If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye 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]?

Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

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?

I am not saying these [things] according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these [things]?

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

if others partake of your substance, have not I a better title? nevertheless, I have not made use of this privilege; but bear with any thing rather than obstruct the gospel of Christ.

Know ye not that, they who labour in the holy rites, do eat the provisions out of the holy place? They who at the altar wait, do, with the altar, share?

But I have not made use of any of these [rights]. And I am not writing these [things] in order that it may be thus with me. For [it would be] better to me rather to die than [for] anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting.

For 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.

For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with an administration.

What 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.

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to everyone, so that I may win more [for Christ].

To the Jews I have become like a Jew in order to win Jews; to men under the Law as if I were under the Law--although I am not--in order to win those who are under the Law;

To those who are without (outside) the Law, [I became] as one without the Law, though [I am] not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

And I am doing all things for the Gospel's sake, that I may become a partaker thereof with others.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, as not uncertainly; so fight I, as not beating the air:

Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

It is no superhuman temptation that you have had. And God can be depended on, not to let you be tried beyond your strength, but when temptation comes, to give you a way out of it, so that you can withstand it.

I am speaking as to wise and sensible people; judge [carefully and thoughtfully consider] for yourselves what I say.

On the contrary, the things which the Gentiles (pagans) sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons [in effect], and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons [by eating at feasts in pagan temples].

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.

If an unbeliever gives you an invitation and you are disposed to accept it, eat whatever is put before you, and ask no questions for conscience' sake.

Now I am not speaking about your own conscience, but the [conscience] of the other [person]. For why [is] my freedom judged by another's conscience?

If, so far as I am concerned, I partake with a grateful heart, why am I to be found fault with in regard to a thing for which I give thanks?"

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Now 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.

But I am anxious that you should understand that the Christ is the Head of every man, that man is the Head of woman, and that God is the Head of the Christ.

But 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.

for, in the first place, when you meet as a Church, there are divisions among you. This is what I am told, and I believe that there is some truth in it.

What? 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.

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.

But, concerning the spiritually gifted, brethren, I am not wishing you to be ignorant.

Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But 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;

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

and if I give away to feed others all my goods, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and have not love, I am profited nothing.

[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.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

I am willing, indeed, that you should all speak in tongues, but rather that you should prophesy; for greater is he that prophesies than he that speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, in order that the church may receive instruction.

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?

Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

For, if I am praying in a tongue, my spirit, is praying, but, my mind, is unfruitful.

What should I do then? I will pray with my spirit [i.e. from within], and I will pray with my understanding also [i.e., with a knowledge of what I am saying]. I will sing with my spirit, and I will sing with my understanding also.

I give praise to God that I am able to make use of tongues more than you all:

Brethren, be not children in understanding: in wickedness be ye as infants, but in understanding be ye grown men.

And the prophets' spirits are [to be] under the prophets' control [i.e., a prophet was to determine if or when he exercised his gift],

If anyone thinks and claims that he is a prophet [a true spokesman for God] or spiritually astute [filled with and energized by the Holy Spirit], let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.

Now 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,

by which also ye are saved, (if ye hold fast the word which I announced to you as the glad tidings,) unless indeed ye have believed in vain.

For I passed on to you {as of first importance} what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

Last of all, he appeared even to me, who am, as it were, the abortion.

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

If then it is I who am the preacher, or they, this is our word, and to this you have given your faith.

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.

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

I face death every day! That is as certain, brothers, as it is that I am proud of you in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord.

Awake up righteously, and sin not; for some are ignorant of God: I speak to you as a matter of shame.

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

And 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.

Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all 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.

And when I am arrived, whomsoever ye shall approve, these I will send with letters to carry your bounty to Jerusalem:

But I will come to you whenever I go through Macedonia (for I am going through Macedonia),

For I do not wish to see you right now just in passing, but I hope to remain with you for some time [later on], if the Lord permits.

I am staying on for the present at Ephesus till Pentecost,

If Timothy comes, see to it that [you put him at ease, so that] he has nothing to fear in regard to you, for he is [devotedly] doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.

So allow no one to treat him with disdain [as if he were inconsequential]. But send him off [cordially, and speed him on his way] in peace, so that he may come to me, for I am expecting him [to come along] with the other brothers.

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.

I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

who comforts me in all my distress, so that I am able to comfort people who are in any distress by the comfort with which I myself am comforted by God.

If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort and salvation; if I am comforted, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffer myself.

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 what I am writing to you is only what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand it fully,

as you have partly understood the meaning of my life, namely that I am your source of pride (as you are mine) on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

It was because I was sure of this that I wanted to come to see you before going anywhere else, to give you a double pleasure;

not to call upon you as I pass into Macedonia, but in my return from thence, to be conducted by you toward Judea.

But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

Now the one who makes us and you as well secure in union with the Messiah and has anointed us is God,

But I appeal to God as my witness [i.e., to verify that I am telling the truth]; it was in order to spare you [i.e., from a disciplinary action] that I decided not to return to Corinth.

not that we rule [like dictators] over your faith, but rather we work with you for [the increase of] your joy; for in your faith you stand firm [in your strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth—the Messiah—is the Son of God, through whom we obtain eternal salvation].

But, so far as I am concerned, I have resolved not to have a painful visit the next time I come to see you.

After all, if I were to grieve you, who should make me happy but the person I am making sad?

I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours.

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.

And 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.

Now whomever you forgive [for doing] anything [wrong], I will forgive also. For indeed, whatever I have forgiven, if I have [actually] forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the sight of Christ. [Note: Paul seems to be saying "Since my forgiveness depends on your forgiveness of the man, I am not sure of my forgiveness because I am not sure of yours"].

for your sakes, that I may not be overreached by Satan, for I am not ignorant of his devices.