Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I am not displeased?

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I lie not.

It is not expedient therefore for me to boast [of these things]; for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know a man, in Christ above fourteen years, whether in the body I know not, or out of the body I know not, God knows,??uch a one caught up to the third heaven.

I know even such a man,??hether in the body or out of the body I know not, God knows,??4 that he was caught up to paradise, and heard unutterable words, which it is not lawful for man to speak.

Of such a one will I boast, but of myself I will not boast except of my infirmities.

For if I shall wish to boast I shall not be foolish, for I will tell the truth. But I forbear, lest any one should think of me beyond what he sees or hears of me.

And that I might not be elated with my extraordinary revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me, that I should not be too much exalted.

For what is there in which you were inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong.

Behold, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be burdensome to you; for I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up treasure for the parents, but the parents for the children.

Be it so, I was not burdensome to you; but being crafty I caught you with deceit.

I requested Titus, and sent the brother with him; did Titus make any thing out of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit, in the same steps?

For I fear lest when I come I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found such as you wish not; lest there shall be strife, envy, anger, contentions, evil speakings, whisperings, pride, dissensions;

lest when I come again my God shall humble me before you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned, and not changed their minds, in respect to impurity and fornication and lewdness which they have committed.

I have said before, and I now foretell as if present a second time, although absent, to those who have already sinned and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare;

since you seek a proof in me of Christ speaking, who is not weak to you but powerful in you;

Try yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves; or know you not yourselves that Christ is in you unless you are reprobates?

But I hope you will know that we are not reprobates.

We wish to God that you may do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do good though we should be as reprobates.

For this reason, being absent, I write these things, that I may not use sharpness when present, with the power which the Lord has given me for building up, and not for pulling down.

PAUL an apostle, not from men nor by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead,

which is not another; but there are some who disturb you and wish to subvert the gospel of Christ.

For do I now obey man, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I could not have been a servant of Christ.

For I certify you, brothers, of the gospel preached by me, that it is not according to man;

was pleased to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the gentiles, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood,

And what I write to you, behold, before God, I lie not.

But Titus who was with me, and was a Greek, was not compelled to be circumcised;

we did not yield to them by subjection, for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

But when I saw that they walked not correctly, according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before all, If you being a Jew live after the manner of the gentiles, and not after the manner of the Jews, why do you compel the gentiles to practise Judaism?

For we Jews by race and not sinners of the gentiles,

knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we also have believed in Jesus Christ, that we may be justified by faith and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

I do not reject the grace of God; for if rightousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

For as many as are of works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things written in the book of the law to do them.

but the law is not of faith, but he that does these things shall live by them.

The promises were spoken to Abraham and his offspring. He said not, And to offsprings, as of many, but as of one, And to your offspring, which is Christ.

But I say, that as long as the heir is a child, he differs not from a servant, though he is lord of all,

But formerly, not knowing God you served beings which are not really Gods;

I beseech you, brothers, be as I am, for I am as you [ought to be]. You did not injure me;

and my trial in my flesh you despised not nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.

They are zealous for you, but not well, but they wish to exclude you that you may be zealous for them.

It is good to be zealous for a good object always, and not only when I am present with you.

Tell me, you that wish to be under the law, do you not hear the law?

for it is written, Rejoice, barren woman, that did not bear, break forth and cry, woman that had no pain, for the children of the desolate are more numerous than those of her who had a husband.

But what says the Scripture? Cast out the servant-woman and her son; for the son of the servant woman shall not be an heir, with the son of the free.

Wherefore, brothers, we are not children of the servant woman, but of the free.

STAND firm in the liberty with which Christ has made you free, and be not again subject to a yoke of servitude.

Behold, I Paul tell you, that if you are circumcised Christ will not profit you.

This persuasion is not of him that calls you.

I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will not be of another mind; but he that troubles you shall bear his sin, whoever he is.

For you are called to liberty, brothers, only make not your liberty an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another.

But if you bite and devour one another, see that you be not consumed one by another.

And I say, walk in the Spirit and perform not the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are opposed one to another, so that you do not what you wish.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

murders, drunkenness, revellings and the like, of which I tell you before, as I have also previously told you, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

But let each one prove his work, and then shall he have joy in himself alone and not in another,

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what a man sows, that shall he also reap;

Let us not be weary of well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.

Those who wish to make a fair appearance in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

For the circumcised themselves do not keep the law, but they wish you to be circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.

do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

above every principality and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this life but also in that to come,

For by grace are you saved through the faith; and that not of you; [it is] the gift of God;

not of works, that no one may boast;

by reading which you can understand my knowledge of the mystery of Christ,??5 which in other generations was not made known to the children of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,

Wherefore I desire you not to faint on account of my afflictions for you, which are your glory.

But you have not so learned Christ,

Be angry and sin not; let not the sun go down on your wrath,

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by which you were sealed to the day of redemption.

Let not fornication and any impurity or covetousness be named among you, as becomes saints,

nor indecorum and foolish talking, or jesting, things not becoming, but rather giving of thanks.

Be not therefore partakers with them.

and be not partakers of the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

See then that you walk discreetly, not as unwise but as wise,

Be not foolish therefore, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the spirit,

that he might present the church to himself glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any thing of the kind, but that it should be holy and blameless.

And, fathers, provoke not your children, but bring them up in the instruction and admonition of the Lord.

not with eye service as pleasing men, but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart,

performing service kindly as to the Lord and not to men,

for our conflict is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the potentates of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual [hosts] of evil in the heavenly [worlds].

[\ul Note: The text of verse

but those from contention preach Christ not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for my bonds.

But if to live in the flesh [is allowed me], I have this fruit of my work, and which I shall choose I know not.

because it was given to you in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him but also to suffer for him,

and let each consider not his own interests, but also those of others.

who being in the form of God thought it not a robbery to be equal with God;

And so, my beloved, as you always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

holding fast the word of life, for my glorying in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain, nor labor in vain.

for all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, the brother and my fellow-laborer and fellow-soldier, but your apostle and servant of my need,

For indeed he was sick nigh to death; but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

because on account of the work he was nigh to death, not having consulted properly for his life, that he might fully supply your lack of service to me.

FINALLY, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord; for to write the same things to you is not grievous to me, and is safe for you.

We are the circumcision, who serve God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and trust not in the flesh,

and be found in him, not having my righteousness by the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by the faith,

Not that I have already obtained it, or have been already made perfect; but I follow on that I may attain that for which also I was arrested by Christ.

I consider not myself, brothers, to have attained it; but this one thing I do; forgetting the things behind, and reaching forward to those before,

Not that I speak of want; for I have learned in whatever circumstances I am to be contented.