Two readings: “I did not benefit” and “I did not owe”
But I said these things beforehand, before I interpret 'I did not owe, nor did anyone owe me.' (Jeremiah 2:36 or similar lament) For the writing is double: in most copies 'I did not benefit, nor did anyone benefit me,' (Job 22:3 or Jeremiah 2:36 (LXX)) but in the most accurate and those agreeing with the Hebrew 'I did not owe, nor did anyone owe me.' So one must both interpret what is commonly current and carried in the churches and not leave unexplained what is from the Hebrew writings. He then proclaimed the word; no one received what was said. As a physician also used up the medicines, the sick being undisciplined and filling their own desires.
Perhaps there is a reciprocal affection through the love of humanity of the one benefited toward the one who benefited, so that the speaker also comes to be benefited, since blessed is the one who speaks into ears that hear.
so that the speaker also comes to be benefited, since blessed is the one who speaks into ears that hear. This benefit then a teacher would be benefited from hearers progressing and improving; he would be benefited by having fruit in them. 'No one benefited me.' For if the speaker must have fruit in them, but the hearer receives wrongly and becomes outside what is said, 'No one at all benefited me' is said—since he did not have this benefit which he would have been benefited from the benefited hearer becoming a cause of progress and blessedness for the one who benefited. And otherwise every one who teaches, in the very teaching, as far as the learner is more intelligent, is benefited into what he teaches, into what he learns. For those who speak become better about the lessons they hand over when the hearers, being intelligent and not simply receiving, but cross-examining and asking and testing the will of what is said. So I did not benefit, nor did anyone at all benefit me.
Greek
Ἀλλὰ προλαβὼν ταῦτα εἶπον, πρὶν διηγήσωμαι τὸ «οὐκ ὠφείλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδείς. δισσὴ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ γραφή· ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς πλείστοις ἀντιγράφοις «οὐκ ὠφέλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφέλησέ με οὐδείς«, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀκριβεστάτοις καὶ συμφωνοῦσι τοῖς Ἑβραἱκοῖς «οὐκ ὠφείλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφείλησέ μοι οὐδείς. δεῖ οὖν καὶ τὸ καθημαξευμένον καὶ φερόμενον έν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις διηγήσασθαι καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑβραϊκῶν γραφῶν ἀδιήγητον μὴ καταλιπεῖν. ἐκήρυσσε τοίνυν τὸν λόγον οὐδεὶς προσίετο τὰ λεγόμενα. ὡς καὶ ἰατρὸς προσανήλισκε τὰ φάρμακα, ἀκολάστων ὄντων καὶ τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας πληρούντων τῶν καμνόντων.
ὡσεὶ καὶ ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν· «οὐκ ὠφέλησα, οὐδὲ ὠφέλησέ με οὐδείς. τάχα ἀντιπάθειά ἐστι διὰ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν τοῦ ὠφεληθέντος πρὸς τὸν ὠφελήσαντα.
ὥστε γενέσθαι εἰς τὸ ὠφεληθῆναι καὶ τὸν λέγοντα, ἐπεὶ μακάριος ὁ λέγων εἰς ὠτα ἀκουόντων. ταύτην οὖν τὴν ὠφέλειαν ὠφεληθείη ἂν διδάσκαλος ἀπὸ ἀκροατῶν προκοπτόντων καὶ βελτιουμένων, ὠφεληθείη ἂν τῷ ἔχειν καρποὺς έν αὐτοῖς. 〈ταύτην οὐκ ἔχων ἀπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ῾Ιερεμίας φησίν·> >οὐδείς με ὠφέλησεν<. εἰ Τὰρ καρπὸν μὲν δεῖ ἔχειν ἐν τὸν λέγοντα, ὁ δὲ ἀκροώμενος παρεκδέχοιτο καὶ ἔξω γίνοιτο τῶν λεγομένων, λέγεται τὸ >οὐκ ὠφέλησέ με οὐδὲ εἷς<· ἐπεὶ μὴ ταύτην τὴν ὠφέλειαν, ἣν ὠφελήθη ἂν ἐκ τοῦ τὸν ἀκροατὴν ὠφεληθέντα αἴτιον προκοπῆς καὶ μακαριότητος γενέσθαι τῷ ὠφελήσαντι. καὶ ἄλλως δὲ πᾶς ὁ διδάσκων κατ᾿ αὐτὸ τὸ διδάσκειν, ὅσῳ συνετώτερός έστιν ὀ μανθάνων, ὠφελεῖται εἰς ἃ διδάσκει, εἰς ἃ μανθάνει. καὶ κρείττους γίνονται περὶ ἃ παραδιδόασι μαθήματα οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτε συνετοὶ ὄντες οἱ ἀκροαταὶ καὶ οὐχ ἁπαξαπλῶς παραδέχονται, ἀλλὰ ἀντιβασανίζουσι καὶ ἐρωτῶσι καὶ ἐξετάζουσι τὸ βούλημα τῶν λεγομένων. < οὖν ὠφέλησα, οὔτε ὠφέλησέ με οὐδὲ .