For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not.

What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news.

And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown.

For this cause, my dear brothers, give no worship to false gods.

But if anyone says to you, This food has been used as an offering, do not take it, on account of him who said it, and on account of his sense of right and wrong:

But it is important for you to keep this fact in mind, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.

For this reason it is right for the woman to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

But if any man will not be ruled in this question, this is not our way of doing things, and it is not done in the churches of God.

But in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me.

In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me.

For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead.

So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.

Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church.

For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense.

In the law it is said, By men of other tongues and by strange lips will my words come to this people; and not even so will they give ear to me, says the Lord.

For this reason tongues are for a sign, not to those who have faith, but to those who have not: but the prophet's word is for those who have faith, and not for the rest who have not.

If then it is I who am the preacher, or they, this is our word, and to this you have given your faith.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy.

Be awake to righteousness and keep yourselves from sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I say this to put you to shame.

Now I say this, my brothers, that it is not possible for flesh and blood to have a part in the kingdom of God; and death may not have a part in life.

For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life.

But when this has taken place, then that which was said in the Writings will come true, Death is overcome by life.

For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord.

For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God; not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God.

And being certain of this, it was my purpose to come to you before, so that you might have a second grace;

And I said this very thing in my letter, for fear that when I came I might have sorrow from those from whom it was right for me to have joy; being certain of this, that my joy is the joy of you all.

But if anyone has been a cause of sorrow, he has been so, not to me only, but in some measure to all of you (I say this that I may not be over-hard on you).

And this is the certain faith which we have in God through Christ:

But their minds were made hard: for to this very day at the reading of the old agreement the same veil is still unlifted; though it is taken away in Christ.

But to this day, at the reading of the law of Moses, a veil is over their heart.

For this reason, because we have been made servants of this new order, through the mercy given to us, we are strong:

Because the god of this world has made blind the minds of those who have not faith, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not be shining on them.

But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God;

For we are conscious that if this our tent of flesh is taken down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in heaven.

For in this we are crying in weariness, greatly desiring to be clothed with our house from heaven:

For truly, we who are in this tent do give out cries of weariness, for the weight of care which is on us; not because we are desiring to be free from the body, but so that we may have our new body, and death may be overcome by life.

Now he who has made us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a witness of what is to come.

For this reason we make it our purpose, in the body or away from it, to be well-pleasing to him.

For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge.

That is, that God was in Christ making peace between the world and himself, not putting their sins to their account, and having given to us the preaching of this news of peace.

It is not with the purpose of judging you that I say this: for I have said before that you are in our hearts for life and death together.

For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business.

Seriously requesting us that they might have a part in this grace of being servants to the needs of the saints:

So that we made a request to Titus that, as he had made a start before, so he might make this grace complete in you.

And that as you are full of every good thing, of faith, of the word, of knowledge, of a ready mind, and of love to us, so you may be full of this grace in the same way.

And in this I give my opinion: for it is to your profit, who were the first to make a start a year before, not only to do this, but to make clear that your minds were more than ready to do it.

And I am not saying this so that others may get off free, while the weight comes on you:

And not only so, but he was marked out by the churches to go with us in the grace of this giving which we have undertaken to the glory of the Lord and to make clear that our mind was ready:

And so that no man might be able to say anything against us in the business of this giving which has been put into our hands:

For fear that, if any from Macedonia come with me, and you are not ready, we (not to say, you) might be put to shame in this thing.

For this work of giving not only takes care of the needs of the saints, but is the cause of much praise to God;

For when, through this work of giving, they see what you are, they give glory to God for the way in which you have given yourselves to the good news of Christ, and for the wealth of your giving to them and to all;

Let those who say this keep in mind that, what we are in word by letters when we are away, so will we be in act when we are present.

As the true word of Christ is in me, I will let no man take from me this my cause of pride in the country of Achaia.

I say this by way of shaming ourselves, as if we had been feeble. But if anyone puts himself forward (I am talking like a foolish person), I will do the same.

And about this thing I made request to the Lord three times that it might be taken away from me.

For what is there in which you were made less than the other churches, but in the one thing that I was not a trouble to you? Let me have forgiveness for this wrong.

This is now the third time that I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a trouble to you: my desire is for you, not for your property: for it is not the children's business to make store for their fathers, but the fathers for the children.

It may seem to you that all this time we have been attempting to put ourselves in the right; but we are saying these things before God in Christ. For all things, dear brothers, are for your profit.

This is the third time that I am coming to you. From the mouth of two or three witnesses will every word be made certain.

For we are glad when we are feeble and you are strong: and this is our prayer, even that you may be made complete.

For this cause I am writing these things while I am away, so that there may be need for me, when I am present, to make use of sharp measures, by the authority which the Lord has given me for building up and not for destruction.

Let this be my last word, brothers; be glad; be complete; be comforted; be of the same mind; be at peace with one another: and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Who gave himself for our sins, so that he might make us free from this present evil world, after the purpose of our God and Father:

Give me an answer to this one question, Did the Spirit come to you through the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Now this I say: The law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, does not put an end to the agreement made before by God, so as to make the undertaking without effect.

Now this Hagar is the mountain Sinai in Arabia, and is the image of the Jerusalem which now is: which is a servant with her children.

This ready belief did not come from him who had made you his.

For all the law is made complete in one word, even in this, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.

But far be it from me to have glory in anything, but only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which this world has come to an end on the cross for me, and I for it.

And on all who are guided by this rule be peace and mercy, and on the Israel of God.

From this time on let no man be a trouble to me; because my body is marked with the marks of Jesus.

For this cause I, having had news of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which you make clear to all the saints,

In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God;

For this reason keep it in mind that in the past you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are looked on as being outside the circumcision by those who have circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles,

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, was this grace given, so that I might make clear to the Gentiles the good news of the unending wealth of Christ:

For this reason it is my prayer that you may not become feeble because of my troubles for you, which are your glory.

For this cause I go down on my knees before the Father,

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,

For this reason he says, He went up on high, taking his prisoners with him, and gave freely to men.

(Now this, He went up, what is it but that he first went down into the lower parts of the earth?

So that we may be no longer children, sent this way and that, turned about by every wind of teaching, by the twisting and tricks of men, by the deceits of error;

This I say, then, and give witness in the Lord, that you are to go no longer in the way of the Gentiles whose minds are turned to that which has no profit,

For this was not the teaching of Christ which was given to you;

Being certain of this, that no man who gives way to the passions of the flesh, no unclean person, or one who has desire for the property of others, or who gives worship to images, has any heritage in the kingdom of Christ and God.

For this reason he says, Be awake, you who are sleeping, and come up from among the dead, and Christ will be your light.

For this reason, then, do not be foolish, but be conscious of the Lord's pleasure.

For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

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

Children, do what is ordered by your fathers and mothers in the Lord: for this is right.

For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil in the heavens.

For this reason take up all the arms of God, so that you may be able to be strong in the evil day, and, having done all, to keep your place.

Whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, so that you may have knowledge of our position, and that he may give comfort to your hearts.

For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ:

So it is right for me to take thought for you all in this way, because I have you in my heart; for in my chains, and in my arguments before the judges in support of the good news, making clear that it is true, you all have your part with me in grace.

What then? only that in every way, falsely or truly, the preaching of Christ goes on; and in this I am glad, and will be glad.

For I am conscious that this will be for my salvation, through your prayer and the giving out of the stored wealth of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

But if I go on living in the flesh--if this is the fruit of my work--then I do not see what decision to make.