Study Desk

Take heede therefore vnto your selues, and to all the flocke, whereof the holy Ghost hath made you Ouerseers, to feede the Church of God, which hee hath purchased with that his owne blood.

I Commende vnto you Phebe our sister, which is a seruaunt of the Church of Cenchrea:

Likewise greete the Church that is in their house. Salute my beloued Epenetus, which is the first fruites of Achaia in Christ.

Gains mine hoste, & of the whole Church saluteth you. Erastus the steward of the citie saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.

To God, I say, only wise, be praise through Iesus Christ for euer. Amen. Written to the Romanes from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe, seruaunt of the Church, which is at Cenchrea.

Vnto the Church of God, which is at Corinthus, to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus, Saintes by calling, with all that call on the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ in euery place, both their Lord, and ours:

For this cause haue I sent vnto you Timotheus, which is my beloued sonne, and faithfull in the Lord, which shall put you in remembrance of my wayes in Christ as I teache euery where in euery Church.

If then ye haue iudgements of things perteining to this life, set vp them which are least esteemed in the Church.

Giue none offence, neither to the Iewes, nor to the Grecians, nor to the Church of God:

For first of all, when ye come together in the Church, I heare that there are dissentions among you: and I beleeue it to be true in some part.

Haue ye not houses to eate & to drinke in? despise ye the Church of God, and shame them that haue not? what shal I say to you? shall I prayse you in this? I prayse you not.

And God hath ordained some in the Church: as first Apostles, secondly Prophetes, thirdly teachers, then them that doe miracles: after that, the giftes of healing, helpers, gouernours, diuersitie of tongues.

He that speaketh strange language, edifieth himselfe: but hee that prophecieth, edifieth the Church.

I would that ye all spake strange languages, but rather that ye prophecied: for greater is hee that prophecieth, then hee that speaketh diuers tongues, except hee expounde it, that the Church may receiue edification.

Euen so, forasmuch as ye couet spirituall giftes, seeke that ye may excell vnto the edifying of the Church.

Yet had I rather in the Church to speake fiue wordes with mine vnderstanding, that I might also instruct others, then ten thousande wordes in a strange tongue.

If therefore when the whole Church is come together in one, and all speake strange tongues, there come in they that are vnlearned, or they which beleeue not, will they not say, that ye are out of your wittes?

But if there be no interpreter, let him keepe silence in the Church, which speaketh languages, and let him speake to himselfe, and to God.

And if they will learne any thing, let them aske their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speake in the Church.

For I am the least of the Apostles, which am not meete to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.