Therefore I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air [just shadow boxing].

And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,

But that what the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. Now I do not wish you to be in communion with demons.

Eat whatever is sold in the [public] meat markets, without asking any questions [about it] for [your] conscience' sake [i.e., do not inquire about the previous use of the food you buy, because you might discover something about it that would make you feel guilty of wrongdoing if you ate it].

If any of those who do not believe invite you to a feast, and if you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for conscience' sake.

I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience?

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

just as I please everyone in all things [as much as possible adapting myself to the interests of others], not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, so that they [will be open to the message of salvation and] may be saved.

Imitate me, as I do the Messiah.

And I approve you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and as I have delivered to you, do ye hold the traditions.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God's churches.

But in prescribing to you on this which I now enter on, I do not praise, namely, that ye come together, not for the better, but for the worse.

Have ye not then houses for eating and drinking? or do ye despise the assembly of God, and put to shame them who have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you? In this point I do not praise.

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is (represents) My body, which is [offered as a sacrifice] for you. Do this in [affectionate] remembrance of Me.”

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

But since we are being judged, we are [also] being disciplined by the Lord, so that we do not have to be condemned along with the world.

But if anyone hungers, let him eat at home, so that you do not come together to condemnation. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

But concerning spiritual manifestations, brethren, I do not wish you to be ignorant.

If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?

If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?

Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, "I do not have need of you," or again, the head to the feet, "I do not have need of you."

and desire earnestly the better gifts; and yet a far excelling way do I shew to you:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

now we do but indirectly see the faint images of things; but then the objects themselves will be before our eyes; now I have a partial knowledge, but then shall I know, even as I myself am known.

But, 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?

It is the same for you. If you do not speak clearly with your tongue, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air.

If therefore I do not know the power of the sound, I shall be to him that speaks a barbarian, and he that speaks a barbarian for me.

{Therefore what should I do}? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will also sing praise with my mind.

So that tongues are not a sign to those who believe, but to those who do not believe. But prophesying is not to those who do not believe, but to those who believe.

Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and everyone speaks in languages [i.e., supernaturally], and outsiders [i.e., people who do not understand the language being spoken] or unbelievers come [into the assembly], will they not say that you people are crazy?

{Therefore what should you do}, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All [things] must be [done] for edification.

[and] you have been saved by it also, if you hold on to it firmly [i.e., continue believing and practicing it]. For if you do not [hold on to it firmly], you will have believed [it] all for nothing.

[For that matter] why are we [running such risks and putting ourselves] in danger [nearly] every hour [if there is no resurrection]?

I protest, by the boasting which I do about you, my brothers, through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord, I myself run the risk of dying every single day!

Come to your senses; do what is right and stop sinning. Some of you do not know God [i.e., in a personal way]. I am saying this to make you ashamed.

And 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;

Lo! a sacred secret, unto you, do I declare: - we shall not, all, sleep, but we shall, all, be changed, -

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn't wasted.

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the assemblies of Galatia, so do ye do also.

Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.

For I do not wish to see you now by the way; for I hope to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.

Now if Timotheus come, see that he may be with you without fear: for he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do.

Let all that ye do be done in love.

Salute you do the assemblies of Asia; salute you much in the Lord do Aquilas and Priscilla, with the assembly in their house;

salute you do all the brethren; salute ye one another in an holy kiss.

For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, as to our tribulation which happened to us in Asia, that we were excessively pressed beyond our power, so as to despair even of living.

For we do not write other things to you but what ye well know and recognise; and I hope that ye will recognise to the end,

When I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a fleshly manner so that in the same breath I say, "Yes, Yes" and "No, No"?

Not that we want to lord it over you in respect of your faith--we do, however, desire to help your joy--for in the matter of your faith you are standing firm.

But if anyone has caused grief, he has not done it to me [only], but to nearly all of you [or, "only partially to all of you"] for I do not want to overstate the case.

If you forgive anyone, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for you in the presence of Christ.

[I do this] so that Satan cannot take advantage of us, for we are not unaware of his schemes.

For we do not, as the many, make a trade of the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, before God, we speak in Christ.

Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some [false teachers], letters of recommendation to you or from you? [No!]

It is not that we are [so] competent as to consider anything [we do] as coming from ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Therefore, cherishing a hope like this, we speak without reserve, and we do not imitate Moses,

I do not do as Moses did, who used to cover his face with a veil to keep the children of Israel from beholding the passing of a fading glory.

Because of this, having this ministration, according as we did receive kindness, we do not faint,

Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God's word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience before God.

In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus Lord, and ourselves your bondmen for Jesus' sake.

We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence.

for all things I do for your sakes, that the plenteous grace by thanks given of many, may redound to the praise of God.

Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day.

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Of course, if we do put it on, we will not be found without a body.

For indeed we who are in the tabernacle groan, being burdened; while yet we do not wish to be unclothed, but clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

For we do not again commend ourselves to you, but we are giving to you occasion of boast in our behalf, that ye may have such with those boasting in countenance, and not in heart.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.

We do not put an obstacle in anyone's way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry.

But, as ministers of God, we [try to] commend ourselves [to others] in every way. [We do this] by [our] great steadfastness in troubles, hardships and difficulties.

Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together.

For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

So even though I wrote to you [as I did], it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but in order to make evident to you before God how earnestly you do care for us [and your willingness to accept our authority].

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

but even as in every thing ye do abound, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love to us, that also in this grace ye may abound;

I do not speak as commanding it, but through the zeal of others, and proving the genuineness of your love.

For you do not forget the loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ--how that for your sakes, although he was rich, he became poor, so that you also might become rich through his poverty.

For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.

I do not urge you to give in order that others may have relief while you are unduly pressed,

but through an equalizing of matters in the present crisis I do want your abundance to relieve their need, that some day their abundance may relieve your need, so that equality may exist --

I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints.

That is why I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you [before I come] and make arrangements in advance for this generous, previously promised gift of yours, so that it would be ready, not as something extorted [or wrung out of you], but as a [voluntary and] generous gift.

I ask that when I do come I will not be driven to the boldness that I intend to show toward those few who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh [like men without the Spirit].

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

For suppose I do boast a little too much of my authority??hich the Lord gave me to build you up, not to pull you down?? will not have to blush for it.

so that I do not want to appear as if I were terrifying you by my letters,

For we do not make bold to rank or to compare ourselves with certain of those commending themselves, but they, among themselves measuring themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not wise,

For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, (for we have come to you also in the glad tidings of the Christ;)

We do not go beyond our proper limit, boasting in the work of other men, but we have the hope that as your faith [in Christ and His divine power] continues to grow, our field among you may be greatly expanded [but still within the limits of our commission],

so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast of work already done in another man's territory.

Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: but indeed ye do bear with me.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him .

I do not think I'm inferior in any way to those "super-apostles."

I am no speaker, perhaps, but knowledge I do possess; I never failed to make myself intelligible to you.

The sin did I do -- myself humbling that ye might be exalted, because freely the good news of God I did proclaim to you?

Why? because I do not love you? God knows.

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if ye do , yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little.