When daylight came, they tried in vain to recognise the coast. But an inlet with a sandy beach attracted their attention, and now their object was, if possible, to run the ship aground in this inlet.

and that the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. In this way they all got safely to land.

When the natives saw the creature hanging to his hand, they said to one another, "Beyond doubt this man is a murderer, for, though saved from the sea, unerring Justice does not permit him to live."

After this, all the other sick people in the island came and were cured.

For these reasons, then, I have invited you here, that I might see you and speak to you; for it is for the sake of Him who is the hope of Israel that this chain hangs upon me."

But we should be glad to hear from you what it is that you believe; for as for this sect all we know is that it is everywhere spoken against."

"'Go to this people and tell them, you will hear and hear, and by no means understand; and will look and look, and by no means see.

For this people's mind has grown callous, their hearing has become dull, and their eyes they have closed; to prevent their ever seeing with their eyes, or hearing with their ears, or understanding with their minds, and turning back, so that I might cure them.'

"Be fully assured, therefore, that this salvation--God's salvation--has now been sent to the Gentiles, and that they, at any rate, will give heed."

After this Paul lived for fully two years in a hired house of his own, receiving all who came to see him.

For this reason, in accordance with their own depraved cravings, God gave them up to uncleanness, allowing them to dishonour their bodies among themselves with impurity.

This then is the reason why God gave them up to vile passions. For not only did the women among them exchange the natural use of their bodies for one which is contrary to nature, but the men also,

For God pays no attention to this world's distinctions.

Do we then by means of this faith abolish the Law? No, indeed; we give the Law a firmer footing.

For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness."

In this way David also tells of the blessedness of the man to whose credit God places righteousness, apart from his actions.

This declaration of blessedness, then, does it come simply to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? For Abraham's faith--so we affirm--was placed to his credit as righteousness.

What then were the circumstances under which this took place? Was it after he had been circumcised, or before?

Before, not after. And he received circumcision as a sign, a mark attesting the reality of the faith-righteousness which was his while still uncircumcised, that he might be the forefather of all those who believe even though they are uncircumcised--in order that this righteousness might be placed to their credit;

All depends on faith, and for this reason--that acceptance with God might be an act of pure grace,

For this reason also his faith was placed to his credit as righteousness.

and that this hope never disappoints, because God's love for us floods our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

What follows? This comparison. Through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and so death passed to all mankind in turn, in that all sinned.

This we know--that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin;

This accounts for the fact that if during her husband's life she lives with another man, she will be stigmatized as an adulteress; but that if her husband is dead she is no longer under the old prohibition, and even though she marries again, she is not an adulteress.

Sin took advantage of this, and by means of the Commandment stirred up within me every kind of coveting; for apart from Law sin would be dead.

(Unhappy man that I am! who will rescue me from this death-burdened body?

For we know that the whole of Creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth until this hour.

What then shall we say to this? If God is on our side, who is there to appear against us?

For the words are the language of promise and run thus, "About this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son."

This agrees with the other Scripture which says, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."

And from this we learn that everything is dependent not on man's will or endeavour, but upon God who has mercy. For the Scripture said to Pharaoh,

"It is for this very purpose that I have lifted you so high--that I may make manifest in you My power, and that My name may be proclaimed far and wide in all the earth."

This is a proof that wherever He chooses He shows mercy, and wherever he chooses He hardens the heart.

To what conclusion does this bring us? Why, that the Gentiles, who were not in pursuit of righteousness, have overtaken it--a righteousness, however, which arises from faith;

And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that the Message comes through its having been spoken by Christ.

This is true; yet it was their unbelief that cut them off, and you only stand through your faith.

and this shall be My Covenant with them; when I have taken away their sins."

I plead with you therefore, brethren, by the compassionsof God, to present all your faculties to Him as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to Him. This with you will be an act of reasonable worship.

On the contrary, therefore, if your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, quench his thirst. For by doing this you will be heaping burning coals upon his head.

Why, this is really the reason you pay taxes; for tax-gatherers are ministers of God, devoting their energies to this very work.

For the precepts, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," "Thou shalt do no murder," "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not covet," and all other precepts, are summed up in this one command, "Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thou lovest thyself."

For this was the purpose of Christ's dying and coming to life--namely that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living.

Therefore let us no longer judge one another; but, instead of that, you should come to this judgement--that we must not put a stumbling-block in our brother's path, nor anything to trip him up.

and whoever in this way devotedly serves Christ, God takes pleasure in him, and men highly commend him.

and that the Gentiles also have glorified God in acknowledgment of His mercy. So it is written, "For this reason I will praise Thee among the Gentiles, and sing psalms in honour of Thy name."

And it is really this which has again and again prevented my coming to you.

But now, as there is no more unoccupied ground in this part of the world, and I have for years past been eager to pay you a visit,

Yes, they have kindly done this, and, in fact, it was a debt they owed them. For seeing that the Gentiles have been admitted in to partnership with the Jews in their spiritual blessings, they in turn are under an obligation to render sacred service to the Jews in temporal things.

So after discharging this duty, and making sure that these kind gifts reach those for whom they are intended, I shall start for Spain, passing through Rome on my way there;

I, Tertius, who write this letter, send you Christian greetings.

Where is your wise man? Where your expounder of the Law? Where your investigator of the questions of this present age? Has not God shown the world's wisdom to be utter foolishness?

I fed you with milk and not with solid food, since for this you were not yet strong enough. And even now you are not strong enough:

For when some one says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos," is not this the way men of the world speak?

This world's wisdom is "foolishness" in God's sight; for it is written, "He snares the wise with their own cunning."

As for us Apostles, let any one take this view of us--we are Christ's officers, and stewards of God's secret truths.

This being so, it follows that fidelity is what is required in stewards.

In writing this much, brethren, with special reference to Apollos and myself, I have done so for your sakes, in order to teach you by our example what those words mean, which say, "Nothing beyond what is written!" --so that you may cease to take sides in boastful rivalry, for one teacher against another.

Why, who gives you your superiority, my brother? Or what have you that you did not receive? And if you really did receive it, why boast as if this were not so?

To this very moment we endure both hunger and thirst, with scanty clothing and many a blow.

when slandered, we try to conciliate. We have come to be regarded as the mere dirt and filth of the world--the refuse of the universe, even to this hour.

I am not writing all this to shame you, but I am offering you advice as my dearly-loved children.

For this reason I have sent Timothy to you. Spiritually he is my dearly-loved and faithful child. He will remind you of my habits as a Christian teacher--the manner in which I teach everywhere in every Church.

And you, instead of mourning and removing from among you the man who has done this deed of shame, are filled with self-complacency!

It is no good thing--this which you make the ground of your boasting. Do you not know that a little yeast corrupts the whole of the dough?

not that in this world you are to keep wholly aloof from such as they, any more than from people who are avaricious and greedy of gain, or from worshippers of idols. For that would mean that you would be compelled to go out of the world altogether.

Do you not know that we are to sit in judgement upon angels--to say nothing of things belonging to this life?

If therefore you have things belonging to this life which need to be decided, is it men who are absolutely nothing in the Church--is it *they* whom you make your judges?

I say this to put you to shame. Has it come to this, that there does not exist among you a single wise man competent to decide between a man and his brother,

And all this describes what some of you were. But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.

This is what I command in all the Churches. Was any one already circumcised when called? Let him not have recourse to the surgeons. Was any one uncircumcised when called? Let him remain uncircumcised.

Yet of this I warn you, brethren: the time has been shortened--so that henceforth those who have wives should be as though they had none,

Now as to things which have been sacrificed to idols. This is a subject which we already understand--because we all have knowledge of it. Knowledge, however, tends to make people conceited; it is love that builds us up.

But take care lest this liberty of yours should prove a hindrance to the progress of weak believers.

For if any one were to see you, who know the real truth of this matter, reclining at table in an idol's temple, would not his conscience (supposing him to be a weak believer)

But I, for my part, have not used, and do not use, my full rights in any of these things. Nor do I now write with that object so far as I myself am concerned, for I would rather die than have anybody make this boast of mine an empty one.

But every competitor in an athletic contest practices abstemiousness in all directions. They indeed do this for the sake of securing a perishable wreath, but we for the sake of securing one that will not perish.

And in this they became a warning to us, to teach us not to be eager, as they were eager, in pursuit of what is evil.

All this kept happening to them with a figurative meaning; but it was put on record by way of admonition to us upon whom the ends of the Ages have come.

But if any one tells you, "This food has been offered in sacrifice;" abstain from eating it--out of respect for him who warned you, and, as before, for conscience' sake.

Judge of this for your own selves: is it seemly for a woman to pray to God when she is unveiled?

for, in the first place, when you meet as a Church, there are divisions among you. This is what I am told, and I believe that there is some truth in it.

Why, have you no homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you wish to show your contempt for the Church of God and make those who have no homes feel ashamed? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I certainly do not praise you.

and after giving thanks He broke it and said, "This is my body which is about to be broken for you. Do this in memory of me."

In the same way, when the meal was over, He also took the cup. "This cup," He said, "is the new Covenant of which my blood is the pledge. Do this, every time that you drink it, in memory of me."

For every time that you eat this bread and drink from the cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death--until He returns.

Therefore, brethren, when you come together for this meal, wait for one another.

For this reason I would have you understand that no one speaking under the influence of The Spirit of God ever says, "Jesus is accursed," and that no one is able to say, "Jesus is Lord," except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Be eager in your pursuit of this Love, and be earnestly ambitious for spiritual gifts, but let it be chiefly so in order that you may prophesy.

In the Law it stands written, "'By men of unknown tongues and by the lips of an unknown nation will I speak to this People, but even then they will not listen to Me', says the Lord."

This shows that the gift of tongues is intended as a sign not to those who believe but to unbelievers, but prophecy is intended not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

The conclusion, my brethren, is this. Be earnestly ambitious to prophesy, and do not check speaking with tongues;

But whether it is I or they, this is the way we preach and the way that you came to believe.

If in this present life we have a *hope* resting on Christ, and nothing more, we are more to be pitied than all the rest of the world.

But this will happen to each in the right order--Christ having been the first to rise, and afterwards Christ's people rising at His return.

Wake from this drunken fit; live righteous lives, and cease to sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I speak thus in order to move you to shame.

But this I tell you, brethren: our mortal bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor will what is perishable inherit what is imperishable.

For so it must be: this perishable nature must clothe itself with what is imperishable, and this mortality must clothe itself with immortality.

But when this perishable nature has put on what is imperishable, and this mortality has put on immortality, then will the words of Scripture be fulfilled, "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

For I do not wish to see you on this occasion merely in passing; but if the Lord permits, I hope to remain some time with you.