Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting.^(A) Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^(B) from the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ^(C) who fourteen years ago was caught up^(D) to the third heaven.^(E) Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^{(F) 3} And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was caught up^(G) to paradise^(H) and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵ I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^{(I) 6} Even if I should choose to boast,^(J) I would not be a fool,^(K) because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(L) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(M) a messenger of Satan,^(N) to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^{(O) 9} But he said to me, “My grace^(P) is sufficient for you, for my power^(Q) is made perfect in weakness.^(R)”^(S) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^(T) in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^(U) in persecutions,^(V) in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.^(W)

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹ I have made a fool of myself,^(X) but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”^[a](Y) even though I am nothing.^{(Z) 12} I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.^{(AA) 13} How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?^(AB) Forgive me this wrong!^(AC)

¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^(AD) and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents,^(AE) but parents for their children.^{(AF) 15} So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.^(AG) If I love you more,^(AH) will you love me less? ¹⁶ Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you.^(AI) Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷ Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸ I urged^(AJ) Titus^(AK) to go to you and I sent our brother^(AL) with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God^(AM) as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends,^(AN) is for your strengthening.^{(AO) 20} For I am afraid that when I come^(AP) I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be.^(AQ) I fear that there may be discord,^(AR) jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,^(AS) slander,^(AT) gossip,^(AU) arrogance^(AV) and disorder.^{(AW) 21} I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved^(AX) over many who have sinned earlier^(AY) and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery^(AZ) in which they have indulged.

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you.^(BA) “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”^{[b](BB) 2} I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent:^(BC) On my return I will not spare^(BD) those who sinned earlier^(BE) or any of the others, ³ since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.^(BF) He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴ For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness,^(BG) yet he lives by God’s power.^(BH) Likewise, we are weak^(BI) in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him^(BJ) in our dealing with you.

⁵ Examine yourselves^(BK) to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.^(BL) Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you^(BM)—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶ And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak^(BN) but you are strong;^(BO) and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.^{(BP) 10} This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh^(BQ) in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.^(BR)

Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters,^(BS) rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.^(BT) And the God of love^(BU) and peace^(BV) will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss.^{(BW) 13} All God’s people here send their greetings.^(BX)

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,^(BY) and the love of God,^(BZ) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit^(CA) be with you all.

1 Paul, an apostle^(CB)—sent not from men nor by a man,^(CC) but by Jesus Christ^(CD) and God the Father,^(CE) who raised him from the dead^(CF)— ² and all the brothers and sisters^[c] with me,^(CG)

To the churches in Galatia:^(CH)

³ Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,^{(CI) 4} who gave himself for our sins^(CJ) to rescue us from the present evil age,^(CK) according to the will of our God and Father,^{(CL) 5} to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.^(CM)

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called^(CN) you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel^(CO)— ⁷ which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion^(CP) and are trying to pervert^(CQ) the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,^(CR) let them be under God’s curse!^{(CS) 9} As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted,^(CT) let them be under God’s curse!

¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?^(CU) If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹ I want you to know, brothers and sisters,^(CV) that the gospel I preached^(CW) is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man,^(CX) nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation^(CY) from Jesus Christ.^(CZ)

¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism,^(DA) how intensely I persecuted the church of God^(DB) and tried to destroy it.^{(DC) 14} I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous^(DD) for the traditions of my fathers.^{(DE) 15} But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb^(DF) and called me^(DG) by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,^(DH) my immediate response was not to consult any human being.^{(DI) 17} I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.^(DJ)

¹⁸ Then after three years,^(DK) I went up to Jerusalem^(DL) to get acquainted with Cephas^[d] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ I saw none of the other apostles—only James,^(DM) the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ I assure you before God^(DN) that what I am writing you is no lie.^(DO)

²¹ Then I went to Syria^(DP) and Cilicia.^{(DQ) 22} I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea^(DR) that are in Christ.^{(DS) 23} They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith^(DT) he once tried to destroy.”^{(DU) 24} And they praised God^(DV) because of me.

Paul Accepted by the Apostles

2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,^(DW) this time with Barnabas.^(DX) I took Titus^(DY) along also. ² I went in response to a revelation^(DZ) and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.^(EA) I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race^(EB) in vain. ³ Yet not even Titus,^(EC) who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.^{(ED) 4} This matter arose because some false believers^(EE) had infiltrated our ranks to spy on^(EF) the freedom^(EG) we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. ⁵ We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel^(EH) might be preserved for you.

⁶ As for those who were held in high esteem^(EI)—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism^(EJ)—they added nothing to my message.^{(EK) 7} On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task^(EL) of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised,^[e](EM) just as Peter^(EN) had been to the circumcised.^{[f] 8} For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle^(EO) to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle^(EP) to the Gentiles. ⁹ James,^(EQ) Cephas^[g](ER) and John, those esteemed as pillars,^(ES) gave me and Barnabas^(ET) the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.^(EU) They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles,^(EV) and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor,^(EW) the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹ When Cephas^(EX) came to Antioch,^(EY) I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James,^(EZ) he used to eat with the Gentiles.^(FA) But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group.^{(FB) 13} The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas^(FC) was led astray.

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel,^(FD) I said to Cephas^(FE) in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.^(FF) How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?^(FG)

¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth^(FH) and not sinful Gentiles^{(FI) 16} know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,^(FJ) but by faith in Jesus Christ.^(FK) So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[h] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.^(FL)

¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners,^(FM) doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!^{(FN) 18} If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law^(FO) so that I might live for God.^{(FP) 20} I have been crucified with Christ^(FQ) and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.^(FR) The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,^(FS) who loved me^(FT) and gave himself for me.^{(FU) 21} I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,^(FV) Christ died for nothing!”^[i]