“ I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as harmless as doves.

“我差你们去，如同羊进入狼群；所以你们要灵巧像蛇，驯良像鸽子。

“看哪！我差你们出去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要机警如蛇，纯真如鸽。

“看哪！我差你们出去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要机警如蛇，纯真如鸽。

“听着，我差你们出去，就好像使羊走进狼群一般。所以，你们要像蛇一样机灵，像鸽子一样驯良。

“现在，我差派你们出去，好像羊进到狼群中间；所以你们要像蛇一样机警，像鸽子一样纯洁。

“看哪，我差派你们出去，就像把羊送进狼群中，所以你们要像蛇那样聪明，像鸽子那样纯洁。

「我差你們去，如同羊進入狼羣；所以你們要靈巧像蛇，馴良像鴿子。

「看哪！我差你們出去，如同羊進入狼羣，所以你們要機警如蛇，純真如鴿。

「看哪！我差你們出去，如同羊進入狼羣，所以你們要機警如蛇，純真如鴿。

「聽著，我差你們出去，就好像使羊走進狼群一般。所以，你們要像蛇一樣機靈，像鴿子一樣馴良。

“現在，我差派你們出去，好像羊進到狼群中間；所以你們要像蛇一樣機警，像鴿子一樣純潔。

『看吧，我差遣你們如同綿羊在豺狼中間；所以你們要靈巧像蛇，要天真像鴿子。

「看哪，我差派你們出去，就像把羊送進狼群中，所以你們要像蛇那樣聰明，像鴿子那樣純潔。

我遣爾似羊入狼中、故當智如蛇、馴如鴿、

我遣爾、似羊入狼中、故當智如蛇、馴如鴿、

我遣爾、似羊入狼中、故當巧如蛇、馴如鴿、

我遣爾等、如送綿羊入狼群。故宜靈變如蛇、而淳良如鴿。

“ I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

“ Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

“ Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.

“ Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.

“ Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves.

“ Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

“ Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

“ I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

“ Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Then you will be pure and without blame. You will be children of God without fault among sinful and evil people. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. Be like babies as far as evil is concerned. But be grown up in your thinking.

I know that after I leave, wild wolves will come in among you. They won’t spare any of the sheep.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity.

People like that are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving only themselves. With smooth talk and with words they don’t mean they fool people who don’t know any better.Everyone has heard that you obey God. So you have filled me with joy. I want you to be wise about what is good. And I want you to have nothing to do with what is evil.

So be very careful how you live. Do not live like people who aren’t wise. Live like people who are wise.Make the most of every opportunity. The days are evil.So don’t be foolish. Instead, understand what the Lord wants.

But Eve’s mind was tricked by the snake’s clever lies. And here’s what I’m afraid of. Your minds will also somehow be led astray. They will be led away from your true and pure love for Christ.

I will give you words of wisdom. None of your enemies will be able to withstand them or prove them wrong.

That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light.

The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman,“ Did God really say,‘ You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”

That’s why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We keep asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray he will give you the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

You are witnesses of how we lived among you believers. God is also a witness that we were holy and godly and without blame.

Say no to every kind of evil.

We want to keep anyone from blaming us for how we take care of that large gift.

Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong tells us how we have acted. We have lived with honor and godly honesty. We have depended on God’s grace and not on the world’s wisdom. We lived that way most of all when we were dealing with you.

Then the Lord God said to the woman,“ What have you done?” The woman said,“ The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.”