³² If I fought wild beasts^(A) in Ephesus^(B) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

¹⁹ And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

¹² But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.^(A)

¹⁹ They arrived at Ephesus,^(A) where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

¹⁰ Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.^(A)

The Law and the Promise

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters,^(A) let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed,^(A) brothers and sisters,^[a] about the troubles we experienced^(B) in the province of Asia.^(C) We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,^(D) who raises the dead.^{(E) 10} He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,^(F) and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope^(G) that he will continue to deliver us,