⁶ “Blessed are ^(A)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

^7 (A)Little children, make sure no one ^(B)deceives you; ^(C)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; ⁸ the one who practices sin is ^(D)of the devil; for the devil ^[a]has been sinning from the beginning. ^(E)The Son of God ^(F)appeared for this purpose, ^(G)to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one who has been ^(H)born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this the ^(I)children of God and the ^(J)children of the devil are obvious: ^[b]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who ^(K)does not love his ^(L)brother and sister.

^17 (A)All unrighteousness is sin, and ^(B)there is sin not leading to death.

¹⁶ Do you not ^(A)know that the one to whom you present yourselves as ^(B)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of ^(C)sin ^[a]resulting in death, or of obedience ^[b]resulting in righteousness?

^19 (A)I am speaking ^[a]in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ^(B)as you presented ^[b]the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, ^[c]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present ^[d]your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, ^[e]resulting in sanctification.

³⁵ but ^(A)in every nation the one who ^[a](B)fears Him and ^[b]does what is right is acceptable to Him.

²² that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to ^(A)rid yourselves of the ^(B)old ^[a]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the ^(C)lusts of deceit,

²⁴ and to ^(A)put on the ^(B)new ^[a]self, which ^[b](C)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

⁵ For this you know with certainty, that ^(A)no sexually immoral or ^[a]impure or greedy person, which ^[b]amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^(B)of Christ and God.

^6 (C)See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things ^(D)the wrath of God comes upon ^(E)the ^[c]sons of disobedience.