And he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;

For if they who are of the law are the people who get the heritage, then faith is made of no use, and the word of God has no power;

(As it is said in the holy Writings, I have made you a father of a number of nations) before him in whom he had faith, that is, God, who gives life to the dead, and to whom the things which are not are as if they were.

Because those of whom he had knowledge before they came into existence, were marked out by him to be made like his Son, so that he might be the first among a band of brothers:

But it is not as if the word of God was without effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel:

And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.

As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.

And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be named the sons of the living God.

Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;

Brothers, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is, that they may get salvation.

For I give witness of them that they have a strong desire for God, but not with knowledge.

Because, not having knowledge of God's righteousness, and desiring to give effect to their righteousness, they have not put themselves under the righteousness of God.

But how will they give worship to him in whom they have no faith? and how will they have faith in him of whom they have not had news? and how will they have news without a preacher?

And how will there be preachers if they are not sent? As it is said, How beautiful are the feet of those who give the glad news of good things.

But they have not all given ear to the good news. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has had faith in our word?

Lord, they have put your prophets to death, and made waste your altars, and now I am the last, and they are searching for me to take away my life.

Let their eyes be made dark so that they may not see, and let their back be bent down at all times.

So I say, Were their steps made hard in order that they might have a fall? In no way: but by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, so that they might be moved to envy.

Now, if their fall is the wealth of the world, and their loss the wealth of the Gentiles, how much greater will be the glory when they are made full?

Truly, because they had no faith they were broken off, and you have your place by reason of your faith. Do not be lifted up in pride, but have fear;

See then that God is good but his rules are fixed: to those who were put away he was hard, but to you he has been good, on the condition that you keep in his mercy; if not, you will be cut off as they were.

And they, if they do not go on without faith, will be united to the tree again, because God is able to put them in again.

As far as the good news is in question, they are cut off from God on account of you, but as far as the selection is in question, they are loved on account of the fathers.

So in the same way these have gone against the orders of God, so that by the mercy given to you they may now get mercy.

Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.

This man puts one day before another: to that man they are the same. Let every man be certain in his mind.

But as it is said in the holy Writings, They will see, to whom the news of him had not been given, and those to whose ears it had not come will have knowledge.

Yes, it has been their good pleasure; and they are in their debt. For if the Gentiles have had a part in the things of the Spirit which were theirs, it is right for them, in the same way, to give them help in the things of the flesh.

But is now made clear; and by the writings of the prophets, by the order of the eternal God, the knowledge of it has been given to all the nations, so that they may come under the rule of the faith;

Of which not one of the rulers of this world had knowledge: for if they had, they would not have put the Lord of glory on the cross:

For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.

What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? They are but servants who gave you the good news as God gave it to them.

Now the planter and the waterer are working for the same end: but they will have their separate rewards in the measure of their work.

And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.

And with our hands we do the hardest work: when they give us curses we give blessings, when we undergo punishment we take it quietly;

But if they have not self-control let them get married; for married life is better than the burning of desire.

For the husband who has not faith is made holy through his Christian wife, and the wife who is not a Christian is made holy through the brother: if not, your children would be unholy, but now are they holy.

But I say this, my brothers, the time is short; and from now it will be wise for those who have wives to be as if they had them not;

And for those who are in sorrow, to give no signs of it; and for those who are glad, to give no signs of joy; and for those who are getting property, to be as if they had nothing;

Still, all men have not that knowledge: but some, being used till now to the image, are conscious that they are taking food which has been offered to the image; and because they are not strong in the faith, their minds are troubled.

To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation.

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 it is my desire, my brothers, that you may keep in mind how all our fathers were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea;

And they all had baptism from Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

And they all took the same holy food;

And the same holy drink: for they all took of the water from the holy rock which came after them: and the rock was Christ.

But with most of them God was not pleased: for they came to their end in the waste land.

Now these things were for an example to us, so that our hearts might not go after evil things, as they did.

Even as I give way to all men in all things, not looking for profit for myself, but for the good of others, that they may get salvation.

And if they were all one part, where would the body be?

But now they are all different parts, but one body.

Even things without life, having a voice, such as a music-pipe or other instrument, if they do not give out different sounds, who may be certain what is being played?

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.

If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced?

And let the prophets give their words, but not more than two or three, and let the others be judges of what they say.

And if they have a desire for knowledge about anything, let them put questions to their husbands privately: for talking in the church puts shame on a woman.

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

Again, what will they do who are given baptism for the dead? if the dead do not come back at all, why are people given baptism for them?

But someone will say, How do the dead come back? and with what sort of body do they come?

And if it is possible for me to go there, they will go with me.

Now I make my request to you, my brothers, for you have knowledge that the house of Stephanas is the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have made themselves the servants of the saints,

And I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for they have done what was needed to make your work complete.

For they gave comfort to my spirit and to yours: for which cause give respect to such people.

So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.

And what agreement has the house of God with images? for we are a house of the living God; even as God has said, I will be living among them, and walking with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

How while they were undergoing every sort of trouble, and were in the greatest need, they took all the greater joy in being able to give freely to the needs of others.

For I give them witness, that as they were able, and even more than they were able, they gave from the impulse of their hearts,

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

And going even farther than our hope, they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us after the purpose of God.

But so that things may be equal; that from those things of which you have more than enough at the present time their need may be helped, and that if you are in any need they may be a help to you in the same way, making things equal.

If any question comes up about Titus, he is my brother-worker, working with me for you; or about the others, they are the representatives of the churches to the glory of Christ.

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;

For his letters, they say, have weight and are strong; but in body he is feeble, and his way of talking has little force.

And when I was present with you, and was in need, I let no man be responsible for me; for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, gave me whatever was needed; and in everything I kept myself from being a trouble to you, and I will go on doing so.

But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are.

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they of Israel? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking foolishly) I am more so; I have had more experience of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure, of death.

And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

And they gave glory to God in me.

And that because of the false brothers let in secretly, who came searching out our free condition which we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might make servants of us;

But from those who seemed to be important (whatever they were has no weight with me: God does not take man's person into account): those who seemed to be important gave nothing new to me;

But, quite the opposite, when they saw that I had been made responsible for preaching the good news to those without circumcision, even as Peter had been for those of the circumcision

When they saw the grace which was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who had the name of being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas their right hands as friends so that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision;

For before certain men came from James, he did take food with the Gentiles: but when they came, he went back and made himself separate, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

But when I saw that they were not living uprightly in agreement with the true words of the good news, I said to Cephas before them all, If you, being a Jew, are living like the Gentiles, and not like the Jews, how will you make the Gentiles do the same as the Jews?

My desire is that they who give you trouble might even be cut off themselves.

Envy, uncontrolled drinking and feasting, and such things: of which I give you word clearly, even as I did in the past, that they who do such things will have no part in the kingdom of God.

Those who have the desire to seem important in the flesh, put force on you to undergo circumcision; only that they may not be attacked because of the cross of Christ.

Because even those who undergo circumcision do not themselves keep the law; but they would have you undergo circumcision, so that they may have glory in your flesh.

The ordering of the times when they are complete, so that all things might come to a head in Christ, the things in heaven and the things on the earth; in him, I say,

Whose thoughts are dark, to whom the life of God is strange because they are without knowledge, and their hearts have been made hard;

For they all go after what is theirs, not after the things of Christ.

Yes truly, and I am ready to give up all things for the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, which is more than all: for whom I have undergone the loss of all things, and to me they are less than nothing, so that I may have Christ as my reward,

So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,

And with him I have sent Onesimus, the true and well-loved brother, who is one of you. They will give you word of everything which is taking place here.

And Jesus, whose other name is Justus; these are of the circumcision: they are my only brother-workers for the kingdom of God, who have been a comfort to me.

For they themselves give the news of how we came among you; and how you were turned from images to God, to the worship of a true and living God,

For you, my brothers, took as your examples the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus; because you underwent the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews;

When they say, There is peace and no danger, then sudden destruction will come on them, as birth-pains on a woman with child; and they will not be able to get away from it.

And with every deceit of wrongdoing among those whose fate is destruction; because they were quite without that love of the true faith by which they might have salvation.