8 When you didn’t know God, you served others who aren’t really gods at all. 9 But now that you do know God, or rather now that God knows you, why would you turn back again to useless and inferior beliefs, to serve them all over again? 10 You people observe special holidays and certain months and seasons and years. 11 I worry that maybe I’ve wasted my time helping you.

12 I implore you to become like me, brothers and sisters, because I’m also just like you. You haven’t wronged me in any way, 13 but you know that it was a result of my fleshly weakness that I originally preached the good message to you.[fn] 14 Yet you didn’t mock or despise me, brothers and sisters, for this trial of my flesh, but rather you received me as God’s messenger like you might have received the messiah Yeshua himself. 15 So where are your generous attitudes now? I know that back then, you would have almost dug your own eyes out to give them to me. 16 Have I now become your enemy just because I told you people the truth?

17 Those others have worked hard to try to win you over, but not for good reasons—they want to cut you off so that you’ll be enthusiastic about them. 18 It’s good to be enthusiastic about things that are always good, and not only at the times when I’m with you, brothers and sisters. 19 My dear ones, who I’m again labouring with in childbirth until the messiah becomes part of you, 20 I wanted to be there with you now, and to speak quite differently than this, because I’m puzzled about you.