For we, by the help of the Spirit, are eagerly waiting for the fulfillment of our hope--that we may be pronounced righteous as the result of faith.

I have confidence as to you in the Lord, that ye will have no other mind; and he that is troubling you shall bear the guilt of it, whosoever he may be.

But as for me, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision [as I had done before I met Christ; and as some accuse me of doing now, as necessary for salvation], why am I still being persecuted [by Jews]? In that case the stumbling block of the cross [to unbelieving Jews] has been abolished.

My desire is that they who give you trouble might even be cut off themselves.

and if one another ye do bite and devour, see -- that ye may not by one another be consumed.

And I say: In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete;

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.

if we may live in the Spirit, in the Spirit also we may walk;

Brethren, if a man also may be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself -- lest thou also may be tempted;

Be not led astray; God is not mocked; for what a man may sow -- that also he shall reap,

and in the doing good we may not be faint-hearted, for at the proper time we shall reap -- not desponding;

therefore, then, as we have opportunity, may we work the good to all, and especially unto those of the household of the faith.

See how long a letter I have written to you with my own hand.

As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they compel you to be circumcised; only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy to the Israel of God!

From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits, brethren. Amen.

Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ,

For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

He is a down payment of our inheritance, until God's own possession [i.e., His people] receives redemption. [Note: Here "redemption" refers to receiving a new body in heaven]. May this bring about praise to God's splendor.

This is why I, for my part, since I have heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that prevails among you and among all God's people,

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

in order that he may show in coming ages the superabounding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace ye are saved, through faith: and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not by works, that no one may boast:

not of works, that no one may boast;

for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

and that he may reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity on in.

For this cause [I bend my knees], I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you gentiles;

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

and to show all men in a clear light what my stewardship is. It is the stewardship of the truth which from all the Ages lay concealed in the mind of God, the Creator of all things--

This is so God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.

Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.

May there be to God, who is able to do infinitely more [for us] than we could [even] ask or think, according to [His] power at work in us ---

[I say] may there be praise to God in the church and in [or, "for"] Christ Jesus throughout all generations of people for ages and ages. May it be so.

I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behaviour is a credit to the position which God's purpose has given you,

he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things --

till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand].

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

For of this you may be sure--that no one who is unchaste or impure or greedy of gain (for to be greedy of gain is idolatry) has any place awaiting him in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

Whatever anyone may say in the way of worthless arguments to deceive you, these are the things that are bringing God's anger down upon the disobedient.

For the outcome of life in the Light may be seen in every form of goodness, righteousness, and sincerity--

So, it says, "You who are asleep, wake up and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you [i.e., illuminate you]." [Note: The foregoing words may have been an early saying, used at someone's immersion, which included the ideas of "rising up" (See Col. 2:12) and "illumination" (See Heb. 6:4)].

And do not take overmuch wine by which one may be overcome, but be full of the Spirit;

that he might present it to himself the assembly in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished;

This is a great secret: but my words are about Christ and the church.

But ye also, every one of you, let each so love his own wife as himself; but as to the wife I speak that she may fear the husband.

"You must honor your father and mother"??hat is the first commandment accompanied with a promise??3 "so that you may prosper and have a long life on earth."

That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Above all, take to you the shield of faith, wherewith ye may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:

whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.

May peace and love, with faith, be with the brothers, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah!

May grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with perfect sincerity.

May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy,

[thanking God] for your participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news [regarding salvation] from the first day [you heard it] until now.

Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].

But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

What difference then does it make? In one way or another, whether in pretense or in sincerity, Christ is being preached, and that is the thing that makes me glad; yes, more too, I will continue to be glad of it,

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better;

yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake.

So, being convinced of this, I know I will remain [in my body] and continue with all of you for your spiritual progress and joy in the faith,

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.