29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

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29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?(A) Who is led into sin,(B) and I do not inwardly burn?

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22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

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22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.(A) I have become all things to all people(B) so that by all possible means I might save some.(C)

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13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

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13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.(A)

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Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.

14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

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Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

Formerly, when you did not know God,(A) you were slaves(B) to those who by nature are not gods.(C) But now that you know God—or rather are known by God(D)—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces[a]? Do you wish to be enslaved(E) by them all over again?(F) 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!(G) 11 I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.(H)

12 I plead with you, brothers and sisters,(I) become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. 13 As you know, it was because of an illness(J) that I first preached the gospel to you, 14 and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself.(K) 15 Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?(L)

17 Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them.(M) 18 It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.(N) 19 My dear children,(O) for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,(P) 20 how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 4:9 Or principles

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

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15 I know your deeds,(A) that you are neither cold nor hot.(B) I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’(C) But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.(D) 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,(E) so you can become rich; and white clothes(F) to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness;(G) and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

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20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

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20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,(A) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.(B)

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I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

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I know your deeds,(A) your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested(B) those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.(C)

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Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

Dear friends,(A) although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,(B) I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend(C) for the faith(D) that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.(E) For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[a] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.(F) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Jude 1:4 Or individuals who were marked out for condemnation

10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

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10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them.(A) 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares(B) in their wicked work.

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For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

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For this reason, when I could stand it no longer,(A) I sent to find out about your faith.(B) I was afraid that in some way the tempter(C) had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.(D)

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

But Timothy(E) has just now come to us from you(F) and has brought good news about your faith and love.(G) He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.(H) Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm(I) in the Lord.

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Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

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Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.(A)

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Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

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Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,(A) Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.(B) You who are trying to be justified by the law(C) have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.(D)

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O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

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Faith or Works of the Law

You foolish(A) Galatians!(B) Who has bewitched you?(C) Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.(D) I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit(E) by the works of the law,(F) or by believing what you heard?(G) Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Galatians 3:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.