For we have no need to make ourselves seem more than we are, as if our authority did not come as far as to you: for we came even as far as you with the good news of Christ:

Not taking credit to ourselves for what is not our business, that is, for the work of others; but having hope that, with the growth of your faith, we may get the credit for an increase which is the effect of our work,

So that we may be able to go on and take the good news to countries still farther away than you are, and not take credit for another man's work in making things ready to our hand.

For if anyone comes preaching another Jesus from the one whose preachers we are, or if you have got a different spirit, or a different sort of good news from those which came to you, how well you put up with these things.

Or did I do wrong in making myself low so that you might be lifted up, because I gave you the good news of God without reward?

Why? because I have no love for you? let God be judge.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise for ever, is witness that the things which I say are true.

And being let down in a basket from the wall through a window, I got free from his hands.

As it is necessary for me to take glory to myself, though it is not a good thing, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I have knowledge of a man in Christ, fourteen years back (if he was in the body, or out of the body, I am not able to say, but God only), who was taken up to the third heaven.

And I have knowledge of such a man (if he was in the body, or out of the body, I am not able to say, but God only),

Truly the signs of an Apostle were done among you in quiet strength, with wonders and acts of power.

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.

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.

For he was feeble in that he was put to death on the cross, but he is living by the power of God. And we are feeble in him, but we will be living with him through the power of God in relation to you.

Now our prayer to God is that you may do no evil; not in order that it may be put to our credit, but so that you may do what is right, whatever we may seem.

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.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the harmony of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

Paul, an Apostle (not from men, and not through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who made him come back from the dead),

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

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:

I am surprised that you are being so quickly turned away from him whose word came to you in the grace of Christ, to good news of a different sort;

Which is not another sort: only there are some who give you trouble, desiring to make changes in the good news of Christ.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, were to be a preacher to you of good news other than that which we have given you, let there be a curse on him.

As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man is a preacher to you of any good news other than that which has been given to you, let there be a curse on him.

Am I now using arguments to men, or God? or is it my desire to give men pleasure? if I was still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Because I say to you, my brothers, that the good news of which I was the preacher is not man's.

For I did not get it from man, and I was not given teaching in it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.

For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it:

But when it was the good pleasure of God, by whom I was marked out even from my mother's body, through his grace,

Now God is witness that the things which I am writing to you are true.

And they gave glory to God in me.

And I went up by revelation; and I put before them the good news which I was preaching among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were of good name, so that the work which I was or had been doing might not be without effect.

To whom we gave way not even for an hour; so that the true words of the good news might still be with you.

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

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?

Being conscious that a man does not get righteousness by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we had faith in Christ Jesus, so that we might get righteousness by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law will no flesh get righteousness.

But if, while we were desiring to get righteousness through Christ, we ourselves were seen to be sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? In no way!

For I, through the law, have become dead to the law, so that I might be living to God.

I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.

I do not make the grace of God of no effect: because if righteousness is through the law, then Christ was put to death for nothing.

Even as Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.

And the holy Writings, seeing before the event that God would give the Gentiles righteousness by faith, gave the good news before to Abraham, saying, In you will all the nations have a blessing.

Now that no man gets righteousness by the law in the eyes of God, is clear; because, The upright will be living by faith.

So that on the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; in order that we through faith might have the Spirit which God had undertaken to give.

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.

Because if the heritage is by the law, it is no longer dependent on the word of God; but God gave it to Abraham by his word.

Now a go-between is not a go-between of one; but God is one.

Is the law then against the words of God? in no way; because if there had been a law which was able to give life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.

However, the holy Writings have put all things under sin, so that that for which God gave the undertaking, based on faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who have such faith.

Because you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and yours is the heritage by the right of God's undertaking given to Abraham.

But when the time had come, God sent out his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, saying, Abba, Father.

So that you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, then the heritage of God is yours.

But at that time, having no knowledge of God, you were servants to those who by right are no gods:

But now that you have come to have knowledge of God, or more truly, God has knowledge of you, how is it that you go back again to the poor and feeble first things, desiring to be servants to them again?

But you have knowledge that with a feeble body I was preaching the good news to you the first time;

And you did not have a poor opinion of me because of the trouble in my flesh, or put shame on it; but you took me to your hearts as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Their interest in you is not good; but their desire is that you may be shut out, so that you may go after them.

But it is good to have an interest in a good cause at all times, and not only when I am present with you.

Now the son by the servant-woman has his birth after the flesh; but the son by the free woman has his birth through the undertaking of God.

Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of the undertaking of God.

You are cut off from Christ, you who would have righteousness by the law; you are turned away from grace.

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

Worship of images, use of strange powers, hates, fighting, desire for what another has, angry feelings, attempts to get the better of others, divisions, false teachings,

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.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, a quiet mind, kind acts, well-doing, faith,

But let him who gets teaching in the word give a part in all good things to his teacher.

Be not tricked; God is not made sport of: for whatever seed a man puts in, that will he get back as grain.

Because he who puts in the seed of the flesh will of the flesh get the reward of death; but he who puts in the seed of the Spirit will of the Spirit get the reward of eternal life.

And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness.

So then, as we have the chance, let us do good to all men, and specially to those who are of the family of the faith.

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

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the purpose of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and those who have faith in Christ Jesus:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us every blessing of the Spirit in the heavens in Christ:

As we were designed before by him for the position of sons to himself, through Jesus Christ, in the good pleasure of his purpose,

In whom you, having been given the true word, the good news of your salvation, and through your faith in him, were given the sign of the Holy Spirit of hope,

Which is the first-fruit of our heritage, till God gets back that which is his, to the praise of his glory.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

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;

Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest.

But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us,

Because by grace you have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is given by God:

For by his act we were given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us so that we might do them.

That you were at that time without Christ, being cut off from any part in Israel's rights as a nation, having no part in God's agreement, having no hope, and without God in the world.

And that the two might come into agreement with God in one body through the cross, so putting an end to that division.

So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God,

In whom all the building, rightly joined together, comes to be a holy house of God in the Lord;

In whom you, with the rest, are united together as a living-place of God in the Spirit.

If that ordering of the grace of God has come to your knowledge, which was given to me for you,

Which is that the Gentiles have a part in the heritage, and in the same body, and in the same hope in Christ through the good news,

Of which I was made a preacher, through that grace of God which was given to me in the measure of the working of his power.

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:

And make all men see what is the ordering of the secret which from the first has been kept in God who made all things;

So that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavens might be made clear through the church the wide-shining wisdom of God,

By whom we come near to God without fear through faith in him.

And to have knowledge of the love of Christ which is outside all knowledge, so that you may be made complete as God himself is complete.