Week 1 · Passage Collection

Ephesians 5:21–33

Core teaching: wives and husbands together

5:21 subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

5:22 Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.

5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything.

5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it;

5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,

5:27 that he might present the church to himself a glorious church , not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

5:28 Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his own wife loveth himself:

5:29 for no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ also the church;

5:30 because we are members of his body.

5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.

5:32 This mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the church.

5:33 Nevertheless do ye also severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she fear her husband.

Colossians 3:12–19

Core teaching: conduct in Christ and marriage

3:12 Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;

3:13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:

3:14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.

3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.

3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

3:17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

3:18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

1 Peter 3:1–9

Core teaching: faithful conduct, hope in God, and honor

3:1 In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives;

3:2 beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear.

3:3 Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel;

3:4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

3:5 For after this manner aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:

3:6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror.

3:7 Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not hindered.

3:8 Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded:

3:9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Titus 2:1–8

Core teaching: mature character and household faithfulness

2:1 But speak thou the things which befit the sound doctrine:

2:2 that aged men be temperate, grave, sober-minded, sound in faith, in love, in patience:

2:3 that aged women likewise be reverent in demeanor, not slanderers nor enslaved to much wine, teachers of that which is good;

2:4 that they may train the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

2:5 to be sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind, being in subjection to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed:

2:6 the younger men likewise exhort to be sober-minded:

2:7 in all things showing thyself an ensample of good works; in thy doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity,

2:8 sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of us.

1 Corinthians 11:3

Further study: headship in the context of worship

11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 11:11–12

Further study: interdependence in the Lord

11:11 Nevertheless, neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord.

11:12 For as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the woman; but all things are of God.

Genesis 2:18–24

Foundation: companionship and one flesh

2:18 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.

2:19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

2:20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him.

2:21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

2:22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

2:23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Mark 10:42–45

Foundation: Jesus teaches servant leadership

10:42 And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.

10:43 But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister;

10:44 and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.

10:45 For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Genesis 12:1–5

Story: Abram and Sarai journey together

12:1 Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee:

12:2 and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing:

12:3 and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

12:4 So Abram went, as Jehovah had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Genesis 18:9–15

Story: Sarah and the promised son

18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

18:12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

18:13 And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?

18:14 Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.

18:15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

Genesis 21:9–13

Story: Abraham is told to listen to Sarah; read with its difficult context

21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.

21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son: for the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.

21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

21:13 And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

Acts 18:1–3

Story: Priscilla and Aquila work with Paul

18:1 After these things he departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.

18:2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome: and he came unto them;

18:3 and because he was of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought; for by their trade they were tentmakers.

Acts 18:24–28

Story: Priscilla and Aquila teach Apollos together

18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the scriptures.

18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John:

18:26 and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately.

18:27 And when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him: and when he was come, he helped them much that had believed through grace;

18:28 for he powerfully confuted the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

1 Samuel 25:2–35

Story: Abigail acts wisely to prevent bloodshed

25:2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

25:3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

25:4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

25:5 And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

25:6 and thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity , Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

25:7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

25:8 Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

25:9 And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

25:10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master.

25:11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

25:12 So David’s young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.

25:13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.

25:14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed at them.

25:15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields:

25:16 they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

25:17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.

25:18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

25:19 And she said unto her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

25:20 And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

25:21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good.

25:22 God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

25:24 And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.

25:25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

25:26 Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

25:27 And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

25:28 Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.

25:29 And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.

25:30 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel,

25:31 that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

25:32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me:

25:33 and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

25:34 For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.

25:35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

Acts 5:1–11

Contrast story: Ananias and Sapphira share responsibility for deceit

5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

5:2 and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

5:4 While it remained, did it not remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.

5:6 And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and they carried him out and buried him.

5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much. And she said, Yea, for so much.

5:9 But Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out.

5:10 And she fell down immediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost: and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.

5:11 And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things.

Acts 5:27–29

Principle: obedience to God; original setting is the apostles before the council

5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them,

5:28 saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name: and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men.

1 Corinthians 7:3–5

Further study: reciprocal marital responsibilities and agreement

7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife her due: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

7:4 The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife.

7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer, and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.

1 Corinthians 7:12–16

Further study: marriage when one spouse does not believe

7:12 But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.

7:13 And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.

7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

7:15 Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases : but God hath called us in peace.

7:16 For how knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O husband, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

Proverbs 31:10–12

Portrait: trustworthy partnership

31:10 A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies.

31:11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain.

31:12 She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:26–31

Portrait: wisdom, kindness, and fear of the Lord

31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.

31:28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also , and he praiseth her, saying :

31:29 Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.

31:30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.

31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates.