Joseph Provides for His Brothers and Family

45 Then Joseph could not ^(A)control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ² And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. ³ And Joseph said to his brothers, ^(B)“I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

⁴ So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, ^(C)whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, ^(D)for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are ^(E)yet five years in which there will be neither ^(F)plowing nor harvest. ⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸ So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ^(G)ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. ^10 (H)You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ^11 (I)There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ ¹² And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is ^(J)my mouth that speaks to you. ¹³ You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and ^(K)bring my father down here.” ¹⁴ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.

¹⁶ When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, “Joseph's brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. ¹⁷ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, ¹⁸ and take your father and your households, and come to me, and ^(L)I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ ¹⁹ And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take ^(M)wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. ²⁰ Have no concern for^[a] your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

²¹ The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them ^(N)wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. ²² To each and all of them he gave ^(O)a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels^[b] of silver and ^(P)five changes of clothes. ²³ To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. ²⁴ Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, ^(Q)“Do not quarrel on the way.”

²⁵ So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. ²⁶ And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw ^(R)the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. ²⁸ And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 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.