to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy, and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

Now, brothers and sisters, ¹  if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation or with knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord ¹  or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by ²  God’s power accept your share of suffering ³  for the gospel.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message ¹  would be fully proclaimed ²  for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth!

It read: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord God of the heavens has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build for him a temple in Jerusalem ¹  in Judah. May the Lord your God energize you who belong to his people, so you may be able to go back there!” ² 

But we have rejected ¹  shameful hidden deeds, ²  not behaving ³  with deceptiveness ⁴  or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.