1 Corinthians 15
King James Version
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 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.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15
New Life Version
Jesus Christ Was Raised from the Dead
15 Christian brothers, I want to tell the Good News to you again. It is the same as I preached to you before. You received it and your faith has been made strong by it. 2 This is what I preached to you. You are saved from the punishment of sin by the Good News if you keep hold of it, unless your faith was worth nothing.
3 First of all, I taught you what I had received. It was this: Christ died for our sins as the Holy Writings said He would. (A) 4 Christ was buried. He was raised from the dead three days later as the Holy Writings said He would. (B) 5 Christ was seen by Peter. After that, the twelve followers saw Him. 6 After that, more than 500 of His followers saw Him at one time. Most of them are still here, but some have died. 7 After that, James saw Christ. Then all the missionaries saw Him. 8 Last of all, Christ showed Himself to me as if I had been born too late. 9 For I am the least important of all the missionaries. I should not be called a missionary because I made it so hard for God’s church. 10 I am different now. It is all because of what God did for me by His loving-favor. His loving-favor was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other missionaries. But it was not I who worked. It was God’s loving-favor working through me. 11 It makes no difference how you heard the Good News. It could have been through the other missionaries or through me. The important thing is this: We preached the Good News to you and you believed it.
We Will Be Raised from the Dead Also
12 We preached to you that Christ has been raised from the dead. But some of you say that people are not raised from the dead. Why do you say this? 13 If the dead are not raised, then Christ was not raised from the dead. 14 If Christ was not raised from the dead, then what we preach to you is worth nothing. Your faith in Christ is worth nothing. 15 That makes us all liars because we said that God raised Christ from the dead. But God did not raise Christ from the dead if the dead do not come to life again. 16 If the dead are not raised, then not even Christ was raised from the dead. 17 If Christ was not raised from the dead, your faith is worth nothing and you are still living in your sins. 18 Then the Christians who have already died are lost in sin. 19 If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are more sad than anyone else.
20 But it is true! Christ has been raised from the dead! He was the first One to be raised from the dead and all those who are in graves will follow. 21 Death came because of a man, Adam. Being raised from the dead also came because of a Man, Christ. 22 All men will die as Adam died. But all those who belong to Christ will be raised to new life. 23 This is the way it is: Christ was raised from the dead first. Then all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead when He comes again. 24 Next, at the end of the world, Christ will give His holy nation over to God the Father. Christ will have destroyed every nation and power. 25 Christ must be King until He has destroyed all those who hate Him and work against Him. 26 The last thing that will be destroyed is death. 27 The Holy Writings say that God has put all things under Christ’s feet except Himself. 28 When Christ is over all things, He will put Himself under God Who put all things under Christ. And God will be over all things.
29 What good will it do people if they are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised, why are people baptized for them? 30 Why are we also in danger every hour? 31 I say this, Christian brothers, I have joy in what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for you. That is why I face death every day. 32 As men look at it, what good has it done for me in the city of Ephesus to fight with men who act like wild animals? If the dead are not raised, we might as well be like those who say, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not let anyone fool you. Bad people can make those who want to live good become bad. 34 Keep your minds awake! Stop sinning. Some do not know God at all. I say this to your shame.
The Body That Will Be Raised
35 Someone will say, “How are the dead raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 What a foolish question! When you plant a seed, it must die before it starts new life. 37 When you put it in the earth, you are not planting the body which it will become. You put in only a seed. 38 It is God Who gives it a body just as He wants it to have. Each kind of seed becomes a different kind of body.
39 All flesh is not the same. Men have one kind of flesh. Animals have another kind. Fish have another kind, and birds have another kind. 40 There are bodies in the heavens. There are bodies on earth. Their greatness is not the same. 41 The sun has its greatness. The moon has its greatness. Stars have their greatness. One star is different from another star in greatness.
42 It is the same with people who are raised from the dead. The body will turn back to dust when it is put in a grave. When the body is raised from the grave, it will never die. 43 It has no greatness when it is put in a grave, but it is raised with shining-greatness. It is weak when it is put in a grave, but it is raised with power. 44 It is a human body when it dies, but it is a God-like body when it is raised from the dead. There are human bodies and there are God-like bodies. 45 The Holy Writings say, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” But the last Adam (Christ) is a life-giving Spirit.
46 We have these human bodies first. Then we are given God-like bodies that are ready for heaven. 47 Adam was the first man. He was made from the dust of the earth. Christ was the second man. He came down from heaven. 48 All men of the earth are made like Adam. But those who belong to Christ will have a body like the body of Christ Who came from heaven. 49 Now, our bodies are like Adam’s body. But in heaven, our bodies will be like the body of Christ.
50 Christian brothers, our bodies which are made of flesh and blood will not go into the holy nation of God. That which dies can have no part in that which will never die. 51 For sure, I am telling you a secret. We will not all die, but we will all be changed. 52 In a very short time, no longer than it takes for the eye to close and open, the Christians who have died will be raised. It will happen when the last horn sounds. The dead will be raised never to die again. Then the rest of us who are alive will be changed. 53 Our human bodies made from dust must be changed into a body that cannot be destroyed. Our human bodies that can die must be changed into bodies that will never die. 54 When this that can be destroyed has been changed into that which cannot be destroyed, and when this that does die has been changed into that which cannot die, then it will happen as the Holy Writings said it would happen. They said, “Death has no more power over life.” (C) 55 O death, where is your power? O death, where are your pains? 56 The pain in death is sin. Sin has power over those under the Law. 57 But God is the One Who gives us power over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give thanks to Him for this.
58 So then, Christian brothers, because of all this, be strong. Do not allow anyone to change your mind. Always do your work well for the Lord. You know that whatever you do for Him will not be wasted.
1 Corintios 15
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Síntesis del evangelio
15 Ahora les hago saber, hermanos, el evangelio que les prediqué[a](A), el cual también ustedes recibieron, en el cual también están firmes(B), 2 por el cual también son salvos, si retienen(C) la palabra[b] que les prediqué, a no ser que hayan creído en vano(D).
3 Porque yo les entregué en primer lugar lo mismo que recibí(E): que Cristo[c] murió por nuestros pecados(F), conforme a las Escrituras(G); 4 que fue sepultado y que resucitó al tercer día(H), conforme a las Escrituras(I); 5 que se apareció a Cefas[d](J) y después a los doce(K).
6 Luego se apareció a más de 500 hermanos a la vez, la mayoría de los cuales viven aún, pero algunos ya duermen[e](L). 7 Después se apareció a Jacobo[f](M), luego a todos los apóstoles(N). 8 Y al último de todos, como a uno nacido fuera de tiempo[g], se me apareció también a mí(O).
9 Porque yo soy el más insignificante de los apóstoles(P), que no soy digno de ser llamado apóstol, pues perseguí a la iglesia de Dios(Q). 10 Pero por la gracia de Dios(R) soy lo que soy, y Su gracia para conmigo no resultó vana. Antes bien he trabajado mucho más que todos ellos(S), aunque no yo, sino la gracia de Dios en mí(T). 11 Sin embargo, haya sido yo o ellos, así predicamos y así creyeron ustedes.
Si Cristo no ha resucitado
12 Ahora bien, si se predica que Cristo[h] ha resucitado de entre los muertos, ¿cómo dicen algunos entre ustedes que no hay resurrección de muertos(U)? 13 Y si no hay resurrección de muertos, entonces ni siquiera Cristo ha resucitado; 14 y si Cristo no ha resucitado, vana es entonces nuestra predicación, y vana también la fe de ustedes(V). 15 Aún más, somos hallados testigos falsos de Dios, porque hemos testificado contra[i] Dios que Él resucitó a Cristo(W), a quien no resucitó, si en verdad los muertos no resucitan.
16 Porque si los muertos no resucitan, entonces ni siquiera Cristo ha resucitado; 17 y si Cristo no ha resucitado, la fe de ustedes es falsa[j]; todavía están en sus pecados(X). 18 Entonces también los que han dormido[k] en Cristo están perdidos(Y). 19 Si hemos esperado en Cristo para[l] esta vida solamente, somos, de todos los hombres, los más dignos de lástima(Z).
Cristo, garantía de la resurrección
20 Pero ahora Cristo ha resucitado de entre los muertos(AA), primicias(AB) de los que durmieron[m](AC). 21 Porque ya que la muerte entró por un hombre(AD), también por un hombre vino la resurrección de los muertos. 22 Porque así como en Adán todos mueren, también en Cristo todos serán vivificados(AE).
23 Pero cada uno en su debido orden[n]: Cristo, las primicias(AF); luego los que son de Cristo(AG) en Su venida(AH). 24 Entonces vendrá el fin, cuando Él entregue el reino(AI) al Dios y Padre(AJ), después que haya terminado[o] con todo dominio y toda autoridad y poder(AK). 25 Pues Cristo debe reinar hasta que haya puesto a todos Sus enemigos debajo de Sus pies(AL). 26 Y el último enemigo que será eliminado[p] es la muerte(AM).
27 Porque Dios ha puesto todo en sujeción bajo Sus pies(AN). Pero cuando dice que todas las cosas están sujetas a Él(AO), es evidente que se exceptúa a Aquel que ha sometido a Él todas las cosas. 28 Y cuando todo haya sido sometido a Él(AP), entonces también el Hijo mismo se sujetará a Aquel que sujetó a Él todas las cosas, para que Dios sea todo en todos(AQ).
29 De no ser así, ¿qué harán los que se bautizan por los muertos? Si de ninguna manera los muertos resucitan, ¿por qué, entonces, se bautizan por ellos? 30 Y también, ¿por qué estamos en peligro a toda hora(AR)? 31 Les aseguro, hermanos, por la satisfacción[q] que siento por ustedes en Cristo Jesús nuestro Señor, que cada día estoy en peligro de muerte[r](AS).
32 Si por motivos humanos[s] luché contra fieras(AT) en Éfeso(AU), ¿de qué me aprovecha? Si los muertos no resucitan, comamos y bebamos, que mañana moriremos(AV). 33 No se dejen engañar(AW): «Las malas compañías corrompen las buenas costumbres». 34 Sean sobrios(AX), como conviene[t], y dejen de pecar; porque algunos no tienen conocimiento de Dios(AY). Para vergüenza de ustedes lo digo(AZ).
La gloria del cuerpo resucitado
35 Pero alguien dirá(BA): «¿Cómo resucitan los muertos(BB)? ¿Y con qué clase de cuerpo vienen?». 36 ¡Necio(BC)! Lo que tú siembras no llega a tener vida si antes no muere(BD). 37 Y lo que siembras, no siembras el cuerpo que nacerá[u], sino el grano desnudo, quizás de trigo o de alguna otra especie[v]. 38 Pero Dios le da un cuerpo como Él quiso, y a cada semilla su propio cuerpo(BE).
39 No toda carne es la misma carne, sino que una es la de los hombres, otra la[w] de las bestias, otra la[x] de las aves y otra la de los peces. 40 Hay, asimismo, cuerpos celestiales y cuerpos terrestres, pero la gloria del celestial es una, y la del terrestre es otra. 41 Hay una gloria del sol, y otra gloria de la luna, y otra gloria de las estrellas; pues una estrella es distinta de otra estrella en gloria.
42 Así es también la resurrección de los muertos. Se siembra un cuerpo corruptible[y](BF), se resucita un cuerpo incorruptible[z](BG); 43 se siembra en deshonra, se resucita en gloria(BH); se siembra en debilidad, se resucita en poder; 44 se siembra un cuerpo natural(BI), se resucita un cuerpo espiritual(BJ). Si hay un cuerpo natural, hay también un cuerpo espiritual.
45 Así también está escrito: «El primer hombre, Adán, fue hecho alma viviente(BK)». El último Adán(BL), espíritu que da vida(BM). 46 Sin embargo, el espiritual no es primero, sino el natural; luego el espiritual. 47 El primer hombre es de la tierra(BN), terrenal[aa](BO); el segundo hombre es del cielo.
48 Como es el terrenal, así son también los que son terrenales; y como es el celestial, así son también los que son celestiales(BP). 49 Y tal como hemos traído la imagen del terrenal(BQ), traeremos[ab] también la imagen del celestial(BR).
La victoria final sobre la muerte
50 Esto digo, hermanos: que la carne y la sangre(BS) no pueden heredar el reino de Dios(BT); ni lo que se corrompe[ac] hereda lo incorruptible[ad](BU). 51 Así que les digo un misterio(BV): no todos dormiremos[ae], pero todos seremos transformados(BW) 52 en un momento, en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, a la trompeta final. Pues la trompeta sonará(BX) y los muertos resucitarán(BY) incorruptibles, y nosotros seremos transformados(BZ).
53 Porque es necesario que esto corruptible se vista de incorrupción, y esto mortal se vista de inmortalidad(CA). 54 Pero cuando esto corruptible se haya vestido de incorrupción, y esto mortal se haya vestido de inmortalidad, entonces se cumplirá la palabra que está escrita: «Devorada ha sido la muerte en victoria(CB). 55 ¿Dónde está, oh muerte, tu victoria? ¿Dónde, oh sepulcro[af], tu aguijón(CC)?».
56 El aguijón de la muerte es el pecado(CD), y el poder del pecado es la ley(CE); 57 pero a Dios gracias(CF), que nos da la victoria por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo(CG). 58 Por tanto, mis amados hermanos(CH), estén firmes, constantes[ag], abundando siempre en la obra del Señor(CI), sabiendo que su trabajo en el Señor no es en vano.
Footnotes
- 15:1 O anuncié.
- 15:2 O si se aferran a la palabra.
- 15:3 I.e. el Mesías.
- 15:5 O Pedro.
- 15:6 O murieron.
- 15:7 O Santiago.
- 15:8 Lit. en un nacimiento a destiempo.
- 15:12 I.e. el Mesías.
- 15:15 O de.
- 15:17 O sin valor.
- 15:18 O muerto.
- 15:19 Lit. en.
- 15:20 O murieron.
- 15:23 O rango.
- 15:24 O destruido.
- 15:26 O destruido.
- 15:31 O gloria.
- 15:31 Lit. muero diariamente.
- 15:32 Lit. según el hombre.
- 15:34 Lit. justamente.
- 15:37 Lit. que será.
- 15:37 Lit. de algo de lo demás.
- 15:39 Lit. carne.
- 15:39 Lit. carne.
- 15:42 Lit. en corrupción.
- 15:42 Lit. en incorrupción.
- 15:47 Lit. hecho del polvo.
- 15:49 Muchos mss. dicen: traigamos.
- 15:50 Lit. la corrupción.
- 15:50 Lit. la incorrupción.
- 15:51 O moriremos.
- 15:55 Lit. muerte.
- 15:58 O inmóviles.
1 Corinthians 15
New English Translation
Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now I want to make clear for you,[a] brothers and sisters,[b] the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance[c] what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised[d] on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[e] then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters[f] at one time, most of whom are still alive,[g] though some have fallen asleep.[h] 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time,[i] he appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed.
No Resurrection?
12 Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead,[j] how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. 15 Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. 18 Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep[k] in Christ have also perished. 19 For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man,[l] the resurrection of the dead also came through a man.[m] 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him.[n] 24 Then[o] comes the end,[p] when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be eliminated is death. 27 For he has put everything in subjection under his feet.[q] But when it says “everything” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to him. 28 And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead?[r] If the dead are not raised at all, then why are they baptized for them? 30 Why too are we in danger every hour? 31 Every day I am in danger of death! This is as sure as[s] my boasting in you,[t] which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 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.[u] 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”[v] 34 Sober up as you should, and stop sinning! For some have no knowledge of God—I say this to your shame!
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed[w]—perhaps of wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same: People have one flesh, animals have another, birds and fish another.[x] 40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The glory of the heavenly body is one sort and the earthly another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.
42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.[y] 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”;[z] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the one made of dust, so too are those made of dust, and like the one from heaven, so too those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, let us also bear[aa] the image of the man of heaven.
50 Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters:[ab] Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen,[ac] I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep,[ad] but we will all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the blinking[ae] of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[af]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[ag]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So then, dear brothers and sisters,[ah] be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 15:1 tn Grk “Now I make known to you.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3 tn Grk “among (the) first things.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:4 tn Grk “he has been raised/is raised,” using a Greek tense that points to the present effect of the act of raising him. But in English idiom the temporal phrase “on the third day” requires a different translation of the verb.
- 1 Corinthians 15:5 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.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 tn Grk “most of whom remain until now.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:6 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “sleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term.
- 1 Corinthians 15:8 sn One born at the wrong time. The Greek word used here (ἔκτρωμα, ektrōma) refers to a premature birth, a miscarriage, or an aborted child. Paul uses it as a powerful figure of the unexpected, abnormal nature of his apostolic call.
- 1 Corinthians 15:12 tn Grk “that he has been raised from the dead.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:18 tn See the note on the word “asleep” in 15:6. This term is also used in v. 20.
- 1 Corinthians 15:21 tn Or “through a human being” (a reference to Adam).
- 1 Corinthians 15:21 tn Or “through a human being” (a reference to Jesus Christ).
- 1 Corinthians 15:23 tn Grk “then those who belong to Christ, at his coming.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:24 tn This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- 1 Corinthians 15:24 tn Grk “then the end” or “then (is) the end.” Paul explains how the “end” relates to resurrection in vv. 25-28.
- 1 Corinthians 15:27 sn A quotation from Ps 8:6.
- 1 Corinthians 15:29 sn Many suggestions have been offered for the puzzling expression baptized for the dead. There are up to 200 different explanations for the passage; a summary is given by K. C. Thompson, “I Corinthians 15, 29 and Baptism for the Dead,” Studia Evangelica 2.1 (TU 87), 647-59. The most likely interpretation is that some Corinthians had undergone baptism to bear witness to the faith of fellow believers who had died without experiencing that rite themselves. Paul’s reference to the practice here is neither a recommendation nor a condemnation. He simply uses it as evidence from the lives of the Corinthians themselves to bolster his larger argument, begun in 15:12, that resurrection from the dead is a present reality in Christ and a future reality for them. Whatever they may have proclaimed, the Corinthians’ actions demonstrated that they had hope for a bodily resurrection.
- 1 Corinthians 15:31 tn Or, more literally, “I swear by the boasting in you.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:31 tc ‡ Although the witnesses for the shorter reading (P46 D F G Ψ 075 0243 1739 1881 M) are not as strong as for the addition of ἀδελφοί (adelphoi, “brothers”) at this juncture (א A B K P 33 81 104 365 1175 2464 lat sy co), it is difficult to find a reason why scribes would either intentionally or unintentionally drop the address here. Thus, the shorter reading is slightly preferred.
- 1 Corinthians 15:32 sn An allusion to Isa 22:13; 56:12.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 sn A quotation from the poet Menander, Thais 218, which Paul uses in a proverbial sense.
- 1 Corinthians 15:37 tn Grk “and what you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare seed.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:39 tn Grk “all flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one (flesh) of people, but another flesh of animals and another flesh of birds and another of fish.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:42 tn Grk “it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.” The “it” refers to the body, as v. 44 shows.
- 1 Corinthians 15:45 tn Grk “living soul”; a quotation from Gen 2:7.
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 tc ‡ A few significant witnesses have the future indicative φορέσομεν (phoresomen, “we will bear”; B I 6 630 1881 al sa) instead of the aorist subjunctive φορέσωμεν (phoresōmen, “let us bear”; P46 א A C D F G Ψ 075 0243 33 1739 M latt bo). If the original reading is the future tense, then “we will bear” would be a guarantee that believers would be like Jesus (and unlike Adam) in the resurrection. If the aorist subjunctive is original, then “let us bear” would be a command to show forth the image of Jesus, i.e., to live as citizens of the kingdom that believers will one day inherit. The future indicative is not widespread geographically. At the same time, it fits the context well: Not only are there indicatives in this section (especially vv. 42-49), but the conjunction καί (kai) introducing the comparative καθώς (kathōs) seems best to connect to the preceding by furthering the same argument (what is, not what ought to be). For this reason, though, the future indicative could be a reading thus motivated by an early scribe. In light of the extremely weighty evidence for the aorist subjunctive, it is probably best to regard the aorist subjunctive as autographic. This connects well with v. 50, for there Paul makes a pronouncement that seems to presuppose some sort of exhortation. G. D. Fee (First Corinthians [NICNT], 795) argues for the originality of the subjunctive, stating that “it is nearly impossible to account for anyone’s having changed a clearly understandable future to the hortatory subjunctive so early and so often that it made its way into every textual history as the predominant reading.” The subjunctive makes a great deal of sense in view of the occasion of 1 Corinthians. Paul wrote to combat an over-realized eschatology in which some of the Corinthians evidently believed they were experiencing all the benefits of the resurrection body in the present, and thus that their behavior did not matter. If the subjunctive is the correct reading, it seems Paul makes two points: (1) that the resurrection is a bodily one, as distinct from an out-of-body experience, and (2) that one’s behavior in the interim does make a difference (see 15:32-34, 58).
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51 tn Grk “Behold.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:51 tc The manuscripts are grouped into four basic readings here: (1) א C 0243* 33 1739 have “we all will sleep, but we will not all be changed” (πάντες κοιμηθησόμεθα, οὐ πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα); (2) P46 Ac (F G) have “we will not all sleep, but we will not all be changed” (πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, οὐ πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα); (3) D* lat Tert Ambst Spec read “we will all rise, but we will not all be changed.” (4) The wording πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα (“we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed”) is found in B D2 Ψ 075 0243c 1881 M sy co. How shall we interpret such data? In light of the fact that Paul and his generation did in fact die, early scribes may have felt some embarrassment over the bald statement, “We will not all sleep” (πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα). This could account for the first variant. Although the second variant could be viewed as a conflation of (1) and (4) (so TCGNT 502; G. D. Fee, First Corinthians [NICNT], 796), it could also have arisen consciously, to guard against the notion that all whom Paul was addressing should regard themselves as true believers. The third variant, prominent in the Western witnesses, may have arisen to counter those who would deny the final resurrection (so TCGNT 502). In any event, since the fourth reading has the best credentials externally and best explains the rise of the others it should be adopted as the authentic wording here.tn See the note on the word “asleep” in 15:6.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 tn The Greek word ῥιπή (rhipē) refers to a very rapid movement (BDAG 906 s.v.). This has traditionally been translated as “twinkling,” which implies an exceedingly fast—almost instantaneous—movement of the eyes, but this could be confusing to the modern reader since twinkling in modern English often suggests a faint, flashing light. In conjunction with the genitive ὀφθαλμοῦ (ophthalmou, “of an eye”), “blinking” is the best English equivalent (see, e.g., L&N 16.5), although it does not convey the exact speed implicit in the Greek term.
- 1 Corinthians 15:54 sn A quotation from Isa 25:8.
- 1 Corinthians 15:55 sn A quotation from Hos 13:14.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:10.
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