James 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ¹  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ²  in what he says, ³  he is a perfect individual, ⁴  able to control the entire body as well.

Proverbs 4:8

4:8 Esteem her highly ⁵  and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

Matthew 5:48

5:48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ⁶ 

John 17:23

17:23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, ⁷  so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

John 17:1

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward ⁸  to heaven ⁹  and said, “Father, the time ¹⁰  has come. Glorify your Son, so that your ¹¹  Son may glorify you –

Colossians 2:6

Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies

2:6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, ¹²  continue to live your lives ¹³  in him,

Philippians 3:12-15

Keep Going Forward

3:12 Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. ¹⁴  3:13 Brothers and sisters, ¹⁵  I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: ¹⁶  Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, ¹⁷  I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God ¹⁸  in Christ Jesus. 3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. ¹⁹  If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. ²⁰ 

Colossians 4:12

4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave ²¹  of Christ, ²²  greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured ²³  in all the will of God.

Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:17

3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hebrews 13:21

13:21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us ²⁴  what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. ²⁵  Amen.

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 5:10

5:10 and he was designated ²⁶  by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. ²⁷ 

Hebrews 5:1

5:1 For every high priest is taken from among the people ²⁸  and appointed ²⁹  to represent them before God, ³⁰  to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ³¹  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ³²  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

[3:2]  ¹ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ² tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ³ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ⁴ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[4:8]  ⁵ tn The verb is the Pilpel imperative from סָלַל (salal, “to lift up; to cast up”). So the imperative means “exalt her; esteem her highly; prize her.”

[5:48]  ⁶ sn This remark echoes the more common OT statements like Lev 19:2 or Deut 18:13: “you must be holy as I am holy.”

[17:23]  ⁷ tn Or “completely unified.”

[17:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).

[17:1]  ⁹ tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[17:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the hour.”

[17:1]  ¹¹ tc The better witnesses (א B C* W 0109 0301) have “the Son” (ὁ υἱός, Jo Juios) here, while the majority (C³ L Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read “your Son also” (καὶ ὁ υἱὸς σου, kai Jo Juio" sou), or “your Son” (ὁ υἱὸς σου; A D Θ 0250 1 579 pc lat sy); the second corrector of C has καὶ ὁ υἱός (“the Son also”). The longer readings appear to be predictable scribal expansions and as such should be considered secondary.

[2:6]  ¹² tn Though the verb παρελάβετε (parelabete) does not often take a double accusative, here it seems to do so. Both τὸν Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton Criston Ihsoun) and τὸν κύριον (ton kurion) are equally definite insofar as they both have an article, but both the word order and the use of “Christ Jesus” as a proper name suggest that it is the object (cf. Rom 10:9, 10). Thus Paul is affirming that the tradition that was delivered to the Colossians by Epaphras was Christ-centered and focused on him as Lord.

[2:6]  ¹³ tn The present imperative περιπατεῖτε (peripateite) implies, in this context, a continuation of something already begun. This is evidenced by the fact that Paul has already referred to their faith as “orderly” and “firm” (2:5), despite the struggles of some of them with this deceptive heresy (cf. 2:16-23). The verb is used literally to refer to a person “walking” and is thus used metaphorically (i.e., ethically) to refer to the way a person lives his or her life.

[3:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” The passive has been translated as active in keeping with contemporary English style.

[3:13]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:13]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”

[3:14]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “according to the goal.”

[3:14]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”

[3:15]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”

[3:15]  ²⁰ tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.

[4:12]  ²¹ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:12]  ²² tc ‡ Strong Alexandrian testimony, along with some other witnesses, suggests that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) follows Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; so א A B C I L 0278 33 81 365 629 1175 2464 al lat), but the evidence for the shorter reading is diverse (Ì⁴⁶ D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï it sy Hier), cutting across all major texttypes. There can be little motivation for omitting the name of Jesus; hence, the shorter reading is judged to be original. NA²⁷ has ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[4:12]  ²³ tn Or “filled.”

[13:21]  ²⁴ tc Some mss (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 pm latt sy^h) read ὑμῖν (Jumin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (Jhmin) has stronger external support (Ì⁴⁶ א A D^vid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629^c 1175 1739 1881 pm sy^p co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.

[13:21]  ²⁵ tc ‡ Most mss (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 Ï latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by Ì⁴⁶ C³ D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 al) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. NA²⁷ places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:10]  ²⁶ tn Grk “having been designated,” continuing the thought of Heb 5:9.

[5:10]  ²⁷ sn The phrase in the order of Melchizedek picks up the quotation from Ps 110:4 in Heb 5:6.

[5:1]  ²⁸ tn Grk “from among men,” but since the point in context is shared humanity (rather than shared maleness), the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated “people.”

[5:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “who is taken from among people is appointed.”

[5:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “appointed on behalf of people in reference to things relating to God.”

[4:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “let us fear.”

[4:1]  ³² tn Grk “let us fear.”