But I have sent the brethren, that our boasting of you might not become vain in this respect, but that ye might be ready, as I had said:

For we do not stretch ourselves beyond measure, as though we were not commissioned to come unto you; for we have reached even to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ.

For if he, that cometh to you, preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached; or if ye receive another Spirit which ye have not received, or another gospel which ye have not embraced, ye might indeed bear with him.

yet not in knowledge ---but we have been fully manifested among you in all things.

Have I committed an offence in humbling myself that ye might be exalted? and in that I have preached the gospel of God to you gratis?

And when I was present among you, and in want, I was chargeable to no one. For the brethren that came from Macedonia supplied my want: and in every thing I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself.

From the Jews I have five times received forty stripes save one.

Thrice I have been beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I have been shipwrecked, and was a night and a day on the deep:

Am I become vain in boasting? ye have forced me to it: for I ought to have been recommended by you, as I have in nothing fallen short of the very chiefest of the apostles, though in myself I am nothing.

The marks indeed of an apostle have been shewn among you with all patience, by signs, and wonders, and miracles.

when I come again, my God should humble me among you, and I should be grieved for many of those who have sinned heretofore, and have not repented of the impurity, and fornication, and lewdness which they have practised.

I said before, and I again tell you beforehand, as if I were present the second time; and being absent I now write to those who have sinned heretofore, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare:

But tho' we or an angel from heaven should preach to you any other gospel than what we have preached to you; let him be accursed.

I say it again, if any one preach to you any other gospel than what ye have received, let him be accursed.

For ye have heard of my conversation formerly in Judaism, that I outragiously persecuted the church of God, and laid it waste:

But only they had heard that he who persecuted us before, now preacheth the faith which he formerly would have destroyed.

and that because of the false brethren clandestinely introduced, who had crept in as spies upon our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

have ye suffered so many things in vain? if indeed in vain.

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? not at all: for if a law had been given, which could have confered life, certainly righteousness would have been by the law.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ:

so that I am afraid for you, least I have indeed bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I also was as ye are: and ye have not injured me at all.

What then was your blessedness? for I bear you witness that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

I have confidence in you however through the Lord,

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only abuse not this liberty for an occasion to indulge the flesh, but by mutual love serve one another.

heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and the like: of which I forewarn you, as I have also told you before, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

And they, that are Christ's, have crucified the flesh with it's passions and desires.

But let every one try his own work, and then he will have matter of glorying in himself alone, and not in another.

And therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, but especially to those who are of the houshold of faith.

Ye see in how large letters I have written to you with my own hand.

For they, who are circumcised, do not themselves keep the law: but they would have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

even in Him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated to it according to the purpose of Him who effecteth all things after the counsel of His own will:

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

as ye have heard the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given me to preach unto you:

by whom we have freedom and access with confidence through faith in Him.

who, being past feeling, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, to commit all uncleanness with greediness.

But ye have not so learned Christ;

if ye have indeed hearkened to Him, and been instructed in Him, as the truth is in Jesus; to put off the old man,

Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labour, doing some good with his hands, that he may have something to bestow on him that hath need of it.

And have no communion with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

And ye masters, do the same to them, forbearing threatening: knowing that ye yourselves also have a Master in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with Him.

But that ye also may know my affairs, and what I am doing here, Tychicus a beloved brother, and a faithful minister in the Lord, shall make all known to you: whom I have sent to you,

As it is just for me to think this of you all, because ye have me in your heart, both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, being all of you partakers of the same grace with me.

But I would have you know, my brethren, that the things, which have befallen me, have proved rather to the advancement of the gospel:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed the gospel, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence; be still working out your own salvation though with fear and trembling:

exhibiting the word of life; to my rejoicing in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain.

For I have no one of a like spirit, who will with a kind of natural affection take care of your affairs.

But ye know the proof I have had of him, that as son with a father he served with me in the gospel.

For indeed he was sick and nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.

I have sent him therefore the more desirously, that when ye see him again ye may rejoice, and I may be the less sorrowful.

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and have such in high esteem:

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other thinks he hath whereof to trust in the flesh, I more:

Yea doubtless and I count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all, and I account them but dung, that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him,

not that I have yet won the prize, or am already perfect: but I press forward to acquire that perfection, for which also I have been apprehended by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have attained it: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to those before,

But in what we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Brethren, be imitators of me, and observe those that walk as ye have us for an example.

(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction,

and what ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these practise; and the God of peace will be with you.

Not that I speak on account of want; for I have learnt in whatever circumstances I am, to be contented.

And indeed I have it all, and now abound: I am fully supplied, having received of Epaphroditus the things sent by you, a fragrant odor, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which ye have heard before in the word of truth, that is the gospel;

in whom we have redemption by his blood, even the remission of sins.

And He is the head of the body, which is the church: who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence.

if so be ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be not moved from the gospel, which ye have heard, and which hath been preached throughout the whole creation, of which I Paul am a minister.

For I would have you know what a great conflict I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen me in person:

Therefore as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him;

rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught it, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

which things indeed have a pretence to wisdom in voluntary worship, and humiliation, and bodily penance, as having no regard to the satisfying of the flesh.

Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his evil practices;

and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of Him that created him.

and ye masters, render to your servants justice and equity, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

whom I have sent to you for this purpose also that he may know your affairs, and comfort your hearts;

Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus nephew to Barnabas, concerning whom ye have received orders; (if he come to you, receive him;) and Jesus who is called Justus:

these are the only persons, who, of the circumcision, have been my fellow-laborers in the kingdom of God, and who were a comfort to me.

For the word of the Lord sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia; but also in every place your faith towards God is spread abroad, so that we have no need to say any thing of it.

but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts.

nor sought we glory of men, neither of you, nor of others: though we might have expected maintenance, as the apostles of Christ.

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God, which are in Judea, in Christ Jesus, in that ye also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, as they have from the Jews:

who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; who are displeasing to God, and contrary to all men:

Wherefore we would have come unto you (even I Paul) once and again; but Satan hindered us.

For this cause being able to wait no longer, I sent to know the state of your faith, least the tempter should have tempted you, and our labor have been in vain.

But now Timothy being come back to us from you, and having brought us good tidings concerning your faith and love, and that ye have always a good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we indeed do to see you;

As to what remains therefore, my brethren, we intreat and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received instructions from us, how ye ought to walk and to please God, ye would abound therein more and more.

as we gave you in charge, that ye may walk decently toward those that are without, and may have need of no one's assistance.

But I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, concerning those that are fallen asleep, that ye may not be grieved like others who have no hope:

But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need of my writing to you:

Therefore, brethren, be steady, and hold fast the traditions, which ye have been taught, whether by word or by our letter.

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all have not faith.

Not that we have not power, but that we might give ourselves as an example to you to imitate us.

having faith and a good conscience, which some putting away have made shipwreck concerning the faith:

of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

He ought also to have an honorable testimony from those that are without, least he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

For to this end we both labour and suffer reproach, because we have hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful.

Let no one have cause to despise thy youth; but he thou an example to believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

But if any widow have children or grandchildren, let these learn first to shew piety at home, and to make suitable returns to their parents: for this is becoming, and acceptable in the sight of God.

having been the wife of one man: in repute for good actions, if she have educated children, if she have entertained strangers, if she have washed the feet of saints, if she have relieved the afflicted, and diligently followed every good work.

I would therefore have the younger widows marry, bear children, manage houshold affairs, and give no occasion to the adversary for reproach.