And what value was there in fighting wild beasts— those people of Ephesus— if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection,“ Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

我若当日像寻常人，在以弗所同野兽战斗，那于我有什么益处呢？若死人不复活，我们就吃吃喝喝吧！因为明天要死了。

从人的观点看来，我当日在以弗所同野兽搏斗，对我有什么益处呢？如果死人没有复活，“让我们吃吃喝喝吧！因为明天要死了。”

从人的观点看来，我当日在以弗所同野兽搏斗，对我有什么益处呢？如果死人没有复活，“让我们吃吃喝喝吧！因为明天要死了。”

从人的角度看，我在以弗所与那些“恶兽”格斗对我有什么益处呢？如果死人不会复活，“让我们吃喝吧！因为明天我们就死了。”

我在以弗所和野兽搏斗，如果照着人的意思来看，那对我有什么益处呢？如果死人不会复活，“我们就吃吃喝喝吧，因为我们明天就要死了。”

我在以弗所与野兽搏斗，如果按人的意思来说，对我有什么好处呢？如果死人不会复活，就“让我们吃吃喝喝吧，因为明天我们就要死了。”

我若當日像尋常人，在以弗所同野獸戰鬥，那於我有甚麼益處呢？若死人不復活，我們就吃吃喝喝吧！因為明天要死了。

從人的觀點看來，我當日在以弗所同野獸搏鬥，對我有甚麼益處呢？如果死人沒有復活，「讓我們吃吃喝喝吧！因為明天要死了。」

從人的觀點看來，我當日在以弗所同野獸搏鬥，對我有甚麼益處呢？如果死人沒有復活，「讓我們吃吃喝喝吧！因為明天要死了。」

從人的角度看，我在以弗所與那些「惡獸」格鬥對我有什麼益處呢？如果死人不會復活，「讓我們吃喝吧！因為明天我們就死了。」

我在以弗所和野獸搏鬥，如果照著人的意思來看，那對我有甚麼益處呢？如果死人不會復活，“我們就吃吃喝喝吧，因為我們明天就要死了。”

若按人的說法，我當日在以弗所跟野獸格鬥，那於我又有甚麼益處呢？死人如果不能得甦活起來，那『我們喫喫喝喝吧，因為明天就死了！』

我在以弗所與野獸搏鬥，如果按人的意思來說，對我有什麼好處呢？如果死人不會復活，就「讓我們吃吃喝喝吧，因為明天我們就要死了。」

昔我於以弗所、若效常人鬥獸、有何益哉、若死者不見起、毋寧式飲式食、蓋明日死矣、

始我在以弗所、甘受鬥獸之濫刑、若無復生、斯何益哉、寧圖飲食、明日死至矣、

昔我在以弗所、與獸鬥、若僅似常人、有何益哉、

曩在伊弗所、予曾與猛獸格鬥矣；若依人之常情而論、我亦何樂而為此？若死者無復活、則『人生有酒須當醉、明日死來萬事休；』

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,“ Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Did I fight wild animals in Ephesus with nothing more than human hopes? Then what have I gotten for it? If the dead are not raised,“ Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die.”( Isaiah 22:13)

What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised,“ Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus as a mere man, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise,“ Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

If after the manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for to- morrow we die.

If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then“ let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say,“ Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

And I’ll sit back and say to myself,“ My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

“ Come,” they say,“ let’s get some wine and have a party. Let’s all get drunk. Then tomorrow we’ll do it again and have an even bigger party!”

“ You have said,‘ What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”

They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews.

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?

Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.

About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way.It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy.He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades, and addressed them as follows:“ Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business.But as you have seen and heard, this man Paul has persuaded many people that handmade gods aren’t really gods at all. And he’s done this not only here in Ephesus but throughout the entire province!Of course, I’m not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I’m also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose its influence and that Artemis— this magnificent goddess worshiped throughout the province of Asia and all around the world— will be robbed of her great prestige!”At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting,“ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him.Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater.Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward and told him to explain the situation. He motioned for silence and tried to speak.But when the crowd realized he was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours:“ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak.“ Citizens of Ephesus,” he said.“ Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven.Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash.You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess.“ If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges.And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly.I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.”Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?

For you also ask,‘ What’s in it for me? What’s the use of living a righteous life?’

These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed.

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.