1 Corinthians 1 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Corinthians 1

Appeal to Unity

 ¹Paul, ^(A)called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by ^(B)the will of God, and ^(C)Sosthenes our ^(D)brother,

 ²To ^(E)the church of God which is at ^(F)Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints ^(G)by calling, with all who in every place ^(H)call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

 ^3(I)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 ^4(J)I thank ^[a]my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

 ⁵that in everything you were ^(K)enriched in Him, in all ^(L)speech and ^(M)all knowledge,

 ⁶even as ^(N)the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,

 ⁷so that you are not lacking in any gift, ^(O)awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 ^8(P)who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in ^(Q)the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ^9(R)God is faithful, through whom you were ^(S)called into ^(T)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 ¹⁰Now ^(U)I exhort you, ^(V)brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no ^(W)divisions among you, but that you be made complete in ^(X)the same mind and in the same judgment.

 ¹¹For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you.

 ¹²Now I mean this, that ^(Y)each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of ^(Z)Apollos," and "I of ^(AA)Cephas," and "I of Christ."

 ¹³Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you ^(AB)baptized in the name of Paul?

 ^14[b]I thank God that I ^(AC)baptized none of you except ^(AD)Crispus and ^(AE)Gaius,

 ¹⁵so that no one would say you were baptized in my name.

 ¹⁶Now I did baptize also the ^(AF)household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.

 ^17(AG)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ^(AH)not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

The Wisdom of God

 ¹⁸For the word of the cross is ^(AI)foolishness to ^(AJ)those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is ^(AK)the power of God.

 ¹⁹For it is written,
         "^(AL)I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
         AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE."

 ^20(AM)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of ^(AN)this age? Has not God ^(AO)made foolish the wisdom of ^(AP)the world?

 ²¹For since in the wisdom of God ^(AQ)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ^(AR)God was well-pleased through the ^(AS)foolishness of the message preached to ^(AT)save those who believe.

 ²²For indeed ^(AU)Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

 ²³but we preach ^[c](AV)Christ crucified, ^(AW)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles ^(AX)foolishness,

 ²⁴but to those who are ^(AY)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^(AZ)the power of God and ^(BA)the wisdom of God.

 ²⁵Because the ^(BB)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and ^(BC)the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 ²⁶For consider your ^(BD)calling, brethren, that there were ^(BE)not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

 ²⁷but ^(BF)God has chosen the foolish things of ^(BG)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of ^(BH)the world to shame the things which are strong,

 ²⁸and the base things of ^(BI)the world and the despised God has chosen, ^(BJ)the things that are not, so that He may ^(BK)nullify the things that are,

 ²⁹so that ^(BL)no man may boast before God.

 ³⁰But by His doing you are in ^(BM)Christ Jesus, who became to us ^(BN)wisdom from God, and ^(BO)righteousness and ^(BP)sanctification, and ^(BQ)redemption,

 ³¹so that, just as it is written, "^(BR)LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."