the holy war

⁴For he is a minister of God for you unto good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid. For it is not without reason that he carries a sword. For he is a minister of God; an avenger to execute wrath upon whomever does evil.

¹“If you go out to battle against your enemies, and you see horsemen and chariots, and that the multitude of your adversary’s army is greater than your own, you shall not fear them. For the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, is with you. ²Then, as the battle now draws near, the priest shall stand before the front ranks, and he shall speak to the people in this manner: ³‘Listen, O Israel! Today you engage in a battle against your enemies. Do not let your heart be overwhelmed with fear. Do not be apprehensive. Do not yield. You should have no dread of them. ⁴For the Lord your God is in your midst, and he will contend against your enemies on your behalf, so that he may rescue you from peril.’

⁸A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.

⁶For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.

¹Where do wars and contentions among you come from? Is it not from this: from your own desires, which battle within your members? ²You desire, and you do not have. You envy and you kill, and you are unable to obtain. You argue and you fight, and you do not have, because you do not ask.

⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰Concerning the rest, brothers, be strengthened in the Lord, by the power of his virtue. ¹¹Be clothed in the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the directors of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. ¹³Because of this, take up the armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand the evil day and remain perfect in all things. ¹⁴Therefore, stand firm, having been girded about your waist with truth, and having been clothed with the breastplate of justice, ¹⁵and having feet which have been shod by the preparation of the Gospel of peace.

⁵²Then Jesus said to him: “Put your sword back in its place. For all who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

⁴And he will judge the nations, and he will rebuke many peoples. And they shall forge their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they continue to train for battle.

¹²Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you have been called, and make a good profession of faith in the sight of many witnesses.

¹¹Be clothed in the armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the treachery of the devil.

⁶For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places.

¹The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, in order to make known to his servants the things that must soon occur, and which he signified by sending his Angel to his servant John;

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world, in order to judge the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.