< 1 Corinthians 3 >
1 And as for myself, brethren, I found it impossible to speak to you as spiritual men. It had to be as to worldlings--mere babes in Christ.
And I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual, but as fleshly, as infants in Meshikha.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food, since for this you were not yet strong enough. And even now you are not strong enough:
I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you weren't yet ready. And even now you are still not ready,
3 you are still unspiritual. For so long as jealousy and strife continue among you, can it be denied that you are unspiritual and are living and acting like mere men of the world?
for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and living by human standards?
4 For when some one says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos," is not this the way men of the world speak?
For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are just God's servants, through whose efforts, and as the Lord granted power to each, you accepted the faith.
What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him.
6 I planted and Apollos watered; but it was God who was, all the time, giving the increase.
I planted. Apollos watered. But God made it grow.
7 So that neither the planter nor the waterer is of any importance. God who gives the increase is all in all.
So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who makes it grow.
8 Now in aim and purpose the planter and the waterer are one; and yet each will receive his own special reward, answering to his own special work.
Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
9 Apollos and I are simply fellow workers for and with God, and you are God's field-- God's building.
For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
10 In discharge of the task which God graciously entrusted to me, I--like a competent master-builder--have laid a foundation, and others are building upon it. But let every one be careful how and what he builds.
According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no one can lay any other foundation in addition to that which is already laid, namely Jesus Christ.
For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Yeshua Meshikha.
12 And whether the building which any one is erecting on that foundation be of gold or silver or costly stones, of timber or hay or straw--
But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw;
13 the true character of each individual's work will become manifest. For the day of Christ will disclose it, because that day is soon to come upon us clothed in fire, and as for the quality of every one's work-- the fire is the thing which will test it.
each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is.
14 If any one's work--the building which he has erected--stands the test, he will be rewarded.
If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward.
15 If any one's work is burnt up, he will suffer the loss of it; yet he will himself be rescued, but only, as it were, by passing through the fire.
If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God's Sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God has His home within you?
Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Rukha lives in you?
17 If any one is marring the Sanctuary of God, him will God mar; for the Sanctuary of God is holy, which you all are.
If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, which you are.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If any man imagines that he is wise, compared with the rest of you, with the wisdom of the present age, let him become "foolish" so that he may be wise. (aiōn )
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this age, let him become a fool, that he may become wise. (aiōn )
19 This world's wisdom is "foolishness" in God's sight; for it is written, "He snares the wise with their own cunning."
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He traps the wise in their craftiness."
20 And again, "The Lord takes knowledge of the reasonings of the wise--how useless they are."
And again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
21 Therefore let no one boast about his human teachers.
Therefore let no one boast about people. For all things are yours,
22 For everything belongs to you--be it Paul or Apollos or Peter, the world or life or death, things present or future--everything belongs to you;
whether Paul, or Apollos, or Kipha, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
and you are Meshikha's, and Meshikha is God's.