If even lifeless things, such as the flute or the harp, do not give a distinction in the notes, how will any one know what is played?

So it is with you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is intelligible, how will anyone know what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the one who is speaking, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how can any one in the position of an outsider say the "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

But if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.

Now I would remind you, brethren, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of themyet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised;

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Now I tell you this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you must also do.

On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

For I do not want to see you now just in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you with nothing to fear, for he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am.

So let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, that he may return to me; for I am expecting him with the brethren.

As for our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the other brethren, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brethren,

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

When I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a fleshly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, Yes" and "No, No"?

But as surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.

For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by usby me and Silvanus and Timothywas not Yes and No, but in him it has always been Yes.

Now it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us;

For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.

in order that Satan might gain no advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,

I still had no rest in my mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took my leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

who has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,

For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Therefore we are always of good courage; and we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a fleshly point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a fleshly point of view, we regard him thus no longer.

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

Now in a fair exchangeI speak as to my childrenopen wide your hearts also.

Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.

Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turnconflicts on the outside and fears within.

now I rejoice, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance; for you became sorrowful as God intended, so that you suffered no loss through us.

For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.

Now, brethren, we want you to know about the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich.

And in this matter I give my advice: it is best for you now to complete what a year ago you began not only to do but to desire.

Now finish the work, so that your readiness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.

As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."

We intend that no one should blame us about this liberal gift which we are administering,

And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many matters, but who is now more diligent than ever because of his great confidence in you.

Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the offering for the saints,

for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will multiply the harvest of your righteousness.

For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is weak, and his speech of no account."

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

I repeat, let no one think me foolish; but even if you do, receive me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.

And I know that this manwhether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows

Though if I should boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.

I warned those who sinned in the past and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present the second time, that if I come again I will not spare them

Now we pray to God that you may not do wrong, not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed.

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed!

Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I do not lie.)

they only heard it said, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me;

yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law will no flesh be justified.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith."

To give a human example, brethren: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Now a mediator does not represent just one party; but God is one.

Now before faith came, we were bound under the law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of all the estate;

So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things? Do you desire to be enslaved all over again?

Brethren, I beg you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong;

you know it was because of an illness in the flesh that I preached the gospel to you at first;

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

They seek you, but for no good purpose; they want to shut you out, so that you may seek them.

I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

Now you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.

But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now.

Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.

I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and the one who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.

Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, lewdness,

gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but what counts is a new creation.

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,