But Paul said, "I am a Jewish man from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Now I ask you, allow me to speak to the people."

I persecuted this Way as far as death, binding and delivering both men and women into prisons;

But on my way, as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly about noon, a blaze of light flashed around me from heaven,

So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'

"'Go,' He replied; 'I will send you as an Apostle to nations far away.'"

Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly: and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him.

The Captain went with the lad to the Commanding Officer, and said: "The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this lad to you, as he has something to tell you."

But the governor motioning to him to speak, Paul answered; Understanding you as being a judge of this nation many years, I cheerfully defend myself as to the things concerning myself.

being at a loss how to determine such an affair, I ask'd him if he would go to Jerusalem, and take his tryal there.

because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently.

for they have known all along from the first, if they would but testify to it, that I as a Pharisee have lived by the standard of the strictest sect of our religion.

But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you.

saying, 'Fear not, Paul; it is necessary that you should stand before Caesar, and, behold, God has granted to you as a favor all those sailing with you.'

[the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises],

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that many times I have planned to come to you, (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some fruit [of my labors] among you, even as I have among the rest of the Gentiles.

For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

But, if, the truth of God, by my falsehood, hath the more abounded unto his glory, why, any longer, am, even I, as a sinner, to be judged?

And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

But God commendeth his own love unto us in that - we as yet being sinners, Christ in our behalf died.

Are you ignorant that we, as many as have been baptised unto Christ Jesus, have been baptised unto his death?

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

For we know that the entire created world moans in painful anguish [i.e., as a woman in childbirth] until this present moment.

Who condemns [us]? Certainly not Jesus, for He is the One who died [i.e., to save us], and what is more, He was raised from the dead and is [now] at the right side of God. He also goes [to God] on our behalf [i.e., as we pray].

But I say, did they not hear? Indeed they have;

“Their voice [that of creation bearing God’s message] has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to the [farthest] ends of the world.”

But I say, did Israel fail to understand [that the gospel was to go also to the Gentiles]? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation (Gentiles);
With a nation that lacks understanding I will make you angry.”

I say then, has God rejected and disowned His people? Certainly not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

So I say, have they stumbled so as to fall [to spiritual ruin]? Certainly not! But by their transgression [their rejection of the Messiah] salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous [when they realize what they have forfeited].

so they too have now become disobedient so that they too may one day receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you.

For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some way, as reminding you, because of the grace that is given to me of God,

But now, having no further opportunities in these regions, I want to come to you, as I've desired to do for many years.

whenever I should go to Spain; (for I hope to see you as I go through, and by you to be set forward thither, if first I shall have been in part filled with your company;)

And I ask you to give her a Christian welcome--one worthy of Christ's People--and to aid her in any matter in which she may need your assistance. She has proved herself a staunch friend to me and to many others.

your christianity is very well known in the world. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you as expert in that which is good, as unpractis'd in what is evil.

Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen.

I, Tertius, who write this letter, wish to be remembered to you as a fellow-Christian.

Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother.

Now to him who is able to strengthen you, as promised in the Good News entrusted to me and in the proclamation of Jesus Christ, in accordance with the revelation of that hidden purpose, which in past ages was kept secret but now has been revealed

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

What, I ask, is Apollos? or what is Paul? Servants through whom you were led to accept the Faith; and that only as the Lord helped each of you.

In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.

A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God’s mysteries.

For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

For I think that God has displayed us apostles last in line, as men doomed to die. [Note: The picture here is that of gladiators in the arena]. We are being stared at [i.e., as performers on a theater stage] for the whole world to see, both angels and people.

We, for Christ's sake, are labeled as "foolish"; you, as Christians, are men of shrewd intelligence. We are mere weaklings: you are strong. You are in high repute: we are outcasts.

we work hard with our hands. [Though] we are cursed, we [ask God's] blessing [on people]; [though] we are persecuted, we persevere;

I write not these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

For I, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged as present,

Why, then, if you have cases relating to the affairs of this life, do you set to try them men who carry no weight with the Church? To your shame I ask it.

I ask it to shame you. Has it come to this, that there is not a single wise man among you who could settle a disagreement between one brother and another,

For the unbelieving husband is set apart [i.e., as an acceptable mate, although not yet saved. See verse 16], through his wife [i.e., her Christian commitment is viewed as having a godly effect on the home], and the unbelieving wife is set apart through the brother [i.e., for the same reason]. Otherwise, your children would be [considered] unclean. [Note: "Unclean" suggests they would be viewed as pagans were it not for one parent being a Christian]. But, as it is, they are set apart as acceptable [i.e., to God, because of the influence of the one Christian parent].

For he who was a slave when he was called in the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, likewise he who was free when he was called is a slave of Christ.

Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

To them that were without law, became I as though I had been without law - when I was not without law as pertaining to God, but under a law as concerning Christ - to win them that were without law.

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air:

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

I am speaking to you as [I would] to sensible people, [so] judge for yourselves what I am saying.

Is the cup of blessing which we bless [at the Lord’s Supper] not a sharing in the blood of Christ? [Indeed it is.] Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? [Indeed it is.]

What do I mean? you ask. Than an offering made to an idol, or the idol itself, is anything?

Followers of me become ye, as I also am of Christ.

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.

For if you [ask God to] bless with your spirit [i.e., in a language supernaturally], how will the person there, who does not have the gift [i.e., of interpreting the language] be able to say, "May it be so," when you offer [a prayer of] thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

Brethren, be not children in understanding: in wickedness be ye as infants, but in understanding be ye grown men.

If any man seems to himself to be a prophet or to have the Spirit, let him take note of the things which I am writing to you, as being the word of the Lord.

by which also ye are saved, (if ye hold fast the word which I announced to you as the glad tidings,) unless indeed ye have believed in vain.

For I passed on to you {as of first importance} what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

Awake up righteously, and sin not; for some are ignorant of God: I speak to you as a matter of shame.

And in the same way as we have taken on us the image of the man from the earth, so we will take on us the image of the one from heaven.

Now I will come unto you, as soon as I have passed through Macedonia, - for I do pass through Macedonia,

For I do not intend to see you now in my way, as I hope to stay some time with you, if the Lord permit.

I ask this favour of you, my brothers. The household of Stephanas, you know, was the first to be reaped in Achaia, and they have laid themselves out to serve the saints.

as some of you have already own'd, that I am matter of joy to you, as you will be to me in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ:

not to call upon you as I pass into Macedonia, but in my return from thence, to be conducted by you toward Judea.

But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

Now the one who makes us and you as well secure in union with the Messiah and has anointed us is God,

not that we rule [like dictators] over your faith, but rather we work with you for [the increase of] your joy; for in your faith you stand firm [in your strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth—the Messiah—is the Son of God, through whom we obtain eternal salvation].

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

You people show [i.e., by your conversions] that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us [i.e., the result of our ministry], not written with ink but with the Holy Spirit of the living God; not on stone tablets [i.e., as in the case with Moses' ministry], but on tablets of the human heart. [See Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10].

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but we speak [in such a way as] to give you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can have an answer for those who take pride in [outward] appearances instead of what is in the heart.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

but we commend ourselves in every way as servants of God: in great endurance, in sufferings, in hardships, in distresses,

our affections are as enlarged towards you, as yours are contracted towards us.

Do us a favor I ask you as my children and open wide your hearts.

and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.

So even though I wrote to you [as I did], it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but in order to make evident to you before God how earnestly you do care for us [and your willingness to accept our authority].

And his affection for you is all the more [when he] remembers the obedience of all of you as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

And, remembering how you excel in everything--in faith, in teaching, in knowledge, in unfailing earnestness, and in the affection that we have awakened in you--I ask you to excel also in this expression of your love.

I am not saying this [to you] as a command, but by telling you how eager others are [to help], to find out how genuine your love is also.

As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker serving you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

Nevertheless, yet have I sent these brethren, lest our rejoicing over you should be in vain in this behalf, and that ye - as I have said - prepare yourselves,

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brothers that they would go ahead to you, and arrange in advance your gift that was earlier announced, for this to be ready this way as a gift and not as an exaction.