Chronological
Servant Leadership Wins Over All
9 Am I not free? Am I not an emissary? Have I not seen Yeshua our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an emissary, at least I am to you—for you are the seal of my office of emissary in the Lord.
3 My defense to those who examine me is this. 4 Don’t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other emissaries and the Lord’s brothers and Kefa? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to not work? 7 What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink its milk?
8 I don’t say these things merely as a man, do I? Doesn’t Torah also say these things? 9 For it is written in the Torah of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.”[a] Is it the oxen that concern God, 10 or is He speaking entirely for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because the one plowing ought to plow in hope and the one threshing in hope of a share in the crop. 11 If we sowed spiritual things into you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others have a share in this claim over you, shouldn’t we even more?
Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we put up with all things so that we cause no hindrance to the Good News of Messiah. 13 Don’t you know that those who perform the holy services eat from the Temple, and those who wait on the altar receive a share at the altar? [b] 14 So also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the Good News to get their living from the Good News.
15 But I have used none of these things, and I am not writing these things so it will happen this way in my case—for I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason to boast. 16 For if I proclaim the Good News, I have no reason to boast—for pressure is put on me and woe to me if I don’t proclaim the Good News! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have been entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? That when I preach, I may present the Good News free of charge, not making use of my right[c] in the Good News.
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win over more of them. 20 To the Jewish people I identified[d] as a Jew, so that I might win over the Jewish people. To those under Torah I became like one under Torah (though not myself being under Torah), so that I might win over those under Torah; 21 to those outside Torah, like one outside Torah (though not being outside God’s Torah but in Messiah’s Torah), so that I might win over those outside Torah. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win over the weak. I have become all things to all men, so that by all means possible I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the Good News, so that I might be a fellow partaker of it.
24 Don’t you know that in a stadium the runners all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win! 25 Every competitor exercises self-control in all respects. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we do it to receive an imperishable one. 26 So I run in this way—not aimlessly. So I box in this way—not beating the air. 27 Rather, I punish my body and bring it into submission, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Warnings from History
10 For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea. [e] 2 They all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 And all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they were drinking from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the Rock was Messiah. [f] 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.[g]
6 Now these things happened as examples for us, so we wouldn’t crave evil things, just as they did. [h] 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” [i] 8 And let’s not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day 23,000 fell. [j] 9 And let’s not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were destroyed by serpents. [k] 10 And let’s not grumble, as some of them did—and were destroyed by the destroying angel. [l] 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and it was written down as a warning to us—on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let the one who thinks that he stands watch out that he doesn’t fall. 13 No temptation has taken hold of you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful—He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle. But with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so you will be able to endure it.
Feast with the Lord—Not with Idols
14 Therefore, my dearly loved ones, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people—judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless—isn’t it a sharing of Messiah’s blood? The bread which we break—isn’t it a sharing of Messiah’s body? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body—for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider physical Israel. Those who eat the sacrifices—aren’t they partners in the altar?[m]
19 What am I saying then—that an idol sacrifice is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I’m saying that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God, and I don’t want you to become partners with demons. [n] 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?[o] We are not stronger than He, are we?
23 “Everything is permitted”—but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permitted”—but not everything builds up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, without raising questions of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.” [p] 27 If an unbeliever invites you over and you want to go, eat whatever is set before you, without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This is from an idol sacrifice,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 not your own conscience, I mean, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I give thanks for?
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jewish or Greek people or to God’s community— 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Messiah.
Headship and Coverings
2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firm the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Messiah, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same as having been shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, let her cut off her hair. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her cover her head.
7 For surely a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God.[q] But the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. [r] 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 In any case—in the Lord—woman is not independent of man and man is not independent of woman. 12 For just as the woman came from the man, so also the man comes through the woman—but all things are from God.
13 Judge for yourselves—is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Doesn’t the natural order of things[s] teach you—if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace for him; 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory, for her hair was given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone intends to be contentious, we have no such custom—nor do God’s communities.
Unity at the Lord’s Table
17 But in giving you this instruction I do not praise you, for when you meet together it does more harm than good. 18 For first of all, when you come together as Messiah’s community, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it— 19 for there must be factions among you, so that those among you who are tried and true may be evident. 20 Therefore, when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper— 21 for each one takes his own supper beforehand, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. 22 What! It is certainly not that you do not have houses, is it? Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise God’s community and try to humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? I don’t praise you for this!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you—that the Lord Yeshua, on the night He was betrayed, took matzah; [t] 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,[u] “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in memory of Me.” 25 In the same way, He also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant[v] in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and then let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For the one who eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and quite a few have died. [w] 31 For if we were judging ourselves thoroughly, we wouldn’t be coming under judgment. 32 But when we are judged, we are being disciplined by the Lord so that we might not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry let him eat at home, so that when you meet it doesn’t lead to judgment. And the rest I will put in order when I come.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.