But in my opinion a widow is happier if she stays as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God [in this matter].

Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

Therefore if what I eat causes my brother to fall, never again to the end of my days will I touch any kind of animal food, for fear I should cause my brother to fall.

If I am not an apostle to others, but I am to you at least: for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Do we [i.e., Barnabas and Paul. See verse 6] not have the right to eat and drink [i.e., at the expense of the church]?

Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?

Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Don't you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?

But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

See Israel according to flesh: are not they who eat the sacrifices in communion with the altar?

It 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.

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:

If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

If I eat with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of what I am thankful for?

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

For it is to be expected [i.e., it is inevitable] that there would be dissensions among you, so that those who are approved [by God] can become known among you.

So when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,

For [when you] eat [it], each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk.

For I received from the Lord Himself that [instruction] which I passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in 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.

And there are a variety of [Christian] activities, but the same God provides the power for everyone to do all of them [i.e., it is God who empowers every person who has a gift].

If the whole body were an eye, what part would do the hearing? If the whole were an ear, what part would exercise the sense of smell?

But the way it is, God has placed each individual part in the human body just as it pleased Him.

But the way it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Though I will shew you a way yet more excellent.

[Love] does not act improperly [toward people]; it does not insist on having its own way [at the expense of others]; it is not easily irritated [by others]; it does not keep track of the wrongs [done by others].

Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]. But as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for the gift of special knowledge, it will pass away.

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached to you at first, which ye received, and wherein ye stand.

For I delivered to you at first, what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

it is by the divine favour that I am what I am: and his favour to me was not in vain; no, I laboured more than they all: yet it was not I, it was the divine favour which assisted me.

Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

Then [i.e., at Christ's return] the end [of the world] will occur, when He will turn over the kingdom to God, the Father, after He has abolished all [hostile] dominion, authority and power.

If after the manner of men I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, of what advantage would it be to me, if the dead did not rise again? shall we eat and drink; because to-morrow we die?

Here is a secret truth for you: not all of us are to die, but all of us are to be changed ??52 changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet-call. The trumpet will sound, the dead will rise imperishable, and we shall be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

On every first day of the week [i.e., at the regular Sunday assembly] each one of you should set aside and store up [money] in proportion to your income, so that no collections will have to be taken when I come.

but with you it may be that I shall abide, or even winter, that ye may set me forward on my journey whithersoever I go.

But I do not plan to see you yet, as I will [only] be passing through. For I am hoping to stay with you for some time [i.e., in the future], if the Lord permits.

because a wide door for effective service has opened to me [in Ephesus, a very promising opportunity], and there are many adversaries.

therefore let no one snub him. But send him forth in peace, in order that he may come to me: for I await him with the brethren.

As for our Apollos, I have many times urged him to go to you with the others, but he was always unwilling to go to you at this time. He will come, however, whenever he has a good opportunity.

And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

who out of so great a death did deliver us, and doth deliver, in whom we have hoped that even yet He will deliver;

You 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.

For I wrote to you out of great distress and with an anguished heart, and with many tears, not to cause you sorrow but to make you realize the [overflowing] love which I have especially for you.

If a certain individual has been causing pain, he has been causing pain not so much to me as to all of you ??at anyrate (for I am not going to overstate the case) to a section of you.

To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

Well, when I reached Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, though I had a wide opportunity in the Lord,

and to God are thanks, who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ, and the fragrance of His knowledge He is manifesting through us in every place,

We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair;

So then death worketh in us, but life in you. Yet having the same spirit of faith,

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.

The light burden of our momentary trouble is preparing for us, in measure transcending thought, a weight of imperishable glory;

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

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.

(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):

By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

There is room there for you, yet there is not room, in your love, for us.

Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you,

I use indeed great freedom of speech toward you, yet I greatly glory upon your account: I am filled with comfort, and my joy is still superiour to all my affliction.

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.

I am glad now; not because of the sorrow it caused you, but because your sorrow brought you to repentance. For it was God's will that you should feel sorrow, in order that you should not suffer loss in any way at our hands.

For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

So then, if also I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of him that injured, nor for the sake of him that was injured, but for the sake of our diligent zeal for you being manifested to you before God.

But I will tell you what I think about it; it is to your interest to go on with this enterprise, for you started it last year, you were the first not merely to do anything but to want to do anything.

For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

So let them have proof of how you can love, and of my reasons for being proud of you; it will be a proof read by the churches.

Now this is the way it is: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly too, but whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully too.

And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.

For even though I boast rather freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed [of the truth],

I don't assume to myself the credit of other men's labours in another province, but hope, that when your faith is increased, the bounds now prescribed will be enlarged by you yet farther;

For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

Have I committed an offence in humbling myself, that ye might be exalted, because I have preached the gospel of God to you at free cost?

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

but he has answered me. "My grace is sufficient for you; it is in weakness that my power is perfected."

I have become foolish, - ye, compelled me: - I, in fact, ought, by you, to have been commended; for, not a whit, have I come behind the exceeding overmuch apostles, - even if I am nothing:

For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.

Remember, this is the third time that I have made every preparation to come to see you, and I shall refuse to be a burden to you; I want, not your money, but you. It is not the duty of children to put by for their parents, but of parents to put by for their children.

Now granted, I have not burdened you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit!

All this time you have been thinking that we are [merely] defending ourselves to you. It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking [as one] in Christ; and everything, dearly beloved, is to strengthen you [spiritually].

For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every word established.

Having given himself for our sins, that he might take us away out of this present evil time, according to the will of God and our Father:

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

to reveal his Sou in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I at once declined all conference with flesh and blood: