Now what I really meant was for you to stop associating with any so-called brother, if he is sexually immoral, a greedy grasper, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler -- with such a person you must even stop eating.

but for God to judge those who are outside? You must expel that wicked person from your membership.

for you have been bought and actually paid for. So you must honor God with your bodies.

The husband must always give his wife what is due her, and the wife too must do so for her husband.

You husbands and wives must stop refusing each other what is due, unless you agree to do so just for awhile, so as to have plenty of time for prayer, and then to be together again, so as to keep Satan from tempting you because of your lack of self-control.

But if she does leave him, she must remain single, or better, be reconciled to her husband. I instruct the husband too not to divorce his wife.

To the rest of the people I myself would say -- though the Lord Himself has said nothing about it -- if a Christian has a wife that is not a believer and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her;

and a woman who has a husband that is not a believer, but he consents to live with her, must not divorce her husband.

Only, everybody must continue to live in the station which the Lord assigned to him, in that in which God called him. These are my orders in all the churches.

Has a man been called after he was circumcised? He must not try to change it. Has a man been called without being circumcised? He must not be circumcised.

Everybody must remain in the station in which he was called.

Brothers, each one must continue close to God in the very station in which he was called.

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she pleases, except that he must be a Christian.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block to overscrupulous people.

For in the law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox that is treading out your grain." Is it that God is concerned about oxen only?

Do you not know that in a race the runners all run, but only one can get the prize? You must run in such a way that you can get the prize.

You must stop grumbling, as some of them did, and for it were destroyed by the destroying angel.

So the man who thinks he stands securely must be on the lookout not to fall.

You must follow my example, just as I myself am following Christ's.

You must judge for yourselves in this matter. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with nothing on her head?

Yes, indeed, there must be parties among you, in order that people of approved fitness may come to the front among you.

A man, then, must examine himself, and only in this way should he eat any of the bread and drink from the cup.

But you must earnestly continue to cultivate your higher spiritual gifts. And yet I will show you a way that is better by far:

So, as you are ambitious for spiritual gifts, you must keep trying to excel for the upbuilding of the church.

Therefore, the man who speaks in ecstasy must pray for power to explain what he says.

Then what is our conclusion, brothers? When you meet together, everybody has a song, something to teach, a revelation, an ecstatic utterance, or an explanation of one. It must all be for the upbuilding of all.

If anybody speaks in ecstasy, there must be only two, or three at most, and let one speak at a time, and someone explain what he says.

Women must keep quiet in the churches, for no permission is given them to speak. On the contrary, they must take a subordinate place, just as the law says.

Everything must always be done in a proper and orderly way.

for He must continue to be king until He puts all His enemies under His feet.

For this decaying part of us must put on the body that can never decay, and this part once capable of dying must put on the body that can never die.

On the first day of every week each of you must put aside and store up something in proportion as he is prospered, so that no contributions need be made when I come back.

So no one must slight him at all. But send him on with your goodbye, that he may come back to me, for I am expecting him with the other brothers.

Yes, they have cheered my spirit, and yours too. You must deeply appreciate such men.

so you must do the opposite, freely forgive and comfort him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by his excessive sadness.

For if what passed away was introduced with splendor, with how much greater splendor must what is permanent be attended?

For we must all appear before the judgment-bar of Christ, that each may get his pay for what he has done, whether it be good or bad.

To pay me back, I tell you, my children, you too must stretch your hearts with love for me.

Yes, just as you are growing rich in everything else, in faith, expression, knowledge, perfect enthusiasm, and the love inspired in you by us, you must see to it that you grow rich in this gracious contribution too.

So you must furnish them, before all the churches, proof of your love and ground for my praising you so highly.

Each must give what he has purposed in his heart to give, not sorrowfully or under compulsion, for it is the happy giver that God loves.

"But the man who boasts must boast in the Lord.

Let me say again that no one must think that I am a fool, but if you do, please treat me like a fool and let me do a little boasting too, as other fools do.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness!

was actually caught up into paradise, and heard things that must not be told, which no man has a right even to mention.

This is my third visit to you. Any charge preferred must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

You yourselves must continue testing yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. You must continue standing the test. Do you not know by a growing experience that Jesus Christ is in you? -- provided you stand the test.

For you, brothers, were called to freedom; only you must not let your freedom be an excuse for the gratification of your lower nature, but in love be slaves to one another.

For the whole law is summed up in one saying, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself."

Brothers, if anybody is caught in the very act of doing wrong, you who are spiritual, in the spirit of gentleness, must set him right; each of you continuing to think of yourself, for you may be tempted too.

For everyone must carry his own load.

and that Christ in His love, through your faith, may make His permanent home in your hearts. You must be deeply rooted, your foundations must be strong,

So I mean this and now testify to it in the name of the Lord: You must now stop living as the heathen usually do, in the frivolity of their minds,

So you must lay aside falsehood and each of you practice telling the truth to his neighbor, for we are parts of one another.

If you do get angry, you must stop sinning in your anger. Do not ever let the sun go down on your anger;

The man who used to steal must now stop stealing; rather, he must keep on working and toiling with his own hands at some honest vocation, so as to have something to contribute to the needy.

You must stop letting any bad word pass your lips, but only words that are good for building up as the occasion demands, so that they will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers.

You must stop offending the Holy Spirit of God by whom you have been stamped for the day of redemption.

You must remove all bitterness, rage, anger, loud threats, and insults, with all malice.

You must practice being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has graciously forgiven you.

So you must keep on following God's example, as dearly loved children of His,

But sexual vice and any form of immorality or sensual greed must not so much as be mentioned among you, as that is the only course becoming in God's people;

there must be no indecency, silly talk or suggestive jesting, for they are unbecoming. There should be thanksgiving instead.

So you must stop having anything to do with them.

For at one time you were darkness itself, but now in union with the Lord you are light itself. You must live like children of light,

you must approve what is pleasing to the Lord.

Stop having anything to do with the profitless doings of darkness; instead you must continue to expose them.

So you must be very careful how you live, not thoughtlessly but thoughtfully,

You married women must continue to live in subordination to your husbands, as you do to the Lord,

Just as the church is subject to Christ, so the married women in everything must be subject to their husbands.

You married men must love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her,

Therefore, a man must leave his father and mother and so perfectly unite himself to his wife that the two shall be one.

But each one of you married men must love his wife as he loves himself, and the married woman, too, must respect her husband.

"You must honor your father and mother" -- this is the first commandment, with a promise to make it good

You parents, too, must stop exasperating your children, but continue to bring them up with the sort of education and counsel the Lord approves.

You slaves must practice obedience to your earthly masters, with reverence and awe, with sincerity of heart, as you would obey Christ,

You slave-owners, too, must maintain the same attitude toward your slaves, and stop threatening them, for you know that their real Lord and yours is in heaven, and that He never shows partiality.

From now on you must grow stronger through union with the Lord and through His mighty power.

You must put on God's full armor, so as to be able to stand up against the devil's stratagems.

So you must take on God's full armor, so as to be able to take a stand in the day when evil attacks you, and, after having completely finished the contest, to hold your own.

Only you must practice living lives that are worthy of the good news, so that whether I come and see you or stay away, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, and that with one purpose you are continuing to cooperate in the fight for faith in the good news.

you too must do likewise, be glad of it, and congratulate me.

However, we must continue to live up to that degree of success that we have already reached.

So, just as you once accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue living in vital union with Him,

"You must not handle," "You must not taste," "You must not touch,"

But now you too must once for all put them all aside -- anger, rage, malice, and abusive, filthy talk from your lips.

So as God's own chosen people, consecrated and dearly loved, you must once for all clothe yourselves with tenderheartedness, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience; you must keep on

forbearing one another and freely forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; just as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also do.

You married women must continue to live in subordination to your husbands, for this is your Christian duty.

You husbands must continue to love your wives and stop being harsh with them.

Masters, you must practice doing the right and square things by your slaves, for you know that you have a Master in heaven.

You must persevere in prayer and by this means stay wide awake when you give thanks.

For when I was with you, I gave you this direction, "If a person refuses to work, he must not be allowed to eat."

But you, brothers, must never grow tired of doing right.

You must not regard him as an enemy but warn him as a brother.

A married woman must learn in quiet and in perfect submission.

I do not permit a married woman to practice teaching or domineering over a husband; she must keep quiet.

So the pastor must be a man above reproach, must have only one wife, must be temperate, sensible, well-behaved, hospitable, skillful in teaching;

He must not be a new convert, or else becoming conceited he may incur the doom the devil met.

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, or else he may incur reproach and fall into the devil's trap.