1 Corinthians 10-13

New American Standard Bible 1995

Avoid Israel’s Mistakes

10 For ^(A)I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all ^(B)under the cloud and all ^(C)passed through the sea; ² and all were ^(D)baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; ³ and all ^(E)ate the same spiritual food; ⁴ and all ^(F)drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was ^[a]Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for ^(G)they were laid low in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things happened as ^(H)examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as ^(I)they also craved. ⁷ Do not be ^(J)idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “^(K)The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to ^(L)play.” ⁸ Nor let us act immorally, as ^(M)some of them ^[b]did, and ^(N)twenty-three thousand fell in one day. ⁹ Nor let us try the Lord, as ^(O)some of them ^[c]did, and were destroyed by the serpents. ¹⁰ Nor ^(P)grumble, as some of them ^[d]did, and ^(Q)were destroyed by the ^(R)destroyer. ¹¹ Now these things happened to them as an ^(S)example, and ^(T)they were written for our instruction, upon whom ^(U)the ends of the ages have come. ¹² Therefore let him who ^(V)thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and ^(W)God is faithful, who will not allow you to be ^(X)tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

¹⁴ Therefore, my ^(Y)beloved, flee from ^(Z)idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the ^(AA)cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the ^[e](AB)bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Since there is one ^[f]bread, we ^(AC)who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one ^[g]bread. ¹⁸ Look at ^[h]the nation ^(AD)Israel; are not those who ^(AE)eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? ¹⁹ What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or ^(AF)that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they ^(AG)sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. ^21 (AH)You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and ^(AI)the table of demons. ²² Or do we ^(AJ)provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not ^(AK)stronger than He, are we?

^23 (AL)All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things ^(AM)edify. ²⁴ Let no one ^(AN)seek his own good, but that of his ^[i]neighbor. ^25 (AO)Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake; ^26 (AP)for the earth is the Lord’s, and ^[j]all it contains. ²⁷ If ^(AQ)one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, ^(AR)eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience’ sake. ²⁸ But ^(AS)if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; ²⁹ I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for ^(AT)why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, ^(AU)why am I slandered concerning that for which I ^(AV)give thanks?

³¹ Whether, then, you eat or drink or ^(AW)whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ^32 (AX)Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to ^(AY)the church of God; ³³ just as I also ^(AZ)please all men in all things, ^(BA)not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, ^(BB)so that they may be saved.

Christian Order

11 ^(BC)Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

² Now ^(BD)I praise you because you ^(BE)remember me in everything and ^(BF)hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. ³ But I want you to understand that ^[k]Christ is the ^(BG)head of every man, and ^(BH)the man is the head of a woman, and God is the ^(BI)head of ^[l]Christ. ⁴ Every man who has something on his head while praying or ^(BJ)prophesying disgraces his head. ⁵ But every ^(BK)woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman ^[m]whose head is ^(BL)shaved. ⁶ For if a woman does not cover ^[n]her head, let her also ^[o]have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to ^[p]have her hair cut off or ^[q]her head shaved, let her cover ^[r]her head. ⁷ For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the ^(BM)image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For ^(BN)man ^[s]does not originate from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but ^(BO)woman for the man’s sake. ¹⁰ Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. ¹¹ However, in the Lord, neither is woman ^[t]independent of man, nor is man ^[u]independent of woman. ¹² For as the woman ^[v]originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and ^(BP)all things ^[w]originate ^(BQ)from God. ^13 (BR)Judge ^[x]for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, ¹⁵ but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁶ But if one is inclined to be contentious, ^(BS)we have no ^[y]other practice, nor have ^(BT)the churches of God.

¹⁷ But in giving this instruction, ^(BU)I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For, in the first place, when you come together ^[z]as a church, I hear that ^[aa](BV)divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. ¹⁹ For there ^(BW)must also be factions among you, ^(BX)so that those who are approved may become ^[ab]evident among you. ²⁰ Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, ²¹ for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and ^(BY)another is drunk. ²² What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the ^(BZ)church of God and ^(CA)shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall ^(CB)I praise you? In this I will not praise you.

The Lord’s Supper

²³ For ^(CC)I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that ^(CD)the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same way He took ^(CE)the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the ^(CF)new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death ^(CG)until He comes.

²⁷ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be ^(CH)guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But a man must ^(CI)examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. ³⁰ For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number ^[ac](CJ)sleep. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are ^(CK)disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with ^(CL)the world.

³³ So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ If anyone is ^(CM)hungry, let him eat ^(CN)at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will ^(CO)arrange ^(CP)when I come.

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

12 Now concerning ^(CQ)spiritual gifts, brethren, ^(CR)I do not want you to be unaware. ^2 (CS)You know that when you were pagans, you were ^(CT)led astray to the ^(CU)mute idols, however you were led. ³ Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking ^[ad](CV)by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is ^[ae](CW)accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is ^(CX)Lord,” except ^[af](CY)by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are ^(CZ)varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are varieties of effects, but the same ^(DA)God who works all things in all persons. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit ^(DB)for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given the word of ^(DC)wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of ^(DD)knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another ^(DE)faith ^[ag]by the same Spirit, and to another ^(DF)gifts of ^[ah]healing ^[ai]by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another the ^[aj]effecting of ^[ak](DG)miracles, and to another ^(DH)prophecy, and to another the ^[al](DI)distinguishing of spirits, to another various ^(DJ)kinds of tongues, and to another the ^(DK)interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^(DL)distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

¹² For even ^(DM)as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, ^(DN)so also is Christ. ¹³ For ^[am](DO)by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether ^(DP)Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to ^(DQ)drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ For ^(DR)the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ^[an]any the less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason ^[ao]any the less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But now God has ^(DS)placed the members, each one of them, in the body, ^(DT)just as He desired. ¹⁹ If they were all one member, where would the body be? ²⁰ But now ^(DU)there are many members, but one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, ^[ap]it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; ²³ and those members of the body which we ^[aq]deem less honorable, ^[ar]on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, ²⁴ whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, ²⁵ so that there may be no ^[as]division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is ^[at]honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷ Now you are ^(DV)Christ’s body, and ^(DW)individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has ^[au](DX)appointed in ^(DY)the church, first ^(DZ)apostles, second ^(EA)prophets, third ^(EB)teachers, then ^[av](EC)miracles, then ^(ED)gifts of healings, helps, ^(EE)administrations, various ^(EF)kinds of tongues. ²⁹ All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of ^[aw]miracles, are they? ³⁰ All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not ^(EG)interpret, do they? ³¹ But ^(EH)earnestly desire the greater gifts.

And I show you a still more excellent way.

The Excellence of Love

13 If I speak with the ^(EI)tongues of men and of ^(EJ)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a ^(EK)clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of ^(EL)prophecy, and know all ^(EM)mysteries and all ^(EN)knowledge; and if I have ^(EO)all faith, so as to ^(EP)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ And if I ^(EQ)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I ^(ER)surrender my body ^[ax]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love ^(ES)is patient, love is kind and ^(ET)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not ^(EU)arrogant, ⁵ does not act unbecomingly; it ^(EV)does not seek its own, is not provoked, ^(EW)does not take into account a wrong suffered, ^6 (EX)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but ^(EY)rejoices with the truth; ^7 [ay](EZ)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails; but if there are gifts of ^[az](FA)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are ^(FB)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. ⁹ For we ^(FC)know in part and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I ^[ba]became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹² For now we ^(FD)see in a mirror ^[bb]dimly, but then ^(FE)face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also ^(FF)have been fully known. ¹³ But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the ^[bc]greatest of these is ^(FG)love.