35 But (A)someone will say, “How are (B)the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” 36 (C)You fool! That which you (D)sow does not come to life unless it dies; 37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of [a]something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as He wished, and (E)to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of mankind, another flesh of animals, another flesh of birds, and another of fish. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 (F)So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown [b](G)a perishable body, it is raised [c](H)an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in (I)glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a (J)natural body, it is raised a (K)spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written: “The first (L)man, Adam, became a living [d]person.” The (M)last Adam was a (N)life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is (O)from the earth, [e](P)earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly one, (Q)so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have (R)borne the image of the earthy, [f]we (S)will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

50 Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that (T)flesh and blood cannot (U)inherit the kingdom of God; nor does [g]the perishable inherit [h](V)the imperishable. 51 Behold, I am telling you a [i](W)mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be (X)changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for (Y)the trumpet will sound, and (Z)the dead will be raised [j]imperishable, and (AA)we will be changed. 53 For this [k]perishable must put on [l](AB)the imperishable, and this (AC)mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this [m]perishable puts on [n]the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “(AD)Death has been swallowed up in victory.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:37 Lit some of the rest
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:42 Lit in corruption
  3. 1 Corinthians 15:42 Lit in incorruption
  4. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Or soul
  5. 1 Corinthians 15:47 Or made of dust, and so throughout the ch
  6. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Two early mss let’s also
  7. 1 Corinthians 15:50 Lit corruption
  8. 1 Corinthians 15:50 Lit incorruption
  9. 1 Corinthians 15:51 Or secret
  10. 1 Corinthians 15:52 Lit incorruptible
  11. 1 Corinthians 15:53 Lit corruptible
  12. 1 Corinthians 15:53 Lit incorruption
  13. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Lit corruptible
  14. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Lit incorruption

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask,(A) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”(B) 36 How foolish!(C) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.(D) 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.(E) 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor,(F) the moon another and the stars another;(G) and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be(H) with the resurrection of the dead.(I) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;(J) 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;(K) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.(L)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[a];(M) the last Adam,(N) a life-giving spirit.(O) 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.(P) 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth;(Q) the second man is of heaven.(R) 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.(S) 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(T) so shall we[b] bear the image of the heavenly man.(U)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood(V) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,(W) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.(X) 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery:(Y) We will not all sleep,(Z) but we will all be changed(AA) 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,(AB) the dead(AC) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable(AD) must clothe itself with the imperishable,(AE) and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[c](AF)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Gen. 2:7
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us
  3. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8