[Move vss 14,15 to follow vs 16] (When Gentiles who have no law obey instinctively the Law's requirements, they are a law to themselves, even though they have no law;

Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness,

God will! Thanks be to him through Jesus Christ our Lord! [Move second part of this vers to follow vs 23] (Thus, left to myself, I serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.)

For those who follow the flesh have their interests in the flesh, and those who follow the Spirit have their interests in the Spirit.

and not only so, but even we ourselves, who have the Spirit as a foretaste of the future, even we sigh to ourselves as we wait for the redemption of the body that means our full sonship.

in the hope of being able to make my fellow-Jews jealous and of managing thus to save some of them.

Granted. They were broken off ??for their lack of faith. And you owe your position to your faith. You should feel awed instead of being uplifted.

Consider both the kindness and the severity of God; those who fall come under his severity, but you come under the divine kindness, provided you adhere to that kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.

To prevent you from being self-conceited, brothers, I would like you to understand this secret: it is only a partial insensibility that has come over Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in.

if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in this way you will make him feel a burning sense of shame.

Be in debt to no man ??apart from the debt of love one to another. He who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law.

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in your faith, that you may be overflowing with hope by the power of the holy Spirit!

When I do come to you, I know I will bring a full blessing from Christ.

Salute Prisca and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus,

Salute Andronicus and Junias, fellow-countrymen and fellow-prisoners of mine; they are men of note among the apostles, and they have been in Christ longer than I have.

Salute Urbanus, our fellow-worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.

Salute my fellow-countryman Herodion. Salute such members of the household of Narcissus as are in the Lord.

Timotheus my fellow-worker salutes you; so do my fellow countrymen Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater.

in him you have received a wealth of all blessing, full power to speak of your faith and full insight into its meaning,

Let no one deceive himself about this; whoever of you imagines he is wise with this world's wisdom must become a 'fool,' if he is really to be wise.

I do not write this to make you feel ashamed, but to instruct you as beloved children of mine.

Nor must we commit immorality, as some of them did ??and in a single day twenty-three thousand of them fell.

Any man who prays or prophesies with a veil on his head dishonours his head,

while any woman who prays or prophesies without a veil on her head dishonours her head; she is no better than a shaven woman.

If a woman will not veil herself, she should cut off her hair as well. But she ought to veil herself; for it is disgraceful that a woman should have her hair cut off or be shaven.

Man does not require to have a veil on his head, for he represents the likeness and supremacy of God; but woman represents the supremacy of man.

for God is a God not of disorder but of harmony. [Move 33b-36 to follow vs 40] As is the rule in all churches of the saints,

When Timotheus arrives, see that you make him feel quite at home with you; he carries on the work of the Lord as I do.

You don't have to read between the lines of my letters; you can understand them. Yes, I trust you will understand the full meaning of my letters

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

Besides, their minds were dulled, for to this very day, when the Old Testament is read aloud, the same veil hangs. Veiled from them the fact that the glory fades in Christ!

Yes, down to this day, whenever Moses is read aloud, the veil rests on their heart;

though whenever they turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.

I am glad to have full confidence in you.

besides, he has been appointed by the churches to travel with me on the business of administering this fund to the glory of the Lord. His appointment has my full consent,

Even supposing I were to boast somewhat freely of my authority (and the Lord gave it to me for building you up, not for demolishing you), I would feel quite justified.

for I feel a divine jealousy on your behalf; I betrothed you as a chaste maiden to present you to your one husband Christ,

I repeat, no one is to think me a fool; but even so, pray bear with me, fool as I am, that I may have my little boast as well as others!

(What I am now going to say is not inspired by the Lord: I am in the role of a 'fool,' now, on this business of boasting.

I am quite ashamed to say I was not equal to that sort of thing! But let them vaunt as they please, I am equal to them (mind, this is the role of a fool!).

Who is weak, and I do not feel his weakness? Whose faith is hurt, and I am not aglow with indignation?

(If I did care to boast of other things, I would be no 'fool,' for I would have a true tale to tell; however, I abstain from that ??I want no one to take me for more than he can see in me or make out from me.)

Now this is playing the fool! But you forced me to it, instead of coming forward yourselves and vouching for me. That was what I deserved; for, 'nobody' as I am, I am not one whit inferior to these precious 'apostles.'

(Fail or succeed, I cannot work against the truth but for it!)

I feel persuaded in the Lord that you will not go wrong. But he who unsettles you will have to meet his doom, no matter who he is.

and enlighten all men upon the new order of that divine secret which God the Creator of all concealed from eternity ??10 intending to let the full sweep of the divine wisdom be disclosed now by the church to the angelic Rulers and Authorities in the heavenly sphere,

But each one of us is granted his own grace, as determined by the full measure of Christ's gift.

He who descended is he who ascended above all the heavens to fill the universe;

till we should all attain the unity of the faith and knowledge of God's Son, reaching maturity, reaching the full measure of development which belongs to the fulness of Christ ??14 instead of remaining immature, blown from our course and swayed by every passing wind of doctrine, by the adroitness of men who are dexterous in devising error;

in order to have the church as his very own, standing before him in all her glory, with never a spot or wrinkle or any such flaw, but consecrated and unblemished.

The outcome of all this, I know, will be my release, as you continue to pray for me, and as I am provided with the Spirit of Jesus Christ ??20 my eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed but that now as ever I may do honour to Christ in my own person by fearless courage. Whether that means life or death, no matter!

As for Epaphroditus, however, my brother, my fellow-worker, my fellow-soldier, and your messenger to meet my wants, I think it necessary to send you him at once,

Give him a welcome in the Lord, then, with your hearts full of joy. Value men like that,

And you, my true comrade, lend a hand to these women, I beg of you; they have fought at my side in the active service of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

You got that lesson from our beloved fellow-servant Epaphras, a minister of Christ who is faithful to your interests;

Hence, from the day we heard of it, we have never ceased to pray for you, asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and insight,

May his glorious might nerve you with full power to endure and to be patient cheerfully, whatever comes,

I am suffering now on your behalf, but I rejoice in that; I would make up the full sum of all that Christ has to suffer in my person on behalf of the church, his Body;

for I am a minister of the church by the divine commission which has been granted me in your interests, to make a full presentation of God's message ??26 of that open secret which, though concealed from ages and generations of old, has now been disclosed to the saints of God.

This is the Christ we proclaim; we train everyone and teach everyone the full scope of this knowledge, in order to set everyone before God mature in Christ;

it is in him that you reach your full life, and he is the Head of every angelic Ruler and Power;

but off with them all now, off with anger, rage, malice, slander, foul talk!

Tychicus, that beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord, will give you all information about me.

Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner salutes you; so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, about whom you have got instructions (if he comes to you, give him a welcome);

by hindering us from speaking words of salvation to the Gentiles. So they would fill up the measure of their sins to the last drop! But the Wrath is on them to the bitter end!

How can I render thanks enough to God for you, for all the joy you make me feel in the presence of our God?

Finally, brothers, we beg and beseech you in the Lord Jesus to follow our instructions about the way you are to live so as to satisfy God; you are leading that life, but you are to excel in it still further.

Then shall the Lawless One be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his lips and quell by his appearing and arrival ??9 that One whose arrival is due to Satan's activity, with the full power, the miracles and portents, of falsehood,

and with the full deceitfulness of evil for those who are doomed to perish, since they refuse to love the Truth that would save them.

Only, if anyone will not obey our orders in this letter, mark that man, do not associate with him ??that will make him feel ashamed!

and Adam was not deceived, it was Eve who was deceived and who fell into sin.

Anyone who teaches novelties and refuses to fall in with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine that tallies with piety,

When I recall the tears you shed when we parted, I long by night and day to see you again. That would fill me with joy,

for I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, as it dwells (I feel sure) in yourself.

Some of them worm their way into families and get hold of the women-folk who feel crushed by the burden of their sins ??wayward creatures of impulse,

But the Lord supported me and gave me strength to make a full statement of the gospel and let all the heathen hear it. I was rescued from the jaws of the lion.

Tell them all this, exhort and reprove, with full authority; let no one slight you.

Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus and brother Timotheus, to our beloved fellow-worker Philemon,

to our sister Apphia, to our fellow-soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house:

Hence, although in Christ I would feel quite free to order you to do your duty,

Epaphras my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus salutes you.

So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow-workers.

thou wilt roll them up like a mantle and they win be changed, but thou art the same, and thy years will never fail.'

And with whom was he exasperated for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert?

who tasted the goodness of God's word and the powers of the world to come, and then fell away ??6 it is impossible to make them repent afresh, since they crucify the Son of God in their own persons and hold him up to obloquy.

Though I say this, beloved, I feel sure you will take the better course that means salvation.

It is my heart's desire that each of you would prove equally keen upon realizing your full hope to the very end,

anchoring the soul to it safe and sure, as it enters the inner Presence behind the veil.

one citizen will no longer teach his fellow, one man will no longer teach his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, low and high together.

But behind the second veil was the tent called the Holy of Holies,

by the fresh, living way which he has inaugurated for us through the veil (that is, through his flesh),

It is an awful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

And what more shall I say? Time would fail me to tell of Gideon, of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets ??33 men who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouth of lions,

Keep your life free from the love of money; be content with what you have, for He has said, Never will I fail you, never will I forsake you.

so clear away all the foul rank growth of malice, and make a soil of modesty for the Word which roots itself inwardly with power to save your souls.

But will you understand, you senseless fellow, that faith without deeds is dead?

no man can tame the tongue ??plague of disorder that it is, full of deadly venom!

The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, forbearing, conciliatory, full of mercy and wholesome fruit, unambiguous, straightforward;

follow 2:13] Do not defame one another, brothers; he who defames or judges his brother defames and judges the Law; and if you judge the Law, you pass sentence on it instead of obeying it.

It is your vocation; for when Christ suffered for you, he left you an example, and you must follow his footsteps.