This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord.

我自夸固然无益，但我是不得已的。如今我要说到主的显现和启示。

虽然自夸无益，我还是不得不夸。我现在要提到主的异象和启示。

虽然自夸无益，我还是不得不夸。我现在要提到主的异象和启示。

自夸虽然无益，但我不得不继续夸下去，谈谈主给我的异象和启示。

夸口固然无益，却也是必要的。现在我要说说主的异象和启示。

夸耀虽然没有益处，但是必须的；我要说到主的异象和启示：

我自誇固然無益，但我是不得已的。如今我要說到主的顯現和啟示。

雖然自誇無益，我還是不得不誇。我現在要提到主的異象和啟示。

雖然自誇無益，我還是不得不誇。我現在要提到主的異象和啟示。

自誇雖然無益，但我不得不繼續誇下去，談談主給我的異象和啟示。

誇口固然無益，卻也是必要的。現在我要說說主的異象和啟示。

我不得不誇口。誇口固然是無益，但我如今卻要進一步、講到主所賜的顯象和啓示。

誇耀雖然沒有益處，但是必須的；我要說到主的異象和啟示：

我自誇固無益、不得已也、惟言主之顯象啟示耳、

我不宜自誇、但言主之顯現默示、

我自誇固於我無益、惟言主之顯現默示、

自誇固非所宜、亦不得已耳。且為爾一述主之顯現及默示可乎。

I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

We can’t gain anything by bragging. But I have to do it anyway. I am going to tell you what I’ve seen. I want to talk about what the Lord has shown me.

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

Boasting is necessary, though it is not beneficial; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:

I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said,“ Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”

I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist.His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide.So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees.

Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.

You say,“ I am allowed to do anything”— but not everything is good for you. You say,“ I am allowed to do anything”— but not everything is beneficial.

Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling,“ Ananias!”“ Yes, Lord!” he replied.The Lord said,“ Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”“ But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias,“ I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem!And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”But the Lord said,“ Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said,“ Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia, to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him,“ Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent!

I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.

You have made me act like a fool. You ought to be writing commendations for me, for I am not at all inferior to these“ super apostles,” even though I am nothing at all.

“ Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants— men and women alike.

Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little.Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too.After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too“ weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about— I’m talking like a fool again— I dare to boast about it, too.Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty nine lashes.Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

“ After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me,‘ Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’“‘ But Lord,’ I argued,‘ they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’“ But the Lord said to me,‘ Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,‘ Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’“‘ Who are you, lord?’ I asked.“ And the Lord replied,‘ I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentilesto open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’“ And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.

And the Lord said to them,“ Now listen to what I say:“ If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.

Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders,“ It’s better that one man should die for the people.”

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River in Babylon, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.This happened during the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity.( The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.)As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human,except that each had four faces and four wings.Their legs were straight, and their feet had hooves like those of a calf and shone like burnished bronze.Under each of their four wings I could see human hands. So each of the four beings had four faces and four wings.The wings of each living being touched the wings of the beings beside it. Each one moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back.Each had two pairs of outstretched wings— one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body.They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in any direction without turning around.The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and lightning seemed to flash back and forth among them.And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning.As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each.The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it.The beings could move in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved.The rims of the four wheels were tall and frightening, and they were covered with eyes all around.When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too.The spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the spirit went, the wheels and the living beings also went.When the beings moved, the wheels moved. When the beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the beings flew upward, the wheels rose up, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.Spread out above them was a surface like the sky, glittering like crystal.Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others’ wings, and each had two wings covering its body.As they flew, their wings sounded to me like waves crashing against the shore or like the voice of the Almighty or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings.As they stood with wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them.Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man.From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.

You say,“ I am allowed to do anything”— but not everything is good for you. And even though“ I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.