1 Corinthians 7:17-24
New English Translation
The Circumstances of Your Calling
17 Nevertheless,[a] as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches. 18 Was anyone called after he had been circumcised? He should not try to undo his circumcision.[b] Was anyone called who is uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Instead, keeping God’s commandments is what counts. 20 Let each one remain in that situation in life[c] in which he was called. 21 Were you called as a slave?[d] Do not worry about it. But if indeed you are able to be free, make the most of the opportunity. 22 For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought with a price. Do not become slaves of men. 24 In whatever situation someone was called, brothers and sisters,[e] let him remain in it with God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 7:17 tn Or “only”; Grk “if not.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:18 tn Grk “Let him not pull over the foreskin,” that is, attempt to reverse the appearance of circumcision by a surgical procedure. This was sometimes done by Hellenistic Jews to hide the embarrassment of circumcision (1 Macc 1:15; Josephus, Ant. 12.5.1 [12.241]). Cf. BDAG 380 s.v. ἐπισπάω 3.
- 1 Corinthians 7:20 tn Grk “in the calling.” “Calling” in Paul is God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. As in 1:26, calling here stands by metonymy for a person’s circumstances when he becomes a Christian.
- 1 Corinthians 7:21 tn Traditionally, “servant” (KJV), though almost all modern translations render the word as “slave” here.
- 1 Corinthians 7:24 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
1 Corinthians 7:17-24
Common English Bible
17 Nevertheless, each person should live the kind of life that the Lord assigned when he called each one. This is what I teach in all the churches. 18 If someone was circumcised when called, he shouldn’t try to reverse it. If someone wasn’t circumcised when he was called, he shouldn’t be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing; not being circumcised is nothing. What matters is keeping God’s commandments. 20 Each person should stay in the situation they were in when they were called. 21 If you were a slave when you were called, don’t let it bother you. But if you are actually able to be free, take advantage of the opportunity. 22 Anyone who was a slave when they were called by the Lord has the status of being the Lord’s free person. In the same way, anyone who was a free person when they were called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought and paid for. Don’t become slaves of people. 24 So then, brothers and sisters, each of you should stay with God in the situation you were in when you were called.
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