¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and ^(A)not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,^{[a] (A)}did not come proclaiming to you ^(B)the testimony^[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

¹³ And we impart this ^(A)in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, ^(B)interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.^[a]

Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(A)cleverly devised ^(B)myths when we made known to you ^(C)the power and ^(D)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but ^(E)we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

¹⁰ For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but ^(A)his bodily presence is weak, and ^(B)his speech of no account.”

² But we have renounced ^(A)disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice^[a] cunning or ^(B)to tamper with God's word, but ^(C)by the open statement of the truth ^(D)we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

⁴ and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ^(A)the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men^[a] but ^(B)in the power of God.

² (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),

^6 (A)Even if I am unskilled in speaking, ^(B)I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way ^(C)we have made this plain to you in all things.