I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me!

What I am saying with this boastful confidence ¹  I do not say the way the Lord would. ²  Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.

But ¹  we did not surrender to them ²  even for a moment, ³  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ⁴ 

in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, ¹  so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Now before faith ¹  came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners ²  until the coming faith would be revealed.

They court you eagerly, ¹  but for no good purpose; ²  they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly. ³ 

so that we, who were the first to set our hope ¹  on Christ, ²  would be to the praise of his glory.

For in fact when we were with you, we were telling you in advance that we would suffer affliction, and so it has happened, as you well know. ¹ 

I would rather appeal ¹  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ²  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ³  –

However, ¹  without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness.

For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally, ¹ 

Now Moses was faithful in all God’s ¹  house ²  as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken.

As it says, ¹  “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! ²  Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” ³ 

Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer ¹  the gifts prescribed by the law.

In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, ¹  so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ¹  through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ ¹ 

For Jesus ¹  had started commanding ²  the evil ³  spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so ⁴  he would be bound with chains and shackles ⁵  and kept under guard. But ⁶  he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted ⁷  places.) ⁸ 

For the heart of this people has become dull, ¹  and their ears are hard of hearing, ²  and they have closed their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, ³  and I would heal them.”’ ⁴