When the natives saw the reptile hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "Beyond a doubt this man is a murderer, for though he has been rescued from the sea, justice will not let him live."

Because this cure was performed, the rest of the sick people on the island kept coming to him and by degrees were cured.

There we found some brothers, and they begged us to spend a week with them. In this way we finally reached Rome.

Now it is for this reason that I invited you to come, namely, to see you and speak with you, for it is on account of Israel's hope that I am wearing this chain."

But we think it fitting to let you tell us what your views are, for as to this sect it is known by all of us that it is everywhere denounced."

'Go to this people and say to them, "You will listen, and listen, and never understand, and you will look, and look, and never see!

For this people's soul has grown dull, and they scarcely hear with their ears, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they may never see with their eyes, and understand with their souls, and turn to me, that I may cure them."'

"So you must understand that this message of God's salvation has been sent to the heathen; and they will listen to it!"

because what can be known of God is clear to their inner moral sense; for in this way God Himself has shown it to them.

This is why God has given them up to degrading passions. For their females have exchanged their natural function for one that is unnatural,

The real Jew is the man who is a Jew on the inside, and real circumcision is heart-circumcision, a spiritual, not a literal, affair. This man's praise originates, not with men, but with God.

Now does this happiness come to the Jews alone, or to the heathen peoples too? For we say, "Abraham's faith was credited to him as right standing."

by whom we have an introduction through faith into this state of God's favor, in which we safely stand; and let us continue exulting in the hope of enjoying the glorious presence of God.

And not only that, but this too: let us continue exulting in our sufferings, for we know that suffering produces endurance,

And not only that, but this too: we shall continue exulting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained our reconciliation.

For just as by that man's disobedience the whole race of men were constituted sinners, so by this One's obedience the whole race of men may be brought into right standing with God.

So I find this law: When I want to do right, the wrong is always in my way.

Wretched man that I am! Who can save me from this deadly lower nature?

For I consider all that we suffer in this present life is nothing to be compared with the glory which by-and-by is to be uncovered for us.

Not only that but this too, we ourselves who enjoy the Spirit as a foretaste of the future, even we ourselves, keep up our inner groanings while we wait to enter upon our adoption as God's sons at the redemption of our bodies.

I am telling the truth as a Christian man. I am telling no lie, because my conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit is bearing me witness to this fact,

For this is the language of the promise, "About this time next year I will come back, and Sarah will have a son."

Not only that but this too: There was Rebecca who was impregnated by our forefather Isaac.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you to your position for this very purpose of displaying my power in dealing with you, of announcing my name all over the earth."

On the contrary, friend, who are you anyway that you would answer back to God? Can the clay that is molded ask the man who molds it, "Why did you make me like this?"

as the Scripture Says, "God has given them over to an attitude of insensibility, so that their eyes cannot see and their ears cannot hear, down to this very day."

For to keep you from being self-conceited, brothers, I do not want to have a misunderstanding of this uncovered secret, that only temporary insensibility has come upon Israel until the full quota of the heathen peoples comes in,

And this my covenant I make with them, when I shall take away their sins."

Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.

Do the opposite. If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for if you act in this way, you will heap burning coals upon his head!

for this is the reason why you pay your taxes, for the civil authorities are God's official servants faithfully devoting themselves to this very end.

For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not have an evil desire," and any other commandment if there is any, are summed up in this command, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself."

Do this in particular because you know the present crisis, that it is high time for you to wake up out of your sleep, for our salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.

Then let us stop criticizing one another; instead, do this, determine to stop putting stumbling blocks or hindrances in your brother's way.

whoever in this way continues serving Christ is well-pleasing to God and approved by men.

and for the heathen peoples to praise God for His mercy, as the Scripture says: "For this I will give thanks to you among the heathen, and will sing praises to your name."

In this matter it has ever been my ambition to tell the good news where Christ's name had never been mentioned, so as not to build upon foundations laid by other men,

This is the reason why I have so often been prevented from coming to see you.

But now, as there are no more places for me to occupy in this part of the world, and as I have for many years been longing to come to see you,

So, after I have finished this matter and made sure of the results of this contribution for them, I shall come by you on my way to Spain.

I, Tertius, who write this letter, wish to be remembered to you as a fellow-Christian.

In this way my testimony to Christ has been confirmed in your experience,

God is entirely trustworthy, and it is He through whom you have been called into this fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I mean this, that one of you says, "I belong to Paul's party," another, "And I belong to Apollos' party," another, "And I belong to Cephas' party," another, "And I belong to Christ's party."

So where is your philosopher? Where is your man of letters? Where is your logician of this age? Has not God shown up the nonsense of the world's wisdom?

Yet, when among mature believers we do set forth a wisdom, but a wisdom that does not belong to this world or to the leaders of this world who are passing away;

Not one of this world's leaders understands it, for if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord.

These truths we are setting forth, not in words that man's wisdom teaches but in words that the Spirit teaches, in this way fitting spiritual words to spiritual truths.

the character of each one's work will come to light, for the judgment day will show it up. This is so, because that day will show itself in fire, and the fire will test the character of each one's work.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one of you supposes that he is wise in this world's wisdom, as compared with the rest of you, to become really wise he must become a fool.

For this world's wisdom is mere nonsense to God. For the Scripture says, "He who catches the wise with their own cunning,"

Now in this matter of trustees the first and final requirement is that they should prove to be trustworthy.

Now, brothers, for your sakes I have applied all this to Apollos and myself, that from us as illustrations you might learn the lesson, "Never go beyond what is written," so that you might stop boasting in favor of one teacher against another.

To this very hour we have gone hungry, thirsty, poorly clad; we have been roughly knocked around; we have had no home.

When we are slandered by them, we try to conciliate them. To this very hour we have been made the filth of the world, the scum of the universe!

I do not write this to make you blush with shame but to give you counsel as my dear children.

This is why I have sent Timothy to you. He is a dear child of mine and trustworthy in the Lord's work; he will call to your minds my methods in the work of Christ Jesus, just as I teach them everywhere in every church.

And yet, you are proud of it, instead of being sorry for it, and seeing to it that the man who has done this be removed from your membership!

For my part, though I have been absent from you in person, I have been present with you in spirit, and so as really present, by the authority of our Lord Jesus, I have already passed judgment upon the man who has done this --

to turn such a man as this over to Satan for the destruction of his lower nature, in order that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

not that you are to stop all dealings with sexually immoral people of this world, any more than with its greedy graspers, or its idolaters, for then you would have to get clear out of the world.

I ask this to make you blush with shame. Has it come to this, that there is not a single wise man among you who could settle a grievance of one brother against another,

But I say this by way of concession, not by way of command.

To unmarried people and to widows I would say this: It would be a fine thing for them to remain single, as I am.

To the people already married I give this instruction -- no, not I but the Lord -- that a wife is not to leave her husband.

For the unbelieving husband is consecrated by union with his wife and the unbelieving wife by union with her Christian husband, for otherwise your children would be unblessed, but in this way they are consecrated.

Now this is my opinion in the light of the present distress: That it is a good thing for a man to remain as he is.

But if you do get married, you have not sinned in doing so. And if a girl gets married, she has not sinned in doing so. But those who do will have trouble in their earthly life, and I am trying to spare you this.

I mean this, brothers. The time has been cut short. For the future, men who have wives should live as though they had none,

and those who are enjoying the world as though they were not entirely absorbed in it. For the outward order of this world is passing away.

It is for your welfare that I am saying this, not to put restraint on you, but to foster good order and to help you to an undivided devotion to the Lord.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block to overscrupulous people.

For if somebody sees you, who have an intelligent view of this matter, partaking of a meal in an idol's temple, will he not be emboldened, with his overscrupulous conscience, to eat the food which has been sacrificed to an idol?

My vindication of myself to those who are investigating me is this:

I am not saying this only by way of human illustrations, am I? Does not the law say so too?

Is He not really speaking on our behalf? Yes, indeed, this law was written on our behalf, because the plowman ought to plow and the thresher ought to thresh, in the hope of sharing in the crop.

If others share this right with you, have we not a stronger claim? Yet, we have never used this right; no, we keep on bearing everything, to keep from hindering the progress of the good news of Christ.

But I myself have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this just to make it so in my case, for I had rather die than do that. No one shall rob me of this ground of boasting.

But if someone says to you, "This meat has been offered as a heathen sacrifice," make it your rule not to eat it, for the sake of the man who warned you and for conscience' sake;

This is why woman ought to wear upon her head a symbol of man's authority, especially out of respect to the angels.

You must judge for yourselves in this matter. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with nothing on her head?

But if anyone is inclined to be contentious about it, I for my part prescribe no other practice than this, and neither do the churches of God.

It is not that you have no houses to eat and drink in, is it? Or, are you trying to show your contempt for the church of God and trying to humiliate those who have no houses? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? No, I cannot praise you for this.

and gave thanks for it and broke it and said, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me."

In the same way, after supper, He took the cup of wine, saying, "This cup is the new covenant ratified by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me."

For every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again.

A man, then, must examine himself, and only in this way should he eat any of the bread and drink from the cup.

This is why many of you are sick and feeble, and a considerable number are falling asleep.

But if we properly saw ourselves, we would not bring down upon us this judgment.

But since we do bring down upon us this judgment, we are being disciplined by the Lord, so that finally we may not be condemned along with the world.

In the law it is written, "By men of foreign languages and by the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."

For in this way you can all, one after another, speak your prophetic message, so that all may learn and be encouraged,

But whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

If for this life only we Christians have set our hopes on Christ, we are the most pitiable people in the world.

It is just like this with the resurrection of the dead.

This is the way the Scripture puts it too, "The first man Adam became a living creature." The last Adam has become a life-giving Spirit.

But this I tell you, brothers: Our physical bodies cannot take part in the kingdom of God; what is decaying will never take part in what is immortal.

For this decaying part of us must put on the body that can never decay, and this part once capable of dying must put on the body that can never die.

And when this part once capable of dying puts on the body that can never die, then what the Scripture says will come true, "Death has been swallowed up in victory.

For my boast is this, to which my conscience testifies, that before the world, but especially before you, I have acted from pure motives and in sincerity before God, not depending on worldly wisdom but on God's unmerited favor.