But what I am doing, I will also do, in order that I may remove the opportunity of those who want an opportunity, that they may be found just as also we [are] in what they are boasting about.

Again I say, do not let anyone think I am foolish. But indeed, if [you do], accept me even as foolish, in order that I also may boast a little.

I say [this] to [my] shame, namely, that we have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares to [boast]--I am speaking in foolishness--I also dare to [boast].

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed {forever}, knows that I am not lying.

that he was caught up to paradise and heard words not to be spoken, which [it is] not permitted for a person to speak.

For if I want to boast, I will not be foolish, because I will be telling the truth, but I am refraining, so that no one can credit to me more than what he sees [in] me or hears anything from me,

even because of the extraordinary degree of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, in order that it would torment me so that I would not exalt myself.

Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would depart from me.

And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, because the power is perfected in weakness." Therefore rather I will boast most gladly in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may reside in me.

{For in what respect are you made worse off} more than the rest of the churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Have you been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and all [these things], dear friends, [are] for your edification.

[I am afraid] lest [when I] come again my God will humiliate me {in your presence}, and I will grieve over many of those who sinned previously and have not repented because of their impurity and sexual immorality and licentiousness that they have practiced.

I have already said when was present the second time, and [although I] am absent now also say in advance to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare [anyone],

since you are demanding proof that Christ, who [is] not weak toward you, but is powerful among you, is speaking in me.

Test yourselves [to see] if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ [is] in you, unless you are unqualified?

And I hope that you will recognize that we are not unqualified!

Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even [though] we are [seen] as though unqualified.

Because of this, I am writing these [things] [although I] am absent, in order that [when I] am present I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

I am astonished that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel,

not that [there] is a different [gospel], except there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ.

For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not {of human origin}.

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it,

to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel [about] him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood,

(Now [the things] which I am writing to you, behold, [I assure you] before God that I am not lying.)

but I was unknown {in person} to the churches of Judea [that are] in Christ,

and they were only hearing, "The one formerly persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith that formerly he was attempting to destroy,"

Now I went up [there] because of a revelation and laid out to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles, but in private to the influential people, lest somehow I was running, or had run, in vain.

Now [this was] because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order that they might enslave us,

to whom not even for an hour did we yield in subjection, in order that the truth of the gospel might remain continually with you.

But these, [when they] saw that I had been entrusted [with] the gospel to the uncircumcision, just as Peter to the circumcision

and [when] James and Cephas and John--those thought to be pillars--acknowledged the grace given to me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right [hand] of fellowship, in order that we [should go] to the Gentiles and they to the circumcision.

[They asked] only that we should remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do.

and the rest of the Jews also joined in [this] hypocrisy with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with them in [their] hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not being straightforward with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of [them] all, "If you, [although you] are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

but knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law, if not by faith in Jesus Christ, and we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law {no human being will be justified}.

For through the law I died to the law, in order that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ,

and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and that [life] I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

then understand that the ones {who have faith}, these are sons of Abraham.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the good news in advance to Abraham: "In you all the nations will be blessed."

For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, "Cursed [is] everyone who does not abide by all [the things] that are written in the book of the law to do them."

Now [it is] clear that no one is justified in the sight of God by the law, because "the one who is righteous will live by faith."

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

Now I am saying this: the law, that came after four hundred and thirty years, does not revoke a covenant previously ratified by God, in order to nullify the promise.

Therefore [is] the law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, certainly righteousness would have been from the law.

But the scripture imprisoned all under sin, in order that the promise could be given by faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

So then, the law became our guardian until Christ, in order that we could be justified by faith.

in order that he might redeem those under the law, in order that we might receive the adoption.

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

But at that time [when you] did not know God, you were enslaved to the things which by nature are not gods.

But you know that because of an illness of the flesh I proclaimed the gospel to you the first time.

So where [is] your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes [and] given [them] to me!

They zealously seek you, not commendably, but they want to exclude you, in order that you may seek them [zealously].

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the female slave and one by the free woman.

But just as at that time the [child] born according to human descent persecuted the [child born] according to the Spirit, so also now.

Look! I, Paul, tell you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing!

And again I testify to every man who becomes circumcised, that he is under obligation to keep the whole law.

I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will think nothing different, but the one who is confusing you {will pay the penalty}, whoever he may be.

Now, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

I wish that the ones who are disturbing you would also {castrate themselves}!

But if you bite and devour one another, watch out [that] you are not consumed by one another.

For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that whatever you want, you may not do these [things].

envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, [things] which I am telling you [in advance], just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As many as are wanting to make a good showing in the flesh, these are attempting to compel you to be circumcised, only so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.

For not even those who are circumcised observe the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised in order that they may boast in your flesh.

But [as] for me, may it never be [that I] boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, [that] we should be holy and blameless before him in love,

to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,

that he caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight,

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in him,

[that] we who hoped beforehand in Christ should be for the praise of his glory,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, {the glorious Father}, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him

(the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what [are] the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.

[it is] not from works, so that no one can boast.

For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in [the] flesh, the so-called uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision in [the] flesh, made by hands,

that you were at that time apart from Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, not having hope, and without God in the world.

invalidating the law of commandments in ordinances, in order that he might create the two in himself into one new man, [thus] making peace,

so that you may be able when you read to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ

[that] the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

in order that the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly [places] through the church,

that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

[that] Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (you having been firmly rooted and established in love),

in order that you may be strong enough to grasp together with all the saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and height, and depth,

and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to the one who is able to do beyond all measure more than all that we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us,

Now "he ascended," what is [it], except that he also descended to the lower regions of the earth?

The one who descended himself is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order that he might fill all [things].

so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit.

This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, [that] you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind,

being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance [that] is in them, because of the hardness of their heart,

[that] you take off, according to your former way of life, the old man, who is being destroyed according to deceitful desires,

The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands [what is] good, so that he may have [something] to share with the one who has need.

{No rotten word must proceed} from your mouth, but only something good for the building up of the need, in order that it may give grace to those who hear,

For this you know {for certain}, that every sexually immoral [person], or unclean [person], or greedy [person] (who is an idolater), does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

in order that he might sanctify her by cleansing [her] with the washing of water by the word;

in order that he might present to himself the church glorious, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such [thing], but that she may be holy and blameless.

"in order that it may be well with you, and you may {live a long time} on the earth."

[because you] know that each one of you, whatever good he should do, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

And masters, do the same [things] to them, giving up threats, knowing that both their Lord and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.