it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties.

After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God's servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do:

You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths.

while we sent Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in preaching the Good News about Christ. We sent him to strengthen you and help your faith,

If you give these instructions to the believers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, as you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and of the true teaching which you have followed.

I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called "apostles" of yours!

I am acting like a fool---but you have made me do it. You are the ones who ought to show your approval of me. For even if I am nothing, I am in no way inferior to those very special "apostles" of yours.

The many miracles and wonders that prove that I am an apostle were performed among you with much patience.

But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me.

To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me.

Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews;

three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.

Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties.

We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food.

And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake."

And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake."

Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit has warned me that prison and troubles wait for me.

He came to us, took Paul's belt, tied up his own feet and hands with it, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles."

At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him some money; and for this reason he would call for him often and talk with him.

After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix as governor. Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews so he left Paul in prison.

After they had been there several days, Festus explained Paul's situation to the king: "There is a man here who was left a prisoner by Felix;

When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to Julius, an officer in the Roman army regiment called "The Emperor's Regiment."

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier guarding him.

For two years Paul lived in a place he rented for himself, and there he welcomed all who came to see him.

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God.

I urge you, then---I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you.

For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.

As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ.

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

May the Lord show mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he cheered me up many times. He was not ashamed that I am in prison,

Because I preach the Good News, I suffer and I am even chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not in chains,

But because I love you, I make a request instead. I do this even though I am Paul, the ambassador of Christ Jesus, and at present also a prisoner for his sake.

You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your belongings were seized, you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that you still possessed something much better, which would last forever.

We felt that the death sentence had been passed on us. But this happened so that we should rely, not on ourselves, but only on God, who raises the dead.

From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again,

Throughout our lives we are always in danger of death for Jesus' sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours.

as unknown, yet we are known by all; as though we were dead, but, as you see, we live on. Although punished, we are not killed;

Some Jews came from Antioch in Pisidia and from Iconium; they won the crowds over to their side, stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead.

And as for us---why would we run the risk of danger every hour?

If I have, as it were, fought "wild beasts" here in Ephesus simply from human motives, what have I gained? But if the dead are not raised to life, then, as the saying goes, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die."

Perhaps my life's blood is to be poured out like an offering on the sacrifice that your faith offers to God. If that is so, I am glad and share my joy with you all.

And now I am happy about my sufferings for you, for by means of my physical sufferings I am helping to complete what still remains of Christ's sufferings on behalf of his body, the church.