Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Some might say, ‘Everything is permissible for me,’ but not everything is beneficial. Everything might be permissible for me, but I don’t want those things to have control over me.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT “Everything is lawful for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.

UST Some of you say, “I can do anything and not become guilty.” However, I say that some things are not helpful to anybody. Again, some of you say, “I can do anything and not become guilty.” However, I say that I will not serve anything that will make me its slave.

BSB § “Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.

BLB "All things are lawful to me," but not all things do profit. "All things are lawful to me," but I will not be mastered by anything.

AICNT All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

OEB ¶ Everything is allowable for me! Yes, but everything is not profitable. Everything is allowable for me! Yes, but for my part, I will not let myself be enslaved by anything.

WEBBE “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “All things are lawful for me” – but not everything is beneficial. “All things are lawful for me” – but I will not be controlled by anything.

LSV All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I will not be under authority by any;

FBV People say, “I'm free to do anything”—but not everything is appropriate! “I'm free to do anything”—but I will not let anything control me! People say,

TCNT “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.

T4T Some of you may say, “God allows us to do anything that he does not forbid.” But I would reply, “That is true, but not everything that God permits us to do helps us.” Yes, as some of you say, God permits us to do anything that he does not forbid. But as for me, I will not let anything make me its slave; that is, I will not do anything that will gain control over me in such a way that I will not be able to stop doing it.

LEB All things are permitted for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be controlled by anything.

BBE I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

Moff No Moff 1COR book available

Wymth Everything is allowable to me, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable to me, but to nothing will I become a slave.

ASV All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

DRA All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

YLT All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I — I will not be under authority by any;

Drby All things are lawful to me, but all things do not profit; all things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

RV All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Wbstr All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

KJB-1769 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

KJB-1611 [fn]All things are lawfull vnto mee, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawfull for mee, but I will not bee brought vnder the power of any.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

6:12 Or, profitable.

Bshps All thinges are lawfull vnto me, but al thinges are not profitable: Al things are lawfull vnto me, but I will not be brought vnder the power of any.
(All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not profitable: Al things are lawful unto me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.)

Gnva All thinges are lawfull vnto mee, but all thinges are not profitable. I may doe all things, but I will not be brought vnder the power of any thing.
(All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not profitable. I may do all things, but I will not be brought under the power of anything. )

Cvdl I maye do all thinges, but all thinges are not profitable. I maye do all thinges, but I wil be broughte vnder no mas power.
(I may do all things, but all things are not profitable. I may do all things, but I will be brought under no mas power.)

TNT All thinges are lawfull vnto me: but all thinges are not proffitable. I maye do all thinges: but I will be brought vnder no mans power.
(All things are lawful unto me: but all things are not proffitable. I may do all things: but I will be brought under no mans power. )

Wycl Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but not alle thingis ben spedeful. Alle thingis ben leeueful to me, but Y schal not be brouyt doun vndur ony mannus power.
(All things been lawful to me, but not all things been spedeful. All things been lawful to me, but I shall not be brought down under any man's power.)

Luth Ich hab‘ es alles Macht; es frommet aber nicht alles. Ich hab‘ es alles Macht; es soll mich aber nichts gefangennehmen.
(I hab‘ it all/everything Macht; it frommet but not alles. I hab‘ it all/everything Macht; it should me but nothing gefangennehmen.)

ClVg Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt: omnia mihi licent, sed ego sub nullis redigar potestate.[fn]
(Everything to_me licent, but not/no everything expediunt: everything to_me licent, but I under nullis redigar potestate. )

6.12 Omnia mihi licent. Quia dixit potius ferendum esse, quam causas male agere, ne quis putet sua nullo modo esse repetenda, supponit: Omnia mea mihi licet repetere, sed tamen non repetam, quia non omnia expediunt ad cursum meum, sed impediunt. Item per aliam causam idem ostendit. Quasi: Licita sunt, sed non repetam, quia cum sim liber, nolo redigi suo potestate judicis: vel, nolo esse sub dominio alicujus rei, ut causa ejus fratrem offendam.

6.12 Everything to_me licent. Because he_said rather ferendum esse, how causas male agere, not who/any putet his_own nullo modo esse repetenda, supponit: Everything mea to_me licet repetere, but tamen not/no repetam, because not/no everything expediunt to cursum mine, but impediunt. Item through aliam causam idem ostendit. Quasi: Licita are, but not/no repetam, because when/with sim liber, nolo redigi his_own potestate yudicis: vel, nolo esse under dominio alicuyus rei, as causa his brother offendam.

UGNT πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει. πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος.
(panta moi exestin, all’ ou panta sumferei. panta moi exestin, all’ ouk egō exousiasthaʸsomai hupo tinos.)

SBL-GNT Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν· ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει. πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος.
(Panta moi exestin; allʼ ou panta sumferei. panta moi exestin; allʼ ouk egō exousiasthaʸsomai hupo tinos.)

TC-GNT Πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει· πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος.
(Panta moi exestin, all ou panta sumferei; panta moi exestin, all ouk egō exousiasthaʸsomai hupo tinos. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, orange:accents differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Holiness and Sexual Purity

The Bible emphasizes the importance of being holy in our sexual relations. God created humanity as sexual beings, and the first command that he gave Adam and Eve was to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). But after sin entered the world, the good that God had created—including sex—became prone to distortion, and the pages of Scripture are filled with examples of sexual sin. God’s people were called to holiness, and the Israelites were given numerous commands that connected sexuality to their holiness (see, e.g., Lev 18:1-30). The sexual purity of God’s people would be seriously tested in the land of Canaan where illicit sexual practice abounded. Over and over again, the Israelites would fail to live up to God’s standards for sexual purity.

The believers to whom Paul wrote likewise found themselves living in environments where illicit sexual activity was commonplace. In contrast to the so-called sexual freedom of the Greco-Roman world, the sexual life of God’s people was to be characterized by faithfulness and purity (1 Thes 4:3-8). Sexual relationships are to be restricted to marriage alone (1 Cor 7:1-9, 36-37).

God has made Christians holy by the work of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:11; 2 Thes 2:13). They are therefore called to live as his own holy people (1 Cor 1:2). God has given them everything they need to live a holy life in this world (2 Pet 1:3-4). As a result, their way of life is to be distinctly different from that of the unholy world around them. Every part of their life is to reflect the transforming work of the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:2).

It is inappropriate for anyone who is united to Christ to have sexual relations with anyone outside of marriage. Such relations violate the Christian’s body, which has become a sanctuary of the living God and therefore belongs to God (1 Cor 6:12-20).

Though homosexual activity was accepted in Greco-Roman culture, it is condemned throughout the Bible. In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, homosexual activity is viewed as a perversion of God’s intentions for men and women (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:25-27; 1 Cor 6:9-11; 1 Tim 1:8-11).

Paul strongly warns that those who freely give themselves to illicit sexual relations, whether homosexual or heterosexual, will not inherit the Kingdom of God but will suffer God’s judgment (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Col 3:5-6; see also 2 Pet 2:1–3:13). As with all sin, though, forgiveness and cleansing are available for those who turn to Christ with faith and repentance (Acts 2:38; Rom 3:21-26; see 1 Cor 6:11). In every way, God’s people are to live in holiness and godliness (see 2 Pet 3:11-13), in accord with the desires of their Creator and Judge.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 2:18-25; Lev 18:1-30; 20:10-24; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Cor 1:2; 6:9-20; 7:1-9, 14; Gal 5:16-24; Col 3:1-6; 1 Thes 4:3-8; 1 Pet 1:13-16; 2 Pet 1:3-4

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ’ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει. πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος.

all_‹things› ˱to˲_me /is/_permitting but not all_‹things› /is/_benefitting all_‹things› ˱to˲_me /is/_permitting but not I /will_be_being/_mastered by anything

Here Paul repeats Everything is lawful for me to make two separate comments on the statement. By repeating Everything is lawful for me, Paul emphasizes his qualifications or objections to this statement. If your language does not use repetition in this way, you can state Everything is lawful for me once and include both comments after that. Alternate translation: [“Everything is lawful for me,’ but not everything is beneficial, and I will not be mastered by anything]

Note 2 topic: writing-quotations

(Occurrence -1) πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν, ἀλλ’

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει πάντα μοι ἔξεστιν ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος)

Connecting Statement:

In this verse, Paul twice quotes what some people in the Corinthian church are saying. The ULT, by using quotation marks, indicates that these claims are quotations. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Everything is lawful for me and think that Paul is claiming this by clarifying that some of the Corinthians are saying this, and Paul is saying the words that occur after but. Alternate translation: [You say, ‘Everything is lawful for me,’ but I respond that … You say, ‘Everything is lawful for me,’ but I respond that]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

(Occurrence -1) πάντα

Here, Everything refers to any action or behavior that one might pursue. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Everything by clarifying that Paul is referring to any action or behavior. Alternate translation: [Every behavior … every behavior … Every behavior]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

συμφέρει

/is/_benefitting

Here Paul does not say to whom everything is not beneficial. He means that everything is not beneficial to the person or people who say that Everything is lawful for them. If your language would include for whom everything is not beneficial, you could include a phrase such as “for you” here. Alternate translation: [is beneficial for you]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οὐκ ἐγὼ ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό τινος

not I /will_be_being/_mastered by anything

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Paul uses the passive form here to focus on those who are not mastered rather than focusing on anything, which tries to do the “mastering.” Alternate translation: [nothing will master me]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

οὐκ & ἐξουσιασθήσομαι ὑπό

not & /will_be_being/_mastered by

Here, be mastered refers to being under the authority of something else. Paul here means that some things, when a person habitually does them, begin to have power or control over that person. Here, then, he wishes to tell the Corinthians that, while such things might be lawful, they should avoid doing these things because they will be mastered by these things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind be masteredby using words that refer to “power” or “control.” Alternate translation: [will not be controlled by] or [will not be under the power of]

Parallel 1COR 6:12

Connecting Statement: