⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(A) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(B) to Christ.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(A) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(B) rather than on Christ.

¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^(A) means salvation,^(B) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^{(C) 16} He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^(D) people distort,^(E) as they do the other Scriptures,^(F) to their own destruction.

⁴ Not at all! Let God be true,^(A) and every human being a liar.^(B) As it is written: