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1 Corinthians 2
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Paul’s Proclamation

2 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery[a] of God to you, I did not come with brilliance(A) of speech(B) or wisdom. 2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.(C) 3 I came to you in weakness,(D) in fear,(E) and in much trembling.(F) 4 My speech(G) and my preaching were not with persuasive(H) words of wisdom[b] but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.(I)

Spiritual Wisdom

6 We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature,(J) but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers(K) of this age, who are coming to nothing.(L) 7 On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined(M) before the ages for our glory.(N) 8 None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(O) 9 But as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived –
God has prepared these things for those who love him.[c](P)

10 Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything,(Q) even the depths of God.(R) 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts[d] except his spirit(S) within him? In the same way, no one knows(T) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words(U) taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.[e] 14 But the person without the Spirit[f] does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated[g] spiritually. 15 The spiritual person, however, can evaluate[h] everything, and yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. 16 For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct him?[i](V)

But we have the mind of Christ.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Other mss read testimony
  2. 2:4 Other mss read human wisdom
  3. 2:9 Is 52:15; 64:4
  4. 2:11 Or things
  5. 2:13 Or things with spiritual words
  6. 2:14 Lit natural person
  7. 2:14 Or judged, or discerned, also in v. 15
  8. 2:15 Or judge, or discern
  9. 2:16 Is 40:13
Listen to 1 Corinthians 2
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1 Corinthians 2
New King James Version

Christ Crucified

2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the [a]testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you (A)except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 (B)I was with you (C)in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching (D)were not with persuasive words of [b]human wisdom, (E)but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the (F)power of God.

Spiritual Wisdom

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God [c]ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for (G)had they known, they would not have (H)crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written:

(I)“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But (J)God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the (K)spirit of the man which is in him? (L)Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but (M)the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the [d]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 (N)But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For (O)“who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” (P)But we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 NU mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:4 NU omits human
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:7 predetermined
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:13 NU omits Holy
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1 Corinthians 2
New Living Translation

Paul’s Message of Wisdom

2 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.[b] 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

6 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God[c]—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”[d]

10 But[e] it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.[f] 14 But people who aren’t spiritual[g] can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For,

“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to teach him?”[h]

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 2:1a Greek brothers.
  2. 2:1b Greek God’s mystery; other manuscripts read God’s testimony.
  3. 2:7 Greek But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery.
  4. 2:9 Isa 64:4.
  5. 2:10 Some manuscripts read For.
  6. 2:13 Or explaining spiritual truths in spiritual language, or explaining spiritual truths to spiritual people.
  7. 2:14 Or who don’t have the Spirit; or who have only physical life.
  8. 2:16 Isa 40:13 (Greek version).
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1 Corinthians 2
Legacy Standard Bible

Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit

2 And when I came to you, brothers, I (A)did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you (B)the [a]witness of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in (D)weakness and in (E)fear and in much trembling, 4 and my word and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in (H)the power of God.

6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature, a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)being abolished. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory, 8 (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory. 9 But just as it is written,

“(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 [b](T)But to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the depths of a man except the (W)spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have received, not the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the depths graciously given to us by God, 13 of which depths we also speak, (Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [c]combining spiritual depths with spiritual words.

14 But [d]a (AA)natural man (AB)does not accept the depths of the Spirit of God, for they are (AC)foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because (AD)they are spiritually examined. 15 But he who is (AE)spiritual examines all things, yet he himself is examined by no one. 16 For (AF)who has known the mind of the [e]Lord, that he will direct Him? But (AG)we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some early mss mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:10 Some early mss For
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual things for spiritual men
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:14 Or an unspiritual
  5. 1 Corinthians 2:16 In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 40:13
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1 Corinthians 1
1 Corinthians 3
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Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.

New King James Version (NKJV)

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Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

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