For this work of giving not only takes care of the needs of the saints, but is the cause of much praise to God;

Now I, Paul, myself make request to you by the quiet and gentle behaviour of Christ, I who am poor in spirit when with you, but who say what is in my mind to you without fear when I am away from you:

(For the arms with which we are fighting are not those of the flesh, but are strong before God for the destruction of high places);

For his letters, they say, have weight and are strong; but in body he is feeble, and his way of talking has little force.

For we will not make comparison of ourselves with some of those who say good things about themselves: but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and making comparison of themselves with themselves, are not wise.

We will not give glory to ourselves in over-great measure, but after the measure of the rule which God has given us, a measure which comes even to you.

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,

But whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.

For the Lord's approval of a man is not dependent on his opinion of himself, but on the Lord's opinion of him.

Put up with me if I am a little foolish: but, truly, you do put up with me.

But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.

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.

But though I am rough in my way of talking, I am not so in knowledge, as we have made clear to all by our acts among you.

But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are.

I say again, Let me not seem foolish to anyone; but if I do, put up with me as such, so that I may take a little glory to myself.

What I am now saying is not by the order of the Lord, but as a foolish person, taking credit to myself, as it seems.

For you put up with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.

You put up with a man if he makes servants of you, if he makes profit out of you, if he makes you prisoners, if he puts himself in a high place, if he gives you blows on the face.

I say this by way of shaming ourselves, as if we had been feeble. But if anyone puts himself forward (I am talking like a foolish person), I will do the same.

Five times the Jews gave me forty blows but one.

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),

On account of such a one I will have glory: for myself I will take no glory, but only in my feeble body.

For if I had a desire to take credit to myself, it would not be foolish, for I would be saying what is true: but I will not, for fear that I might seem to any man more than he sees me to be, or has word from me that I am.

For what is there in which you were made less than the other churches, but in the one thing that I was not a trouble to you? Let me have forgiveness for this wrong.

This is now the third time that I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a trouble to you: my desire is for you, not for your property: for it is not the children's business to make store for their fathers, but the fathers for the children.

But let it be so, that I was not a trouble to you myself; but (someone may say) being false, I took you with deceit.

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.

Seeing that you are looking for a sign of Christ giving out his word in me; who is not feeble in relation to you, but is strong in you:

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.

But it is my hope that you will have no doubt that we are truly Christ's.

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.

Because we are able to do nothing against what is true, but only for it.

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),

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.

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.

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

And I went not up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me; but I went away into Arabia, and again I came back to Damascus.

But of the other Apostles I saw only James, the Lord's brother.

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.

But not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was made to undergo circumcision:

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 Cephas came to Antioch, I made a protest against him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.

For before certain men came from James, he did take food with the Gentiles: but when they came, he went back and made himself separate, fearing those who were 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 if I put up again those things which I gave to destruction, I am seen to be a wrongdoer.

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.

O foolish Galatians, by what strange powers have you been tricked, to whom it was made clear that Jesus Christ was put to death on the cross?

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

And the law is not of faith; but, He who does them will have life by them.

Christ has made us free from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: because it is said in the Writings, A curse on everyone who is put to death by hanging on a tree:

Brothers, as men would say, even a man's agreement, when it has been made certain, may not be put on one side, or have additions made to it.

Now to Abraham were the undertakings given, and to his seed. He says not, And to seeds, as of a great number; but as of one, he says, And to your seed, which is Christ.

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.

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.

But before faith came, we were kept in prison under the law, waiting for the revelation of the faith which was to come.

But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a servant.

For all those of you who were given baptism into Christ did put on Christ.

But I say that as long as the son is a child, he is in no way different from a servant, though he is lord of all;

But is under keepers and managers till the time fixed by the father.

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

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.

But the Jerusalem on high is free, which is our mother.

But as in those days he who had birth after the flesh was cruel to him who had birth after the Spirit, even so it is now.

So, brothers, we are not children of the servant-woman, but of the free woman.

Christ has truly made us free: then keep your free condition and let no man put a yoke on you again.

Because in Christ Jesus, having circumcision or not having circumcision are equally of no profit; but only faith working through love.

I am certain about you in the Lord, that you will be of no other mind; but he who is troubling you will have his punishment, whoever he is.

But I, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still attacked? then has the shame of the cross been taken away.

Because you, brothers, were marked out to be free; only do not make use of your free condition to give the flesh its chance, but through love be servants one to another.

But if you are given to fighting with one another, take care that you are not the cause of destruction one to another.

But I say, Go on in the Spirit, and you will not come under the rule of the evil desires of the flesh.

But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

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

And those who are Christ's have put to death on the cross the flesh with its passions and its evil desires.

Brothers, if a man is taken in any wrongdoing, you who are of the Spirit will put such a one right in a spirit of love; keeping watch on yourself, for fear that you yourself may be tested.

But let every man make test of his work, and then will his cause for glory be in himself only, and not in his neighbour.

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

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.

Those who have the desire to seem important in the flesh, put force on you to undergo circumcision; only that they may not be attacked because of the cross of Christ.

Because even those who undergo circumcision do not themselves keep the law; but they would have you undergo circumcision, so that they may have glory in your flesh.

But far be it from me to have glory in anything, but only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which this world has come to an end on the cross for me, and I for it.

For having circumcision is nothing, and not having circumcision is nothing, but only a new order of existence.

Having made clear to us the secret of his purpose, in agreement with the design which he had in mind, to put into his hands

Far over all rule and authority and power and every name which is named, not only in the present order, but in that which is to come:

And he has put all things under his feet, and has made him to be head over all things to the church,