Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

我们既知道主是可畏的，所以劝人。但我们在神面前是显明的，盼望在你们的良心里也是显明的。

既然我们知道主是可畏的，就劝导人；但是上帝是认识我们的，我盼望你们的良心也认识我们。

既然我们知道主是可畏的，就劝导人；但是神是认识我们的，我盼望你们的良心也认识我们。

我们知道主是当受敬畏的，所以劝人归信祂。我们的内心如何，上帝知道，我盼望你们的良心也知道。

我们既然知道主是可畏的，就劝勉众人。我们在神面前是显明的，我盼望在你们的良心里也是显明的。

既然如此，我们因为知道敬畏主，就劝导人。我们在神面前是显明的，但我希望在你们的良心里，也是显明的。

我們既知道主是可畏的，所以勸人。但我們在神面前是顯明的，盼望在你們的良心裏也是顯明的。

既然我們知道主是可畏的，就勸導人；但是上帝是認識我們的，我盼望你們的良心也認識我們。

既然我們知道主是可畏的，就勸導人；但是神是認識我們的，我盼望你們的良心也認識我們。

我們知道主當受敬畏，所以勸人歸信祂。我們的內心如何，上帝知道，我盼望你們的良心也知道。

我們既然知道主是可畏的，就勸勉眾人。我們在神面前是顯明的，我盼望在你們的良心裡也是顯明的。

所以我們既曉得主是可畏懼的，便勸人相信。我們在上帝面前顯然無隱；我盼望在你們的良知裏也顯然無隱。

既然如此，我們因為知道敬畏主，就勸導人。我們在神面前是顯明的，但我希望在你們的良心裡，也是顯明的。

我知主之可畏而勸人、我已顯於上帝、亦望顯於爾心、

我知主可畏而勸人、我行事顯明於上帝前、亦望顯明於爾心、

我既知主可畏、則勸勉人、惟我顯明於主前、亦望顯明於爾心、

吾人既知畏之、不敢不勉人以善。吾人之肺腑、悉在天主洞察之中；深信爾等亦必能心領吾人之丹忱也。

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it. What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people, but we are well known to God; and I hope that we are also well known in your consciences.

Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too.

Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God, and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.

Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

They accused Paul of“ persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us,even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

“ But Abraham said,‘ If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.You yourselves are our witnesses— and so is God— that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner!

My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time— before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

When they arrived he declared,“ You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until nowI have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike— the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.“ And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus— the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.“ And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.

As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.

For the Almighty has struck me down with his arrows. Their poison infects my spirit. God’s terrors are lined up against me.

“ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Who can stand before his fierce anger? Who can survive his burning fury? His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence.

But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead,“ Come back to God!”

So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.

But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!

I have been sick and close to death since my youth. I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me. Your terrors have paralyzed me.

Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.

“ Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step.

In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.

“ Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless.“ Who can live with this devouring fire?” they cry.“ Who can survive this all consuming fire?”

You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?Is anything worth more than your soul?If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening.

No wonder you are greatly feared! Who can stand before you when your anger explodes?