1 Corinthians 11
New Living Translation
11 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Instructions for Public Worship
2 I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. 3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.[a] 4 A man dishonors his head[b] if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 5 But a woman dishonors her head[c] if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. 6 Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.[d]
7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.[e]
11 But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15 And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.
Order at the Lord’s Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[f] Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[g] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[h] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters,[i] when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
Footnotes
- 11:3 Or to know: The source of every man is Christ, the source of woman is man, and the source of Christ is God. Or to know: Every man is responsible to Christ, a woman is responsible to her husband, and Christ is responsible to God.
- 11:4 Or dishonors Christ.
- 11:5 Or dishonors her husband.
- 11:6 Or should have long hair.
- 11:10 Greek should have an authority on her head.
- 11:24 Greek which is for you; other manuscripts read which is broken for you.
- 11:27 Or is responsible for.
- 11:29 Greek the body; other manuscripts read the Lord’s body.
- 11:33 Greek brothers.
1 Corinthians 11
International Standard Version
Be Imitators of Me
11 Imitate me, as I do the Messiah.[a] 2 I praise you for remembering everything I told you[b] and for holding to the traditions[c] that I passed on to you.
Advice about Head Coverings
3 Now I want you to realize that the Messiah[d] is the head of every man, and man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of the Messiah.[e] 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head, 5 and every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, which is the same as having her head shaved. 6 So if a woman does not cover her head, she should cut off her hair. If it is a disgrace for a woman to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her own head.
7 A man should not cover his head, because he exists as God’s image and glory. But the woman is man’s glory. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 and man was not created for woman, but woman for man. 10 This is why a woman should have authority over her own head: because of the angels.
11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so man comes through woman. But everything comes from God. 13 Decide for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?[f] 14 Nature itself teaches you neither that it is disgraceful for a man to have long[g] hair 15 nor that hair is a woman’s glory, since hair is given as a substitute for coverings. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God’s churches.
Concerning the Lord’s Supper(A)
17 Now I am not praising you in giving you the following instructions. When you gather, it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it. 19 Of course, there must be factions among you to show which of you are genuine!
20 When you gather in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For as you eat, each of you rushes to eat his own supper, and one person goes hungry while another gets drunk. 22 You have homes in which to eat and drink, don’t you? Or do you despise God’s church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you—how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread, 24 gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, “This is my body that is[h] for you. Keep doing this in memory of me.” 25 He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks from the cup in an unworthy manner will be held responsible for the Lord’s body and blood. 28 A person must examine himself and then eat the bread and drink from the cup, 29 because whoever eats and drinks[i] without recognizing the body,[j] eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That’s why so many of you are weak and sick and a considerable number are dying.[k] 31 But if we judged ourselves correctly, we would not be judged. 32 Now, while we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so we won’t[l] be condemned along with the world.
33 Therefore, my brothers, when you gather to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather it may not bring judgment on you. And when I come I will give instructions concerning the other matters.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 11:1 Or Christ
- 1 Corinthians 11:2 The Gk. lacks told you
- 1 Corinthians 11:2 I.e. Jewish traditions
- 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or Christ
- 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or Christ
- 1 Corinthians 11:13 Or It is proper . . . uncovered, isn’t it?
- 1 Corinthians 11:14 The Gk. lacks long
- 1 Corinthians 11:24 Other mss. read that is broken; still other mss. read that is given
- 1 Corinthians 11:29 Other mss. read drinks in an unworthy manner
- 1 Corinthians 11:29 Other mss. read the Lord’s body
- 1 Corinthians 11:30 Lit. are falling asleep
- 1 Corinthians 11:32 Lit. disciplined lest we
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