For, indeed, we who are in the tabernacle groan, being weighed down; not that we wish to be unclothed, but be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Being, therefore, always of good courage, and knowing that, while dwelling in the body, we are absent from the Lord

For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to the things which he practiced, whether good or evil.

Knowing, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we persuade men; but to God we have been made manifest, and I hope that we have been made manifest also in your consciences.

We are not again commending ourselves to you, but giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, that ye may have something suited to those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

For the love of Christ is constraining us; having judged this, that One died for all; consequently, they all died:

and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to Him Who died for them, and rose again.

how that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having put in us the word of reconciliation.

Him Who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf, that we may become God's righteousness in Him.

And, working together with Him, we also entreat you that ye receive not the grace of God in vain

giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministry be not blamed;

I say it not with the view to your condemnation; for I have said before that ye are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

and not by his coming only, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled over you; rehearsing to us your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced the more:

because, even if I did make you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it; for I see that that letter made you sorry, though but for a season.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that in nothing ye might receive damage from us.

So, although I wrote to you, it was not on account of him who did the wrong, nor of him who suffered wrong, but that your earnest care on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God.

I rejoice, that in everything I have good courage concerning you.

that, in much trial of tribulation, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.

so that we exhorted Titus that, as he began before, so also he would finish in you this same grace also.

But, as ye abound in everything??n faith, and speech, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love to us??ee that ye abound in this grace also.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might become rich.

And now complete the doing also; that, as there was a readiness to will, so also there may be the completion out of what ye have;

For it is not that there may be relief to others, but distress to you;

but, by the rule of equality, your abundance being a supply, at the present time, for their deficiency; that also their abundance may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality:

as it has been written, "He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack."

and not that only, but who was also appointed by the assemblies, as our fellow-traveler with this gift which is ministered by us to the glory of the Lord, and our zeal;

avoiding this, that no one should blame us in the matter of this bounty which is ministered by us;

for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been prepared for a year past; and your zeal stirred up the majority of them.

But I sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that even as I said, ye may be prepared;

Lest by any means, if the Macedonians should come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.

I thought it necessary, therefore, to exhort the brethren, that they should go before to you, and make up beforehand your previously promised bounty, that this may be ready as a matter of bounty and not as of covetousness.

But I say this: He that sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he that sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in every thing, may abound to every good work:

but I pray that, when present, I may not show courage with the confidence with which I purpose to be bold against some who reckon us as walking according to the flesh.

Ye look at things according to appearance. If anyone has trusted to himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, as he is Christ's, so also are we.

that I may not seem as if I would terrify you with letters;

Let such a one consider this: that such as we are in word through letters, when absent; such also are we in deed, when present.

not glorying beyond our measure in other men's labors; but, having hope that, as your faith increases, we shall be enlarged among you according to our limit to further abundance,

But he that glories let him glory in the Lord;

for not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Would that ye could bear with me in some little foolishness! Yea, indeed, ye do bear with me.

For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy; for I espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a pure virgin to Christ;

For, if he that comes preaches another Jesus, Whom we did not preach; or, if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different Gospel, which ye did not accept; well do ye bear with him.

For I reckon that I am in no respect behind the most eminent apostles.

Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself, that ye might be exalted, because I proclaimed to you the Gospel of God without cost?

I robbed other assemblies, taking wages of them, that I might minister to you;

But what I am doing, I also will do, that I may cut off the occasion from those desiring occasion, that wherein they glory they may be found even as we.

I say again, let no one think me foolish; but, if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I too may glory a little.

Apart from those things without, that which is a pressure upon me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies.

If I must glory, I will glory in the things that pertain to my weakness.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie not.

that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, which it is not lawful for a man to speak.

And, that I might not be exalted overmuch by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And He hath said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you; for My power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For what is there in which ye were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong!

Think ye all this time that we are excusing ourselves to you? Before God in Christ we are speaking; and all, beloved, for your edification.

For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I desire, and that I, too, should be found by you such as ye do not desire; lest, by any means, there should be strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as if present at the second time, and, being now absent, I write to those who heretofore have sinned, and to all the rest; that, if I come again, I will not spare;

Try yourselves, whether ye are in the faith; prove yourselves. Or know ye not as to yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless ye be rejected?

But I hope that ye shall know, that we are not rejected.

Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do what is honorable, though we be rejected.

For this cause, I write these things while absent; that I may not, when present, deal sharply according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not casting down.

Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father;

I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from Him Who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different Gospel,

But even if we or an angel out of Heaven should proclaim a Gospel to you other than that which we delivered to you, let him be accursed!

As we have said before, even now also I say again, if any one is delivering a Gospel to you, contrary to that which ye received, let him be accursed.

For I make known to you, brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed by me is not according to man;

For ye heard of my conduct formerly in Judaism; that, beyond measure, I was persecuting the assembly of God, and laying it waste;

to reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim the good news of Him among the gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood,

After that I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

and that was because of the false brethren secretly introduced, who, indeed, crept in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage;

to whom not even for an hour did we yield in subjection, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.

but, on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the Gospel of the uncircumcision, as Peter was with that of the circumcision;

And, perceiving the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas right-hands of fellowship, that we should go to the gentiles, and they to the circumcision;

only they desired that we should remember the poor, which very thing I was also eager to do.

And the rest of the Jews also dissembled with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But, when I saw that they were not walking uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas in presence of them all, "If you, being a Jew, live as do the gentiles, and not as the Jews, how do you compel the gentiles to live as do the Jews?"

yet knowing that a man is not justified by works of law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of law; because by works of law no flesh shall be justified.

For I through law died to law, that I might live to God.

Know, then, that those who are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham.

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, proclaimed beforehand the Gospel to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

So that those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.

Now that by law no one is justified with God, is evident; because "The righteous one shall live by faith."

that to the gentiles the blessing of Abraham might come in Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

But this I say: A covenant previously confirmed by God, the law, which came into existence four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate, that it should make the promise of no effect.

but the Scripture shuts up all things under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

So that the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But I say that, so long as the heir is a child, he differs in nothing from a slave, though he is lord of all;

that He might redeem those under law, that, we might receive the adoption of sons.

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

but ye know that through weakness of the flesh I proclaimed the Gospel to you formerly;

Where, then, is your benedictions for me? For I bear you witness that, if possible, plucking out your eyes, ye would have given them to me!

They are zealously seeking you, not nobly; they are wishing to shut you out, that ye may zealously seek them.

For it has been written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bond-woman, and one by the free-woman.

for it has been written, "Rejoice, O barren, that bear not! Break forth and cry, you that travail not! because many are the children of the desolate, rather than of her who has the husband."

Behold, I, Paul, say to you, that, if ye be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man who is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Ye were running well; who hindered you, that ye should not obey the truth,

I have confidence toward you in the Lord, that ye will regard nothing else; but he who is troubling you shall bear his sentence, whosoever he may be.