8:1Now about things offered to images: we all seem to ourselves to have knowledge. Knowledge gives pride, but love gives true strength. 8:2If anyone seems to himself to have knowledge, so far he has not the right sort of knowledge about anything; 8:3But if anyone has love for God, God has knowledge of him. 8:4So, then, as to the question of taking food offered to images, we are certain that an image is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. 8:5For though there are those who have the name of gods, in heaven or on earth, as there are a number of gods and a number of lords, 8:6There is for us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we are for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we have our being through him. 8:7Still, all men have not that knowledge: but some, being used till now to the image, are conscious that they are taking food which has been offered to the image; and because they are not strong in the faith, their minds are troubled. 8:8But God's approval of us is not based on the food we take: if we do not take it we are no worse for it; and if we take it we are no better. 8:9But take care that this power of yours does not give cause for trouble to the feeble. 8:10For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, taking food as a guest in the house of an image, will it not give him, if he is feeble, the idea that he may take food offered to images? 8:11And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death. 8:12And in this way, doing evil to the brothers, and causing trouble to those whose faith is feeble, you are sinning against Christ. 8:13For this reason, if food is a cause of trouble to my brother, I will give up taking meat for ever, so that I may not be a cause of trouble to my brother.
9:1Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord? 9:2If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle. 9:3My answer to those who are judging me is this. 9:4Have we no right to take food and drink? 9:5Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 9:6Or I only and Barnabas, have we no right to take a rest from work? 9:7Who ever goes to war without looking to someone to be responsible for his payment? who puts in vines and does not take the fruit of them? or who takes care of sheep without drinking of their milk? 9:8Am I talking as a man? does not the law say the same? 9:9For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders? 9:10Or has he us in mind? Yes, it was said for us; because it is right for the ploughman to do his ploughing in hope, and for him who is crushing the grain to do his work hoping for a part in the fruits of it. 9:11If we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world? 9:12If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ. 9:13Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar? 9:14Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news. 9:15But I have not made use of any of these things: and I am not writing this in the hope that it may be so for me: for it would be better for me to undergo death, than for any man to make this pride of mine of no effect. 9:16For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not. 9:17But if I do it gladly, I have a reward; and if not, I am under orders to do it. 9:18What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news. 9:19For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation. 9:20And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law. 9:21To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law. 9:22To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation. 9:23And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it. 9:24Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward. 9:25And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown. 9:26So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air: 9:27But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.
10:1For it is my desire, my brothers, that you may keep in mind how all our fathers were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea; 10:2And they all had baptism from Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 10:3And they all took the same holy food; 10:4And the same holy drink: for they all took of the water from the holy rock which came after them: and the rock was Christ. 10:5But with most of them God was not pleased: for they came to their end in the waste land. 10:6Now these things were for an example to us, so that our hearts might not go after evil things, as they did. 10:7Then do not go after false gods, as some of them did; as it is said in the holy Writings, After resting and feasting, the people got up to take their pleasure. 10:8Again, let us not give way to the desires of the flesh, as some of them did, of whom twenty-three thousand came to their end in one day. 10:9And let us not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and came to their death by snakes. 10:10And do not say evil things against the Lord, as some of them did, and destruction overtook them. 10:11Now these things were done as an example; and were put down in writing for our teaching, on whom the last days have come. 10:12So let him who seems to himself to be safe go in fear of a fall. 10:13You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it. 10:14For this cause, my dear brothers, give no worship to false gods. 10:15What I am saying is for wise men, do you be the judges of it. 10:16The cup of blessing which we take, does it not give us a part in the blood of Christ? and is not the broken bread a taking part in the body of Christ? 10:17Because we, being a number of persons, are one bread, we are one body: for we all take part in the one bread. 10:18See Israel after the flesh: do not those who take as food the offerings of the altar take a part in the altar? 10:19Do I say, then, that what is offered to images is anything, or that the image is anything? 10:20What I say is that the things offered by the Gentiles are offered to evil spirits and not to God; and it is not my desire for you to have any part with evil spirits. 10:21It is not possible for you, at the same time, to take the cup of the Lord and the cup of evil spirits; you may not take part in the table of the Lord and the table of evil spirits. 10:22Or may we be the cause of envy to the Lord? are we stronger than he? 10:23We are free to do all things, but there are things which it is not wise to do. We are free to do all things, but not all things are for the common good. 10:24Let a man give attention not only to what is good for himself, but equally to his neighbour's good. 10:25Whatever meat may be had at the public market, take as food without question of right or wrong; 10:26For the earth is the Lord's and all things in it. 10:27If a Gentile makes a feast for you, and you are pleased to go as a guest, take whatever is put before you, without question of right or wrong. 10:28But if anyone says to you, This food has been used as an offering, do not take it, on account of him who said it, and on account of his sense of right and wrong: 10:29Right and wrong, I say, not for you, but for the other man; for the fact that I am free is not dependent on another man's sense of right or wrong. 10:30But if I give praise to God for the food which I take, let no man say evil of me for that reason. 10:31So then, if it is a question of food or drink, or any other thing, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 10:32Give no cause of trouble to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God. 10:33Even as I give way to all men in all things, not looking for profit for myself, but for the good of others, that they may get salvation.
11:1So take me for your example, even as I take Christ for mine. 11:2Now I am pleased to see that you keep me in memory in all things, and that you give attention to the teaching which was handed down from me to you. 11:3But it is important for you to keep this fact in mind, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 11:4Every man who takes part in prayer, or gives teaching as a prophet, with his head covered, puts shame on his head. 11:5But every woman who does so with her head unveiled, puts shame on her head: for it is the same as if her hair was cut off. 11:6For if a woman is not veiled, let her hair be cut off; but if it is a shame to a woman to have her hair cut off, let her be veiled. 11:7For it is not right for a man to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 11:8For the man did not come from the woman, but the woman from the man. 11:9And the man was not made for the woman, but the woman for the man. 11:10For this reason it is right for the woman to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11:11But the woman is not separate from the man, and the man is not separate from the woman in the Lord. 11:12For as the woman is from the man, so the man is through the woman; but all things are from God. 11:13Be judges yourselves of the question: does it seem right for a woman to take part in prayer unveiled? 11:14Does it not seem natural to you that if a man has long hair, it is a cause of shame to him? 11:15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering. 11:16But if any man will not be ruled in this question, this is not our way of doing things, and it is not done in the churches of God. 11:17But in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 11:18For first of all, it has come to my ears that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and I take the statement to be true in part. 11:19For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you. 11:20But now, when you come together, it is not possible to take the holy meal of the Lord: 11:21For when you take your food, everyone takes his meal before the other; and one has not enough food, and another is the worse for drink. 11:22What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not. 11:23For it was handed down to me from the Lord, as I gave it to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when Judas was false to him, took bread, 11:24And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me. 11:25In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me. 11:26For whenever you take the bread and the cup you give witness to the Lord's death till he comes. 11:27If, then, anyone takes the bread or the cup of the Lord in the wrong spirit, he will be responsible for the body and blood of the Lord. 11:28But let no man take of the bread and the cup without testing himself. 11:29For a man puts himself in danger, if he takes part in the holy meal without being conscious that it is the Lord's body. 11:30For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead. 11:31But if we were true judges of ourselves, punishment would not come on us. 11:32But if punishment does come, it is sent by the Lord, so that we may be safe when the world is judged. 11:33So then, my brothers, when you come together to the holy meal of the Lord, let there be waiting for one another. 11:34If any man is in need of food, let him take his meal in his house; so that you may not come together to your damage. And the rest I will put in order when I come.
12:1But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching. 12:2You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power. 12:3So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. 12:4Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit. 12:5And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord. 12:6And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all. 12:7But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good. 12:8For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit: 12:9To another faith in the same Spirit; and to another the power of taking away disease, by the one Spirit; 12:10And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues: 12:11But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is. 12:12For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ. 12:13For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit. 12:14For the body is not one part, but a number of parts. 12:15If the foot says, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; it is no less a part of the body. 12:16And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same. 12:17If all the body was an eye, where would be the hearing? if all was hearing, where would be the smelling? 12:18But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him. 12:19And if they were all one part, where would the body be? 12:20But now they are all different parts, but one body. 12:21And the eye may not say to the hand, I have no need of you: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 12:22No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary; 12:23And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect; 12:24But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it; 12:25So that there might be no division in the body; but all the parts might have the same care for one another. 12:26And if there is pain in one part of the body, all the parts will be feeling it; or if one part is honoured, all the parts will be glad. 12:27Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it. 12:28And God has put some in the church, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those with wonder-working powers, then those with the power of taking away disease, helpers, wise guides, users of strange tongues. 12:29Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders? 12:30Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense? 12:31But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit. And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.
13:1If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am like sounding brass, or a loud-tongued bell. 13:2And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing. 13:3And if I give all my goods to the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it is of no profit to me. 13:4Love is never tired of waiting; love is kind; love has no envy; love has no high opinion of itself, love has no pride; 13:5Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil; 13:6It takes no pleasure in wrongdoing, but has joy in what is true; 13:7Love has the power of undergoing all things, having faith in all things, hoping all things. 13:8Though the prophet's word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end. 13:9For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet's word gives only a part of what is true: 13:10But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary. 13:11When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child. 13:12For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me. 13:13But now we still have faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
14:1Go after love; still desiring to have the things which the Spirit gives, but most of all that you may have the prophet's power. 14:2For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things. 14:3But the word of the prophet gives men knowledge and comfort and strength. 14:4He who makes use of tongues may do good to himself; but he who gives the prophet's word does good to the church. 14:5Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church. 14:6But, now, my brothers, if I come to you using tongues, what profit will it be to you, if I do not give you a revelation, or knowledge, or the word of the prophet, or teaching? 14:7Even things without life, having a voice, such as a music-pipe or other instrument, if they do not give out different sounds, who may be certain what is being played? 14:8For if the war-horn gives out an uncertain note, who will get ready for the fight? 14:9So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air. 14:10There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense. 14:11But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me. 14:12So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church. 14:13For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense. 14:14For if I make use of tongues in my prayers, my spirit makes the prayer, but not my mind. 14:15What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind. 14:16For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying? 14:17For your giving of the blessing is certainly well done, but of no profit to the man without knowledge. 14:18I give praise to God that I am able to make use of tongues more than you all: 14:19But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue. 14:20My brothers, do not be children in mind: in evil be as little children, but in mind be of full growth. 14:21In the law it is said, By men of other tongues and by strange lips will my words come to this people; and not even so will they give ear to me, says the Lord. 14:22For this reason tongues are for a sign, not to those who have faith, but to those who have not: but the prophet's word is for those who have faith, and not for the rest who have not. 14:23If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced? 14:24But if all are teaching as prophets, and a man without faith or knowledge comes in, he is tested by all, he is judged by all; 14:25The secrets of his heart are made clear; and he will go down on his face and give worship to God, saying that God is truly among you. 14:26What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good. 14:27If any man makes use of a tongue, let it not be more than two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let someone give the sense: 14:28But if there is no one to give the sense, let him keep quiet in the church; and let his words be to himself and to God. 14:29And let the prophets give their words, but not more than two or three, and let the others be judges of what they say. 14:30But if a revelation is given to another who is seated near, let the first be quiet. 14:31For you may all be prophets in turn so that all may get knowledge and comfort; 14:32And the spirits of the prophets are controlled by the prophets; 14:33For God is not a God whose ways are without order, but a God of peace; as in all the churches of the saints. 14:34Let women keep quiet in the churches: for it is not right for them to be talking; but let them be under control, as it says in the law. 14:35And if they have a desire for knowledge about anything, let them put questions to their husbands privately: for talking in the church puts shame on a woman. 14:36What? was it from you that the word of God went out? or did it only come in to you? 14:37If any man seems to himself to be a prophet or to have the Spirit, let him take note of the things which I am writing to you, as being the word of the Lord. 14:38But if any man is without knowledge, let him be so. 14:39So then, my brothers, let it be your chief desire to be prophets; but let no one be stopped from using tongues. 14:40Let all things be done in the right and ordered way.
15:1Now I am going to make clear to you, my brothers, what the good news was which I gave to you, and which you took, and on which your faith is based, 15:2By which you have salvation; that is to say, the form in which it was given to you, if it is fixed in your minds, and if your faith in it is not without effect. 15:3For I gave to you first of all what was handed down to me, how Christ underwent death for our sins, as it says in the Writings; 15:4And he was put in the place of the dead; and on the third day he came back from the dead, as it says in the Writings; 15:5And he was seen by Cephas; then by the twelve; 15:6Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping; 15:7Then he was seen by James; then by all the Apostles. 15:8And last of all, as by one whose birth was out of the right time, he was seen by me. 15:9For I am the least of the Apostles, having no right to be named an Apostle, because of my cruel attacks on the church of God. 15:10But by the grace of God, I am what I am: and his grace which was given to me has not been for nothing; for I did more work than all of them; though not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 15:11If then it is I who am the preacher, or they, this is our word, and to this you have given your faith. 15:12Now if the good news says that Christ came back from the dead, how do some of you say that there is no coming back from the dead? 15:13But if there is no coming back from the dead, then Christ has not come back from the dead: 15:14And if Christ did not come again from the dead, then our good news and your faith in it are of no effect. 15:15Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead. 15:16For if it is not possible for the dead to come to life again, then Christ has not come to life again: 15:17And if that is so, your faith is of no effect; you are still in your sins. 15:18And, in addition, the dead in Christ have gone to destruction. 15:19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy. 15:20But now Christ has truly come back from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are sleeping. 15:21For as by man came death, so by man there is a coming back from the dead. 15:22For as in Adam death comes to all, so in Christ will all come back to life. 15:23But every man in his right order: Christ the first-fruits; then those who are Christ's at his coming. 15:24Then comes the end, when he will give up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have put an end to all rule and to all authority and power. 15:25For his rule will go on till he has put all those who are against him under his feet. 15:26The last power to come to an end is death. 15:27For, as it says, He has put all things under his feet. But when he says, All things are put under him, it is clear that it is not said about him who put all things under him. 15:28And when all things have been put under him, then will the Son himself be under him who put all things under him, so that God may be all in all. 15:29Again, what will they do who are given baptism for the dead? if the dead do not come back at all, why are people given baptism for them? 15:30And why are we in danger every hour? 15:31Yes, truly, by your pride in me, my brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord, my life is one long death. 15:32If, after the way of men, I was fighting with beasts at Ephesus, what profit is it to me? If the dead do not come to life again, let us take our pleasure in feasting, for tomorrow we come to an end. 15:33Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour. 15:34Be awake to righteousness and keep yourselves from sin; for some have no knowledge of God: I say this to put you to shame. 15:35But someone will say, How do the dead come back? and with what sort of body do they come? 15:36Foolish man, it is necessary for the seed which you put into the earth to undergo death in order that it may come to life again: 15:37And when you put it into the earth, you do not put in the body which it will be, but only the seed, of grain or some other sort of plant; 15:38But God gives it a body, as it is pleasing to him, and to every seed its special body. 15:39All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, and another of fishes. 15:40And there are bodies of heaven and bodies of earth, but the glory of the one is different from that of the other. 15:41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for the glory of one star is different from that of another. 15:42So is it with the coming back from the dead. It is planted in death; it comes again in life: 15:43It is planted in shame; it comes again in glory: feeble when it is planted, it comes again in power: 15:44It is planted a natural body; it comes again as a body of the spirit. If there is a natural body, there is equally a body of the spirit. 15:45And so it is said, The first man Adam was a living soul. The last Adam is a life-giving spirit. 15:46But that which is natural comes before that which is of the spirit. 15:47The first man is from the earth, and of the earth: the second man is from heaven. 15:48Those who are of the earth are like the man who was from the earth: and those who are of heaven are like the one from heaven. 15:49And in the same way as we have taken on us the image of the man from the earth, so we will take on us the image of the one from heaven. 15:50Now I say this, my brothers, that it is not possible for flesh and blood to have a part in the kingdom of God; and death may not have a part in life. 15:51See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed. 15:52In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed. 15:53For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life. 15:54But when this has taken place, then that which was said in the Writings will come true, Death is overcome by life. 15:55O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains? 15:56The pain of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: 15:57But praise be to God who gives us strength to overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ. 15:58For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord.
16:1Now about the giving of money for the saints, as I gave orders to the churches of Galatia, so do you. 16:2On the first day of the week, let every one of you put by him in store, in measure as he has done well in business, so that it may not be necessary to get money together when I come. 16:3And when I come, I will send the men of your selection with letters to take the money you have got together to Jerusalem. 16:4And if it is possible for me to go there, they will go with me. 16:5But I will come to you after I have gone through Macedonia, for that is my purpose; 16:6But I may be with you for a time, or even for the winter, so that you may see me on my way, wherever I go. 16:7For it is not my desire to see you now, on my way; because it is my hope to be with you for some time, if that is the Lord's pleasure. 16:8But I will be at Ephesus till Pentecost; 16:9For a great and important door there is open to me, and there are a number of people against me. 16:10Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without fear; because he is doing the Lord's work, even as I am: 16:11See then that he has the honour which is right. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me: for I am looking for him with the brothers. 16:12But as for Apollos, the brother, I had a great desire for him to come to you with the brothers, but it was not his pleasure to come now; but he will come when he has a chance. 16:13Be on the watch, unmoved in the faith, and be strong like men. 16:14Let all you do be done in love. 16:15Now I make my request to you, my brothers, for you have knowledge that the house of Stephanas is the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have made themselves the servants of the saints, 16:16That you put yourselves under such, and under everyone who is helping the Lord's work. 16:17And I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for they have done what was needed to make your work complete. 16:18For they gave comfort to my spirit and to yours: for which cause give respect to such people. 16:19The churches of Asia send their love to you. So do Aquila and Prisca, with the church which is in their house. 16:20All the brothers send their love to you. Give one another a holy kiss. 16:21I, Paul, send you these words of love in my writing. 16:22If any man has not love for the Lord, let him be cursed. Maran atha (our Lord comes). 16:23The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 16:24My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. So be it.
2 Corinthians
1:1Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: 1:2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1:3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; 1:4Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 1:5For as we undergo more of the pain which Christ underwent, so through Christ does our comfort become greater. 1:6But if we are troubled, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which takes effect through your quiet undergoing of the same troubles which we undergo: 1:7And our hope for you is certain; in the knowledge that as you take part in the troubles, so you will take part in the comfort. 1:8For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life: 1:9Yes, we ourselves have had the answer of death in ourselves, so that our hope might not be in ourselves, but in God who is able to give life to the dead: 1:10Who gave us salvation from so great a death: on whom we have put our hope that he will still go on to give us salvation; 1:11You at the same time helping together by your prayer for us; so that for what has been given to us through a number of persons, praise may go up to God for us from all of them. 1:12For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God; not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God. 1:13For in our letters we say no other things to you, but those which you are reading, and to which you give agreement, and, it is my hope, will go on doing so to the end: 1:14Even as you have been ready, in part, to say that we are your glory, in the same way that you are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1:15And being certain of this, it was my purpose to come to you before, so that you might have a second grace; 1:16And by way of Corinth to go into Macedonia, and from there to come back again to you, so that you might send me on my way to Judaea. 1:17If then I had such a purpose, did I seem to be changing suddenly? or am I guided in my purposes by the flesh, saying, Yes, today, and, No, tomorrow? 1:18As God is true, our word to you is not Yes and No. 1:19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we were preaching among you, even I and Silvanus and Timothy, was not Yes and No, but in him is Yes. 1:20For he is the Yes to all the undertakings of God: and by him all the words of God are made certain and put into effect, to the glory of God through us. 1:21Now he who makes our faith strong together with you, in Christ, and has given us of his grace, is God; 1:22And it is he who has put his stamp on us, even the Spirit, as the sign in our hearts of the coming glory. 1:23But God is my witness that it was in pity for you that I did not come to Corinth at that time. 1:24Not that we have authority over your faith, but we are helpers of your joy: for it is faith which is your support.
2:1But it was my decision for myself, not to come again to you with sorrow. 2:2For if I give you sorrow, who then will make me glad, but he who is made sad by me? 2:3And I said this very thing in my letter, for fear that when I came I might have sorrow from those from whom it was right for me to have joy; being certain of this, that my joy is the joy of you all. 2:4For out of much trouble and pain of heart and much weeping I sent my letter to you; not to give you sorrow, but so that you might see how great is the love which I have to you. 2:5But if anyone has been a cause of sorrow, he has been so, not to me only, but in some measure to all of you (I say this that I may not be over-hard on you). 2:6Let it be enough for such a man to have undergone the punishment which the church put on him; 2:7So that now, on the other hand, it is right for him to have forgiveness and comfort from you, for fear that his sorrow may be over-great. 2:8For which cause my desire is that you will make your love to him clear by your acts. 2:9And for the same reason I sent you a letter so that I might be certain of your desire to do my orders in all things. 2:10But if you give forgiveness to anyone, I do the same: for if I have given forgiveness for anything, I have done it because of you, in the person of Christ; 2:11So that Satan may not get the better of us: for we are not without knowledge of his designs. 2:12Now when I came to Troas for the good news of Christ, and there was an open door for me in the Lord, 2:13I had no rest in my spirit because Titus my brother was not there: so I went away from them, and came into Macedonia. 2:14But praise be to God who makes us strong to overcome in Christ, and makes clear through us in every place the value of the knowledge of him. 2:15For we are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation and in those who are going to destruction; 2:16To the one it is a perfume of death to death; to the other a perfume of life to life. And who is enough for such things? 2:17For we are not like the great number who make use of the word of God for profit: but our words are true, as from God, being said as before God in Christ.
3:1Do we seem to be again attempting to put ourselves in the right? or have we need, as some have, of letters of approval to you or from you? 3:2You yourselves are our letter, whose writing is in our heart, open for every man's reading and knowledge; 3:3For you are clearly a letter of Christ, the fruit of our work, recorded not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in stone, but in hearts of flesh. 3:4And this is the certain faith which we have in God through Christ: 3:5Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God; 3:6Who has made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life. 3:7For if the operation of the law, giving death, recorded in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the eyes of the children of Israel had to be turned away from the face of Moses because of its glory, a glory which was only for a time: 3:8Will not the operation of the Spirit have a much greater glory? 3:9For if the operation of the law, producing punishment, had its glory, how much greater will be the operation of the Spirit causing righteousness? 3:10For the glory of the first no longer seems to be glory, because of the greater glory of that which comes after. 3:11For if the order which was for a time had its glory, much more will the eternal order have its glory. 3:12Having then such a hope, we keep nothing back, 3:13And are not like Moses, who put a veil on his face, so that the children of Israel might not see clearly to the end of the present order of things: 3:14But their minds were made hard: for to this very day at the reading of the old agreement the same veil is still unlifted; though it is taken away in Christ. 3:15But to this day, at the reading of the law of Moses, a veil is over their heart. 3:16But when it is turned to the Lord, the veil will be taken away. 3:17Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there the heart is free. 3:18But we all, with unveiled face giving back as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
4:1For this reason, because we have been made servants of this new order, through the mercy given to us, we are strong: 4:2And we have given up the secret things of shame, not walking in false ways, and not making use of the word of God with deceit; but by the revelation of what is true, as before God, we have the approval of every man's sense of right and wrong. 4:3But if our good news is veiled, it is veiled from those who are on the way to destruction: 4:4Because the god of this world has made blind the minds of those who have not faith, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not be shining on them. 4:5For our preaching is not about ourselves, but about Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants through Jesus. 4:6Seeing that it is God who said, Let light be shining out of the dark, who has put in our hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 4:7But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God; 4:8Troubles are round us on every side, but we are not shut in; things are hard for us, but we see a way out of them; 4:9We are cruelly attacked, but not without hope; we are made low, but we are not without help; 4:10In our bodies there is ever the mark of the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be seen in our bodies. 4:11For, while living, we are still being given up to death because of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be seen in our flesh, though it is under the power of death. 4:12So then, death is working in us, but life in you. 4:13But having the same spirit of faith, as it is said in the Writings, The words of my mouth came from the faith in my heart; in the same way, our words are the outcome of our faith; 4:14Because we are certain that he who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead, will do the same for us, and will give us a place in his glory with you. 4:15For we go through all things on account of you, because the greater the number to whom the grace is given, the greater is the praise to the glory of God. 4:16For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day. 4:17For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory; 4:18While our minds are not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are for a time; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
5:1For we are conscious that if this our tent of flesh is taken down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in heaven. 5:2For in this we are crying in weariness, greatly desiring to be clothed with our house from heaven: 5:3So that our spirits may not be unclothed. 5:4For truly, we who are in this tent do give out cries of weariness, for the weight of care which is on us; not because we are desiring to be free from the body, but so that we may have our new body, and death may be overcome by life. 5:5Now he who has made us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a witness of what is to come. 5:6So, then, we are ever without fear, and though conscious that while we are in the body we are away from the Lord, 5:7(For we are walking by faith, not by seeing,) 5:8We are without fear, desiring to be free from the body, and to be with the Lord. 5:9For this reason we make it our purpose, in the body or away from it, to be well-pleasing to him. 5:10For we all have to come before Christ to be judged; so that every one of us may get his reward for the things done in the body, good or bad. 5:11Having in mind, then, the fear of the Lord, we put these things before men, but God sees our hearts; and it is my hope that we may seem right in your eyes. 5:12We are not again requesting your approval, but we are giving you the chance of taking pride in us, so that you may be able to give an answer to those whose glory is in seeming, and not in the heart. 5:13For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are serious, it is for you. 5:14For it is the love of Christ which is moving us; because we are of the opinion that if one was put to death for all, then all have undergone death; 5:15And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead. 5:16For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge. 5:17So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new. 5:18But all things are of God, who has made us at peace with himself through Christ, and has given to us the work of making peace; 5:19That is, that God was in Christ making peace between the world and himself, not putting their sins to their account, and having given to us the preaching of this news of peace. 5:20So we are the representatives of Christ, as if God was making a request to you through us: we make our request to you, in the name of Christ, be at peace with God. 5:21For him who had no knowledge of sin God made to be sin for us; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
6:1We then, working together with God, make our request to you not to take the grace of God to no purpose. 6:2(For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation): 6:3Giving no cause for trouble in anything, so that no one may be able to say anything against our work; 6:4But in everything making it clear that we are the servants of God, in quiet strength, in troubles, in need, in sorrow, 6:5In blows, in prisons, in attacks, in hard work, in watchings, in going without food; 6:6In a clean heart, in knowledge, in long waiting, in being kind, in the Holy Spirit, in true love, 6:7In the true word, in the power of God; with the arms of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 6:8By glory and by shame, by an evil name and a good name; as untrue, and still true; 6:9Unnoted, but still kept fully in mind; as near to death, but still living; as undergoing punishment, but not put to death; 6:10As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things. 6:11Our mouth is open to you, O Corinthians, our heart is wide. 6:12It is not our feelings to you which are narrow, but yours to us. 6:13Now to give me back payment of the same sort (I am talking as to my children), let your hearts be wide open to me. 6:14Do not keep company with those who have not faith: for what is there in common between righteousness and evil, or between light and dark? 6:15And what agreement is there between Christ and the Evil One? or what part has one who has faith with one who has not? 6:16And what agreement has the house of God with images? for we are a house of the living God; even as God has said, I will be living among them, and walking with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people. 6:17For which cause, Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and let no unclean thing come near you; and I will take you for myself, 6:18And will be a Father to you; and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord, the Ruler of all.
7:1Because God, then, will give us such rewards, dear brothers, let us make ourselves clean from all evil of flesh and spirit, and become completely holy in the fear of God. 7:2Let your hearts be open to us: we have done no man wrong, no man has been damaged by us, we have made no profit out of any man, 7:3It is not with the purpose of judging you that I say this: for I have said before that you are in our hearts for life and death together. 7:4My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles. 7:5For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; there were fightings outside and fears inside. 7:6But God who gives comfort to the poor in spirit gave us comfort by the coming of Titus; 7:7And not by his coming only, but by the comfort which he had in you, while he gave us word of your desire, your sorrow, your care for me; so that I was still more glad. 7:8For though my letter gave you pain, I have no regret for it now, though I had before; for I see that the letter gave you pain, but only for a time. 7:9Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything. 7:10For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death. 7:11For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business. 7:12So though I sent you a letter, it was not only because of the man who did the wrong, or because of him to whom the wrong was done, but so that your true care for us might be made clear in the eyes of God. 7:13So we have been comforted: and we had the greater joy in our comfort because of the joy of Titus, for his spirit had been made glad by you all. 7:14For I was not put to shame in anything in which I may have made clear to him my pride in you; but as we said nothing to you but what was true, so the good things which I said to Titus about you were seen by him to be true. 7:15And his love to you is the more increased by his memory of you all, how you gave way to his authority, and how you took him to your hearts with fear and honour. 7:16It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.
8:1And now we give you news, brothers, about the grace of God which has been given to the churches of Macedonia; 8:2How while they were undergoing every sort of trouble, and were in the greatest need, they took all the greater joy in being able to give freely to the needs of others. 8:3For I give them witness, that as they were able, and even more than they were able, they gave from the impulse of their hearts, 8:4Seriously requesting us that they might have a part in this grace of being servants to the needs of the saints: 8:5And going even farther than our hope, they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us after the purpose of God. 8:6So that we made a request to Titus that, as he had made a start before, so he might make this grace complete in you. 8:7And that as you are full of every good thing, of faith, of the word, of knowledge, of a ready mind, and of love to us, so you may be full of this grace in the same way. 8:8I am not giving you an order, but using the ready mind of others as a test of the quality of your love. 8:9For you see the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how though he had wealth, he became poor on your account, so that through his need you might have wealth. 8:10And in this I give my opinion: for it is to your profit, who were the first to make a start a year before, not only to do this, but to make clear that your minds were more than ready to do it. 8:11Then make the doing of it complete; so that as you had a ready mind, you may give effect to it as you are able. 8:12For if there is a ready mind, a man will have God's approval in the measure of what he has, and not of what he has not. 8:13And I am not saying this so that others may get off free, while the weight comes on you: 8:14But so that things may be equal; that from those things of which you have more than enough at the present time their need may be helped, and that if you are in any need they may be a help to you in the same way, making things equal. 8:15As it says in the Writings, He who had taken up much had nothing over and he who had little had enough. 8:16But praise be to God, who puts the same care for you into the heart of Titus. 8:17For while he gladly gave ear to our request, he was interested enough to go to you from the impulse of his heart. 8:18And with him we have sent a brother whose praise in the good news has gone through all the churches; 8:19And not only so, but he was marked out by the churches to go with us in the grace of this giving which we have undertaken to the glory of the Lord and to make clear that our mind was ready: 8:20And so that no man might be able to say anything against us in the business of this giving which has been put into our hands: 8:21For the business has been so ordered by us as to have the approval, not only of the Lord, but of men. 8:22And we have sent with them our brother, whose ready spirit has been made clear to us at times and in ways without number, but it is now all the more so because of the certain faith which he has in you. 8:23If any question comes up about Titus, he is my brother-worker, working with me for you; or about the others, they are the representatives of the churches to the glory of Christ. 8:24Make clear then to them, as representatives of the churches, the quality of your love, and that the things which we have said about you are true.
9:1But there is no need for me to say anything in my letter about the giving to the saints: 9:2For I have before made clear to those of Macedonia my pride in your ready mind, saying to them that Achaia has been ready for a year back; and a great number have been moved to do the same by your example. 9:3But I have sent the brothers, so that the good things we said about you may be seen to be true, and that, as I said, you may be ready: 9:4For fear that, if any from Macedonia come with me, and you are not ready, we (not to say, you) might be put to shame in this thing. 9:5So it seemed to me wise for the brothers to go before, and see that the amount which you had undertaken to give was ready, so that it might be a cause for praise, and not as if we were making profit out of you. 9:6But in the Writings it says, He who puts in only a small number of seeds, will get in the same; and he who puts them in from a full hand, will have produce in full measure from them. 9:7Let every man do after the purpose of his heart; not giving with grief, or by force: for God takes pleasure in a ready giver. 9:8And God is able to give you all grace in full measure; so that ever having enough of all things, you may be full of every good work: 9:9As it is said in the Writings, He has sent out far and wide, he has given to the poor; his righteousness is for ever. 9:10And he who gives seed for putting into the field and bread for food, will take care of the growth of your seed, at the same time increasing the fruits of your righteousness; 9:11Your wealth being increased in everything, with a simple mind, causing praise to God through us. 9:12For this work of giving not only takes care of the needs of the saints, but is the cause of much praise to God; 9:13For when, through this work of giving, they see what you are, they give glory to God for the way in which you have given yourselves to the good news of Christ, and for the wealth of your giving to them and to all; 9:14While their hearts go out to you in love and in prayer for you, because of the great grace of God which is in you. 9:15Praise be to God for what he has given, which words have no power to say.
10:1Now I, Paul, myself make request to you by the quiet and gentle behaviour of Christ, I who am poor in spirit when with you, but who say what is in my mind to you without fear when I am away from you: 10:2Yes, I make my request to you, so that when I am with you I may not have to make use of the authority which may be needed against some to whom we seem to be walking after the flesh. 10:3For though we may be living in the flesh, we are not fighting after the way of the flesh 10:4(For the arms with which we are fighting are not those of the flesh, but are strong before God for the destruction of high places); 10:5Putting an end to reasonings, and every high thing which is lifted up against the knowledge of God, and causing every thought to come under the authority of Christ; 10:6Being ready to give punishment to whatever is against his authority, after you have made it clear that you are completely under his control. 10:7Give attention to the things which are before you. If any man seems to himself to be Christ's, let him keep in mind that we are as much Christ's as he is. 10:8For though I might take pride in our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for your destruction), it will not be a cause of shame to me: 10:9That I may not seem to have the desire of causing you fear by my letters. 10:10For his letters, they say, have weight and are strong; but in body he is feeble, and his way of talking has little force. 10:11Let those who say this keep in mind that, what we are in word by letters when we are away, so will we be in act when we are present. 10:12For we will not make comparison of ourselves with some of those who say good things about themselves: but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and making comparison of themselves with themselves, are not wise. 10:13We will not give glory to ourselves in over-great measure, but after the measure of the rule which God has given us, a measure which comes even to you. 10:14For we have no need to make ourselves seem more than we are, as if our authority did not come as far as to you: for we came even as far as you with the good news of Christ: 10:15Not taking credit to ourselves for what is not our business, that is, for the work of others; but having hope that, with the growth of your faith, we may get the credit for an increase which is the effect of our work, 10:16So that we may be able to go on and take the good news to countries still farther away than you are, and not take credit for another man's work in making things ready to our hand. 10:17But whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord. 10:18For the Lord's approval of a man is not dependent on his opinion of himself, but on the Lord's opinion of him.