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1 Corinthians 1
Expanded Bible

1 From Paul. ·God called me [L …called] to be an ·apostle [messenger] of Christ Jesus ·because that is what God wanted [L by the will of God]. Also from Sosthenes [C a coworker; Paul may be dictating the letter to him; see 16:21; perhaps the synagogue leader mentioned in Acts 18:15–17], our ·brother in Christ [L brother].

2 To the church of God in Corinth [C an important city in southern Greece; Paul started the church on his second missionary journey, around ad 52; Acts 18], to you who have been ·made holy [sanctified; dedicated/set apart to God] in Christ Jesus. You were called to be ·God’s holy people [T saints] with all people everywhere who pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—·their Lord and ours [L theirs and ours]:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4 I always thank my God for you because of the ·grace [gift; favor] God has given you in Christ Jesus. 5 I thank God because in Christ you have been ·made rich [enriched] in every way, in all your ·speaking [or spiritual gifts of speaking] and in all your ·knowledge [or gifts of spiritual knowledge]. 6 Just as our ·witness [testimony; message] about Christ has been ·guaranteed to [or confirmed among] you, 7 so you ·have every [L do not lack any] ·gift from God [spiritual gift; L gift] while you wait for the ·return [L revelation] of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 ·Jesus [L …who] will keep you strong until the end so that ·there will be no wrong in you [you will be blameless/faultless] on the day ·our Lord Jesus Christ comes again [L of our Lord Jesus Christ; C the final day of judgment, known in the OT as “the Day of the Lord”]. 9 God, who has called you into ·fellowship [partnership; relationship] with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Problems in the Church

10 I ·beg [urge; appeal to] you, brothers and sisters, ·by the name [or by the authority; or as followers] of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be ·split into groups [divided into factions]. I beg that you be ·completely joined together [fully united; or made complete] by having the same ·kind of thinking [L mind] and the same ·purpose [intention; conviction]. 11 My brothers and sisters, some people from Chloe’s ·family [household; C these could be family members, servants, or business agents] have ·told me quite plainly [reported to me] that there are ·quarrels [conflicts; rivalries] among you. 12 This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another says, “I follow Apollos”; another says, “I follow ·Peter [L Cephas; C Peter’s name in Aramaic; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Mark 1:30; John 1:42]”; and another says, “I follow Christ.” 13 ·Christ has been divided up into different groups! [or Is Christ divided?] Did Paul die on the cross for you? No! Were you baptized in the name of Paul? No! [C “No!” is implied but not stated in the Greek.] 14 I thank God I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius 15 so that now no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 (I also baptized the ·family [household] of Stephanas, but I do not remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 [L For] Christ did not send me to baptize people but to preach the ·Good News [Gospel], and not using ·words of human wisdom [or eloquent language; clever speech] so that the cross of Christ [C the message of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross] would not ·lose its power [or become meaningless; L be emptied].

Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom

18 [L For] The ·teaching [message; word] about the cross is ·foolishness [folly] to those who are ·being lost [headed for destruction; perishing], but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 [L For] It is written in the Scriptures:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
And I will ·reject [thwart; bring to nothing] the ·intelligence [discernment; cleverness] of the ·intelligent [discerning; clever; Is. 29:14].”

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the ·educated person [scholar; or scribe; teacher of the law]? Where is the ·skilled talker [orator; debater; philosopher] of this ·world [age]? ·God has [L Has not God…?] made the wisdom of the world foolish. 21 ·In the wisdom of God the world did [or God wisely determined that the world would] not know God through its own wisdom. So God ·chose [was pleased] to use the ·message that sounds foolish [L folly/foolishness of what was preached] to save those who believe. 22 [L For; Since] The Jews ·ask for [demand] ·miracles [L signs], and the Greeks ·want [seek; look for] wisdom. 23 But we preach ·that Christ was crucified [Christ crucified; or a crucified Messiah]. This ·causes the Jews to stumble [is a stumbling block/offense/obstacle to Jews] and is ·foolishness [folly] to Gentiles. 24 But to those people God has called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 [L For] Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise ·in the way the world judges wisdom [by human standards; L according to the flesh]. Not many of you ·had great influence [were powerful/strong]. Not many of you ·came from important families [were well-born; were of high social status]. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose what the world thinks is ·unimportant [insignificant; lowly] and what the world ·looks down on [despises] and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is ·important [something special]. 29 God did this so that no one can ·brag [boast] in his presence. 30 Because of God you are ·in [united with; in relationship with] Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. ·In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin [L …and became for us righteousness, holiness, and redemption]. 31 So, as the Scripture says, “If people want to ·brag [boast], they should ·brag [boast] only about the Lord [Jer. 9:24].”

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1 Corinthians 1
New English Translation

Salutation

1 From Paul,[a] called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus[b] by the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother, 2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.[c] 3 Grace and peace to you[d] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 For you were made rich[e] in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge[f]— 6 just as the testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you— 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation[g] of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He[h] will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 I urge you, brothers and sisters,[i] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together,[j] to end your divisions,[k] and to be united by the same mind and purpose.[l] 11 For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters,[m] that there are quarrels[n] among you. 12 Now I mean this, that[o] each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,”[p] or “I am with Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he?[q] Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul?[r] 14 I thank God[s] that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name! 16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.[t]

The Message of the Cross

18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent.”[u] 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law?[v] Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. 22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, 23 but we preach about a crucified Christ,[w] a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,[x] and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.[y]

26 Think about the circumstances of your call,[z] brothers and sisters.[aa] Not many were wise by human standards,[ab] not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.[ac] 27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 28 God chose[ad] what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus,[ae] who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”[af]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
  2. 1 Corinthians 1:1 tc Many significant mss, as well as several others (א A Ψ 1739 1881 M sy), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (P46 B D F G 33 it). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred both because it has somewhat better attestation and because it is slightly more difficult and thus more likely the earlier reading (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus.” As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. Thus, on both external and internal grounds, “Christ Jesus” is the preferred reading here.
  3. 1 Corinthians 1:2 tn Grk “theirs and ours.”
  4. 1 Corinthians 1:3 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
  5. 1 Corinthians 1:5 sn Made rich refers to how God richly blessed the Corinthians with an abundance of spiritual gifts (cf. v. 7).
  6. 1 Corinthians 1:5 sn Speech and knowledge refer to the spiritual gifts God had blessed them with (as v. 7 confirms). Paul will discuss certain abuses of their gifts in chapters 12-14, but he thanks God for their giftedness.
  7. 1 Corinthians 1:7 sn The revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ refers to the Lord’s return, when he will be revealed (cf. the reference to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ in v. 8).
  8. 1 Corinthians 1:8 tn Grk “who,” referring to Christ. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  9. 1 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
  10. 1 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “that you all say the same thing.”
  11. 1 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “that there be no divisions among you.”
  12. 1 Corinthians 1:10 tn Grk “that you be united in/by the same mind and in/by the same purpose.”
  13. 1 Corinthians 1:11 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
  14. 1 Corinthians 1:11 tn Or “rivalries, disputes.”
  15. 1 Corinthians 1:12 tn Or “And I say this because.”
  16. 1 Corinthians 1:12 sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211). Both the Aramaic name “Cephas” and the Greek name “Peter” are related to words in each language which mean “rock.”
  17. 1 Corinthians 1:13 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “was he?”).
  18. 1 Corinthians 1:13 tn This third question marks a peak in which Paul’s incredulity at the Corinthians’ attitude is in focus. The words “in fact” have been supplied in the translation to make this rhetorical juncture clear.
  19. 1 Corinthians 1:14 tc The oldest and most significant witnesses to this text, as well as a few others (א* B 6 1739 sams bopt), lack the words τῷ θεῷ (tō theō, “God”), while the rest have them. An accidental omission could well account for the shorter reading, especially since θεῷ would have been written as a nomen sacrum (eucaristwtwqMw). However, one might expect to see, in some mss at least, a dropping of the article but not the divine name. Internally, the Pauline introductory thanksgivings elsewhere always include τῷ θεῷ after εὐχαριστῶ (eucharistō, “I thank”; cf. Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Phil 1:3; Phlm 4; in the plural, note Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:2). However, both the fact that this is already used in 1 Cor 1:4 (thus perhaps motivating scribes to add it ten verses later), and that in later portions of his letters Paul does not consistently use the collocation of εὐχαριστῶ with τῷ θεῷ (Rom 16:4; 1 Cor 10:30), might give one pause. Still, nowhere else in the corpus Paulinum do we see a sentence begin with εὐχαριστῶ without an accompanying τῷ θεῷ. A decision is difficult, but on balance it is probably best to retain the words.
  20. 1 Corinthians 1:17 tn Grk “would not be emptied.”
  21. 1 Corinthians 1:19 sn A quotation from Isa 29:14.
  22. 1 Corinthians 1:20 tn Grk “the scribe.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateus) as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the Mosaic law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
  23. 1 Corinthians 1:23 tn Or “Messiah”; Grk “preach Christ [Messiah] crucified,” giving the content of the message.
  24. 1 Corinthians 1:25 tn Grk “than men.”
  25. 1 Corinthians 1:25 tn Grk “than men.”
  26. 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “Think about your calling.” “Calling” in Paul’s writings usually refers to God’s work of drawing people to faith in Christ. The following verses show that “calling” here stands by metonymy for their circumstances when they became Christians, leading to the translation “the circumstances of your call.”
  27. 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
  28. 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
  29. 1 Corinthians 1:26 tn The Greek word ευγενής (eugenēs) refers to the status of being born into nobility, wealth, or power with an emphasis on the privileges and benefits that come with that position.
  30. 1 Corinthians 1:28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  31. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tn Grk “of him you are in Christ Jesus.”
  32. 1 Corinthians 1:31 sn A quotation from Jer 9:24. The themes of Jer 9 have influenced Paul’s presentation in vv. 26-31. Jeremiah calls upon the wise, the strong, and the wealthy not to trust in their resources but in their knowledge of the true God—and so to boast in the Lord. Paul addresses the same three areas of human pride.
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