^2 (A)You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our^[a] hearts, to be known and read by all.

Paul Surrenders His Rights

9 ^(A)Am I not free? ^(B)Am I not an apostle? ^(C)Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? ^(D)Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? ² If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are ^(E)the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord ^(A)sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth ^(B)everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^(A)in my heart, for you are all ^(B)partakers with me of grace,^[a] both ^(C)in my imprisonment and in ^(D)the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Longing to Go to Rome

⁸ First, ^(A)I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, ^(B)because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

^15 (A)I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If ^(B)I love you more, am I to be loved less?

¹¹ And why? ^(A)Because I do not love you? ^(B)God knows I do!

³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that ^(A)you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

^10 (A)According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled^[a] master builder I laid a ^(B)foundation, and ^(C)someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.