“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!”

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them!

The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.

To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.

If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home, because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.

For he has put everything in subjection under his feet. But when it says “everything” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to him.

With regard to the collection for the saints, please follow the directions that I gave to the churches of Galatia:

and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective.

We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.

because I know your eagerness to help. I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours, that Achaia has been ready to give since last year, and your zeal to participate has stirred up most of them.

But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.

now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving according to human standards.

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying.

Now this matter arose because of the false brothers with false pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.

Until certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this and separated himself because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision.

Where then is your sense of happiness now? For I testify about you that if it were possible, you would have pulled out your eyes and given them to me!

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

and what is the incomparable greatness of his power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of his immense strength.