For I know your readiness of mind, of which I boast in behalf of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was prepared a year ago; and your zeal stirred up the greater part of them.

Now, he that ministereth seed to the sower, and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;

Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I, who present indeed am lowly among you, but am bold toward you when absent;

For I suppose that I am in no respect behind the very foremost apostles.

and when I was present with you, and in want, I was a charge to no one; (for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied my wants;) and in every thing I kept myself and will keep myself from being burdensome to you.

And no wonder; for even Satan transformeth himself into an angel of light.

It is no great thing, then, if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

I say again, let no one suppose me a fool; if otherwise, yet even as a fool receive me, that I too may boast myself a little.

I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago,whether in the body, I know not, or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth,such a one caught up even to the third heaven.

And I know such a man, whether in the body, or without the body, I know not; God knoweth,

I said before, and now say beforehand, as when present the second time, so also absent now, to those who have sinned before, and to all the others, that if I come again, I will not spare;

Try yourselves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, that Christ Jesus is in you, unless ye are unapproved?

But I trust that ye shall know, that we are not unapproved.

Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not in order that we may appear approved, but that ye may do what is good, though we be as unapproved.

For we have no power against the truth, but for the truth.

As we have said before, so I now say again, If any one preach a gospel to you contrary to that which ye received, let him be accursed!

For do I now seek the favor of men, or of God? Or am I endeavoring to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

but no other of the apostles did I see, save James the brother of the Lord.

Now as to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I do not lie.

but they were only hearing that "He who was once our persecutor is now preaching the faith which he was once destroying";

But from those who were reputed to be somewhatwhatever they were, it matters not to me, (God accepteth no mans person,) for to me those in reputation communicated nothing new.

and when they knew the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the gentiles, and they to the circumcised;

but knowing that a man is not accepted as righteous by the works of the Law, but by faith in Christ Jesus, we also have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted as righteous by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be accepted as righteous.

I have been crucified with Christ, and no longer do I live, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Are ye so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, do ye now end with the flesh?

Know then that they who have faith, these are the sons of Abraham.

But further, that through the observance of the Law no one is accepted as righteous with God is evident; for "the righteous shall live by faith."

Brethren, I speak according to what is practised among men; no one sets aside even a human covenant, or makes additions to it, after it has been ratified.

Now no mediator is a mediator of one; but God is one.

but faith having come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male and female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus;

Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth in no respect from a bondservant, though he is lord of all;

So then thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

But at that time, indeed, when ye knew not God, ye were in slavery to those who in their nature are not gods;

but now, after having known God, or rather having been known by God, how is it that ye are turning back to the weak and beggarly rudiments to which ye wish to be again in bondage?

Nay, ye know that it was on account of an infirmity of the flesh that I preached the gospel to you the former time,

I could wish indeed to be present with you now, and to change my tone, for I am in perplexity about you.

for the word Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; and she corresponds to the Jerusalem now existing, for she is in bondage with her children;

But as at that time he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born through the Spirit, so it is now.

I indeed have confidence in regard to you in the Lord, that ye will be no otherwise minded; but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whoever he may be.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest; such as fornication, uncleanness, wantonness,

meekness, temperance; against such things as these there is no law.

For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Henceforth let no one trouble me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

the eyes of your mind being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope belonging to his call of you, and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance which he hath given among the saints,

in which ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience;

that ye were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world;

but now, in Christ Jesus, ye, who formerly were afar off, have been brought nigh by the blood of Christ.

having abolished in his flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create of the two one new man in himself, thus making peace,

So then ye are no longer strangers and foreigners, but are fellowcitizens with the saints, and members of the household of God,

which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

to the intent that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly regions might be known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,

and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Now what is implied in his ascending, but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and borne about by every wind of teaching, through the dishonest tricks of men, and their cunning in the wily arts of error;

This therefore I say, and charge you in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the rest of the gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind,

and that ye put on the new man, who was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Let him that stealeth steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands at that which is good, that he may have to give to him that is in need.

Let no foul language proceed out of your mouth, but whatever is good for edification, as the need may be, that it may benefit the hearers;

For of this ye are sure, since ye know that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with vain words; for because of these things the wrath of God cometh upon the sons of disobedience.

For ye were once darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

that he himself might present to himself the church, glorious, having no spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

for no one ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ doth the church;

And, ye masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatening; knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons with him.

But that ye also may know about me, how I am faring, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will inform you of everything;

whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that ye may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.

on account of your fellowship in the cause of the gospel from the first day until now;

But I wish you to know, brethren, that things with me have resulted in the furtherance of the gospel;

but they who are of a factious spirit preach Christ with no pure intent, thinking to stir up affliction to my bonds.

For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so also now, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.

And being persuaded of this, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your advancement and joy in your faith,

as ye have the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear of in me.

but made himself of no consideration, taking the form of a servant, and becoming like men;

that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth,

So then, my beloved, as ye always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I know your state.

For I have no one likeminded, who will have a true concern for your state;

But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son serves a father, he served with me for the gospel.

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh;

Nay more, I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, that I may gain Christ,

that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, while becoming like him in his death,

For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ;

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have revived again in your care for my welfare; for which indeed ye cared before, but lacked opportunity.

I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound; in every thing and in all things I have been well taught, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want;

And ye yourselves also know, Philippians, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I went forth from Macedonia, no church communicated with me in an account of giving and receiving, but ye only;

Now to God, our Father, be glory for ever. Amen.

which is come to you, as it is in all the world, and is bearing fruit and growing, as it doth also in you, from the day ye heard it, and knew the grace of God in truth;

And you, that were once alienated, and enemies in your mind in wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up instead that which is wanting of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh on behalf of his body, which is the church;

the mystery which hath been hidden for ages and generations, but hath been now revealed to his saints;

For I would have you know what a great struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

And this I say, that no one may impose on you by specious discourses.

Let no one then call you to account about food or drink, or a feastday, or a new moon, or sabbaths;

Let no one defraud you of the prize, desiring to do it in humiliation and worshipping of the angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, puffed up without reason by the mind of his own flesh,

but now put ye away all these, anger, wrath, malice, evilspeaking, filthy language out of your mouth.

and have put on the new man, who is renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him;