and he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the faith-righteousness which he had while he was in uncircumcision; in order that he might be the father of all who believe, even though they are uncircumcised; so that righteousness might be imputed to them.

For they who live after the flesh, give their attention to the things of the flesh; But they who live after the spirit, give their attention to spiritual things.

And they who are earthly minded cannot please God.

For they are Israelites; to them belong the sonship, the Shekinah glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law; the service of the temple, and the promises;

It is not, however, as though God's word had failed! For they are not all Israel who have sprung from Israel;

they are not all children of Abraham because they are Abraham's descendants. The promise was, In Isaac shall thy posterity be called.

and even though they were still unborn, and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that the purpose of God might stand according to election, not of works, but of Him who called,

And in that very spot where it was told them, "You are not my people," There they shall be called "Sons of the living God."

And why? Because they sought it not by faith, but thought to gain it by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling;

Brothers, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for my countrymen, that they may be saved.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, only it is a zeal without knowledge.

For because they were ignorant of God's righteousness, and sought to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God.

How then shall thy call upon Him in whom they do not believe? And how are they to believe in One of whom they have never heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring a glad gospel.

And yet they did not all hearken to the good news; for Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed our message?

But I ask, Did they fail to hear? Yes, truly, Their sound has gone out unto all the earth, And their words unto the ends of the world.

Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have overthrown thine altars; And now I alone am left, and they seek my life.

According as it is written, God has given them a spirit of slumber, Eyes that they should not see, Ears that they should not hear, unto this day.

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, And bow thou down their backs forever.

I ask then, "Have they stumbled so as to fall?" No indeed; but by their lapse salvation has come unto Gentiles, "to provoke Israel to jealousy."

True, through their unbelief they were broken off, and by your faith you stand. Do not be puffed up, but fear;

And they also those Jews, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in again; for God is able to graft them in again.

In relation to the gospel, the Jews are God's enemies for your sake; but in relation to the election, they are dearly loved for their forefather's sake.

even so they also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.

Yes, it has been made their good pleasure, and their debt, too. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual riches, they owe it to them also to minister to them the Jews in worldly goods.

Turn away from them. For men of that stamp are not the slaves of Christ, but are slaves to their own appetites. By their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent.

to the Church of God at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all, wherever they are, who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

Sage, rabbi, skeptic of this present age??here are they all? Has not God made foolish the philosophy of the world?

None of the rulers of the present age understands it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

and again, The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, how futile they are.

If, however, they are not exercising self-control, by all means let them marry; for marriage is better than the fever of passion.

For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through union with his believing wife; and the unbelieving wife, through union with her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unholy, but now they are consecrated to God.

Indeed, brothers, the time that remains to us has been shortened; so let those who have wives live as if they had none,

let those who weep be as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

Every man who contends in the games continually trains himself by all manner of self-restraint. Now they do it to get a fading garland, but we, one that is unfading.

They all ate of the same spiritual bread,

and all drank from the same spiritual stream, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

But in most of them God was not well pleased, for they were laid low in the desert.

Now this happened as a warning for us, that we might not long for evil things as they longed.

And you must not be idolaters like some of them. as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, And they rose up for idol dances.

On the contrary, what the heathen sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have communion with demons.

For so I also try to please all men in every way, not by seeking my own good, but the good of the many, that they may be saved.

for just as the woman was made from the man, so also is the man born of the woman, while they both come from God.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, although they be many, are one body; so also is Christ.

Love never fails; but though there are prophecies, they will fail; though there are tongues, they will cease; though there is knowledge, it will be superseded.

In the Law it is written. With men of other tongues, and by the lips of strangers, will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.

Accordingly, when the whole church assemblies, and everybody is speaking "with tongues," if there enter men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that you are mad?

"In your congregation" you write, "as in all the churches of the saints, let the women keep silence in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. On the contrary let them be subordinate, as also says the law.

And if they want to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a women to speak in church."

But whether it is I or they, thus do I preach, and thus you came to believe.

Else what shall they do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are really not raised, why are they baptized for them?

But some one will ask. "How are the dead raised? and with what body are they coming?"

And if it is worth while for me to go too, they will accompany me.

I beg you this, my brothers??ou know the household of Stephanus, that they were the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they devoted themselves to the service of the saints??16 so I want you also to show deference to such, and to every fellow worker, and laborer.

I am glad that Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus have arrived, for they have made up for your absence.

They refresh my spirit as they do yours. So cultivate the acquaintance of such men.

For however many are the promises of God, in him they are "Yes." Therefore also through him let the Amen be said by our voices to the glory of God.

And what compact has God's temple with idols? For we are a temple of the living God, as he has said: I will dwell among them, and walk about among them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.

For I can testify that according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, of their own free will, too, they have given help.

With earnest entreaty they craved of me the privilege of a share in ministering to the saints in Jerusalem.

And this not as I had expected, but in accordance with the will of God, they first gave themselves to God and to me.

As for Titus, remember that he is a partner of mine, and is also my associate in labors for you. As for the other brothers, remember that they are delegates from the churches, men in whom Christ is glorified.

Moreover, in their prayers for you they will be longing after you, because of the exceeding grace of God that is resting upon you.

I have not indeed the audacity to class myself among, or compare myself with, certain of the self-commenders; yet they are not wise in measuring themselves by one another and in comparing themselves with one another.

Even when I lacked the actual necessities of life while I was with you, I was a burden to no one; for whatever I lacked, the brothers from Macedonia supplied, when they came. So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

You put up with it, though they make slaves of you, live on you, seize your property, lord it over you, even strike you in the face, in the way of degradation!

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they descendants of Israel? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as though I were beside myself), such, far, more, am I; in labors more abundant, in imprisonments also more abundant, in floggings beyond measure, in deaths often.

and lest when I come again my God may humble me before you, and lest I shall mourn for many those who have sinned before, and have not repented of the impurity and immorality and wantonness which they have practised.

only they used to hear it said, "He who was once persecuting us is now preaching the gospel of the very faith which he once tried to ruin."

And they were giving glory to God on my account.

But although Titus, my companion, was a Greek, they did not compel even him to be circumcised.

But those in authority??hat they once were makes no difference to me; God is no respecter of persons??hose I say who were in authority had no additions to make my message.

On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter has with the gospel for the circumcised

and when they recognized the grace which had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, then thought to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and to me the right hand of fellowship. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the Jews.

They stipulated only that we should remember the poor, which very thing indeed I was quite eager to do.

For until certain men came from James he used to eat with the Gentile Christians, but when they came, he began to draw back and to separate himself, because he was afraid of the circumcision party.

But when I saw that they were not walking a straight path, in the presence of the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all. "If you, although you are a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, why do you try to compel the Gentiles to become Jews?

So then they who are children of faith are blessed with Abraham the faithful;

These men are courting your favor to no good purpose. They want to isolate you, so that you will be courting their favor.

For the desire of the flesh is against that of the Spirit, and the desire of the Spirit is against that of the flesh, for they two are antagonistic, so that you may not do those things that you wish.

Those who are trying to compel you to be circumcised are such as wish to make a fair show in the flesh, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

Even those who are being circumcised, are not themselves keeping the Law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may glory in your flesh.

So I beg you not to lose heart over my tribulations in your behalf; they are your glory.

That is how husbands ought to love their wives, as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

but the former preach Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, because they think they are adding bitterness to my bonds.

These latter out of their love, because they know that I am set here for the defense of the gospel;

for they are all seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

May their hearts be comforted! May they be knit together in love! May they gain in all its riches the full assurance of their understanding! May they come to a perfect knowledge of the secret truth of God, which is Christ himself.

For these precepts, although they have a show of wisdom with their self-imposed devotions and fastings and bodily austerities, are of no real value against the indulgence of the carnal appetites.

But now you also must renounce them all. Anger, passion, and ill-will must be put away; slander, too, and foul talk, so that they may never soil your lips.

They will inform you of all that goes on here.

For you, brothers, began to follow the example of the churches of God in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus; and you in your turn suffered at the hands of your fellow citizens persecutions like to those which they endured from the Jews??15 The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out??hey are displeasing to God, and are the enemies of all mankind.

They forbid me to speak to the Gentiles with a view to their salvation. They continue always to fill up the measure of their sins; but the wrath of God is come upon them to the full!

While men are saying "Peace and safety," then, like birth-pangs upon a woman with child, destruction will come upon them suddenly. In no wise will they escape.

They are an evidence of the righteous judgment of God, who will count you worthy of his kingdom, in behalf of which you are even now suffering.

They shall suffer punishment, even an eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the brightness of his glorious majesty,

and with all deceit of unrighteousness for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for their salvation.

For this reason God is sending on them an energy of delusion, that they should put faith in a falsehood;