To them belong the patriarchs, ¹  and from them, ²  by human descent, ³  came the Christ, ⁴  who is God over all, blessed forever! ⁵  Amen.

For if your brother or sister ¹  is distressed because of what you eat, ²  you are no longer walking in love. ³  Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died.

The faith ¹  you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves.

Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another ¹  in accordance with Christ Jesus,

Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, ¹  who was the first convert ²  to Christ in the province of Asia. ³ 

but now is disclosed, and through the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all the nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith –

Think about the circumstances of your call, ¹  brothers and sisters. ²  Not many were wise by human standards, ³  not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. ⁴ 

When I came ¹  to you, brothers and sisters, ²  I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony ³  of God.

The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, ¹  but each will receive his reward according to his work.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds.

But in my opinion, she will be happier if she remains as she is – and I think that I too have the Spirit of God!

For I passed on to you as of first importance ¹  what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, ¹  what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ² 

On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside some income ¹  and save ²  it to the extent that God has blessed you, ³  so that a collection will not have to be made ⁴  when I come.

The churches in the province of Asia ¹  send greetings to you. Aquila and Prisca ²  greet ³  you warmly in the Lord, with the church that meets in their house.

But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in ¹  what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,” ²  we also believe, therefore we also speak.

Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, ¹  but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, ²  so that you were not harmed ³  in any way by us.

that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth ¹  of their generosity.

now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving ¹  according to human standards. ² 

and every arrogant obstacle ¹  that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey ²  Christ.