Joshua’s Farewell Address

23 Now it came about after many days, when the Lord had given (A)rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, that (B)Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, their heads, their judges, and their officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in years. And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for (C)the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you. See, (D)I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have eliminated, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the [a]west. And the Lord your God, He will thrust them away from you and [b](E)drive them from you; and (F)you will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God [c]promised you. (G)Be very determined, then, to keep and do everything that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you will not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you will not [d]associate with these nations, these which remain with you, or (H)mention the name of their gods, or (I)make anyone swear by them, or (J)serve them, or bow down to them. But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. (K)For the Lord has [e]driven out great and mighty nations from before you; and as for you, (L)no one has stood against you to this day. 10 (M)One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is (N)He who fights for you, just as He [f]promised you. 11 So take great care for yourselves that you love the Lord your God. 12 For if you ever go back and (O)cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain with you, and (P)intermarry with them, so that you [g]associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to [h]drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a (Q)snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now behold, today (R)I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that (S)not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; they all have [i]been fulfilled for you, not [j]one of them has failed. 15 But it will come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so (T)the Lord will bring upon you [k]all the warnings, until He has eliminated you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 (U)When you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and you go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”

Joshua Reviews Israel’s History

24 Then (V)Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates River, namely, (W)Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. Then (X)I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and (Y)multiplied his [l]descendants and gave him (Z)Isaac. To Isaac I gave (AA)Jacob and Esau, and (AB)to Esau I gave Mount Seir, to possess it; but (AC)Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. Then (AD)I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt [m]by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. So I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and (AE)you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the [n]Red Sea. But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And (AF)you lived in the wilderness for a long time. Then (AG)I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; but I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land when I eliminated them before you. Then (AH)Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent messengers and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I (AI)was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I saved you from his hand. 11 (AJ)You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and (AK)the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Therefore (AL)I handed them over to you. 12 Then I (AM)sent the hornet before you and it [o]drove out the two kings of the Amorites from you—(AN)not by your sword nor your bow. 13 And (AO)I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

“We Will Serve the Lord

14 “Now, therefore, [p](AP)fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and [q]truth; and do away with the gods which your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or (AQ)the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would abandon the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, and did these great signs in our sight and watched over us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”

19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, (AR)for He is a holy God. He is (AS)a jealous God; (AT)He will not forgive your wrongdoing or your sins. 20 (AU)If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and destroy you after He has done good to you.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that (AV)you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now then, do away with the foreign gods which are in your midst, and (AW)incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And (AX)the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and [r]obey His voice.” 25 (AY)So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua (AZ)wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Then Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, (BA)this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke [s]to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.

Joshua’s Death and Burial

29 Now it came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. 30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in (BB)Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.

31 (BC)Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who [t]survived Joshua, and had known every deed of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

32 Now (BD)they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the plot of land (BE)which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred [u]pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. 33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of his son (BF)Phinehas, which was given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 23:4 Lit sunset
  2. Joshua 23:5 Or dispossess
  3. Joshua 23:5 Lit spoke to
  4. Joshua 23:7 Lit come among
  5. Joshua 23:9 Or dispossessed
  6. Joshua 23:10 Lit spoke to
  7. Joshua 23:12 Lit come among
  8. Joshua 23:13 Or dispossess
  9. Joshua 23:14 Lit come
  10. Joshua 23:14 Lit one word
  11. Joshua 23:15 Lit every bad word
  12. Joshua 24:3 Lit seed
  13. Joshua 24:5 Lit according to
  14. Joshua 24:6 Lit Sea of Reeds
  15. Joshua 24:12 Lit drove them out
  16. Joshua 24:14 Or revere
  17. Joshua 24:14 Or faithfulness
  18. Joshua 24:24 Lit listen to
  19. Joshua 24:27 Lit with
  20. Joshua 24:31 Lit prolonged days after
  21. Joshua 24:32 Heb qesitah

Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders

23 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest(A) from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man,(B) summoned all Israel—their elders,(C) leaders, judges and officials(D)—and said to them: “I am very old.(E) You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.(F) Remember how I have allotted(G) as an inheritance(H) for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea(I) in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out(J) for your sake. He will drive them out(K) before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.(L)

“Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law(M) of Moses, without turning aside(N) to the right or to the left.(O) Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear(P) by them. You must not serve them or bow down(Q) to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord(R) your God, as you have until now.

“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations;(S) to this day no one has been able to withstand you.(T) 10 One of you routs a thousand,(U) because the Lord your God fights for you,(V) just as he promised. 11 So be very careful(W) to love the Lord(X) your God.

12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them(Y) and associate with them,(Z) 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out(AA) these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares(AB) and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes,(AC) until you perish from this good land,(AD) which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth.(AE) You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise(AF) has been fulfilled; not one has failed.(AG) 15 But just as all the good things(AH) the Lord your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things(AI) he has threatened, until the Lord your God has destroyed you(AJ) from this good land he has given you.(AK) 16 If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.(AL)

The Covenant Renewed at Shechem

24 Then Joshua assembled(AM) all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.(AN) He summoned(AO) the elders,(AP) leaders, judges and officials of Israel,(AQ) and they presented themselves before God.

Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor,(AR) lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.(AS) But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan(AT) and gave him many descendants.(AU) I gave him Isaac,(AV) and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.(AW) I assigned the hill country of Seir(AX) to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.(AY)

“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron,(AZ) and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out.(BA) When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea,(BB) and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen[a](BC) as far as the Red Sea.[b](BD) But they cried(BE) to the Lord for help, and he put darkness(BF) between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them.(BG) You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians.(BH) Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.(BI)

“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites(BJ) who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land.(BK) When Balak son of Zippor,(BL) the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor(BM) to put a curse on you.(BN) 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you(BO) again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan(BP) and came to Jericho.(BQ) The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites,(BR) Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites,(BS) but I gave them into your hands.(BT) 12 I sent the hornet(BU) ahead of you, which drove them out(BV) before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow.(BW) 13 So I gave you a land(BX) on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’(BY)

14 “Now fear the Lord(BZ) and serve him with all faithfulness.(CA) Throw away the gods(CB) your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt,(CC) and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites,(CD) in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household,(CE) we will serve the Lord.”(CF)

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake(CG) the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery,(CH) and performed those great signs(CI) before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out(CJ) before us all the nations,(CK) including the Amorites, who lived in the land.(CL) We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.(CM)

19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God;(CN) he is a jealous God.(CO) He will not forgive(CP) your rebellion(CQ) and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord(CR) and serve foreign gods, he will turn(CS) and bring disaster(CT) on you and make an end of you,(CU) after he has been good to you.”

21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”

22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses(CV) against yourselves that you have chosen(CW) to serve the Lord.”

“Yes, we are witnesses,(CX)” they replied.

23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods(CY) that are among you and yield your hearts(CZ) to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”(DA)

25 On that day Joshua made a covenant(DB) for the people, and there at Shechem(DC) he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.(DD) 26 And Joshua recorded(DE) these things in the Book of the Law of God.(DF) Then he took a large stone(DG) and set it up there under the oak(DH) near the holy place of the Lord.

27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone(DI) will be a witness(DJ) against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue(DK) to your God.”(DL)

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.(DM)

Buried in the Promised Land(DN)

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died(DO) at the age of a hundred and ten.(DP) 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah[c](DQ) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.(DR)

31 Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders(DS) who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

32 And Joseph’s bones,(DT) which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt,(DU) were buried at Shechem in the tract of land(DV) that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver[d] from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.

33 And Eleazar son of Aaron(DW) died and was buried at Gibeah,(DX) which had been allotted to his son Phinehas(DY) in the hill country(DZ) of Ephraim.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 24:6 Or charioteers
  2. Joshua 24:6 Or the Sea of Reeds
  3. Joshua 24:30 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
  4. Joshua 24:32 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value.

Former Times of Help and Present Troubles.

For the music director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.

44 God, we have heard with our ears,
Our (A)fathers have told us
The (B)work that You did in their days,
In the (C)days of old.
You with Your own hand (D)drove out the nations;
Then You (E)planted them;
You (F)afflicted the peoples,
Then You (G)let them go free.
For by their own sword they (H)did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your (I)arm and the (J)light of Your presence,
For You (K)favored them.

You are (L)my King, God;
(M)Command [b]victories for Jacob.
Through You we will (N)push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will (O)trample down those who rise up against us.
For I will (P)not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
But You (Q)have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have (R)put to shame those who hate us.
In God we have (S)boasted all day long,
And we will (T)give thanks to Your name forever. Selah

Yet You (U)have rejected us and brought us to (V)dishonor,
And (W)do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to (X)turn back from the enemy;
And those who hate us (Y)have taken spoils for themselves.
11 You turn us over [c]to be eaten like (Z)sheep,
And have (AA)scattered us among the nations.
12 You (AB)sell Your people [d]cheaply,
And have not [e]profited by their sale.
13 You make us an object of (AC)reproach to our neighbors,
Of scoffing and (AD)ridicule to those around us.
14 You make us (AE)a proverb among the nations,
A [f](AF)laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And [g]I am covered with my (AG)humiliation,
16 Because of the voice of one who (AH)taunts and reviles,
Because of the presence of the (AI)enemy and the avenger.

17 All this has come upon us, but we have (AJ)not forgotten You,
And we have not (AK)dealt falsely with Your covenant.
18 Our heart has not (AL)turned back,
And our steps (AM)have not deviated from Your way,
19 Yet You have (AN)crushed us in a place of (AO)jackals
And covered us with [h](AP)deep darkness.

20 If we had (AQ)forgotten the name of our God
Or extended our [i]hands to (AR)a strange god,
21 Would God not (AS)find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
22 But (AT)for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are regarded as (AU)sheep to be slaughtered.
23 (AV)Wake Yourself up, why (AW)do You sleep, Lord?
Awake, (AX)do not reject us forever.
24 Why do You (AY)hide Your face
And (AZ)forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For our (BA)souls have sunk down into the dust;
Our bodies cling to the earth.
26 (BB)Rise up, be our help,
And (BC)redeem us because of Your mercy.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44 Title Possibly Contemplative; or Didactic; or Skillful Psalm
  2. Psalm 44:4 Lit salvation
  3. Psalm 44:11 Lit for food
  4. Psalm 44:12 Lit for no wealth
  5. Psalm 44:12 Or set a high price on them
  6. Psalm 44:14 Lit shaking of the head
  7. Psalm 44:15 Lit the shame of my face has covered me
  8. Psalm 44:19 Or the shadow of death
  9. Psalm 44:20 Lit palms

Psalm 44[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.[b]

We have heard it with our ears,(A) O God;
    our ancestors have told us(B)
what you did in their days,
    in days long ago.(C)
With your hand you drove out(D) the nations
    and planted(E) our ancestors;
you crushed(F) the peoples
    and made our ancestors flourish.(G)
It was not by their sword(H) that they won the land,
    nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand,(I) your arm,(J)
    and the light(K) of your face, for you loved(L) them.

You are my King(M) and my God,(N)
    who decrees[c] victories(O) for Jacob.
Through you we push back(P) our enemies;
    through your name we trample(Q) our foes.
I put no trust in my bow,(R)
    my sword does not bring me victory;
but you give us victory(S) over our enemies,
    you put our adversaries to shame.(T)
In God we make our boast(U) all day long,(V)
    and we will praise your name forever.[d](W)

But now you have rejected(X) and humbled us;(Y)
    you no longer go out with our armies.(Z)
10 You made us retreat(AA) before the enemy,
    and our adversaries have plundered(AB) us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep(AC)
    and have scattered us among the nations.(AD)
12 You sold your people for a pittance,(AE)
    gaining nothing from their sale.

13 You have made us a reproach(AF) to our neighbors,(AG)
    the scorn(AH) and derision(AI) of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword(AJ) among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads(AK) at us.
15 I live in disgrace(AL) all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame(AM)
16 at the taunts(AN) of those who reproach and revile(AO) me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.(AP)

17 All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten(AQ) you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned(AR) back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed(AS) us and made us a haunt for jackals;(AT)
    you covered us over with deep darkness.(AU)

20 If we had forgotten(AV) the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,(AW)
21 would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?(AX)
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep(AY) to be slaughtered.(AZ)

23 Awake,(BA) Lord! Why do you sleep?(BB)
    Rouse yourself!(BC) Do not reject us forever.(BD)
24 Why do you hide your face(BE)
    and forget(BF) our misery and oppression?(BG)

25 We are brought down to the dust;(BH)
    our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up(BI) and help us;
    rescue(BJ) us because of your unfailing love.(BK)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 44:1 In Hebrew texts 44:1-26 is numbered 44:2-27.
  2. Psalm 44:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  3. Psalm 44:4 Septuagint, Aquila and Syriac; Hebrew King, O God; / command
  4. Psalm 44:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Christian Order

11 (A)Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Now (B)I praise you because you (C)remember me in everything and (D)hold firmly to the traditions, just as I handed them down to you. But I want you to understand that Christ is the (E)head of every man, and [a](F)the man is the head of a woman, and God is the (G)head of Christ. Every man who has something on his head while praying or (H)prophesying disgraces his head. But every (I)woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for it is one and the same as the woman [b]whose head is (J)shaved. For if a woman does not cover [c]her head, have her also [d]cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to [e]have her hair cut off or [f]her head shaved, have her cover [g]her head. For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the (K)image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For (L)man [h]does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but (M)woman for the man’s sake. 10 Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 However, in the Lord, neither is woman [i]independent of man, nor is man [j]independent of woman. 12 For as the woman originated from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and (N)all things originate (O)from God. 13 (P)Judge [k]for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, (Q)we have no [l]such practice, nor have (R)the churches of God.

17 Now in giving this next instruction (S)I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together [m]as a church, I hear that [n](T)divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there also (U)have to be factions among you, (V)so that those who are approved may become [o]evident among you. 20 Therefore when you come together it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for when you eat, each one takes his own supper first; and one goes hungry while (W)another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the (X)church of God and (Y)shame those who have nothing? What am I to say to you? Shall (Z)I praise you? In this I do not praise you.

The Lord’s Supper

23 For (AA)I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that (AB)the Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He also took (AC)the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the (AD)new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death (AE)until He comes.

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be (AF)guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a person must (AG)examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the [p]body. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number [q](AH)are asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are (AI)disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with (AJ)the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is (AK)hungry, have him eat (AL)at home, so that you do not come together for judgment. As to the remaining matters, I will (AM)give instructions (AN)when I come.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or the head of a woman is her husband
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:5 Lit who is shaved
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit herself
  4. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit shear herself
  5. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit shear herself
  6. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit herself
  7. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit herself
  8. 1 Corinthians 11:8 Lit is not from
  9. 1 Corinthians 11:11 Lit without
  10. 1 Corinthians 11:11 Lit without
  11. 1 Corinthians 11:13 Lit among
  12. 1 Corinthians 11:16 I.e., the one advocated by Paul’s opponents
  13. 1 Corinthians 11:18 Lit in church
  14. 1 Corinthians 11:18 Or dissensions
  15. 1 Corinthians 11:19 Or recognizable
  16. 1 Corinthians 11:29 I.e., body of the Lord
  17. 1 Corinthians 11:30 I.e., are dead

11 Follow my example,(A) as I follow the example of Christ.(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

I praise you(C) for remembering me in everything(D) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.(E) But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,(F) and the head of the woman is man,[a](G) and the head of Christ is God.(H) Every man who prays or prophesies(I) with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies(J) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.(K) For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

A man ought not to cover his head,[b] since he is the image(L) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;(M) neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.(N) 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own[c] head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.(O)

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.(P)

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper(Q)

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you,(R) for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions(S) among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.(T) 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.(U) As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God(V) by humiliating those who have nothing?(W) What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?(X) Certainly not in this matter!

23 For I received from the Lord(Y) what I also passed on to you:(Z) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,(AA) which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant(AB) in my blood;(AC) do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.(AD)

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.(AE) 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves(AF) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.(AG) 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.(AH) 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined(AI) so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.(AJ)

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry(AK) should eat something at home,(AL) so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come(AM) I will give further directions.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or of the wife is her husband
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:7 Or Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head—she is just like one of the “shorn women.” If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. A man ought not to have long hair
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:10 Or have a sign of authority on her