Crossing the Red Sea

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel to ^(A)turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between ^(B)Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴ And ^(C)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will ^(D)get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, ^(E)and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the ^(F)mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶ So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, ⁷ and took ^(G)six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ⁸ And ^(H)the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while ^(I)the people of Israel were going out defiantly. ⁹ The ^(J)Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them ^(K)encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel ^(L)cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They ^(M)said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is not this what ^(N)we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” ¹³ And Moses said to the people, ^(O)“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For ^(P)the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. ^14 (Q)The Lord will fight for you, and you have only ^(R)to be silent.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. ^16 (S)Lift up your staff, and ^(T)stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ And ^(U)I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and ^(V)I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸ And the Egyptians ^(W)shall know that I am the Lord, ^(X)when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

^19 (Y)Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night^[a] without one coming near the other all night.

²¹ Then Moses ^(Z)stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by ^(AA)a strong east wind all night and ^(AB)made the sea dry land, and the waters were ^(AC)divided. ²² And ^(AD)the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being ^(AE)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. ²⁴ And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, ²⁵ clogging^[b] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the ^(AF)Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(AG)“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” ^27 (AH)So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea ^(AI)returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord ^(AJ)threw^[c] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The ^(AK)waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, ^(AL)not one of them remained. ²⁹ But the ^(AM)people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

³⁰ Thus the Lord ^(AN)saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ^31 (AO)Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they ^(AP)believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

Principles for Marriage

7 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ^(A)“It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ² But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. ^3 (B)The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. ^5 (C)Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, ^(D)so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶ Now as a concession, ^(E)not a command, I say this.^{[a] 7 (F)}I wish that all were ^(G)as I myself am. But ^(H)each has his own gift from God, ^(I)one of one kind and one of another.

⁸ To the unmarried and the widows I say that ^(J)it is good for them to remain single, ^(K)as I am. ⁹ But if they cannot exercise self-control, ^(L)they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰ To the married ^(M)I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): ^(N)the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹ (but if she does, ^(O)she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and ^(P)the husband should not divorce his wife.

¹² To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³ If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. ^(Q)Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. ¹⁵ But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you^{[b] (R)}to peace. ¹⁶ For how do you know, wife, ^(S)whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Live as You Are Called

¹⁷ Only let each person lead the life^{[c] (T)}that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ^(U)This is my rule in ^(V)all the churches. ¹⁸ Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? ^(W)Let him not seek circumcision. ^19 (X)For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but ^(Y)keeping the commandments of God. ^20 (Z)Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. ²¹ Were you a bondservant^[d] when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) ²² For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is ^(AA)a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is ^(AB)a bondservant of Christ. ^23 (AC)You were bought with a price; ^(AD)do not become bondservants of men. ²⁴ So, brothers,^{[e] (AE)}in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

The Unmarried and the Widowed

²⁵ Now concerning^[f] the betrothed,^{[g] (AF)}I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as ^(AG)one who by the Lord's mercy is ^(AH)trustworthy. ²⁶ I think that in view of the present^[h] distress ^(AI)it is good for a person to remain as he is. ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman^[i] marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. ²⁹ This is what I mean, brothers: ^(AJ)the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy ^(AK)as though they had no goods, ³¹ and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For ^(AL)the present form of this world is passing away.

³² I want you to be ^(AM)free from anxieties. ^(AN)The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. ³³ But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, ³⁴ and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. ³⁵ I say this for your own benefit, ^(AO)not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

³⁶ If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,^[j] if his^[k] passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. ³⁷ But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. ³⁸ So then he who marries his betrothed ^(AP)does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.

^39 (AQ)A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only ^(AR)in the Lord. ⁴⁰ Yet ^(AS)in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think ^(AT)that I too have the Spirit of God.

Food Offered to Idols

8 Now concerning^{[l] (AU)}food offered to idols: we know that ^(AV)“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” ^(AW)puffs up, ^(AX)but love builds up. ^2 (AY)If anyone imagines that he knows something, ^(AZ)he does not yet know as he ought to know. ³ But if anyone loves God, ^(BA)he is known by God.^[m]

⁴ Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ^(BB)“an idol has no real existence,” and that ^(BC)“there is no God but one.” ⁵ For although there may be ^(BD)so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ⁶ yet ^(BE)for us there is one God, the Father, ^(BF)from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and ^(BG)one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and ^(BH)through whom we exist.

⁷ However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, ^(BI)through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and ^(BJ)their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ^8 (BK)Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹ But take care ^(BL)that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block ^(BM)to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating^[n] in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,^[o] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹ And so by your knowledge this weak person is ^(BN)destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹² Thus, sinning against your brothers^[p] and ^(BO)wounding their conscience when it is weak, ^(BP)you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, ^(BQ)if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Paul Surrenders His Rights

9 ^(BR)Am I not free? ^(BS)Am I not an apostle? ^(BT)Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? ^(BU)Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? ² If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are ^(BV)the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³ This is my defense to those who would examine me. ^4 (BW)Do we not have the right to eat and drink? ^5 (BX)Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,^[q] as do the other apostles and ^(BY)the brothers of the Lord and ^(BZ)Cephas? ⁶ Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? ^7 (CA)Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? ^(CB)Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

⁸ Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses, ^(CC)“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰ Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written ^(CD)for our sake, because ^(CE)the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. ^11 (CF)If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? ¹² If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, ^(CG)we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything ^(CH)rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Do you not know that ^(CI)those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord commanded that ^(CJ)those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

¹⁵ But ^(CK)I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone ^(CL)deprive me of my ground for boasting. ¹⁶ For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For ^(CM)necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with ^(CN)a stewardship. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? That in my preaching ^(CO)I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹ For ^(CP)though I am free from all, ^(CQ)I have made myself a servant to all, that I might ^(CR)win more of them. ^20 (CS)To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ²¹ To ^(CT)those outside the law I became ^(CU)as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but ^(CV)under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. ^22 (CW)To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. ^(CX)I have become all things to all people, that ^(CY)by all means I might save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, ^(CZ)that I may share with them in its blessings.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives ^(DA)the prize? So ^(DB)run that you may obtain it. ²⁵ Every ^(DC)athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we ^(DD)an imperishable. ²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I ^(DE)do not box as one ^(DF)beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and ^(DG)keep it under control,^[r] lest after preaching to others ^(DH)I myself should be ^(DI)disqualified.