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1 I beseech you, therefore, my brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, by a rational service [of him].
2 And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed, by the renovation of your minds: and discern ye what is the good and acceptable and perfect pleasure of God.
3 And, by the grace given to me, I say to you all: Do not carry thoughts, beyond what ye ought to think; but think with modesty, as God hath distributed to each one his measure of faith.
4 For as we [severally] have many members in one body, and all those members have not the same functions;
5 so also we, who are [collectively] many persons, are one body in Messiah, and are naturally members of each other.
6 But we have different gifts, according to the grace given to us. There is that of prophecy, according to the measure of his faith.
7 And there is that of ministration, possessed by one in his ministry. And there is that of a teacher, in his teaching.
8 And there is that of a consoler, in his consoling: And that of a giver, with simplicity: And that of a presider, with dexterity: And of a sympathizer, with cheerfulness. *
9 Let not your love be guileful: but be haters of evil things, and adherers to good things.
10 Be affectionate to your brethren: and love one another. Be foremost in honoring one another.
11 Be active; and not slothful. Be fervent in spirit. Be laborers for our Lord.
12 Be joyful in your hope. Be patient under your afflictions. Be persevering in prayer.
13 Be communicators to the wants of the saints. Be kind to strangers.
14 Bless your persecutors: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them who rejoice: and weep with them who weep.
16 What estimation ye make of yourselves, [make] also of your brethren. And indulge not high thoughts; but unite yourselves with the lowly minded. And be not wise in your own estimation.
17 And repay to no man evil for evil: but let it be your study to do good before all men.
18 And if possible, so far as it dependeth on you, live in peace with every man.
19 And be ye not avengers of yourselves, my beloved: but give place to wrath. For it is written: If thou dost not execute judgment for thyself, I will execute judgment for thee, saith God.
20 And if thy adversary be hungry, feed him: and if he be thirsty, give him drink. For if thou doest these things to him, thou wilt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be ye not overcome by evil; but overcome evil with good.
* In this catalogue of gifts, verses 6, 7, 8, the Syriac merely describes them, giving no directions for the right use of them. Whether the Greek original will admit the same exposition, the learned will decide. I see no evidence, that the Syriac translator had an essentially different Greek text before him.
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