(Now this man Judas ¹  acquired a field with the reward of his unjust deed, ²  and falling headfirst ³  he burst open in the middle and all his intestines ⁴  gushed out.

So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!

Then the man who was possessed by ¹  the evil spirit jumped on ²  them and beat them all into submission. ³  He prevailed ⁴  against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

I have ¹  a hope in God (a hope ²  that ³  these men ⁴  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁵ 

Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, ¹  so that we would not trust in ourselves ²  but in God who raises the dead.

But as God’s servants, ¹  we have commended ourselves in every way, ²  with great endurance, in persecutions, ³  in difficulties, in distresses,

because some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak ¹  and his speech is of no account.” ² 

Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself ¹  so that you could be exalted, because I proclaimed ²  the gospel of God to you free of charge?

Therefore I am content with ¹  weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties ²  for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance ¹  by signs and wonders and powerful deeds. ² 

You must put away every kind of bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and evil, slanderous talk.

The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment. ¹ 

What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, ¹  and I will continue to rejoice,

he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,

On this topic we have much to say ¹  and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish ²  in hearing.

For this finds God’s favor, ¹  if because of conscience toward God ²  someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly.

And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their ¹  condemnation pronounced long ago ²  is not sitting idly by; ³  their ⁴  destruction is not asleep.

(Look! I will come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ¹  his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ²  be seen.) ³ 

Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ¹  of the whole earth do what is right?” ²