18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, ^rwho has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 ^s“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman ^tJezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants ^uto practice sexual immorality and ^uto eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but ^vshe refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he ^wwho searches mind and heart, and ^xI will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ^ythe deep things of Satan, to you I say, I ^zdo not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast ^awhat you have until I come. 26 ^bThe one who conquers and who keeps my works ^cuntil the end, ^dto him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and ^ehe will ^frule¹ them with a rod of iron, ^gas when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him ^hthe morning star. 29 ^pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

1 ^oLet all who are under a yoke as bondservants¹ regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, ^pso that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are ^qbrothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

^rTeach and urge these things. 3 If anyone ^steaches a different doctrine and does not agree with ^tthe sound² words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching ^uthat accords with godliness, 4 ^vhe is puffed up with conceit and ^wunderstands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for ^xcontroversy and for ^yquarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people ^zwho are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, ^aimagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But ^bgodliness ^cwith contentment is great gain, 7 for ^dwe brought nothing into the world, and³ we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But ^eif we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But ^fthose who desire to be rich fall into temptation, ^ginto a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that ^hplunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of ⁱall kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

11 But as for you, ^jO man of God, ^kflee these things. ^lPursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 ^mFight the good fight of the faith. ⁿTake hold of the eternal life ^oto which you were called and about which you made ^pthe good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 ^qI charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ^rwho in his testimony before⁴ Pontius Pilate made ^pthe good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ^sthe appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display ^tat the proper time—he who is ^uthe blessed and only Sovereign, ^vthe King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 ^wwho alone has immortality, ^xwho dwells in ^yunapproachable light, ^zwhom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

17 As for the rich in ^athis present age, charge them ^bnot to be haughty, nor ^cto set their hopes on ^dthe uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^ewho richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, ^fto be rich in good works, to be generous and ^gready to share, 19 thus ^hstoring up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may ⁱtake hold of ^jthat which is truly life.

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. ^kAvoid the ^lirreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

^mGrace be with you.⁵