¹⁷ Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards,^[a] ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

³⁷ Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.^[a]

¹² Above all, brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.^[a]

² I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according to human standards.^{[a](A) 3} Indeed, we live as humans^[b] but do not wage war according to human standards,^[c]

¹⁸ As surely as God is faithful, our word to you is not^[a] “Yes and No.” ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”^{(A) 20} For in him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.” For this reason it is through him that we say the “Amen,” to the glory of God.^(B)

³² See, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and who tell them and who lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or command them, so they do not profit this people at all, says the Lord.

¹⁵ You judge by human standards;^[a] I judge no one.

⁴ They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the temple of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows who followed him.^(A)

¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way.^(A)