Joseph's Brothers Return to Egypt

43 Now the famine was ^(A)severe in the land. ² And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” ³ But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your ^(B)brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. ⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’” ⁶ Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” ⁷ They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” ⁸ And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may ^(C)live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. ⁹ I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. ^(D)If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. ¹⁰ If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little ^(E)balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. ¹² Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money ^(F)that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. ¹³ Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. ¹⁴ May ^(G)God Almighty^{[a] (H)}grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, ^(I)if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

¹⁵ So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ^(J)steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” ¹⁷ The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. ¹⁸ And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.” ¹⁹ So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, ²⁰ and said, ^(K)“Oh, my lord, ^(L)we came down the first time to buy food. ²¹ And ^(M)when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us, ²² and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” ²³ He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. ²⁴ And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and ^(N)given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, ²⁵ they prepared ^(O)the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

²⁶ When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and ^(P)bowed down to him to the ground. ²⁷ And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man ^(Q)of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” ²⁸ They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they ^(R)bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. ²⁹ And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, ^(S)his mother's son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, ^(T)of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” ³⁰ Then Joseph hurried out, for ^(U)his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and ^(V)wept there. ³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. And ^(W)controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” ³² They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is ^(X)an abomination to the Egyptians. ³³ And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. ^34 (Y)Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was ^(Z)five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry^[b] with him.

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.