7. Now you are not slaves like before. You are God’s children, and you will receive everything he promised his children.
8. In the past you did not know God. You were slaves to gods that were not real.
9. But now you know the true God. Really, though, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to the same kind of weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?
10-11. It worries me that you follow teachings about special days, months, seasons, and years. I fear that my work for you has been wasted.
12. Brothers and sisters, I became like you. So please become like me. You were very good to me before.
13. You know that I came to you the first time because I was sick. That was when I told the Good News to you.
14. My sickness was a burden to you, but you did not stop showing me respect or make me leave. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel from God. You accepted me as if I were Jesus Christ himself!
15. You were very happy then. Where is that joy now? I can say without a doubt that you would have done anything to help me. If it had been possible, you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me.
16. Am I now your enemy because I tell you the truth?
17. Those people are working hard to persuade you, but this is not good for you. They want to persuade you to turn against us and work hard for them.
18. It is good for you to work hard, of course, if it is for something good. That’s something you should do whether I am there or not.
19. My little children, I am in pain again over you, like a mother giving birth. I will feel this pain until people can look at you and see Christ.
20. I wish I could be with you now. Then maybe I could change the way I am talking to you. Now I don’t know what to do about you.