anyone know what he planned to do. He kept that plan a secret for a really long time. But now he is showing it to his people."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "God wants his people to know that plan. He planned to use Jesus to save people that are not Jews, as well as people that are Jews. And now he is doing that, so it is really great for people that are not Jews. Yes, Jesus Christ lives in you, and he lives in everybody that trusts him, so you can be sure that later on God will make you great."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "28", "text": "So we tell everyone about Jesus Christ. We teach them to follow Jesus and do what he says. You see, God helped us to understand those things properly, and we want everyone to join up with Jesus Christ, and to become really good Christians. And God will see that they are really good."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 1, "verse": "29", "text": "So I work really hard to do that. It is hard work, but Jesus Christ gives me his power, and he makes me strong."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "I want you to know that I work very hard for you Christians at Colossae, and also for the Christians at that other town near you called Laodicea. And I work hard for lots of other Christians that have never met me."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "I’m working like this to help you be strong, so that all of you will be joined together by loving each other. You see, I want you to know and properly understand God’s plan to use Jesus Christ to save people. Then you will be really sure about it, and that will make you really happy."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "You see, Jesus knows everything, and he understands everything. He is the only one that can get us to think properly, so that we understand what is true. That is really good for us."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "I’m telling you these things so that you will not listen to people that teach lies. They might talk in a way that sounds good, but they are liars."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "You know, I’m not there with you right now, that is, my body is not there. But I think about you a lot. And I’m happy about you. You all work together as a group, and you all keep on trusting Jesus Christ properly."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "You believe in Jesus Christ now, and you let him be your boss. That’s good. Keep living his way."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "Keep on believing that message about Jesus Christ, and keep on getting to know him better all the time. Keep on strongly believing the things that we taught you. And always thank God very much for everything."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "Some people might try to make you believe some ideas about God that are wrong. Those ideas didn’t come from Jesus Christ, but they came from bad spirits, and from the people of this world. People taught those ideas to their kids, and to their grand-kids. But those ideas are not true. They might sound good, but they are tricky lies. Be careful. Don’t believe them."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "Listen. God himself lives in Jesus Christ. Jesus has a body and God lives in that body, so that Jesus is properly God."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "And you are joined to Jesus Christ, so God is in you too. He gives you everything that you need to live the right way. And Jesus is the winner over all the other spirit bosses."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "You know that the Jewish people do a young man operation on their baby boys. Well, when you joined on to Jesus, God did something like that to you. He didn’t cut away a part of your body, but it was like he did an operation on your spirit. He cut away a bad part from your spirit. That was the bad part that made you want to do bad things."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "You know, after you became a Christian, the church leaders baptised you. You went into the water, then you came up out of it. In that ceremony, it’s like you did what Jesus did. He died, and it’s like that bad part of your spirit died. And God made him alive again, and he came up out of the grave. And now you believe that God has strong power, and your spirit is joined to Jesus, so God’s power makes your spirit alive too, just like he made Jesus alive again."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13-14", "text": "You did bad things before. Your spirits still had that bad part that made you go wrong. It is like your spirits were dead. I will use picture talk to show you what I mean. Whenever you did bad things, it is like somebody wrote it down on paper so they could blame you later. But God let them blame Jesus instead of you, and then he chucked that paper away. It is like he nailed that paper to the cross when he let people nail Jesus there. And then God made your spirits alive again, just like he made Jesus alive again. Now he doesn’t blame you for the bad things you did."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "God did that, and he finished up the power of all the bad spirit mob. He was even stronger than the most powerful spirit bosses. He finished up their power when Jesus died on the cross. He shamed them, and he showed everyone that he is the winner over all those bad spirits."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "You know, some people make up laws, and they reckon that if you want to make God happy, you have to follow those laws. But remember what I just said. God is already happy with you. So don’t listen to anyone that says you are wrong if you don’t follow their laws. Don’t take any notice of them. They might have laws about things you can’t eat or drink. Or they might have laws about some ceremonies on special days, or laws about the time of a new moon, or laws about a special day for rest."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "God gave the Jewish people laws about those things, but they are not for us now. It is like this, and I’m using picture talk again now. Sometimes you see a shadow moving along, and you can tell that somebody is coming. Well, God gave them those laws, but those laws are just like a shadow. They are not the real person. The real person is Jesus Christ. And now he has come to us, so we don’t need to look at that shadow any more. That is, we don’t need to follow those laws any more."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "There are some people that tell lies and say, “God has shown us special things.” Those people think up their own ideas, and that makes them feel smart. But they tell you that they are not smart, and then they tell you to show respect to God’s angel messengers, as if those angels are God. But they are trying to trick you. Don’t take any notice of those people, and don’t believe those lies."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "They are trying to have a church without Jesus. You see, God set the church up like this. Jesus is the head, and his people are his body. Jesus holds his people together just like a body has joints and ligament strings that hold it together. And God makes the church grow, just like he makes bodies grow."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "Remember that you are joined to Jesus Christ. It is like you died with him when he died. You don’t belong to this world any more, so you don’t have to follow the laws that the people of this world make up about God."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "They have laws like, “Don’t use that thing,” and, “Don’t eat that,” and, “Don’t touch that thing.”"}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "Those laws just come from people, not from God, so you don’t have to take any notice of them. Those laws are just about things that people use and finish up."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 2, "verse": "23", "text": "Those laws might sound like they are good, but they are useless. They get people to do things that hurt their bodies, and then they think they are good, and they think it makes God happy. But even when people try to follow those laws, they still can’t stop themselves from going wrong. Their bodies still make them want to do bad things, and then they do those bad things. So those laws are useless."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1-3", "text": "You see, you have new life now from Jesus Christ. He is up in heaven now, sitting with God, at God’s right-hand side. He is a powerful boss there with God. Remember that Jesus died, then God made him alive again, and God lifted him up from the grave. Well, you believe in Jesus now, so you have to be better than you used to be. It is like you died with him, and then God made you alive again, and now you live for Jesus. He is in heaven now, so you always have to think about doing good things that belong to heaven. Don’t think about doing bad things that belong to this earth. You are joined to Jesus Christ now, and he is joined to God. The people of this world can’t see that yet,"}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "but when Jesus comes back, everyone will see him, and they will see that he is great. And they will see you too, and you will be great too."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "So now you have to stop doing bad things. If that bad part inside you wants you to do something bad, don’t do it. It’s like you have to kill that old bad part inside you. Don’t listen to it. Don’t sleep with anyone that is not your wife or your husband, as if you are married to them. And don’t think bad, dirty thoughts. Don’t think about doing bad things. Don’t be greedy, wanting lots of money and things. Greedy people respect money and things more than they respect God."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "You know, some people will not do what God says, and he will be angry with those people, and he will punish them."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "At one time, you lived the wrong way, and you did bad things like that."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "But now, don’t do these bad things any more. Don’t get angry easily. Don’t go around angry and yelling at people. Don’t hate people or think about giving them trouble. Don’t talk in a bad way about people, or tell lies about them. Don’t talk in a dirty way."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "Don’t lie to each other. You see, you believed in Jesus, and you stopped living that old way. You stopped doing bad things."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "You are now living a new way. God made you a new person, and he is helping you to know him properly. He is the one that made you, and now he is making you more like himself."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "You are a new person now. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or not, or if they did a young man operation on you or not. It doesn’t matter if you are from another country, or even if you are from a wild tribe. It doesn’t matter if you are a prisoner, or a free person. This is what matters, Jesus Christ lives inside all of his people. He is really great."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "You see, God loves you. He picked you to be his own special people. So you have to live a new way for him. You have to be good to other people. You have to feel sorry for people that have trouble and try to help them. Don’t think that you are more important than other people. You have to be easy on other people, and don’t get angry with them, even if they give you trouble."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "Don’t get upset with each other. If somebody does something bad to you, don’t do payback to them. Remember that God doesn’t do payback to you, for the bad things that you do. So don’t do payback to other people."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "And you really have to love each other properly. When you love each other, it is like you properly join yourselves to each other."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "Jesus Christ wants you to all live together in a quiet way, so let him make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves, so that you think the right way. That’s how you can let him control you. And think about the good things that God does for you, and always say thank you to him for them."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "And always think about the message that came from Jesus Christ, so that you follow it all the time. Talk to each other about Jesus’s message, and help each other to follow it properly. Think about it the right way. If anyone starts to get it wrong, straighten each other out. Remember that God is really good to you, and always be ready to thank him by singing to him with hymns and songs that the Holy Spirit gives you."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "Do everything the way our leader, Jesus, wants you to do it, and talk the way he wants you to talk. And always thank God, our father, for the good things that Jesus does for us."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "You women that are wives, you have to think about what your husbands want, and agree with them. That is the right way to follow our leader Jesus."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "19", "text": "Yes, and you men that are husbands, you have to do your part too. You have to love your wives properly, and don’t ever be hard on them."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20", "text": "And now I am talking to you kids. You always have to do whatever your mothers and fathers want. Our leader, Jesus, is happy when you do that."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21", "text": "And now I am talking to you fathers. Don’t be hard on your kids. Don’t make them get angry with you, or they might stop trying to be good."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "22", "text": "And now I am talking to you people that have to work all the time for other people, like you are their prisoners. Make sure you always do whatever your bosses want. And don’t only work hard when they can see you, to make them think you are good. But also work hard when they can’t see you. Remember our leader, Jesus, can see you all the time, so respect him, and respect your bosses as you do your job."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "23", "text": "Work as if you are working for our leader, Jesus, not for a normal human being. So work hard, and be happy about it."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "24", "text": "Yes, you are working for our leader, Jesus Christ, and remember that later on he will pay you properly, just like he promised us."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 3, "verse": "25", "text": "But if you do what is wrong, God will do payback to you for the wrong things you do. God judges each person the same way, no matter who that person is."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "And now I am talking to you bosses that own your workers, like they are your prisoners. You have to give your workers a fair go. You have to look after them properly and give them what is right for them. Remember, you have a boss too. He is God, in heaven."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "Now I’m talking to all of you. Keep on praying to God, and keep on asking him to help you. Keep your minds properly awake while you pray. Don’t give up easily. And also thank God for the good things he does for you."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "And pray for us too. Ask God to make a way for us to tell more people about Jesus Christ. We want to clearly tell them the message about God’s plan to use Jesus to save them. You know, I told that message to some people, and they didn’t like it, so they put me in jail."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "But I still have to tell more people about Jesus. So I want you to ask God to help me make this message clear to them."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "And you too, whenever you are with people that don’t believe in Jesus, if you can tell them about him, you have to do it. Be sensible in how you live with those people."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "And talk to them in a good way, to get them interested in your message. And be ready to answer their questions."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7-8", "text": "All right, I’m not going to write much more in this letter. I will give it to Tikicus to take to you. He is a Christian friend that we love. He works for our leader, Jesus, just like I do, and he always works really well. When he gets to you mob there, he will tell you all the news about us. And he will help you to feel brave, and to trust Jesus more."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "And I’m sending Onesimus with him. You know Onesimus. He is one of your mob, and he is another strong Christian friend that we love. Those 2 men will tell you all about everything that is going on here."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "Do you remember Aristarkus? He is here with me in jail. He says hello to you. And Mark too, he says hello to you. He is a cousin of Barnabas. And like I told you before, if he comes to visit you, tell him, “Good to see you, Mark.”"}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "And there is another man here that says hello to you. His name is Jesus, but we call him Justus. He says hello to you too. Those men are the only Jews that are working with me here. They are helping me get more people to come into God’s family, and they make this job much more easy for me."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "And Epafras is another one of your mob that is here with me. He says hello to you too. He works for Jesus too, and he is always praying strongly for you. He prays that you will stay spiritually strong, and that you will properly know everything that God wants you to do."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "I can tell you truly that he works very hard for you, and for the Christians that live in the towns called Laodicea and Hirapolis."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Our good friend Luke, the doctor, says hello to you too, and so does Demas."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "And I want you to say hello from me to all the Christians at Laodicea. And say hello from me to Nimfa, and to the Christians that meet in her house."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "After you mob at Colossae read this letter, send it to the church people at Laodicea, so that they can read it too. And I sent another letter to that Laodicea mob a little while ago, so after they have read it, make sure you get it from them and read it too."}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "Now here is a special message from me to Arkipus. Tell him, “Our leader, Jesus, gave you a job, so keep on doing it, until you finish it properly.”"}
{"book": "COL", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "This is me, Paul, writing these words now with my own hand. I got somebody else to write all the words up to here, but I want you to be sure that this letter is really from me, so from here on it is me writing it. I’m saying hello to you mob there at Colossae. Remember that I am in jail here, and pray for me. I’m asking God to be very good to you. From Paul"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. Silas and Timothy are here with me, and they are helping me write this letter. We are sending this letter to you Christians that are in God’s church, in the town called Thessalonica. You belong to God our father and to Jesus Christ our leader. We are asking God and Jesus to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "We pray for you mob all the time, and we always thank God for you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "Whenever we talk about you to God, our father, we remember the good things that you do. You properly believe in Jesus Christ, and you love him very much, so you do those good things. And you love other people too, so you work hard to help them. You are really sure that our leader, Jesus Christ, will come back for you, so you keep on following him, no matter what other people do to you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "Christian friends, we know that God loves you, and he picked you to be his own people."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "Remember the time when we told you the good news about Jesus. We told you the message with our words, but the Holy Spirit made us sure that we were telling the true story, and he gave us his power to show you that God was with us. And remember the sort of people we were at the time when we were with you there. We showed you the good way to live."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "So you changed the way you live, and you lived the same way that we lived, like the way that Jesus, our leader, lived. You believed the message about Jesus, and the Holy Spirit made you really happy. Other people gave you a lot of trouble, but you were happy anyway."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "You showed all the other Christians there in Macedonia country the right way to live. And you did that too for the Christians in the country to the south of you, called Akaya."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8-9", "text": "And now people in lots of places have heard about Jesus. You see, other people told them about you. They told them that you listened to us when we came to your town, and that you turned away from the gods that are not real, and that now you only work for the true God, the one that is properly alive. And it’s not only the people in Macedonia and Akaya that have heard that story. Everywhere we go we find people that tell us about you, so we know that story has gone around to lots of places. We don’t have to tell anyone about you. They have already heard the story."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "And they say that you are waiting for God’s son to come back from heaven. His son is Jesus. Jesus died, but God made him alive again. And you know, God will judge everybody one day. Everybody has done bad things, and that makes God angry. But Jesus will save his people, so God will not be angry with you, and he will not be angry with us."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "Christian friends, you know that it was good that we went to your town and told you God’s message. It wasn’t a waste of our time, because you believed that message."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "And you know that before we came to you, we told God’s message to the people in Philippi. Some of those Philippi people got really cheeky to us, and they beat us up. After that, we came to your town, and God made us brave, so we told God’s message to you too. We didn’t get frightened of the cheeky people that tried to stop us."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "You see, we only told you true things. We told you the good news so that you can believe God’s message. We were not trying to trick you. We were not trying to get you to believe things that are not true."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "No way. You see, it was God that sent us. He knew us, and he trusted us to tell people his message. So we only say what he wants us to say. We don’t try to make people happy. We only try to make God happy."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "And when we talked to you, we didn’t say nice things about you, so that you will like us. We didn’t make a secret plan to get you to give us things. God knows that."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "And we didn’t try to get anyone to say good things about us. We didn’t want you or anyone else to do that."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "God made us Jesus’s special workers, and he sent us to you. But we didn’t say, “We are Jesus’s special workers, so we are your bosses, and you have to do what we say.” No, we didn’t talk like that. We were like little kids with you. We talked easy to you. We were good to you, like a mother taking care of her kids."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "We loved you so much that we told you the good news about Jesus. And more than that, we were ready to do anything to help you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "Christian friends, remember what we did when we were there with you. We worked to get money, and while we did that, we told you the good news from God. We worked a lot to get enough money to look after ourselves. We didn’t only work in the day time, but we worked at night time too. So you didn’t have to give us anything."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "While we were with you mob, we only did things that made God happy. We did things that are good and right. You know that, and God knows it too."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "And you know that we treated each one of you the same way a father treats his own kids."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "We taught you, and we helped you to be brave and strong. And we told you very strongly to do things that make God happy. You see, God is the one that picked you to be in his own family, and you will be really great with him."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "And we always thank God for the way you listened to us. We told you God’s message, and you knew that it wasn’t only a message from people. You believed that we told you words from God, and that it was God’s message. And you were right. It is God’s word. And now that you believe that word, it helps you grow strong for him."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "And, Christian friends, your countrymen gave you a lot of trouble after you believed in Jesus. You know, the same thing happened to the Christians in the churches in Judea country. They believed in Jesus, and their Jewish countrymen gave them a lot of trouble too."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "That Jewish mob didn’t want to believe God, and they made trouble for Jesus. You see, a long time ago, it was the Jewish mob that killed the men that told God’s messages, and it was the Jewish mob that killed our leader Jesus too. And it was the same for us. Wherever we told people about Jesus, the Jewish mob chased us out of those places. They make God angry. They work against everyone."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "They try to stop us telling everyone that God can save people that are not Jewish. That Jewish mob did a lot of bad things in the past, and they are also doing those bad things now, so they make God angry, and he is going to punish them."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Look, Christian friends, we never wanted to leave you mob, but we had to. But it was only for a little while, and we kept on thinking about you, and we really wanted to go back to you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "I, Paul, tried to go back lots of times, but Satan, the boss over the bad spirits, he stopped me every time."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19-20", "text": "Listen. One day our leader, Jesus, will come back, and he will ask us about the things we did. Then we will tell him about how we got you mob to trust him. And you will be there with us on that day, so we will be really happy. We are like athletes that run in a race and win the prize, because after Jesus comes back, he will tell us that we did a good job with you, and that will be like a prize for us."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1-2", "text": "But back at the time just after we left you, we worried about you for a while. We didn’t know if you kept on trusting Jesus or not. We tried to go back to find out about you, but we couldn’t do it. And we couldn’t wait to get some news about you. So we reckoned, “We’ll send Timothy by himself, and we’ll stay here in this city called Athens and wait for him to come back.” Timothy is like our brother. He works with us for God, telling people the good news about Jesus Christ. We sent Timothy to you so that he could help you to be strong and to trust Jesus better."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "We knew that people would give you trouble, and we didn’t want any of you to stop following Jesus. You yourselves know that you get trouble for following Jesus."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "This is what we told you when we were still with you, we said, “Some people will give you trouble.” And soon that happened, just like we said."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "And I really worried about you. I thought, “You Christians in Thessalonica are very new Christians. Maybe the boss over the bad spirits gave you too much trouble. Maybe he tricked you, so that you don’t trust Jesus any more. Maybe we worked for nothing there in Thessalonica.” That’s what I was thinking, but I didn’t really know the true story. And when I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to send Timothy to find out the true story about you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "And now Timothy has just come back to us, and he brought us good news about you. He told us that you still believe in Jesus Christ, and you still love God, and you still love other people. He said that every time you remember us, it makes you happy, and you want to see us again, just as much as we want to see you again. That is the story Timothy told us."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "We heard that news about you, our Christian friends, and we were very happy. After we heard it, we got braver and stronger for God. It doesn’t matter to us if people give us trouble and hit us. You still trust Jesus, so we are happy."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "We heard that you strongly believe in our leader, Jesus, and now we feel properly alive again."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "You make us so happy that we pray to God and thank him for you. We can’t thank him enough."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "We are always praying to God, both in the day time and at night time, and we are strongly asking him to let us visit you again. There are still some things we need to tell you about Jesus so that you can trust him even more."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Yes, we want God, our father, and Jesus, our leader, to help us come to you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "And we want Jesus to get you to love each other and to love other people, even more than you do now. We want you to love people just as much as we love you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "We want Jesus to make you properly good and clean inside. You see, one day Jesus, our leader, will come back, and all his people will be with him. And then we will all meet God our father, and God will see that we are properly good and clean inside, so he will be happy with us, and he will not have to blame us for doing anything wrong."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "There is one more thing we want to tell you, our Christian friends. You know, we taught you about the right way to live, to make God happy. And you have been living that way. That’s good. But we want you to live like that even more."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "You know the things that we told you to do. Our leader, Jesus, got us to tell you those things."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "This is what God wants. He wants you to be properly good and to keep away from everything that is wrong. If somebody is not your own wife or husband, don’t sleep with them as if you are married to them."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "Every one of you has to learn how to control your own body in a way that is clean and good."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "Don’t be like people that don’t know God. They just want to sleep with anybody and do the wrong thing with them. That is what they want to do, and they are always thinking about it. They don’t try to stop themselves. Don’t be like that."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "None of you men can ever sleep with a woman that is not your own wife. If you do that, you are doing a bad thing to her husband. He is the only person that can sleep with her, so don’t cheat him out of that. Don’t do that bad thing to another Christian, or to anyone else. God is the one that will punish you if you do that. We told you about that when we were with you, and we mean it."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "God picked us to be his people, but he didn’t pick us to be people that do bad and dirty things, like sleeping with somebody else’s wife or husband. He picked us to be people that keep away from everything that is bad."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "That rule doesn’t come from people, it comes from God. So anyone that doesn’t listen to that rule, is not listening to God. And remember, God is the one that gives you his Holy Spirit, and his spirit is really good."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "I don’t need to write to you about how you have to love other Christians. God himself taught you to love each other."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "Yes, you love all the Christians in every place in your country, called Macedonia. But we ask you strongly, friends, to love each other more and more."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "Try to live the way we told you to when we were with you. Try to live in a quiet way, and don’t make any trouble for anyone. Don’t mess up the things that other people are doing, or try to boss them around. And don’t be lazy, but work to get enough money to buy whatever you need."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "Then you will not have to ask other people for things. If you live like that, the people that don’t know God will see that you are good, and they will respect you."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "Christian friends, we are going to tell you now about people that have already died. We don’t want you to be sad when you think about them. Other people, that don’t believe in Jesus, they don’t know what will happen to them after they die. So when their friends die, they get really sad. But if our Christian friends die, we don’t have to be really sad like those other people. Listen, we want you to understand this properly."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "You see, we believe that Jesus died, and after that, God made him alive again. So we also believe that when Jesus comes back to this earth, all the Christians that already died will come back with him. Jesus will bring them all back with him."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "You see, this is the message that Jesus, our leader, told us, and we tell this same message to you. Those of us that are still alive when Jesus comes back, we will not go and meet him before the Christians that already died."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "It will happen like this. Our leader, Jesus himself, will come down from heaven, and while he is coming, everyone will hear him call out, and they will hear the voice of the boss angel, and they will hear the sound of God’s trumpet. Then, first of all, those people that belonged to Jesus Christ and already died, they will come back to life."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "After that, God will get those of us Christians that are still alive at that time, and he will take us up into the clouds with the Christians that already died, and we will all meet Jesus, our leader, way up in the air. And so, after that, we will be with Jesus all the time, for ever."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "So think about this message, and talk to each other about it, and help each other to stay strong, so that you are not sad when your Christian friends die."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "And now, Christian friends, think about the time when Jesus will come back. We don’t need to write to you about times and dates."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2", "text": "You already know about that day when our leader, Jesus, will come back. You know it will come suddenly, and people will get a big shock. They will not be ready for it, like nobody is ready for a robber to come in the night to steal things."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "You know, people will be saying, “We are safe. There’s no trouble here.” But then that big trouble will come really quickly, and they will not be ready for it. God will use that big trouble to punish them. It will be like what happens when a woman has a baby, she suddenly gets pain, and then her baby starts to come, and nobody can stop it. That big trouble will be just like that. It will come to people suddenly, and they will not get away from it."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "But, Christian friends, you aren’t like other people that don’t listen to what God says. It is like they are living in the dark all the time. When that trouble day comes, you will not get a shock, like people do when a robber comes to steal their things at night."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "You listen to what God says. It’s like you belong to the light, and you belong to the day time. You aren’t people that belong to the night time or the dark."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "So don’t be like other people that aren’t ready for Jesus to come back, like they are asleep. Instead, you have to think properly about what is happening, like people that are awake."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, night time is the time when people go to sleep, or maybe they get drunk, so they can’t think properly."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "8", "text": "But we belong to the day time, so we have to think properly. We have to keep on loving God and trusting him to save us. When we do that, it will make us strong for God, like when soldiers put on special clothes made out of iron, to stop the enemy from hurting them."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9-10", "text": "You see, God picked us to save us, not to get angry with us. Our leader, Jesus Christ, died for us, so now God can save us and give us new life. After Jesus comes back, we will live with him for ever. Maybe we will die before he comes, or maybe we will still be alive. It will not matter, because God will give us all new life, and we will all live with Jesus for ever."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "So then, tell those things to each other, and help each other to become stronger for God, not sad and weak. And yes, I know that you are doing that already."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "Now, Christian friends, here are a few more things we really want you to do. – Respect the people among you that work hard for God. They lead you, his people, and teach you how to live the right way."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "They work for God, so respect them, and love them a lot. – And don’t argue with each other. –"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "And the next thing, friends, tell lazy people that they have to work. – And if somebody is frightened, talk to them in a way that helps them to be brave. – And help anybody that is weak. – And don’t get angry with anyone, keep on trying to help them. –"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "If somebody does something bad to you, don’t try to do payback to them, but always try to be good to each other and to everyone else too."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "And we want you to do these things too. – Always be happy. –"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "Be ready to pray to God at any time. –"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "Always thank God, no matter what happens to you. You see, you belong to Jesus Christ, so God wants you to do those things."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19", "text": "And we want you to do some more things too. – Don’t stop God’s spirit working in you. –"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "20", "text": "Don’t rubbish God’s messages,"}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "21", "text": "but listen carefully when anyone tells you a message from God. Think carefully about everything they say, and find out if it really comes from God. Then, if it is right, be careful to remember it and to do those good things."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "22", "text": "But if it is wrong, or if it tells you to do a bad thing, don’t do it. Keep away from every sort of bad thing, and don’t listen to messages that don’t come from God."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "23", "text": "God is the one that helps people to be happy and quiet inside themselves. I want that for you, and I’m asking God himself to clean you properly inside, so that you will be his special people. I want God to help you be properly good in every way, with your body, and your spirit, and also that part inside you that thinks and that gives you your feelings. Yes, God can clean you and help you be properly good, so that at the time when our leader, Jesus Christ, comes back, God will not blame you for doing anything wrong."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "24", "text": "Yes, God will make you properly clean inside. He picked you to be his people, and he always does what he promised to do."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "25", "text": "And now, my Christian friends, I’m asking you to pray for us."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "26", "text": "And whenever you meet other Christians, show them that you know they are special, and that you are happy to see them."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "27", "text": "Now listen. I want you to promise me that you will read this letter to all the Christians there. And our leader, Jesus, will be listening to you promise that."}
{"book": "1TH", "chapter": 5, "verse": "28", "text": "And now I ask our leader, Jesus Christ, to be with you and to be very good to you. From Paul"}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. Silas and Timothy are here with me, and they are helping me write this letter. We are sending this letter to you Christians that are in God’s church, in the town called Thessalonica. You belong to God our father and to Jesus Christ our leader."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "We are asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "Christian friends, we know that you are learning to trust God more and more, and you are loving each other more and more. So we have to thank God for you all the time."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "And whenever we visit God’s people in the churches in other places, we tell them all about you. We tell them that you keep on believing in Jesus, no matter how much trouble people give you, and no matter how much they hurt you."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "You keep on believing in Jesus, and that shows us that God always judges people the right way. It is right for you to be in God’s family, because you keep on believing in Jesus, no matter how much trouble people give you."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "God is a good and fair judge, and in the end, he will do payback to those people. He will give them trouble, just like they gave you trouble."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "And he will let you rest and be happy, without any trouble. He will do that for you, and for us too, when Jesus, our leader, comes back. Everyone will see him come from heaven with a big mob of his strong angel messengers,"}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "and with a lot of fire. They will punish all those people that don’t want to know God. Those people don’t listen to the good story about Jesus, and they don’t do what he says."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "God will go on punishing them for ever. He will properly ruin them. He will shut them out so they can never come near our leader Jesus. They will never see how really great and powerful he is."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "All that will happen on the day when Jesus will come back to the earth. His own people will show what great things he has done for them, and they will really respect him. And you are his people, so you will be there when he comes back. You believed what we told you about Jesus, so you will be in that mob of his people."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "So we always pray for you. God picked you to be his own people, and he wants his mob to be good people, so we ask God to keep making you better people. You believe in Jesus, and you want to do good things, so we pray that God will work powerfully in you, and we pray that he will give you the power to do all those good things that you want to do."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "We ask God to do that, so that people will see how he works in you, and then they will really respect our leader, Jesus, and they will say good things about him. And we want you to be so good that Jesus will be happy with you too. We are asking those 2, God and our leader Jesus Christ, to be really good to you."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "Now we want to tell you a bit more about how our leader, Jesus Christ, will come back to the earth, and the time when he will bring us all together to be with him. Christian friends, we are telling you this."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "Don’t listen to people that reckon his time has already come, and Jesus has already come back. They are wrong. We don’t want you to get upset easily or frightened by those people. They might lie and say that they heard one of God’s men say that, or that somebody wrote it in a report, or they might even reckon that we wrote it in a letter."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "Don’t listen to them. Don’t let anyone trick you like that. You see, it will be like this. There are some things that will happen first, and after that, Jesus will come back. A lot of people will turn against God, and then a really bad man will show himself to everyone. He will never do anything that God wants. He will be the sort of man that God wants to properly finish up."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "He will reckon that he is better than God. He will fight against God, and against everything else that people think is a god. He will fight against everything that people respect in a spiritual way. He will even go into God’s ceremony house and sit down there, and tell everyone that he is God."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "Do you remember me talking about that when I was with you there in your town?"}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "You already know something about this man. You know that he wants to start doing his bad things now, but somebody is holding him back. But at the right time, God will let everyone see that bad man."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, there is a secret power already working in the world. It is trying to get people to go against God and to break his laws. But somebody is fighting against that power and stopping it from doing that, and he will keep stopping it until God takes him away."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "Then that really bad man will come with that power, and he will show himself to everyone. That bad man never does anything that God wants. But then later, Jesus our leader will come and kill him. Jesus will just talk, and his words will kill that man. Jesus will finish him up when he comes with power."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, when that bad man will come, Satan, the boss over the bad spirits, will give some of his power to that bad man. So that bad man will come, and he will do really clever things with Satan’s power. Those things will give people a big shock. They will think that he has good power, and they will believe him, but they will be wrong."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "He will trick those people. They will think, “He is doing powerful things, so he is right,” but he will really be doing very bad things with Satan’s power. You know, there are some people that don’t like the true message about Jesus. They don’t believe it. Those people will not let God save them. They are the people that this really bad man will trick. So in the end, God will finish up those people."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, they will not believe the true message, so God will let somebody properly trick them, and they will believe that bad man’s lies."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "They are people that like to do bad things, and they will not believe the true message about Jesus. So God will judge them, and he will say they are guilty."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13-14", "text": "But, Christian friends, we thank God that you are not in that mob. Right from the start, God picked you to be the ones that he will save. And he put his Holy Spirit into you, to save you. We told you the true message about Jesus, and you believed it. It is like God called to you, at that time, to come and join his mob. And now God’s spirit works in you all the time to change you into God’s special people. And God will make you great, like our leader Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "So then, Christian friends, you have to keep strong and keep on properly trusting Jesus. Keep on believing the things that we taught you. You see, Jesus taught us those things, and later we taught them to you. We told you those things when we were there with you, and after that, we wrote letters to you to tell you more. Now keep on believing those things."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "And we pray to our leader Jesus Christ himself, and we also pray to God our father. God loves us, and he is very good to us. He helps us to be strong, and to be brave, for ever. He tells us that we are his people, for sure."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "So we ask him to help you to be strong, and brave too, so that you keep on doing good things, and keep on saying good things."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "And, Christian friends, there is one more thing we want to ask you to do. Please pray for us. Ask God to help us tell a lot more people about Jesus. We want them to hear that message soon, and we want them to believe it, just like you did."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "You know, there are some people that never believe the good news about Jesus, and some very bad people that want to give us trouble. Ask God to keep us safe from them."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "But Jesus, our leader, is always good to us, and he always does what he promised to do. He will help you to keep on trusting him strongly. He will keep you safe from that really bad one, the boss over the bad spirits, so that he can’t touch you."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "You see, God helps us know for sure about you. We reckon that you are doing the things that we told you to do, and we reckon that you will keep on doing them."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "We want Jesus Christ, our leader, to help you understand more about God, and to understand that he really loves you. And we want him to help you to keep going strong, just like Jesus Christ kept going strong when he was here on the earth."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6-7", "text": "Listen, Christian friends, Jesus Christ, our leader, wants us to tell you this. If anyone says they are a Christian, but they sit down and never want to do any work, you have to keep away from that person. Remember when we were with you. Think about what we were like. We didn’t sit around doing nothing. And we told you, “Don’t be lazy.” We want you to live the way we lived when we were with you."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "We worked very hard, not only in the day time, but at night time too, so that we could get enough money to look after ourselves. We always paid for the food you gave us. You didn’t have to find extra money to look after us."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "You know, God says that if somebody tells people the good news about Jesus, it is all right for that person to ask for the things they need. But we didn’t do that. We didn’t ask you for anything. You see, we wanted to show you the right way for a Christian to live."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "Remember what we told you about people that don’t want to work. We told you not to give them food. We said, “If they will not do any work, don’t give them any food.”"}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, somebody told us that there are some lazy people there with you that never want to do any work. They just go around talking about people in a bad way and messing up other people’s lives."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "So we write this to those lazy people. Our leader, Jesus Christ, wants us to strongly tell them this. They have to change the way they live. They have to settle down and get a job, so that they can buy their own food to eat."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "But to you other Christian friends we say this, keep on doing good things all the time, and always be happy to do them."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "We are writing this letter to tell you the right way to live. If some people will not do what we say in this letter, tell everyone about them, and don’t be their close friends. Then they will feel shame."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "But don’t be their enemies. Instead, talk to them like they are your brothers or sisters, and try to straighten them out."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "We will finish this letter now. You know, our leader, Jesus, he is the one that can make people feel quiet and happy inside themselves. Well, we pray that he will do that for you all the time, and that he will be with you all the time."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "This is me, Paul, writing this bit now. I’m saying hello to you, and I am writing it with my own hand, so everyone can be sure that this letter is really from me. I do this at the end of all my letters."}
{"book": "2TH", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "I pray that Jesus Christ, our leader, will keep on being really good to all of you. From Paul"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1-2", "text": "Dear Timothy, I am Paul, and this letter is from me. God picked me to be Jesus Christ’s special worker. Those 2, God and Jesus, they told me to do this work. God is the one that will save us, and we can be sure that Jesus will always look after us. They gave me this job, to tell everybody this message about them. Timothy, I told you about Jesus, and you really believed in him, so now I love you like you are my own son. I pray to God our father, and to Jesus Christ our leader, that they will show you that they love you. I am asking them to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourself."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3-4", "text": "Remember when we were in Ephesus, and I left that town to go to Macedonia country. At that time, I told you to stay there in Ephesus. There were some people there that were teaching the wrong message, and I wanted you to stay there and straighten them out. Those people think a lot about old time stories that are not true, and they think about the lists of names of people in their families, and then they use those stories and lists of names to teach lies to people. Anybody that listens to them just gets into useless arguments. People shouldn’t do that, but instead they have to learn about God, and the way he works. They have to learn to believe in God and to do whatever he wants. So I want you to tell those lying teachers to stop teaching those lies."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "You see, you have to teach people to do what is right, and to believe in God properly, and to never do bad things. Then they will properly love each other all the time. We want people to follow the things that we teach, so that they live that way."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "But those lying teachers don’t do that. They go all wrong. They just talk about useless things all the time."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "They reckon they teach the law that God gave to Moses, and they want everybody to respect them. They talk strongly, like they know all about that law, and they think they are always right. But really, they are all mixed up. They don’t understand that law properly, and they don’t know what they are talking about."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "We all know that the law that God gave to Moses is good, so long as people teach it the right way."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "We have to remember that God gave that law to punish the people that do bad things, not the people that do good things. That law is there to stop bad people, and cheeky people, and people that forget about God and everything that belongs to God. It is there to stop people that want to kill their own father or mother, and people that want to murder other people."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "That law is there to stop those people that just want to sleep with anybody, and do with them what married people do together. It is there to stop men that want to sleep with other men, as if they are women. It is there to stop people that grab other people to make them prisoners and force them to work for no pay. It is there to stop those people that trick other people by lying to them. That law is there to stop all those sorts of bad things that people do if they don’t listen to God’s word."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "They do all sorts of bad things. But if we think about that good story about Jesus, we know all those things are wrong. And I go and tell that good story about Jesus to everybody. That’s my job. Our wonderful God gave me this job."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "I really want to thank our leader Jesus Christ. He makes me strong enough to do this job. He thought I will do this work properly, so he picked me out to do it for him, and I thank him for that."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13-14", "text": "I used to be really cheeky to Jesus Christ before I ever believed in him. I used to say bad things about Jesus, and I used to make trouble for anybody that believed in Jesus. I didn’t know the true story about Jesus at that time, so I didn’t believe in him. But God felt sorry for me, and he was really good to me. He let me turn around and join up with Jesus Christ, and now Jesus helps me to trust God, and he helps me to love everybody."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "You sometimes hear people say this, “Jesus Christ came into this world to save bad people, to make them into better people.” That is very true, and everybody has to believe it. And it tells the story about me too. I was really bad. I was worse than anybody else."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "But Jesus wanted to show everybody that he will wait for people, and he will save anyone that believes in him, even really bad people. So he picked me to be an example. I was really bad, but he felt sorry for me, and he waited for me to believe in him. So now everybody can know that Jesus is waiting, and he wants everybody to believe in him, no matter if they are really bad. If they believe in him, he will save them, and they will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "That shows that God is really great. He is the biggest boss, and he lives for ever, even though nobody can see him. He is the only one that is God. Everybody has to really praise him and say he is great, and they have to do that for ever and ever. That’s right."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "Timothy, you are like a son to me, so I’m telling you to do these things. Remember that the Holy Spirit told the Christians there a message about you, some time ago. Well, you have to think about that message, so that you can stand up against things that are wrong, like a soldier that stands up and fights against an enemy."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "You have to keep on believing God’s word and keep on doing the right thing, so that you will never feel bad about the things you do. Some people heard about God, but they didn’t try to go the right way, and now they don’t believe in God any more."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "Those 2 men, Hymenayus and Alexander, they are like that. So I asked God to let Satan punish those 2 men. Satan is the boss over the bad spirits, and I asked God to let him punish them so that they will learn not to tell lies about God."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "I’m writing now about your church meetings. The first thing I want to tell you is that you have to pray for all sorts of people. Ask God to help people that have problems. Tell him all about them, and ask him to help them. Always thank God too, for everything that he does for people."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "Pray for the bosses over your nation, both the big bosses and those other bosses that work for them. Ask God to help them run the nation the right way, so that we can live happy and quiet lives, and so that we can respect God properly, and live his way."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "If we pray for everybody like that, we make God happy. He is the one that saves us,"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "and he wants to save everybody. He wants everybody to know the true message about Jesus."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "You see, there is only one God, and there is only one man that can stand between God and us people, to bring us back to God and ask him not to punish us. That man is Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "He let people kill him. When he died, he took the payback for everybody, so that now God can save anybody. He died like that at just the right time to show everybody that God really wants to save them."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "And God has picked me to be Jesus’s special worker, to go and tell people his word. What I’m saying now is really true. I’m not lying. He picked me to go to those people that are not Jewish, and to tell them that God will save them too."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "So in your meetings at every place, I want the men that pray to be men that live the sort of life that makes God happy. I don’t want them to be angry, or argue with others."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "And in your meetings, I want the women to dress properly and sensibly. They can’t dress in a way that makes men look at them. They can’t think about the fancy clothes they will wear, or their fancy hairdo, or the jewels that they want to wear, like gold or pearls. Those things are not important."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "This is more important. They have to do good things for other people, so that everyone will see that they are women that really know God."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "Women have to listen to the teacher in a meeting, and not argue with the teacher."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "I don’t let women teach men or be men’s bosses in spiritual things. They just have to be quiet."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "You see, God made people a long time ago, and he made the man first. His name was Adam. After that, he made the woman. Her name was Eve."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "And then that snake came to trick them, but he didn’t trick Adam. He tricked Eve, and she went wrong first."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "But God will save women from big trouble. He worked it out for them to become mothers, and that makes them important. So if they keep on believing in him, and loving people, and if they really respect God, and if they keep on being sensible, God will save them."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "I’m writing about church leaders now. You sometimes hear people say, “If anybody wants to be the person that leads God’s people, that’s a very important job that they want to do.” And that’s right. So you have to be very careful about the person you pick to be a leader."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "A church leader has to be this sort of man, – He has to be a really good man, so that nobody can ever say that he does bad things. – He can only have one wife, and he can’t sleep with any other woman, like a husband sleeps with his wife. – He has to have good sense and do things properly. – He can’t be the sort of man that lets himself go and then does wild things. – He has to be friendly to other people, even if he doesn’t know them. – He has to be good at teaching people. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "He can’t be a drunken man, or a man that gets into fights. – He has to be a quiet man that is not hard on people. – He can’t be a man that loves money. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4-5", "text": "He has to look after his own family properly, then you will know that he can look after God’s people too. If his kids respect him, and if they do whatever he tells them to do, that shows that he is the right sort of man. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "He has to be a man that has been a Christian for a long time, not a new Christian. A new Christian might start to think he is smart, and God might have to throw him out, like he threw the devil out after the devil thought he was smart. That devil is now the boss over the bad spirits. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "He has to be a man that everybody says is a good man. Even people that are not Christians have to say that he is good. If they know that he is a good man, they will respect him. The devil always tries to make Christian leaders go wrong so that he can shame them. It is like the devil has a trap and tries to catch them in it, but he can’t catch a man that is always good."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "It is the same too for the people that are helpers in the church. – They have to be really good honest people. – They can’t be people that get drunk. – They can’t be greedy, wanting lots of money and things. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "They have to really believe the things that God has shown us. And they have to always do the right thing, so that they will not feel bad about what they do. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "You need to try them out before you make them church helpers, so first give them some little jobs to do, and if they do them properly, and if nobody complains about them, then you can make them helpers in the church. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Their wives have to be like them, good women that nobody complains about. – Their wives can’t be the sort of women that say bad things about other people. – Their wives can’t be the sort of women that let themselves go and then do wild things. – Their wives have to be honest about everything. –"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "A church helper can only have one wife, and he can’t sleep with any other woman, like a man sleeps with his wife. – He has to be the sort of man that looks after his wife and kids properly, as well as all the people that live in his house."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "If church helpers do their job properly, everybody will say that they are good people, and God will be happy with them too. Then they will not be too frightened to tell anybody that they believe in Jesus Christ."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "I want to come and see you soon, but I’m writing this letter to you now"}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "so that you will know the way we have to do things in the church. You know, we are God’s family, and his family is his church. God is always alive, and the people in his church always have to keep on teaching his true word. You know how a house is held up by the big posts that are set in concrete. Well, we people in God’s church, we are like those posts. We are holding up God’s true word, so we have to teach it properly."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "God shows us something about Jesus that is really true, and nobody can argue with it. He shows us that Jesus is really great, He came in a man’s body for people to see, but the Holy Spirit showed us that he was really from God. And God’s angel messengers saw him too. The people that believed in him told other people everywhere about him. They even went to other countries to tell people about him, and people all over the world believed in him. And God took him up into heaven."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "The Holy Spirit tells us clearly about things that will happen in the last days. He says that some people will stop believing the true word from God. Instead, they will believe lies that come from bad spirits. Those bad spirits will trick them, and they will believe those lies."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "And some of them will teach those lies to other people. They tell everybody they are good people, but really, they are bad. And they never feel bad about the bad things they do."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3-5", "text": "They tell people, “You can’t marry anyone. It is wrong.” And they tell people, “There are some sorts of food you can’t eat. You just have to leave it alone.” Those things that they say are not true. God tells us in his book that he made everything good. That means that he made all food good. We believe that word and know it is true, so we don’t have to leave any sort of food alone. Instead, we can just thank him for it and eat it. God’s word says that all food is good, so we pray to him and thank him for it, and then it is all right for us to eat it."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "So teach those things to all the Christians. If you do that, you will be a good worker for Jesus Christ. You believe God’s word and follow the things it says, and when you do that, you feed your spirit with God’s word to make yourself strong."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "Don’t take any notice of those silly stories that are not true, stories that lie about God. But instead, train yourself to respect God and take notice of him."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8-9", "text": "You sometimes hear people say, “If we train our bodies, we will get fit so that we can play sport and live better lives, and that is good for us now. But if we train our spirits to respect God and take notice of him, we will not only live better lives now, but we will live a lot better in the life that will come after we die, just like God promised us. That is a lot better for us.” Well, those words are true, and everybody has to follow that message."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "We know it is true, so we work hard for God, and we are sure that he will give us a better life after we die. We are sure about God. He is alive, and he wants to save everybody, and he really will save all the people that believe in him."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "So teach everybody these things, and tell them that they have to follow these words."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "If some people think you are too young to be their leader, don’t worry. You live the right way yourself, and that will show them that you are a good leader. Then they will see the way a Christian has to live. So talk in the right way, and talk about the right things. And do everything the right way. And love people. And believe strongly in Jesus. And always do what is right. Then everyone will see that you live right, and they will not think you are too young."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "So keep going until I get there. Make sure you read God’s book in your meetings. Teach them that true message, and tell them how to do what it says."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Always remember that God gave you special power at the time when the church leaders laid their hands on you and prayed for you. The Holy Spirit gave them a special word about you at that time. So keep on using the power that God gave you."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "Think hard about these things that I am telling you, and always do them, so that everybody will see that you are getting better all the time."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "Be careful to live properly, and to teach the right things. You have to keep on doing those things, so that God will save both you and the people that listen to you."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "If ever people in the church there go wrong, and if you have to straighten them out, be careful to respect them while you do it. If you talk to an old man, don’t talk to him in an angry way, but talk easy to him, like he is your father. If it is a young man, talk to him like he is your brother."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2", "text": "Or if it is an old woman, talk to her like she is your mother. Or if it is a young woman, respect her and talk to her like she is your sister."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "If there are any widows in the church that haven’t got any family to look after them, then the church has to look after them."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "But if a widow has family, that is, if she has some kids or grand-kids that are old enough to look after her, then they have to do that. It is not the church’s job. Those younger people have to remember that they were kids once, and the woman that looked after them at that time is now a widow, so now it is their job to look after her. If we do that, God is happy with us."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "But some widows are all alone and haven’t got any family to look after them. If they trust God to take care of them, they will keep on praying and asking God for whatever they need."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "But if they don’t think about God, and if they only want to have fun, they might think they are alive, but really, their spirit is dead."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7-8", "text": "If people don’t take care of their own family or their own relatives, they are not doing the thing that Jesus wants us to do. They are worse than the people that say they don’t believe in Jesus at all. Tell everybody in the church this message so that other people will not try to blame them."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "So you can make up a list. Write down the names of all the widows that the church has to help. But only put a widow on the list if she is over 60 years old, and only if she always stayed with her husband and never went off with another man."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "She has to be the sort of woman that everybody respects because she always did good things for people. She has to be a woman that brought her kids up properly. She has to be a woman that always gave strangers food and a place to sleep. She has to be a woman that did all sorts of things to help God’s people. She has to be a woman that always helped people in trouble and was always ready to do good things."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "But if a widow is still a young woman, she still really wants to have a husband, so later she will want to stop doing things for Jesus, and she will want to marry somebody. So don’t write her name on that list."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "You know, when she asked the church to help her, she promised to work for the church, so if she stops working for the church, it means that she is breaking that promise, and God might punish her for that."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "Even if she doesn’t marry again, she still might get lazy. Instead of doing good things, she might just go around to people’s houses and talk to them about other people, and she might talk about things that she shouldn’t talk about."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "So I’m saying this to young widows. Don’t try to get on to the church’s list, but instead, go ahead and marry somebody, and have kids, and look after your family. If you do that, our enemy will not have any reason to say bad things about us."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "You see, some young widows already went away from God, and now they follow Satan, the boss over the bad spirits."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "And, you know, some widows have relatives that can look after them. If a Christian woman has a relative that is a widow, she has to do that for her. She can’t ask the church to do it. Then the church can look after those other widows that haven’t got any family. They are the widows that really need help."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "Everybody has to respect those people that lead the church properly, and the church has to pay them properly, especially the people that work hard to teach God’s word to other people."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "God says this in his book, “If you get an animal to work for you, you have to let that animal eat something while it works.” And he also says, “It is right for workers to get their pay.” Well, it is like that too with the church leaders. They work for the church, so the church has to pay them properly."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19", "text": "And you know, church leaders can go wrong too. But if somebody blames a church leader for something, don’t believe them unless there are 2 or 3 people that tell the same story about that leader. Then you have to find out if that story is true."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "20", "text": "If that leader really did do something bad, then you have to shame him. You have to talk to him to try to straighten him out, and do it in front of everybody in the church. Then everyone will take notice and be too frightened to do bad things themselves."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "21", "text": "And as you do that, you have to treat everybody the same way. You know, God sees everything I’m writing here, and so does Jesus Christ, and so do God’s angel messengers. They know everything that I am telling you now. I’m telling you that you can’t treat your family and friends any better than anybody else."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "22", "text": "If ever you need to pick somebody to be a church leader, pick somebody that has been a Christian for a long time, not somebody that is a new Christian. It is like this. If the person you pick starts to go wrong, everyone will blame you as well as blaming that person. So pick somebody that you know is really good, so that you don’t get yourself mixed up with something that is wrong."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "23", "text": "By the way, I know that you are often sick in the stomach, so you have to mix a little bit of wine into the water you drink. Don’t just drink water on its own."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 5, "verse": "24-25", "text": "If you need to pick a new leader, remember this. There are some people that do bad things out in the open so that we soon hear about them, and we all know that they are no good before we even meet them. But there are also other people that hide the bad things they do so that nobody can see them, and it takes some time before we find out that they are bad people. In the same way, some people do good things out in the open so that everybody sees them, while other people hide the good things they do so that nobody can see them. But it doesn’t matter. Sooner or later everybody will find out about them, and everybody will know that they are good people."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "1", "text": "I’m writing now about Christians that have to work all the time for somebody else. They have to really respect their bosses. If they don’t, people that are not Christians will rubbish God and say that he gets us to teach things that are wrong."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "2", "text": "If a worker’s boss is a Christian, that worker can’t think like this, “My boss is my Christian brother so I can be lazy.” No, that boss believes in Jesus, and that boss loves Jesus too, so the worker has to work harder for that boss. You have to teach people those things, and tell them to live that way."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "3", "text": "Some people teach things that are wrong. They teach things that are different from the good things that our leader, Jesus Christ, taught. He taught things that help people live in a way that makes God happy."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "4", "text": "If anybody teaches different things that are not true, those people are wrong. They don’t really understand anything. They just want people to think they are important. They want to make trouble and get people to have arguments about words. If people start to argue, then they start to get jealous of each other. They think bad things, and they say bad things about each other."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "5", "text": "Then they keep on arguing with each other. You see, they listened to those wrong teachers and those teachers tricked them. Those wrong teachers made them think the wrong way, so they don’t really know the true message. They think that if they follow God’s way they will get a lot of money, but they are wrong."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "6-8", "text": "It is like this. At the time we were born, we didn’t bring any money with us into this life. And when we die, we can’t take any money with us. So while we live in this life, if we have enough food and clothes, we can be really happy. So now, if you follow God’s way, and if you don’t try to get a lot of money for yourself, you will be very happy, and you will get a lot out of life."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "9", "text": "But people that try to get lots of money, they let the devil trick them. The devil is the boss over the bad spirits. He gets those people to want things so much that they will do anything to get them. That’s how they fall into the devil’s trap. They do silly things, and bad things too. The devil really wrecks them."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "10", "text": "If you love money a lot, you will do all sorts of bad things to get it. Some people went wrong like that. They wanted a lot of money, so they stopped believing in Jesus, and they got themselves into lots of trouble, and now they are really sad."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "11", "text": "But Timothy, you belong to God. So you’ve got to keep away from all those bad things that I just told you about. Instead, you’ve got to try to do the right thing all the time, and try to do things that make God happy, and try to trust him more, and try to love people better, and try to keep going when things are tough, and try to be easy on other people, not hard on them. Those are the things you have to try to do all the time."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "12", "text": "It’s like we are in a big fight against the devil and all his bad spirit mob. He wants us to go wrong and stop believing in Jesus. But Jesus gives us really good life that goes on for ever, so we have to keep on trusting Jesus for that life, and then we will win the fight against that bad spirit mob. Remember the time that you first believed in Jesus, and you told a lot of people about it. That was the time he called you to follow him, and to get that life that goes on for ever. So now keep on believing in Jesus, and keep on following him so that you keep on living that good life for ever."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "13-14", "text": "You know about God. He makes things live. And you know about Jesus. People took him to Pontius Pilate, and he told that boss the true story about himself. Well, God is watching us now, and Jesus is listening to us. So I want you to promise me this one thing with both of them listening to you. I want you to promise me that you will do everything that I’m telling you to do in this letter. Promise me that you will do it all properly, so that nobody can say you did it wrong. And keep on doing it until we see Jesus Christ come back again."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "15", "text": "God will bring Jesus back at the right time. God is the only really big boss. He is the really big boss over everybody. He is the really big boss over all other big bosses. He is the biggest boss over every other boss."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "16", "text": "He is the only one that never dies, but he goes on and on for ever. He lives in light that is so bright that nobody can go near him. Nobody ever saw him, and nobody can see him now. We have to really respect him all the time, and we have to remember that he is really powerful. Yes, that’s right."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "17", "text": "There are some people that have a lot of money and a lot of things. You have to tell them that they can’t think that they are smart just because they are rich. They still have to pray to God, and they have to trust him for everything they really need. They can’t trust their money. But they have to trust God. He gives us everything we need to be happy. So we have to trust him, not trust money."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "18", "text": "So tell them to use their money to do good things for other people. Tell them to be ready to give it to people that need it."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "19", "text": "If they do that, they will really be giving it to God, and he will keep it for them for later on, after they die. In that way, they will get a good start in their new life. That is the really good life."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "20", "text": "All right, Timothy, God gave you his good message, so you have to look after it properly. Make sure nobody changes it around. There are some people that talk a lot in a stupid way, and they say bad things about God. Don’t listen to them. They might reckon they know all about it, and they might say that you are wrong, but really, they are the ones that are wrong."}
{"book": "1TI", "chapter": 6, "verse": "21", "text": "Some people followed them, and now those people have stopped believing in Jesus. That’s all for now. I’m asking God to be really good to all you mob there. From Paul"}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1-2", "text": "Dear Timothy, I am Paul, and this letter is from me. God picked me out to be Jesus Christ’s special worker. He gave me this job, to tell other people that they can believe in Jesus, and then they will live with God for ever. God promises to do that for us. Timothy, I love you like you are my own son. I pray to God our father, and to Jesus Christ our leader, that they will show you that they love you. I am asking them to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourself."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "I thank God for you, Timothy, and I pray for you all the time, in the day time and also at night. I work for God, and I really want to work properly for him so that I always feel good about it. (My father wanted to work for God properly, too, and so did my grand-father, and my family that lived a long time ago.)"}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "I remember that you cried the last time we left each other, so now I really want to see you again so that I will be happy."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "I also remember that you really believe in Jesus. First your grand-mother Lois believed in him, then your mother Eunice believed in him. And I know that you believe in Jesus now too, just like they do."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "Remember the time that I laid my hands on you and prayed for you. God’s spirit gave you special power at that time. Well, now I want you to remember that, and you have to keep on using that power in your work for God. If you have not used it for a while, you need to start using it again."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "God’s spirit in us doesn’t make us frightened, but he helps us be strong so that we do great things, and he helps us love people, and he helps us control ourselves."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "You have to tell people about our leader Jesus. Don’t feel shame about that. And don’t feel shame about me because I’m in jail. I’m here because I told people about Jesus. But don’t worry. Just go ahead anyway and tell people about our leader Jesus. And then maybe some people might make trouble for you, just like they made trouble for me. But God will make you strong, and you will not worry about that trouble."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "It is God that saved us, and he picked us to be his own specially good people. We didn’t do anything to get him to like us, but he was good to us anyway. He sent Jesus Christ to come and save us. God planned all that a long time ago, even before time started,"}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "and now he makes it clear for us all to see. Jesus came to save people, so that if they believe the good news about him, they will not stay dead after they die, but they will live for ever."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "And God gave me this job, to tell everyone that good story, and to teach everyone that Jesus can save them."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "So I tell everyone about him. Those people that don’t like Jesus, they make trouble for me. But I know God, and I believe in him, so I don’t feel shame when I get that trouble. I know that he will look after me right up until the day when Jesus will come back."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13-14", "text": "Whenever you teach people, you have to make sure that you tell them the same true message that I told you before. Don’t let anyone get you to change it into a wrong message. That message is something really special, and you really have to look after it properly. The Holy Spirit lives in us, and he will help you look after it properly. So you have to make sure you keep on believing in Jesus Christ, and keep on loving people just like he does. You are joined to him now, so you can do that."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "You probably know about the people that came here from Asia. They all left me now. Even Figelus and Hermogenes left me. It is like they don’t want to know me any more."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16-18", "text": "But Onesiforus wasn’t like that. He came here to Rome and looked everywhere for me. And when he found me here in jail, he didn’t feel shame. He often came and cheered me up. So I pray that Jesus, our leader, will be really good to his family. And you already know about that time that he was over there in Ephesus with me, and he helped me in lots of ways. One day our leader will judge everyone, and I pray that he will be good to Onesiforus and his family on that day."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "So Timothy, you are like my own son now. I want you to be strong. And if you always stay joined up to Jesus Christ, you can do that. You see, he is always good to you, and he will help you."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "You heard me tell those true things about Jesus to lots of people, so you have to teach those things to more people. Pick good people that everyone respects, then teach them those things, so that they can go to other people and teach them those same things."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "Remember that you belong to Jesus Christ. You are like his soldier. If soldiers get hurt, they don’t stop fighting. They just forget their pain and keep going. Well, you have to be like that now. If people see that you belong to Jesus, and then they hurt you, you just have to forget it and keep going, just like a good soldier, and like other good Christians."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "And you know that soldiers don’t get other jobs while they are in the army. They just work for their army captain and try to make him happy. Well, just like that, Jesus is your captain, so you have to just do the things that Jesus wants you to do, and don’t get mixed up with anything that he doesn’t want."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "And you are also like a sportsman. You know that sportsmen have to follow the rules of their game. If they don’t, they can’t win. Well, just like that, you have to follow the rules that God set down, so that in the end God will tell you that you won."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "And I will use another picture story, about a gardener. He works hard, and then he is the first person to eat the food he grows in the garden. Well, like that gardener, if you work hard for God, he will quickly pay you."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "Now think about those things that I just told you, and Jesus, our leader, will help you to properly understand them all."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "So if people make trouble for you, just remember that they made trouble for Jesus Christ. He was born into the family of David, the man that was the big boss a long time ago. But people gave him a lot of trouble, and they killed him. But then God made him alive again. That is the good news that I always tell people about Jesus."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "But some of them don’t like me telling everybody that message, so they make trouble for me. They even treat me like a criminal. They tied me up and put me here in this jail. But nobody can tie up God’s word or keep it in jail. Anyone out there now can still go around and tell people God’s message."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "So I reckon it’s all right for me to stay here in jail so that other people will hear that message and believe in Jesus. They are the people that God picked out. He will save them and make them great, and they will live happy with him for ever."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "Listen to these things that you sometimes hear Christians say. They are very true. They say, “If we follow Jesus and stop doing bad things, it is like we die with him, and so we don’t do anything bad any more, and then later we will live with him."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "If we follow him and people give us trouble, and if we keep on following him and don’t let that trouble stop us, then we will become important leaders with him. Or if we say that we don’t know him, then later, he will say that he doesn’t know us."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "But if we break our promise to him, that is different. He is not like us. He can never break his promise to us. He will always do what is right. That’s the sort of person he is.”"}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "So talk to your mob there, and don’t let them forget about those things. Tell them not to argue with anyone about words. Let them know that God is listening as you tell them that. If they argue like that, nobody wins, and anyone that listens to those arguments gets all messed up in the end."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "Try your best to be the sort of teacher that God likes. He likes teachers that teach the true message, and that help people understand it properly. That’s how you have to work for God."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "Stay away from people that teach useless stories that give God no respect, because if somebody talks like that, they just push people away from God."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Their message is like a bad sore on a man that will not heal, and in the end it kills him. Those 2 men, Hymenayus and Filetus, they are bad teachers like that."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "They say that God already raised up the dead people and made them alive again. But their message is wrong. Some people listened to them, and now these people don’t believe in Jesus any more."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "But God gave us the true word that can’t ever change. It is like a solid slab of concrete that builders put a house on. And it is like they wrote some words in that concrete. It is like they wrote this, “God knows those people that belong to him,” And like they also wrote, “If anyone says that they belong to God, they have to stop doing bad things.” So God’s people have to live that way."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "Let me use another picture story. In a big house there are lots of things that people use all the time. Some of those things are really special, like gold bowls and silver spoons, and people use those things for good clean jobs. But for dirty jobs, they use pots made from the ground, or from wood."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "Well, it is like that too with people that belong to God. If you stop doing bad things, you are like gold things or silver things, and God will use you for the good jobs. You will live in a clean way, and you will be ready for God to use you any way he wants to."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "Lots of young people just follow their own feelings, and then they do bad things. But you have to keep away from anything like that. Keep away from anything that will push you into doing something bad. Instead of that, you have to try to do good things, and always trust God, and love people, and don’t fight anyone. Some people live like that. They pray to God, and they only want to do good things. Well, make those people your good friends, and you live like that too."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "23", "text": "But you can’t argue about stupid things that are not important. If you argue like that, you might get into a fight."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "24", "text": "And anyone that works for God can’t get into fights, but they have to be good to everybody. So don’t get angry with people that give you trouble. You have to teach people in a good way."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 2, "verse": "25-26", "text": "If somebody doesn’t agree with the true message, you have to straighten them out, but do it quietly, in an easy way. You know, the devil, the boss over the bad spirits, he tries to trick people. It is like he sets a trap for them. He catches people in his trap, then he makes them do whatever he wants them to do. But if you teach people properly, they can wake up, then God will help them turn around, and he will get them to think straight, and they will understand that true message, and God will get them out of the devil’s trap."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "You have to understand this. In the last days of this world, things will be tough for people."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "Most people will only love themselves, and they will love money. They will think that they are smart, and they will tell everyone they are smart. They will say bad things about other people. They will never do what their parents tell them to do. They will never thank anyone for anything. They will not respect things that belong to God."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "They will be hard and cruel. They will remember the wrong things that other people do, and they will do payback to them. They will get wild easily, and they will never control themselves. They will always hate everything that is good."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "They will turn against their friends. They will do stupid things that will make problems for other people, but they will not care. They will think they are really good, but they are not. They will not love God, but instead they will only love to have fun."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "They will reckon they respect God, but they will reckon that he hasn’t got any power. So I’m telling you, keep right away from those people."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6-7", "text": "They are the sort of people that trick some women that are stupid. They find women that always do anything they feel like doing, women that really went wrong, women that know that they did lots of bad things. That sort of woman is always ready to listen to a teacher that has a new idea, but they can never understand the true message. Those bad men get those women to let them into their homes, then they trick them with their talk, until the women really believe them."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8-9", "text": "Those men have sick and dirty minds, and they don’t really believe in God. Think about the story from a long time ago, that story about Jannes and Jambres. They stood up against Moses and argued with him. In the end God killed those 2 men, and everyone saw that they were fools, and that they were wrong. Well, those tricky men are just like those 2 men that lived a long time ago. Those tricky men stand up and argue against anyone that tells the true message, but in the end everyone will know that they are fools, and that they are wrong."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "But Timothy, you are very different from them. You believe the message I always teach, and you know the good way I always live. You know that I don’t get angry when I get trouble, and I keep on loving people. You know that I believe really strongly in Jesus, and you agree with me about the things I live for."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "You know that bad people in some towns gave me a lot of trouble. They did that at Antioch, and at Iconium, and at Listra. You know that they hurt me a lot at those places. But Jesus, our leader, saved me from them, and they didn’t kill me."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "And it is always like that. If you belong to Jesus Christ and want to live God’s way, bad people will always make trouble for you."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "And those bad liars will get worse and worse. They will go on tricking people, and just like that, other people will trick them too."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "But as for you, we taught you lots of things about God, and now you really believe those things. And you know us. We only teach the true message, so you know that those things we taught you are true. So keep on believing and following our message."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "And remember that a long time ago you were a kid, and your mother taught you things from God’s book, and that gave you enough sense to believe in Jesus Christ. Now you believe in him, and he saves you."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "Everything in God’s book comes from God himself. It was God that sent the message to people to write down, and God uses it now to teach us his true word, and he uses it to get us to understand the things that are wrong with our lives, and to straighten us out, and he uses it to teach us to do the things that are right."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "That’s how God properly trains his workers. He uses the words in his book to teach them, so they can do all those good things that he wants them to do."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "You know, Jesus Christ will come back, and he will judge everyone. He will judge everyone that is alive at that time, and everyone that is already dead. So listen to what I’m telling you now. God and Jesus Christ are also listening to what I’m saying. It is this."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "You’ve got to tell people God’s word. You have to be ready to tell it at any time, no matter if it seems to be the right time or not. Teach it carefully to people, and be ready to wait for them to understand it. If they are going wrong, show them the right way to live, and help them to live that way. If they are going the right way, say good words to them to help them to keep going strong."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "You see, people are getting less interested in true stories. One day, they will not listen to good people that teach the true message, but instead they will listen to somebody that says strange things. And they will find teachers that will just say whatever people want to hear."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "Those people will stop listening to the true story, and instead they will listen to stories that are all lies."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "Don’t be like those people. You have to control yourself all the time, no matter what happens to you. If they get tough on you, don’t get upset, just keep going. You have to keep on telling people the good news about Jesus, and you have to finish all the work that he gave you to do."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "As for me, the time has come for me to leave my life here on earth, so I will die some time soon. I will give my life to God."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "I did my job properly, and I finished all the work God gave me to do. I always told the true message about Jesus. I’m like a man that runs a long race and keeps going hard right up to the finish line."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "I followed Jesus all the way, and very soon he will give me a prize, like a sportsman gets a medal after he wins. Jesus will make me properly good, that will be my prize. Jesus, our leader, is a fair judge, and he has got that prize ready to give me on the day that he comes back. And not just to me. He will give that prize to everybody that wants him to come back again, he will make them all properly good."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "Timothy, please come and see me as soon as you can."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10-12", "text": "Almost all my friends went away to somewhere else. Demas just likes the things of this life, so he left me and went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia country, and Titus went to Dalmatia country. And I told Tikicus to go to Ephesus. Only Luke is here with me now. If Mark was here, he could help me a lot in my work, so get him and bring him with you."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "You will probably go through Troas as you come to me here. When I was in Troas, I left a coat there with Carpus. So I want you to get that coat and bring it with you. And bring my books too. I especially want those leather books."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Remember that man called Alexander, that makes things out of metal. He gave me a lot of trouble, and he really hurt me. But I will leave it to our leader, Jesus, to punish him for that."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "You look out for him too. He doesn’t like the message we tell people about God, and he will try to do anything to stop us."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "And here, in this city, when they took me to court that first time, and I tried to tell the judge my story, nobody else said anything to back me up. They all left me. I hope God will not punish them for that."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "But God stood there beside me, and he made me strong, so that I could tell his message properly to everybody in that court. Those people there were not Jews, so maybe that was the first time they heard about God. In the end the judge didn’t sentence me to death, so they didn’t give me to the lions to eat."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "And God will always look after me, no matter what bad things people do to try to hurt me, and he will take me up into heaven to be with him in his family. Everybody has to praise him and say that he is great, for ever and ever. Yes, that’s right."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "Now I want you to say hello from me to Aquila and Priscilla. And say hello also to Onesiforus and everyone at his place."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "20", "text": "And I’ll tell you about 2 of the men that were with me. Erastus is not with me now, he stayed in Corinth. And Trofimus was with me at Miletus, but he got sick, so I had to leave him there until he gets better."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "21", "text": "By the way, I want you to try to get here before the cold weather time comes. All the Christians here say hello to you, especially Yubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia."}
{"book": "2TI", "chapter": 4, "verse": "22", "text": "That’s all. I pray that our leader, Jesus, will be with your spirit, and that he will be really good to you. From Paul"}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Paul, and this letter is from me. I work for Jesus Christ. The bosses didn’t like me doing that, so they put me in jail. Our friend Timothy is here too. He is helping me write this letter. We are writing to you, Philemon. You work for Jesus, just like we do, and you are our good friend."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "And we are also writing this to our friend Afia, and to our friend Arkipus. He is like a soldier for Jesus, just like me and Timothy. And we are also writing this to all you Christians there in the church that meets at Philemon’s place."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "I am asking God our father, and Jesus Christ our leader, to be good to you, and to make you feel happy and quiet inside yourself."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4-5", "text": "People tell me good things about you, Philemon. They say that you believe in our leader, Jesus, and you love all God’s people, so whenever I pray for you, I always thank God for you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "I ask God to help you know more about all the good things that Jesus Christ gives us after we join with him, and I ask God to help you tell other people about him, and tell them what you believe. That is what I pray for you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "I know, my friend, that you have been good to God’s people. You have helped them, and you have made them happy. I know that you love Jesus and you love all God’s people. That makes me very happy, and it makes me want to keep on working for God."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "So I’m asking you to do something for me. You know, Jesus Christ says that I can talk strong to you, like a boss, and I can tell you straight what you’ve got to do, but I will not talk to you like that. I’m not telling you to do it, I’m asking you to do it."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "You see, I love you a lot. You know me, Paul, and you know that I’m an old man. I work for Jesus Christ, so the bosses here put me in jail."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "And I’m asking you to do something for this man here. He is like my own kid. I told him about Jesus while I was here in prison, and now he believes in Jesus. I’m talking about Onesimus."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "You see, he used to work for you some time ago, but he didn’t help you. But now he can help both of us, you and me."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "I love Onesimus so much that he is like a part of me. But I’m sending him back to you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "You see, I told the people here the good news about Jesus, and the bosses didn’t like me doing that, so they put me in jail. And I know that you can’t come here to help me, so I want to keep Onesimus here, to help me instead of you helping me."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "But first I have to ask you about it. I don’t want to do anything unless you agree. I don’t want to force you to do anything. It’s better if you, yourself, want to do it."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "Maybe God let Onesimus leave you for a short time so that now you can have him back for ever."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "You can have him back again now, but not just as a work-man that you don’t have to pay. Now he can be something much better than your work-man. He can be like your brother, and you can love him. I love Onesimus very much, but you will love him even more than I do. You see, he is your work-man, but you will like him more than a boss likes his work-men, because he is also your brother. You and he both belong to our leader, Jesus, so he is your brother, and you will love him a lot."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "Remember that I’m your friend, and we do things together. If you reckon I’m your friend, be happy to see Onesimus when he comes back to you, and be good to him, just like you are happy to see me, and you are good to me whenever I visit you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "If Onesimus did something wrong to you while he worked for you, I will fix it up for you. If he has to pay you some money, I will pay that money for him."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "This is me, Paul, writing this with my own hand so you can be sure I mean it, I will pay that money back to you. But remember you already got a lot from me. I told you about Jesus, and he gave you real life."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "Yes, my friend, you and me, we both belong to our leader, Jesus Christ, so I really want you to help me. Then I will feel really happy."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "Yes, I’m sure that you will always do what I ask you, so I’m writing to you like this. And I know that you will do even more than I ask you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "Now I will tell you a bit about myself. I know that you mob are praying for me at this time, so I reckon they will soon let me go out of this jail. Then I will come and visit you again. So get a place ready for me to live in while I stay with you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "Do you remember Epafras? He belongs to Jesus Christ, so they put him in jail here with me. He says hello to you."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "And remember Mark, Aristarkus, Demas and Luke. They work with me here, and they say hello to you too."}
{"book": "PHM", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "I ask our leader, Jesus Christ, to be very good to you, and to be with your spirit too. From Paul"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am James. I work for God and for our leader Jesus Christ. I am writing this letter to all God’s people that live in lots of places everywhere in the world. I hope you are all good and happy."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "Listen, my Christian friends, you might get a lot of trouble sometimes. You might get different sorts of trouble. But don’t get upset about it. No, you can be happy about it,"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "because it will make you strong for God. You see, if you get trouble, and if you keep on trusting God, then you will become really strong for God, and you will stay strong, even if more trouble comes."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "Then, after you learn to do that properly, you will be really strong. You will not miss out on any of those things that make you a good Christian."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "So if you want to properly understand what is the right thing to do, and if you want to learn how to be strong when you get trouble, just ask God to help you. He will not be angry with you. He is happy when you ask him for help like that, and he will help you and make you think properly. He will make you think the right way so that you will do the right thing."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "But whenever you ask him, you have to believe that he will answer you. Don’t think, “Maybe he will not listen to me.” No, don’t think like that. Anybody that thinks like that can’t stay strong. They are like a bit of dry grass. The wind just blows it around and it goes anywhere."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7-8", "text": "If you are like that, it is like you are thinking 2 ways at the same time, and you will not be sure about anything. If you are like that, you can’t think that God will help you at all."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "If Christians haven’t got much money, or if people don’t think they are important, they can be happy, because God thinks they are important."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "But the Christians that are rich can be happy too, because they know that they are not important. They know that they need God, and that he will save them. You see, money can’t make people happy, and it can’t stop people from dying. People are like flowers that grow in the bush."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "At first they look good, but later the sun gets hot and those little flowers die, and they don’t look good any more. That is a picture of people. Rich people might keep working to get more money, but they will still die, and then they will not have that money any more."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "If God lets people test you, to see if you trust him properly, don’t give up trusting him. After God sees that you keep on trusting him, he will give you new life, so that you will live with him for ever. He promised to do that for everybody that loves him."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "Whenever you feel like you want to do something that is wrong, don’t blame God and say that he is pushing you to do something wrong. No way. God never pushes anybody to do wrong things, and nobody can trick God to make him do something wrong."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14-15", "text": "We do it to ourselves. Whenever we think about things we want for ourselves, and we don’t think about things God wants us to do, we just trick ourselves. Then we go ahead and do wrong things. You know, if we keep on doing those bad things, we will die."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "Don’t let anybody trick you, my Christian friends."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "Everything that is really good comes from God in heaven. He made the sun, and the moon, and the stars, up there in the sky that give us light. You know, they move around, and they make shadows that move and change around. But God is not like those things. He never changes at all. He always gives us good things."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "He wanted us to be in his own family, so he sent his true word to us. And when we believed that word it was like we were born all over again. That’s how he made us his really special people."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "Listen, my Christian friends, you have to be ready to listen to other people, and you have to stop and think before you say anything yourself. Stop and think before you get angry."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "If you are angry, you can’t do the good things that God wants you to do."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "So you have to stop doing all those things that are dirty and wrong. You have to listen properly to the word from God, that he put right inside you, and you have to do what it says. Don’t think that you are so good that you don’t need God’s word. No. You have to do what it says, then that word will save you."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "And don’t just listen to that word from God, but you have to do everything it says, too. If you don’t do the things it says, you will just trick yourself."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23-24", "text": "Don’t be like a man that looks at his face in a mirror, but then he just walks away, and he forgets about it. He doesn’t do anything to make himself look any better. Well, if you hear God’s word, but you don’t do the things it says, you are just like that man, because you forget that word, and you don’t do anything to make yourself any better."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "Don’t be like that. You have to listen to God’s word and keep on thinking about it. Don’t forget it, but do everything it says. That word will make you free, so that you will do everything God wants. And God will make you really happy whenever you do the things he wants you to do."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "26", "text": "You might go to church and think you are really good, but if you can’t stop yourself from saying bad things, you are really just tricking yourself, and going to church for nothing."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 1, "verse": "27", "text": "And God also wants you to look after people that need help. He wants you to look after people that haven’t got any money to buy food, like kids that haven’t got a mother or a father, or women whose husbands have died. If you do that sort of thing, God will be happy with you. But God will not be happy with you if you just look after yourself, like the people that belong to this world do."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "Listen, my Christian friends, you know that our leader Jesus Christ is really great, and you believe in him. So you have to be good to everybody. You have to treat everybody the same way."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "Suppose one man comes to your meeting wearing really pretty clothes and gold rings on his fingers, and another poor man comes wearing old rubbish clothes."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3-4", "text": "Maybe you look at the man with pretty clothes and think to yourself, “He has got a lot of money.” So you are good to him, and you say to him, “Here is a really good seat for you.” But you are hard on the poor man, and you say to him, “You can stand over there,” or you say, “You can sit on the ground.” If you are like that, you make yourself like a bad judge, and that is wrong. Don’t think that way about people. You have to be good to everybody, people that have money, and people that don’t have money."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "Listen to me, my good Christian friends. God picks out poor people, and he helps them to trust him properly. He promises to give them a good place in his family. He promises that to everybody that loves him. In the end those poor people will be really rich."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "So, if you rubbish poor people, you are wrong. Think about this. Who is hard on you? What people take you to court? Do poor people do that, or rich people? Rich people do it."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "And they talk against Jesus Christ. You belong to Jesus Christ, but they rubbish him."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "You know, there is a really important law in God’s book. It says, “Love other people, just like you love yourself.” If you do that, you are doing the right thing."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "But if you are good to some people but hard on other people, you are doing the wrong thing. You are not following that law."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "Now think about God’s laws. If you don’t follow all of God’s laws, you are guilty. Suppose one man does everything in those laws except that he breaks one law, that man is guilty. Suppose another man breaks all those laws, he is guilty too. They are both guilty."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "It is like this. One of God’s laws is, “Don’t sleep with anyone that is not your wife or your husband, as if you are married to them.” And another law is, “Don’t kill anybody.” Suppose you didn’t sleep with the wrong person, but you did kill somebody, you are guilty anyway, because you didn’t follow all of God’s laws."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "God will judge us, and he will use the law that tells us to love other people. So before you say anything, and before you do anything, you have to think about that law from God. That is the law that makes us free so that we can do whatever is right."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "Later on, God will judge you. And if you don’t feel sorry for other people now, then God will not feel sorry for you. But if you feel sorry for them now, and if you are good to them, God will feel sorry for you later on, when he judges you, and he will be good to you. You see, people that are sorry for other people don’t have to worry about God judging them."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "My Christian friends, it is no good for you to say that you believe in Jesus Christ if you don’t do the things that he wants you to do. If you reckon you believe, but you don’t do the things he wants, you can’t think that God will save you."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "If there is another Christian that is hungry and needs food, and is cold and needs some clothes,"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "you can’t just talk to them and not give them anything. You can’t just say, “Don’t worry. I hope you get something to eat, and I hope you get some clothes to wear.” You see, if you don’t do anything to help them, you don’t do any good at all."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "So if you reckon that you believe in Jesus Christ, but you don’t do the good things that he wants you to do, I reckon your talk isn’t true. It is useless. It will get you nowhere."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18", "text": "Maybe you reckon, “Some people can believe in Jesus, and other people can do the good things that Jesus says to do.” I answer you like this, “If you don’t do the things that Jesus says, you can’t show me that you believe in him. But whenever I do the good things he tells me to do, I show you that I do believe in him.”"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "19", "text": "You believe that there is only one God. That’s good, but even the bad spirits believe that. They believe that there is only one God, and if they think about him, they get really frightened of him. They get so frightened that they shake."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20-23", "text": "If you don’t do the things that Jesus says, it is no good to say that you believe in him. If you are so stupid that you don’t agree with me, just think about the story of Abraham, our grand-father that lived a long time ago. God told Abraham to give him his son Isaac. To do that, Abraham had to kill Isaac, and burn his body on a table made of stones. Abraham believed that somehow God would make it end up all right, so he started to do that hard thing that God said. He was going to kill Isaac. But just then, God told him to stop. You see, God says this in his book, “Abraham believed what God said, so God was really happy with him, and told him, ‘You believe me, so now I’m saying you are properly good, like you never did anything wrong.’ ” And that is how it happened. In another place it says that Abraham not only believed God, but he also did that hard thing God told him to do, so Abraham was a friend of God."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "24", "text": "We can learn from that story about Abraham. If people believe God so much that they do whatever he says, like Abraham did, then God will say they are all right. But he will not say that to people that don’t do what he says, even if they reckon they believe in God."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "25", "text": "And think about that story about Rahab. She was a bad woman that used to sleep with any man that paid her money, like he was her husband. But one day, Israel’s enemies were looking for 2 men from Israel, and those 2 men asked Rahab to help them. So she hid them in her house until their enemies went past, and then she told them which way to run to get away. She helped those 2 men, so God was happy with her. Later on, a lot of Israel soldiers attacked that town, but God saved Rahab, and they didn’t kill her."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 2, "verse": "26", "text": "It is like this. If a person’s body doesn’t breathe, it is no good. That person is dead. In the same way, if you say you believe in Jesus, but you don’t do the things God wants you to do, you are no good as a Christian. It is like you are dead."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1-2", "text": "My Christian friends, don’t all of you try to be teachers of God’s word. Only the right people can do that. You see, God will judge us all, and if you teach people something that is wrong, God might punish you a lot. It is like this, all of us make mistakes, and we get trouble from those mistakes. But if we teach people, and if we make a mistake so that we teach them something that is wrong, we will get really big trouble from that. It is hard for us to control our tongues so that we say everything properly. If you can control your tongue, you are properly good, and you can control all of your body."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "Think about the people that ride horses. They put a little bit of iron in the horse’s mouth, and they tie ropes to it, then they use that bit of iron to turn the whole horse around, and they steer it wherever they want it to go."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "And think about ships. They are like that too. A ship is very big, but its driver can use the little rudder at the back to steer it around. Even if strong winds want to blow it one way, that driver can steer it another way using that little rudder."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "Well, those are pictures of our tongues. Our tongues are only little, like that bit of iron and that little rudder. Yes, our tongues are little, but if we use them to talk up big and tell people that we are really good, they will do a lot of damage. Think about fire. A very little spark can start a fire, and then it can burn up a lot of bush."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "In the same way each of us has a little tongue, and it is like a little spark of fire inside us. It can say really bad things, and tell lies, and then that can make the rest of our bodies bad. Our tongues can make everything in our lives go wrong, like a spark of fire can make a big bush fire. The devil, the boss over the bad spirits from hell, he makes us say those bad things. It is like he uses our tongues to start that fire, and it grows like a bush fire, and it gets us into a lot of trouble."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "People can control all sorts of wild animals, and birds, and snakes, and fish. They can make them quiet and train them to do whatever their boss wants them to do."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "But nobody can control their own tongue properly. It is always saying bad things and hurting people, like it has poison in it, just like a cheeky snake."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "Sometimes we use our tongue to tell God that he is our good father, and sometimes we use it to swear at people. But remember, God made people to be like himself."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "Both good things and bad things come out of our mouths. But, my Christian friends, that’s not right."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11-12", "text": "Do you ever find fresh water and salt water coming from the same water-hole? No, it is never like that. And you never find 2 sorts of fruit on one tree. So our mouths shouldn’t say 2 sorts of things. We shouldn’t say good things and bad things with the same mouth."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "Do you reckon that you can think properly, and do you reckon that you know if something is right or wrong? If you do, you have to show everybody that you think properly by quietly doing good things for other people. If you do those good things, and if you don’t tell anybody about it, you are thinking properly."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14-15", "text": "But if you only think about things that are good for yourself, and if you are jealous of other people, and if you hate other people, you are not thinking God’s way. That’s the devil’s way. He is the boss over the bad spirits. You can’t hide the way you think by telling lies about it, and by saying that you are really good."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "You see, sometimes people get jealous of each other, and sometimes they only do things to make themselves happy, and they don’t think about anyone else. Whenever that happens, those people start fighting each other, and they get into all sorts of trouble."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "But whenever we think God’s way, we are like this, – We keep away from doing anything bad. – We want to make other people happy, and we want to help them to be friends with each other. – We are easy on other people, not hard. – We listen to people and let them get a fair go. – We feel sorry for people that have problems, and we do everything we can to help them. – We are fair to everybody. We don’t treat some people good and other people like they are rubbish. – We don’t pretend that we are better than we really are."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "Whenever somebody teaches people to live the right way, like that, those other people stop fighting each other, and they start to be good to each other."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "Why do you always fight and argue with each other? I’ll tell you why. It is because you only think about things that you want for yourself, to make yourself happy, and you don’t care about anyone else. So you fight everyone else to get the things you want."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "You think you really want something a lot, and if you can’t get it, you argue and fight for it. You try to work out ways to trick people, or maybe even kill people, just to get something you want. You don’t ask God for it, and that’s why you don’t get it."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "And even if you do ask God for something, he doesn’t listen to you. He knows that you are just thinking about yourself. He knows you just want to make yourself happy, and you don’t care about anybody else, so he doesn’t give you that thing you want."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "If you are like that, it shows that you left God. You stopped following him and joined the other people in the world that hate God. They are God’s enemies. So if you join up with people like that, you make yourself God’s enemy. You ran away from God. You are just like a woman that leaves her husband and runs away with another man."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "God says something important about this in his book. He says that he put his Holy Spirit in us, and he says that if we leave him and follow some other way, his spirit gets really upset."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "And remember that God is really good to us. His book says this, too, “God is against people that think they are great, but he is good to people that know they are not great.”"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "So listen to God, and follow him, and do what he says. Fight back against the devil, the boss over the bad spirits. Whenever he tries to get you to go wrong, just tell him to shut up, and don’t listen to him. Then he will leave you, and he will run away from you."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "But when you trust God, you go close to him, and when you do that, he will come close to you, and he will help you. So you have to stop doing bad things. Don’t even think about doing bad things. Don’t think that maybe you will go the right way, or maybe the wrong way. No, forget the wrong way, and just go the right way."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "Stop laughing about the bad things you did. Cry about them instead. You went wrong, so be sad, not happy."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "Tell God that you are sorry. Tell him that you know that you are weak, and that you are not important. If you do that, he will tell you that you are important, and he will make you strong."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "My Christian friends, don’t say bad things about each other or rubbish each other. If you rubbish other people, it is like you reckon you are their judge. But God’s law says that you have to love other people, so if you rubbish them, you are really saying that you think God’s law is wrong. But you are not a judge, so you can’t say that God’s law is wrong. Your job is to do whatever God’s law says."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "God made his law, and he is the only judge. He is the only one that can blame anybody. He can save somebody, or he can kill somebody. But you can’t do that. You are not God, so you can’t make yourself a judge and rubbish other people."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "Listen. Some of you talk like this, you say, “Tomorrow we will go to that town over there, and we will buy things for a little bit of money, and then we will sell them for a lot of money. We will keep on doing that for a year. That’s how we will get plenty of money to keep for ourselves.”"}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "You talk like that. You say, “Tomorrow,” but you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Will you still be alive tomorrow? You know, your life is like a puff of smoke, it doesn’t last long. You are alive today, but maybe tomorrow you will die."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15-16", "text": "So don’t talk up big about something you will do tomorrow, but instead you have to talk like this, “If God wants us to, we will keep on living, and we will go and do that thing.” It is wrong to forget God and talk up big about something before you do it."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "You see, if you know the right thing to do, but you don’t do it, it is just the same for you as if you did something wrong."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "Now I’m talking to rich people that cheated people to get money for themselves. You mob listen to me. You are going to get big trouble, so you can start to cry right now, and you can be really sad."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2-3", "text": "All your money and clothes, and those things you got for yourself, they will all become useless. They will rot away. Or they will rust away. Or white ants will eat them. God will see that rusty rotten mess, and he will say that you are too greedy, and he will punish you with big trouble. It will be like a fire burning up your body. You thought you could keep all that stuff for a long time, but you will not have it for very long."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "You cheated to get that money. You got men to work on your farm, and they cut down the food crop that grew there, and they brought all that food to you. But you didn’t pay them for that work. You sent them away with no pay. Then they cried about it, and our God heard them. He is very strong, and he can see that you cheated them. God can see their money. It is still in your pocket. So God will make big trouble for you."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5-6", "text": "While you lived here on this earth, you killed good people that couldn’t fight back. You lied and said they were guilty, and then you killed them. While you were doing that, you got everything you wanted, and you had plenty to eat. You are fat now, but look out. God will kill you. Think about a farmer and his cow. He feeds that cow a lot of grass and makes it fat, then he kills it to get some meat. Well, that is a picture of you. You are fat now, but God will kill you."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7-8", "text": "Now I’m talking to you Christian people. You have to wait for our leader, Jesus, to come back, so don’t give up. Think about farmers. They plant their food crops, and then they just wait for the rain to come and make the plants grow, so that in the end, the farmers will get lots of food from those plants. Well, you have to wait, just like they do. Don’t give up. Our leader, Jesus, will come back soon."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "My Christian friends, don’t complain about each other, or God will judge you and say that you are wrong. He is the big judge, and he is coming soon. He is nearly here already."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "My Christian friends, remember the stories from a long time ago. Think about the people that told God’s messages to people. They kept going, even if people didn’t believe them, and if people gave them a lot of trouble."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "They didn’t give up, so now we respect them, and we say they were good people. Remember the story about Job. He was a good man, but he got a lot of trouble. But he kept on following God, and in the end, God made everything good for him. So we know that God always feels sorry for his people when they get trouble, and he will be very good to them."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "And there is another thing that I want to say, my friends, and it is very important. Whenever you promise something, don’t say, “God is the boss over heaven and earth, and if I don’t do what I promise, he will punish me.” Don’t say anything like that. You see, if you say that, and then don’t do what you promised, then God will say that you are guilty. So just tell the true story. Say yes when that is true, or no when that is true, and don’t say anything more."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "Have any of you got trouble? You have to keep on praying about it. Or are any of you happy? You can sing to God to say thank you to him and to tell everybody that God is really good."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "Are any of you sick? You have to ask the leaders of the church to come to you and pray for you. They can ask for Jesus’s power to make you better, and they can put some olive oil on you while they pray."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "15", "text": "Whenever somebody prays and really trusts God to make a sick person better, God will do what they are asking him to do. Jesus, our leader, will make that sick person good again. And if they did something wrong so that they got sick from that, God will not punish them for that any more."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "16", "text": "So whenever you go wrong and do bad things, don’t try to say that you are still good. No. Tell each other the true story about the bad things that you did. Then you can pray for each other, so that God can make you good again. Whenever a good person prays to God about something, then God uses his power and does whatever that good person asks for."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "17", "text": "Think about the story about Elijah. He was just a person, like us, but he prayed and asked God to stop the rain, and God did that. It didn’t rain at all for the next 3½ years."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "18", "text": "Then Elijah asked God to send rain again, and God did that. A lot of rain came down, and then the food plants started to grow again."}
{"book": "JAS", "chapter": 5, "verse": "19-20", "text": "Listen, my Christian friends, suppose a Christian starts to forget about God’s true words, and that person goes the wrong way. And suppose somebody else talks to them and gets them to come back to the right way. Then God will go easy on the person that went the wrong way. He will not punish them for all the bad things they did, and he will not finish them up for ever. You see, the person that gets them to come back does a lot of good. So that is the sort of thing you have to do. From James"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Peter, and this letter is from me. I am one of Jesus Christ’s special workers. I’m sending this letter to you people that God picked to be in his family. I’m sending it to you Christians in a lot of different places, called Pontus, and Galatia, and Capadoshia, and Asia, and Bithinia. You had to leave your homes, and now you live in those places."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "A long time ago, God, our father, knew you, and he picked you to be in his family. His spirit picked you out from other people to make you his special people. You listened to Jesus’s words, and you did whatever he said. Jesus died and his blood came out, and it is like God put that blood of Jesus on you to make you clean. I’m asking God to be properly good to you, and to make you feel really happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "God is very good to us. We went wrong, but he feels sorry for us, and he is good to us. Now he puts new life in us, like we get born all over again. Jesus died, but God brought him back to life. From that we know that God will save us too. So let us thank God, the father of our leader, Jesus, and say that he is really good."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "We are his family, so he will give us a lot of good things. He has them all ready in heaven for us, so now we just wait for those things. God looks after them all there for us in heaven. They will never rot or get dirty there, and nobody can ever mess them up."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "God has a lot of power, and he looks after us, all of us that trust him. He will look after us until the last day. Then he will show everyone that he saved us."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "So think about all that, and you will get really happy. You might get different sorts of trouble now, and you might be sad for a little while, but think about the things that will happen later, and you will be really happy. In the end God will save you from those troubles."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "You know about gold. It is very special. People put that gold into a fire to make it really clean. The fire makes it better, it burns away all the rubbish that isn’t real gold. But even gold will not last for ever. It belongs to this world. Now think about the troubles that come to us. They make us better because they show that we really trust God. If we keep on trusting him, God will say, “You are very special to me. You are much more special to me than gold.” So keep on trusting God, and after Jesus comes again, God will talk to you like that, and he will make you important."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8-9", "text": "You never saw Jesus, but you love him. You can’t see him now, but you trust him. You are trusting God, and he is saving you, so you are really happy. You are so happy you can’t properly say how happy you are."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10-11", "text": "A long time ago, the men that brought God’s messages told people about God. They said that he is good, and that he saves us. At that time, they wanted to find out more about God saving people, so they carefully tried to find out more about the man that God promised to send to save people, called the Christ. The spirit of Jesus Christ was in them and showed them that at first the Christ was going get big trouble, and he was going die. But after that, God would make him really important. So they wanted to know who the Christ was and when he was going to come."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "His spirit told them that the message wasn’t for themselves, but it was for you. That all happened a long time ago, and now God’s people have told you that good message about Jesus. The Holy Spirit from heaven gave them power to talk to you. This is all very wonderful. Even God’s angels in heaven don’t know all about the things that God does to save people, and they want to find out more."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "So you have to think about it more clearly and be careful about everything you do. Keep waiting for Jesus to come, and get ready for him. God will show him to everybody, and he will be very good to you at that time."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "In the past, you didn’t know that God was good. So at that time you did all the bad things you wanted to do. But now you are God’s kids. So you have to stop doing those bad things,"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "and you have to be properly good and right, just like God. He picked you for himself. So you have to be good, just like him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "You see, God’s book says this, “God is properly good, and he keeps away from everything that is bad, so you have to be like that too, you have to be properly good, and you have to keep away from everything that is bad.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "You know that God is our father, and you pray to him. He looks at everything we do, and he treats us in a fair way. So you have to properly respect God now. You don’t belong to this world, you are only living here for a little while, but later you will live with God."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "Your grand-parents and elders tried to teach you the way to live, but they didn’t teach you God’s way. That old way was useless, and you weren’t free. But God has saved you from that wrong way. He paid a lot to set you free from that old way. Sometimes people pay money to get somebody out of prison and let them go free. But money doesn’t last for ever."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "So God didn’t pay money to set you free. He did more than that. I’ll tell you the price he paid for you. You know the old Jewish ceremonies. You know that they pick a young sheep that has nothing wrong with it, and they kill it to give it to God. Well, that is a picture of Jesus. There was nothing wrong with him, and he never did anything wrong. But people killed him. He bled and died for you. That is the price God paid to set you free, and it is better than money, it lasts for ever. You see, you belong to God now."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20-21", "text": "A long time ago, before God made the world, he picked Jesus to set you free. Then, later, Jesus came into the world. And now you know about him. You know that he died for you, and so you believe in God too. After Jesus died, God made him alive again, and God made him very great and gave him a lot of power. Now you can trust God and wait for everything he promised you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "You listened to the true message from God, and you did everything he said in that message. Then God cleaned up your lives and you stopped doing bad things. So now you love each other. Well, keep on loving each other very much."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "God gave you new life. It’s not like the life you got from your mother and father. That life will end. But when you listened properly to God’s message, he gave you new life, like you got born again. Your new life will not end, because God’s word will never finish up. It lives for ever."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "God says this in his book, “All people are like grass with pretty flowers, they are beautiful for some time, but then they die."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "But God’s word will never die, it will last for ever.” And that is the message about Jesus that God’s people told you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "So clean up your lives and stop doing bad things. Don’t tell lies, but tell the straight and true story. Don’t say you are good if you are not. Stop being jealous of other people, don’t hate them because they have something that you don’t have. And don’t rubbish another person."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "Instead, you have to keep learning more of God’s word. Think about little babies. They always want milk. It makes them grow and get strong. Well, they are a picture of you Christians. You have to keep wanting more of God’s word, and it will make you believe more strongly, and then God will save you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "You already know that Jesus Christ is really good to you, so you have to live his way."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "I will tell you a picture story about how people build a house out of stone. At first they put one good stone in its place. That stone is the important one. They join all the other stones together on to this important stone. Well, that is a picture of Jesus Christ and us. He is like that most important stone. Other people didn’t want him, but God picked him to be the most important one. So come to Jesus, and join up with him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "Just like stones join together to make a house, you join up with Jesus to make a special house for God, so he will live with you. And Jesus will help you do good things and make God happy, just like the men that look after God’s ceremonies gave him good things to show him respect and make him happy."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6", "text": "You see, God says this in his book, “Look, I picked out a person that is very special to me. He is like that most important stone. And I put him among my people in my special city called Jerusalem. And if you trust him, you will always know that you are going the right way, and he will save you.” That’s what God said."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "7", "text": "And you mob do that. You trust Jesus. You know that he is important. But people that don’t trust him don’t know that he is important. God says this about them in his book, “Some work-men built a house out of stones, but the work-men thought one of the stones was rubbish, so they chucked it away. They were wrong. That stone was properly good, and now God made it the most important stone of all.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "8", "text": "God says this about Jesus, too, in his book, “He will be like a stone that people trip over, so that they fall down and hurt themselves.” You see, people that don’t trust in Jesus, they go wrong and stop following God. It’s like they fall down and hurt themselves. They go wrong because they don’t listen to God’s word, and they don’t do what it says. A long time ago, God said that will happen to them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "But you are the people God picked out for himself. Together you work for him, like the men that looked after his ceremonies. You are his own family. God called you away from doing bad things, so you can do good things. It is like you used to live in the dark so that nobody could see you do bad things there, but now he called you away from that to live in his good light. So let’s tell everyone that God is really great and really good."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "At one time you were not God’s family, but now, you are his family. At one time you didn’t understand that God is very good, but now you know that he is. He felt sorry for you, and he was very good to you. He saved you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "My friends, you belong to God. You don’t belong to this world. Right now you are like strangers here in this world. So I’m telling you this really strongly. Sometimes you will really want to do something bad, like the people that belong to this world do, but you have to be strong and leave it. You will think, “I really want to do that bad thing,” but then you will think, “My spirit is telling me that it is the wrong thing to do.” So you’ve got to leave it."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "You live in the same place with people that don’t follow Jesus. So you have to make up your mind to always do things that are good. Sometimes people might tell lies and blame you and say you have done wrong. But if you always keep on doing whatever is right, they will see that you do good things. Later, after God comes to judge everybody, they will remember the good things you did, and they will respect him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "Our leader, Jesus, wants you to listen to your community leaders and government leaders, and do what they say. You have to do that for the biggest government boss,"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "and do it too for the other bosses, like police and judges. The biggest boss gave them those jobs, to punish anyone that does wrong. They also know about the people that do the right things, and they tell everybody that those people are good."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15", "text": "God wants you to live the right way, and if you do that, nobody will have anything bad to say against you. Those people that want to blame you for no reason or tell lies about you, they will not be able to say anything."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "16", "text": "You know that you are free from that old Jewish law, but that doesn’t mean that you can do things that are wrong. You belong to God, and you work for him, so you have to do whatever is right."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Show respect to everyone. Love other Christians a lot. Thank God and respect him for being good and great. And show respect to the big government boss."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18-19", "text": "Some of you are workers that belong to your bosses. Maybe your boss is good to you, or maybe your boss is hard on you. It doesn’t matter. You have to listen carefully to your boss anyway and do what your boss tells you. Sometimes you don’t do anything wrong, but your boss makes trouble for you or hits you because you are following Jesus. You have to respect your boss anyway and take it quietly. Don’t try to do payback to your boss. Then God will be pleased with you, and he will say that you are good."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "But if you do something wrong and your boss hits you, and if you take it quietly, that is just the way it goes. Everyone knows you did something wrong, so nobody will say that you are good for taking it quietly. But sometimes somebody might punish you for doing something good. You have to be like Jesus and take it quietly. If you do that, then God will say that you are good."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "Jesus Christ did nothing wrong, but people hurt him and killed him. And God wants you to be like Jesus, and to live the same way that he lived."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "God says this in his book, “He never did anything bad, he never lied or tried to trick anyone.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "23", "text": "People rubbished him, but he didn’t rubbish them back. They hit him with whips, but he didn’t talk to them in a bad way. No, he trusted God. God is the one that judges fairly."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "24", "text": "Jesus never did anything bad, but he died instead of us there on the cross. He took the payback for the bad things that we did. He died so that we can stop doing bad things, so that instead, we will do the right things. Jesus let them hurt him so that God can make us clean on the inside. It’s like we are sick, but God can make us better."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "25", "text": "Before that, you were going the wrong way and getting lost like sheep. But now you have come to Jesus, and he looks after you and shows you the right way to live, just like a man looks after his sheep."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "Now I’m talking to you women that are married. You have to think about what your husbands want and agree with them. Some husbands don’t do what God’s word says, but if they see you living right, they will want to come to God. You don’t have to say a word, you just have to live right."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "They will see that you are really good and that you listen properly to God."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3-4", "text": "You women will be really beautiful if you live in a quiet way, and don’t try to be important. If you are beautiful inside like that, you will stay beautiful for ever, even after you get old. But if you just do things like colour your hair and do it up, or if you have gold rings and necklaces, or if you have pretty clothes, you might think you are beautiful, but those things don’t last for ever. So be quiet inside yourselves, and don’t try to be important. God really wants you to be beautiful that way."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "A long time ago, the women that really trusted God were like that. They thought about what their husbands wanted and agreed with them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "Remember Sarah, a woman that lived a long time ago. She listened to her husband, Abraham, and she did what he wanted. She called him, “My good boss.” So always do what is right, and don’t be frightened of anyone. Then you will be like grand-daughters of Sarah."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "And you men that are married, you have to do your part too. You have to respect your wives and take good care of them. Their bodies aren’t strong like yours. But all of you are God’s people, so God gave them life, just the same as he gave you life. So remember that, and be good to them and respect them. Then God will hear your prayers."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "Now all of you listen to this too. Remember that you are all in the same family, so you have to think the same way about what is right. And you have to care for each other properly. Don’t think you are great. Try to understand how other people are feeling and be good to them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "If somebody rubbishes you, don’t rubbish them back. If somebody does wrong to you, don’t do payback to them. Instead of that, you have to ask God to be good to them. God picked you to be in his family and to live like that. And if you are good to people like that, God will be good to you too."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "God says this in his book, “If you want to live well and be happy, don’t talk badly about other people, and don’t lie to them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Turn away from doing bad, and do good. Don’t make trouble. Try very hard to live happily with other people."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "God looks after people that live the right way, and he listens carefully to what they ask him. But God fights against those people that are doing wrong.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "So if you want to do good, nobody will want to punish you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "But sometimes, even if you do what’s right, some people will make trouble for you. If that happens, don’t be frightened of them and don’t worry about anything they might do to you, because God will be very good to you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "Always remember that Jesus Christ is the really important one. He is your good leader, so listen to him. People might say to you, “Tell us, why are you sure that God will do good things for you?” So you always have to be ready to help them understand why you are sure."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "Tell them clearly, and respect them as you talk to them. Make sure you always live the right way, so you don’t feel shame. Some people rubbish Christians, but if they see you doing the right things, they will feel shame about themselves."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "If you do something wrong, and then people give you trouble, that’s fair enough. But it is much better to do good things, even if people give you trouble for doing those good things."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "All of us have done wrong things, so we had to die, but Jesus Christ died instead of us. He took the payback for the bad things we did. He never did anything wrong himself, but he died instead of us, so that we can go to God and become his family. Jesus died just once, but God remembers it for ever. People killed Jesus, but God’s spirit made him alive again."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "19", "text": "Then Jesus went to the place where the spirits of dead people wait, like they are in jail, and he talked to them there."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "20", "text": "They were the people that lived a long time ago, at the same time that Noah lived, but they didn’t listen to God, and they didn’t do anything God told them to do. They took no notice of him. But God wanted them to turn back to him, and he waited while Noah built that big boat. Only 8 people got into that boat. Then God sent a very big rain. Water covered everything, and everyone drowned. God saved only those 8 people that were in the boat."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "21", "text": "That water is a picture of the baptism ceremony. Like the time our Christian leaders put us under the water to baptise us. They didn’t do that to wash the dirt off the outside of us. No. It’s like that water washed the shame from inside us. When we asked those leaders to baptise us, we asked God to make us clean on the inside, so that we will not feel shame any more. So God saves us and gives us new life. Yes, we can have new life because, after Jesus died, he came back to life again."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "22", "text": "Jesus is now in heaven with God in the most important place, at God’s right-hand side. All the angels, and all the bad spirits, and all the bosses everywhere, they haven’t got as much power as Jesus. No. He is the strongest one anywhere. He has more power than all of them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "1", "text": "Remember that Jesus Christ got trouble while he lived on earth. Well, you will get trouble too, so get ready for it and don’t get upset about it. If you get trouble because you belong to Jesus, that shows that you want to live God’s way and don’t do bad things any more."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "2", "text": "It shows that you want to do the things that God wants. So whenever you want to do something bad, you have to turn away from it and live God’s way."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "3", "text": "In the past you did lots of wrong things. You lived like people that didn’t know God. You just did whatever bad things you wanted to do. You slept with people that you were not married to, and you did with them what a husband and wife do together. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You showed respect for statues that people made. That was really bad. But you don’t do those bad things now."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "4", "text": "Some of your friends keep on doing lots of bad things, and they don’t care about it. But you say, “No,” and you don’t do those bad things with them. So they are surprised, and they rubbish you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "5", "text": "But they will have to face God. He is ready to be their judge. He will judge everyone, people that are still living and people that are dead. He will ask them about the bad things they did, and they will have to answer him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "6", "text": "That is the reason why we told the good news about Jesus to people that are dead now. Their bodies still died, like all people have to die, because they did bad things. But we wanted them to trust in Jesus, so that at the time when God judges everyone, he will make them alive again, and they will live with him for ever."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "7", "text": "You know, God will finish up everything soon. So now you have to think clearly, and be careful about everything you do, so that you can talk to God properly when you pray."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "8", "text": "And this is the most important thing you’ve got to do, you’ve got to keep on loving each other very much. Even if somebody does something bad to you, you have to love them, and be good to them anyway, and don’t do payback to them."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "9", "text": "If there are other Christians that need food or a place to stay, then share your home with them and don’t complain to anyone about it."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "10", "text": "God has given each one of you different ways to do good for each other. He has given you the power to do them, so you have to do them properly."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "11", "text": "If you can tell stories to people, then tell them God’s story, and tell it clearly. If you can help other people, then let God make you strong so you can help them properly. Do everything properly so that when people see it, they might say that God is really great. If they know that you follow Jesus, they might thank God for sending Jesus to us. Jesus has really great power now, and he will have that power for ever. That’s true."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "12", "text": "My friends, you are following Jesus, and from that you are getting trouble. Don’t be surprised about it. God lets you get that trouble to show that you really trust Jesus."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "13", "text": "You are getting trouble just like Jesus got trouble, so be happy. Don’t be sad. Then on the day that Jesus comes back and shows everyone that he is really great, you will be very happy."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "14", "text": "Maybe people are making fun of you because you follow Jesus. But don’t worry, it shows that God is happy with you, and that God’s spirit is with you. His spirit is great and has a lot of power."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "15", "text": "You know that people that do wrong things get trouble. Don’t be like them. Don’t kill another person. Don’t steal things. Don’t make trouble for other people. Don’t do wrong things like that."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "16", "text": "But if people give you trouble because you follow Jesus, don’t feel shame. No. Just thank God that you belong to Jesus."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "17", "text": "It is time now for God to start judging everybody. He will be good to some people, and he will give trouble to other people. He will judge his own people first. They might get some trouble now, but it will not last for ever. But later, he will judge the people that didn’t want to listen to his good story. He will be really hard on them, he will give them lots of trouble."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "18", "text": "God says this in his book, “People that live right will get some troubles, but God will save them. But what about those people that do bad things and never listen to God? God will not save them. He will punish them.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 4, "verse": "19", "text": "So if God lets you Christians get trouble, keep on trusting him, and keep on doing whatever is right. He made you, and he promised to save you, and he does everything that he promises to do, so you can trust him to do that."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "1", "text": "Now I’m talking to you Christian leaders. I am a leader too, and I was with Jesus Christ, and I saw him get trouble. I saw people blame him by telling lies, and I saw them kill him. But, later, he will show everyone that he is great, and I will be there too, and I will be happy there with him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "2", "text": "You church leaders have to look after God’s people. God gave you the job to look after them, so you have to do it properly, like a man with sheep looks after them properly. God wants you leaders to be happy while you do that job. Don’t just do it because you think you have to, or because you want money. Do it because you want to help God’s people."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "3", "text": "Don’t be bossy. Instead, show them how to follow Jesus. You have to follow Jesus properly, so they will see the way you follow him, and they will follow him properly too."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "4", "text": "Then, later, Jesus will come back, and he will be happy with your work, and he will make you great, for ever. He is the leader of all of us, and he looks after us properly."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "5", "text": "Listen, you young people, it is like this. You have to listen carefully to your Christian leaders. Don’t try to be smart and think you are important. Think about what God says in his book. He says, “Some people think that they are important, and that they are always right. God is against those people. But he is good to people that don’t think about themselves like that.”"}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "6", "text": "God is great and powerful, so remember that you are not important at all. Wait for him, and at the right time, he will show everybody that he respects you."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "7", "text": "God loves you, and he is looking after you, so tell him about everything that makes you sad, or angry, or worried, and trust him to look after you properly."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "8", "text": "You have to think clearly and watch out for your enemy, the devil. He is the boss over all the bad spirits, and he is going around looking for people to trick. He is like a wild animal that is going around and looking for somebody to kill and eat."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "9", "text": "Don’t listen to him, but fight back against him. Trust Jesus properly, and keep on trusting him. Remember, you are not alone. All over the world your Christian friends are getting trouble, just like you are. They follow Jesus, so bad people give them trouble too."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "10", "text": "But trouble doesn’t last for ever. After you have trouble for a short time, God will be good to you. He will make everything right for you and make you properly strong for him. He picked you to join you up with Jesus Christ. He did that so that, in the end, you will be very great with Jesus for ever."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "11", "text": "God is very powerful now, and he will keep on being very powerful for ever. That’s true."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "12", "text": "This is just a short letter to you. Silas helped me write it. He is our good Christian friend, and he follows Jesus properly. I want you to be happy and strong, so I’m writing this letter to you. And I want you to remember that God is very good, so keep on thinking about how good he is. Then you will keep on trusting him."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "13", "text": "The people in the church here, in this city that we sometimes call Babylon, they say hello to you. God has made them his family, just like you. And do you remember Mark? He is here with me, and he is like a son to me. He says hello to you too."}
{"book": "1PE", "chapter": 5, "verse": "14", "text": "Whenever you meet together, show that you are happy to see each other, because you love each other. I ask God to make all you Christians happy and quiet inside yourselves. From Peter"}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "I am Peter, and this letter is from me. My other name is Simon. I work for Jesus Christ. I am one of his special workers. You people believe in Jesus Christ, just like I do, so I’m writing this letter to you. Jesus helps us trust him and that is really special for us. Jesus Christ is God, and he saves us. He is always right, and he is always fair."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "You already know God, and our leader Jesus, so I pray that you will know them better every day. And I’m asking God to be properly good to you, and to make you really happy and quiet inside yourselves."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "You know, God is really powerful. He is very great, and very good too. He picked us out to be his own people, so we can get to know him properly. And he gives us everything we need to live the right way."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "And he promised us some very important things, and they are very special to us. He promised that we can think the way he thinks, so that we become really good people. He says that we can get away from bad things. We are not like the people that belong to this world. They want to do bad things, then they go and do those bad things, and they become bad people. But God says that we can get away from all that."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "So think about what I am saying, and you will know that you have to be as good as you can. You believe in Christ, and you have to keep trying to live his way all the time. This is what you have to do, – you always have to try to do what is right, and you have to try to know God better, –"}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6-7", "text": "and you have to learn to control yourselves too, – and you have to learn to keep going strong, no matter what happens, – and you have to be good to each other too, so that you will make God happy, – and you have to love other Christians like they are your own brothers and sisters, and you have to love everybody else, too."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "If you keep on living like that more and more, you will get to know our leader, Jesus Christ, better and better. And you will be a good worker that does a good job for him every time."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "But if you don’t live like that, it shows that you don’t understand God’s message properly. You are like blind people that can’t see anything properly. It’s like you forget about what God did for you. You used to do wrong things before, but God made you free from all that, and he made you clean inside yourselves. So don’t forget that. Don’t do wrong things again."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "My Christian friends, try hard to do all those good things. God picked you to be his own people, and whenever you do those good things, you show everybody that you really are God’s people. If you do those things, you will never turn away from God."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "Then God will be very happy with you, and he will make sure you live with him for ever. You will be in Jesus Christ’s family. He is our leader, and he saves us."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "I will keep on telling you about these things, even though you already know them, and you know that they are true. I will keep on telling you about them anyway."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "I reckon it’s good for me to remind you about these things, and I will keep on doing it while I’m still alive in this body, so that you will keep on thinking about these things and you will not forget them."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "Our leader, Jesus Christ, told me that soon I will die. He will take me out of this body."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "But while I’m still alive in this body, I will do everything I can to keep on telling you these things, so that after I die, you will always remember them."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "Remember the story we told you about our leader, Jesus Christ. That was the true story. We didn’t make up smart stories to tell you. We told you that Jesus is powerful, and that he will come back here to this earth again. We saw for ourselves that Jesus is very great, and we told you everything we saw."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17-18", "text": "It happened like this. Me and 2 other followers of Jesus, we went with him up on to a special mountain, and God the father, he showed us that Jesus is very great and powerful. God told us this, he said, “This is my son. I love him very much, and I’m very happy with him.” Yes, we ourselves heard the voice of our great God. He talked to us from heaven, and he told us that message."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "So now we can be really sure about the messages that are in God’s book. We can be sure that they are true. A long time ago, God told his men to write those words in his book. You have to think carefully about those messages. They can help us understand the true story about God, like a light helps us see things in the night. Those messages will keep on helping you until Jesus comes back and he helps you know God properly. Then it will be like Jesus is a really bright light that shows us everything clearly, like the really bright star that shines in the morning, and then the sun comes up."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "You see, those men that wrote those words a long time ago, they didn’t think up their own stories."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "No. They didn’t write down their own ideas. The Holy Spirit worked inside them and told them God’s messages. Those words came from God, and they wrote them down in his book."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "1", "text": "In God’s book we read about his people a long time ago. Sometimes some liars started to teach God’s people things that were wrong. They reckoned they were saying God’s words, but they were lying. And the same sort of thing will happen now. There will be people among you that will teach things that are wrong. If you listen to them, you will go wrong, and it will be bad for you. Those people will even turn against Jesus. He is our leader, and he died to save them. And one day soon, God will punish them for that wrong thing they do."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "2", "text": "Those liars will teach people to do bad things, and a lot of people will listen to them and do those bad and dirty things. And if people that are not Christians see that, they will rubbish God and his true way."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "3", "text": "Those lying teachers only want your money. So they will tell you tricky lies to get you to give them money. A long time ago, God said that he will punish them, and he is ready to do that. One day, he will properly finish up those liars."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "4", "text": "Think about these stories from a long time ago. At one time, some of God’s angel messengers did the wrong thing. They didn’t do what God told them to do, so God punished them. He threw them down into the dark hole called hell. He is keeping them there now, and later he will judge them."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "5", "text": "At another time, the people in the world did lots of bad things and didn’t live God’s way. There was only one man that lived the right way. His name was Noah. He tried to tell all the other people to live God’s way too, but they didn’t listen to him. So God sent a big flood of water and drowned all those bad people. But he kept Noah safe, and he kept the 7 other people in his family safe too."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "6-8", "text": "Then later, the people in the towns called Sodom and Gomorrah did really bad things. But there was one man there that lived the right way. His name was Lot. He saw all the bad things that they did, and he got really upset. Every day, he heard them, and he saw them do really bad and dirty things, and he got really upset. He was so sad that he felt sick. Then God judged those bad people in those towns, and he properly punished them. He burned up those towns, and he burned up all the people in them. They were just piles of ashes after that. But God saved Lot. God didn’t burn him up. You see, God did that to show everybody that he will punish bad people that will not listen to him."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "9", "text": "Those stories show us that God knows how to save his people. They are the people that listen properly to him and live his way, and he saves them from trouble. But when the day comes for him to be the judge of everyone, he will punish people that don’t live the right way."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "10", "text": "Yes, God will really punish people that do dirty things. They think about wrong ways to get their bodies to feel good, then they do those bad things. They reckon they don’t have to listen to any boss, not even God. So God will properly punish those bad people, even more than he will punish other bad people. Those lying teachers think they are better than everyone else, and they think they can do anything they want to. They even rubbish strong spirits."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "11", "text": "Not even God’s angel messengers do that. Angels are much stronger than the other spirits, but whenever angels stand in front of God, they don’t talk against those other spirits or tell God to punish them."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "12", "text": "But those lying teachers are like animals that don’t think at all, like the animals that people catch and kill. Those teachers rubbish things they don’t understand, and they will end up dead, just like those stupid animals."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "13", "text": "They do a lot of things that hurt other people, so God will hurt them. He will do payback to them. They think it’s fun to do any bad thing that they want to do, even in the day-light. And whenever you Christians have dinner together, they join in with you, and they laugh about their lies and the bad things they do. Now think about a white shirt. If it just has a few dirty spots on it, people say that the whole shirt is dirty. Well, you good people are like that white shirt, and those people are like the dirty spots on it. There are only a few of them, but they do bad things, and they shame all of you."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "14", "text": "They are always looking for a woman to sleep with, like a man sleeps with his wife. They do bad things, and they keep looking for more bad things to do. If somebody doesn’t strongly trust Christ, those people will trick that person and get them to go wrong. They are really greedy, wanting lots of money and things. They are the sort of people that God says he will properly punish."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "15-16", "text": "They left the right way and went the wrong way. They stopped doing good things, and now they do bad things. Remember the story about Balaam, the son of Beyor. He loved money so much that he did bad things to get it. Then God made a donkey talk to him with a man’s voice. It told him he was going wrong, and it stopped him from being even more stupid. Those people are just like Balaam. They are stupid, and they go the wrong way, just like Balaam did."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "17", "text": "Those lying teachers are useless. You know that a dry water-hole is useless, and so is a cloud that doesn’t bring any rain. The wind just blows it away. That mob are just like that, they are useless too. God has got a place for those liars. It is a really dark, sad place, and he is going to put them in it and keep them there."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "18-19", "text": "That mob teach with words that sound good, but they are useless. They say we are free now, so we can do anything we like. They say that it is all right to do bad things. That is what they teach, but it is wrong. You know, there are some people that used to go wrong, but then they turned around and started to go right. But now those liars are tricking them and getting them to go wrong again. Those liars tell them that they can do any bad things they like, to get their bodies to feel good. Those liars promise to free people, but they themselves are not free. They can’t stop themselves from doing bad and dirty things. It’s like this. If somebody can’t stop themselves from doing something, that thing is their boss and they have to work for it. So it’s like those bad things are their boss. They are not free."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "20", "text": "Jesus Christ is our leader, and he is the one that saves us. At one time, those liars knew Jesus, and he helped them get away from the dirty things that the people in this world do. But now they are leaving him, and they are getting mixed up again with those bad things. Those bad things are now their boss, and they are worse off now than before."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "21", "text": "God will punish everyone that goes the wrong way. He will even punish people that never knew the right way. But these people knew the right way, and then they turned back and went the wrong way, so God will punish them more than those others."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 2, "verse": "22", "text": "People sometimes say these true words, “A dog gets sick and vomits up its food, but then it comes back and eats that same food again.” And people also say, “You can wash the mud off a pig, but then it goes back and rolls on the muddy ground again.” Those words tell us about those lying teachers. Those teachers are just like that dog and that pig, they turned back to the bad things again."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "1", "text": "My friends, this is now my 2nd letter that I’m writing to you. Both of these letters are to help you remember things. I want you to think properly about these things."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "2", "text": "I want you to remember the words from God that his men wrote a long time ago, and the words from Jesus that his special workers told you. They told you the things that God wants you to do. Jesus is our leader, and he saves us."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "3", "text": "And this is very important, so I want you to understand it. These days are the last days of this world, and now some people will come and laugh at you, and they will say that you are stupid. Those people always do any bad thing they feel like doing. They laugh at God’s true story."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "4", "text": "They will say, “Jesus promised to come back, but where is he? He didn’t come back. He said that powerful things will happen to this world, and he said that he will come back, and that God will finish up the world. But nothing has happened. Some of our Christian leaders have already died, but none of those things have happened. Everything just keeps going the same, just like from the time God made everything.”"}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "5", "text": "Those people know the true story, but they don’t want to remember it. They forget that God does lots of powerful things in this world. They forget that a long time ago, God only said words to make the sky and the earth. God said one word to make the sky, and then he said another word to make the land, and to lift that land up out of the water."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "6", "text": "Then later, God used a big flood of water to finish up everybody in the world at that time."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "7", "text": "And now God is saying his word again in the same way. He is telling the sky and the earth that he will judge them, and he will burn them with fire, and finish them up. That will be the day when God will judge everybody, and he will finish up all the bad people."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "8", "text": "But, my friends, don’t forget this one thing about God. He can use time in a different way. God can make one day be like 1,000 years, and he can make 1,000 years be like one day."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "9", "text": "God is not slow to do the things that he promised to do. Some people think that he is being slow, but no, he is quietly waiting for you people. He doesn’t want anyone to die for ever. He wants everyone to turn around. He wants them to stop doing bad things and turn to him."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "10", "text": "But one day our leader, Jesus, will come back, and everybody will get a shock. You know how people get a shock if a robber comes while they are asleep and steals their things? Listen, Jesus Christ will come back suddenly, and people will get a big shock like that. The sky will go away with a very loud noise, and it will not be there any more. Fire will burn up everything in it. And God will finish up all the earth and everything on it."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "11", "text": "Think about it. God will finish up everything like that. Then think about yourselves. You’ve got to be really good people. You have to live God’s way, to make him happy."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "12", "text": "You want Jesus to come back soon, so while you are waiting for that day, make sure you live that good way, so that he will come soon. Then, on that day, God will finish up everything. He will burn up the sky, and everything in it will melt away in that fire."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "13", "text": "But don’t worry. God promised to make a new sky and new earth for us. Everyone in that new place will be good. They will always live the right way and do good things. Yes, we are waiting for God to do that."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "14", "text": "So now, my friends, while you are waiting for that to happen, try hard to always do good things, so that God will not blame you for doing wrong things. And don’t get angry with anyone and don’t fight, then when God looks at you, he will not see any trouble between you and anyone else."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "15", "text": "Think about this. Jesus, our leader, is waiting. He wants to save people, so he is waiting for them. He is giving them time to turn back to him. But later, he will come back. You know our Christian friend Paul. Well, God helped him to understand about these things,"}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "16", "text": "and he writes about them in all his letters. Some things in his letters are hard to understand. Some people don’t know much about God, and they are not sure about the things they believe. They talk about Paul’s letters the wrong way. They turn Paul’s words around so that they say something that is wrong. And they do that with other words in God’s book too. When they do that, they make things bad for themselves, and in the end God will punish them."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "17", "text": "But, my friends, you know these things already. So be very careful. Don’t believe the lies that those bad people say. Don’t let them lead you away from God. If you listen to them, you might stop being sure about the true things."}
{"book": "2PE", "chapter": 3, "verse": "18", "text": "Don’t do that. You have to believe that our leader, Jesus Christ, will be good to you, and you have to believe it more and more. He is the one that saves us. You have to know him better and better all the time. Everyone has to say that Jesus Christ is very great and good. Everyone has to always say that, now and for ever. That’s right. From Peter"}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "1", "text": "This letter is from me, Jude. I work for Jesus Christ. And I’m a brother of James. I’m writing this letter to you people that God loves. God is your father. He picked you to be his people. He helps you stay strong for Jesus, until he comes back."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "2", "text": "God is very good to you, and I pray that he will keep on being good to you more and more. I pray that he will keep on feeling sorry for you, and will help you be really happy and quiet inside yourselves. And I pray that he will keep on loving you very much."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "3", "text": "You are my very good friends. I really want to tell you about how God has saved us all, but instead I reckon I have to write about something else. You see, we are God’s own people, and he gave us a true message that he will not change. You have to try really hard to keep God’s true message safe. You can’t let anyone stop you doing what that message says."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "4", "text": "I talk like that because there are some bad people that secretly came into your group. That mob don’t want to do the things that God wants. Instead, they do all the bad things that they want to do. They reckon it is all right to do those bad things. They say, “God is good to us, so he lets us do these bad things.” Whenever they say that, they are really trying to change God’s true message. And they are turning away from Jesus, our only true boss. But God says in his book that he will punish those bad people."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "5", "text": "I want you to remember what I told you before. Remember that God brought the people of Israel out from the country called Egypt. God saved those people then. But later, some of the people didn’t believe in him, and he killed them."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "6", "text": "And think about the stories about the angels, God’s spirit messengers. Some of them didn’t want to do what God told them. They took power that God didn’t give them. They left their proper place in heaven. So God tied them up for ever and put them in a dark place. God will keep them there until the great day. Then God will judge everyone on that day."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "7", "text": "Also, don’t forget the story about the towns called Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other towns around there. The people that lived there did bad things, like those bad angels. They always wanted to sleep with somebody, like husbands sleeps with their wives, so they did that with people they were not married to, and they did it in all sorts of ways that were dirty and wrong. God is punishing those people now. He put them into the fire that doesn’t stop burning. That shows us how much he will punish people that do bad things like that."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "8", "text": "Those lying teachers are doing the same bad things. They say that God showed them things in their dreams, so they do bad things with their bodies. They rubbish God and don’t respect his power. And they say bad things about God’s beautiful angels."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "9", "text": "Michael is one of those angels. He is very powerful. But he didn’t say bad things about the devil, the boss over the bad spirits. A long time ago, Michael argued with the devil about which one of them can get Moses’s body. But Michael didn’t think that he was so important that he could say bad words to the devil. Instead, he said to the devil, “God will tell you that you are wrong.”"}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "10", "text": "But that liar mob say bad words about anything they don’t understand. They are like animals that can’t think properly. They just think about what makes their bodies feel good, and so they do bad things. And those things will wreck them."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "11", "text": "Very bad things will happen to that mob of lying teachers. Do you know the stories about Cain, Balaam, and Korah? Cain killed his brother, Abel. Balaam really wanted money and did bad things to get it. And Korah turned against God. God punished those men, Cain, Balaam, and Korah. Now that liar mob are doing the same wrong things, and God will punish them too."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "12", "text": "You Christians love God, and you love each other, so you sometimes have dinner together. Those lying teachers come to those dinners. But they only come to eat and drink. They don’t respect God, and they don’t care about people. They only think about themselves. They are really dangerous. You know about rocks in the sea. You know that boats have to keep away from them, or they will wreck the boats. That mob are like those rocks to you. Keep away from them, or they will wreck you. They are useless. They are like clouds that don’t have any rain. Those clouds are useless, and the wind just moves them along. Those lying teachers never do anything good. They are like trees that don’t have fruit, even when it is the right time for fruit. Those trees are properly useless, so people pull them out of the ground."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "13", "text": "And those lying teachers are like a storm in the sea. The water washes around, and a lot of rubbish comes up to the top of the sea. That rubbish is like a picture of all the bad, dirty things that mob does. And those lying teachers are like stars that moved away from their proper place in the sky. Those lying teachers don’t do the things God wants them to do. So God made a dark, black place for them, and he will put them there, and they will stay there for ever."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "14", "text": "Remember the man called Enok. He lived a long time ago, not long after the first man, Adam. He said, “God will come with thousands and thousands of his own good angels,"}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "15", "text": "and he will be the judge of everybody. God will punish all the bad people that don’t respect him. They did bad things against God, so God will punish them. They said rubbish things about God, so God will punish them.” He said those things about those lying teachers a long time ago."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "16", "text": "That mob are always complaining and saying that they aren’t happy with things. They are always saying that other people have done things wrong. But they do all the bad things they want to do. They say very good things about themselves and tell everybody they are important. But they only say good things about other people when they want to get something from them."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "17", "text": "But, my friends, you have to remember what Jesus Christ’s special workers said. They talked about what will happen later."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "18", "text": "They said, “In the last times, some people will laugh at God, and they will laugh at Christians. They will only think about the bad things they want for themselves, and they will do whatever bad things they want to do.”"}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "19", "text": "That liar mob don’t have God’s spirit inside them. They trick you and get you to argue with each other. They break you up into different groups. They let all the things that belong to this world control their lives, and they do whatever they want to do."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "20", "text": "But, my friends, I know that you believe the message that comes from God himself. And you have to do everything that you can do to believe it more and more strongly. You have to help each other to believe this message. And you have to let God’s spirit show you how to pray."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "21", "text": "Always remember that God loves you, and live for him while you wait for our leader Jesus Christ to come back. He feels very sorry for you, and he is good to you, so he will let you live with him for ever."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "22", "text": "Some people aren’t sure if God’s message is true. You have to feel sorry for those people and be good to them. You have to try to help them."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "23", "text": "And some people are turning away from God and doing bad things. If they turn away and don’t come back to God, he will punish them in the fire. So you have to try to stop those people from turning away from God. Then you will save them, like you will pull them out of that fire. Some of them do a lot of bad things, and they get a lot of trouble. You have to feel sorry for those people and try to help them. But be careful. Stay away from the bad things that they do. Those bad things are like dirt on their clothes. So be careful to keep away from them, just like you are careful not to touch dirty clothes."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "24", "text": "All right, I’ll finish my letter now. God can keep you safe so that you don’t go the wrong way. He can make you good and clean inside yourself, so that there aren’t any bad parts in you. Yes, one day, he will make you properly good, so that he can bring you close to himself. You will come near to the beautiful light that shines from him. He is very great and good, and you will stand with him. And you will be very, very happy."}
{"book": "JUD", "chapter": 1, "verse": "25", "text": "He is the only God. He gets our leader, Jesus Christ, to save us. So everyone has to always thank him and remember how great he is. He has all power. Everything has to do whatever he says. He always had that power. He had it right from the start of time. And he will have all that power for ever. That is true. From Jude"}