For it is written:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;<b><i>Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children;i>b><n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry"><b><i>break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,i>b>p> <p class="poetry"><b><i>because the children of the desolate woman are more numerousi>b>p> <p class="poetry"><b><i>than those of the woman who has a husbandi>b><sc>.&#8221;sc><n id="2" />p>

among whom<n id="1" /> all of us<n id="2" /> also<n id="3" /> formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath<n id="4" /> even as the rest&#8230;<n id="5" />p>

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty<n id="1" /> toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them.<n id="2" /> For this is what pleases God.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">(See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that<n id="1" /> we should be called God&#8217;s children &#8211; and indeed<n id="2" /> we are!<n id="3" /> For this reason<n id="4" /> the world does not know us: because it did not know him.<n id="5" />

Dear friends, we are God&#8217;s children now, and what we will be<n id="1" /> has not yet been revealed. We<n id="2" /> know that<n id="3" /> whenever<n id="4" /> it<n id="5" /> is revealed<n id="6" /> we will be like him, because<n id="7" /> we will see him just as he is.<n id="8" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">From<n id="1" /> the elder,<n id="2" /> to an elect lady<n id="3" /> and her children, whom I love in truth<n id="4" /> (and not I alone, but also all those<n id="5" /> who know the truth),

Furthermore, I will strike her followers<n id="1" /> with a deadly disease,<n id="2" /> and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay<n id="3" /> each one of you<n id="4" /> what your deeds deserve.<n id="5" />

So<n id="1" /> the woman gave birth to a son, a male child,<n id="2" /> who is going <i>to rulei><n id="3" /> <i>over all the nationsi><n id="4" /> <i>with an iron rodi>.<n id="5" /> Her<n id="6" /> child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne,

&#8220;If anyone comes to me and does not hate<n id="1" /> his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life,<n id="2" /> he cannot be my disciple.

Now<n id="1" /> the dragon&#8217;s<n id="2" /> tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then<n id="3" /> the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.