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11 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Head Coverings

I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband[a] is the head of his wife,[b] and God is the head of Christ. Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection[c] of God; but woman is the reflection[d] of man. Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of[e] authority on her head,[f] because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Abuses at the Lord’s Supper

17 Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. 19 Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. 20 When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 22 What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for[g] you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the 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 until he comes.

Partaking of the Supper Unworthily

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For all who eat and drink[h] without discerning the body,[i] eat and drink judgment against themselves. 30 For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.[j] 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined[k] so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters,[l] when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:3 The same Greek word means man or husband
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or head of the woman
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:7 Or glory
  4. 1 Corinthians 11:7 Or glory
  5. 1 Corinthians 11:10 Gk lacks a symbol of
  6. 1 Corinthians 11:10 Or have freedom of choice regarding her head
  7. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Other ancient authorities read is broken for
  8. 1 Corinthians 11:29 Other ancient authorities add in an unworthy manner,
  9. 1 Corinthians 11:29 Other ancient authorities read the Lord’s body
  10. 1 Corinthians 11:30 Gk fallen asleep
  11. 1 Corinthians 11:32 Or When we are judged, we are being disciplined by the Lord
  12. 1 Corinthians 11:33 Gk brothers

11 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.(A)

Instructions about Head Coverings

Now I praise you[a] because you always remember me and keep the traditions(B) just as I delivered(C) them to you. But I want you to know that Christ is the head(D) of every man, and the man is the head of the woman,[b](E) and God is the head of Christ.(F) Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors(G) his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.(H) So if a woman’s head[c] is not covered, her hair should be cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.

A man, in fact, should not cover his head, because he is God’s image(I) and glory,(J) but woman is man’s glory. For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.(K) And man was not created for woman, but woman for man. 10 This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.(L)

13 Judge(M) for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach(N) you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace(O) to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?(P) For her hair is given to her[d] as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other[e] custom, nor do the churches of God.

The Lord’s Supper

17 Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 There must, indeed, be factions(Q) among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper.(R) 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper ahead of others. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:(S) On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 gave thanks, broke it, and said,[f] “This is My body, which is[g] for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”(T)

25 In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant(U) established by My blood.(V) 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(W) until He comes.(X)

Self-Examination

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body[h] and blood of the Lord. 28 So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body,[i] eats and drinks judgment(Y) on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.(Z) 31 If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged,(AA) we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned(AB) with the world.

33 Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. And I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.(AC)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:2 Other mss add brothers,
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or the husband is the head of the wife
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:6 Lit a woman
  4. 1 Corinthians 11:15 Other mss omit to her
  5. 1 Corinthians 11:16 Or no such
  6. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Other mss add “Take, eat.
  7. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Other mss add broken
  8. 1 Corinthians 11:27 Lit be guilty of the body
  9. 1 Corinthians 11:29 Other mss read drinks unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body

11 (A)Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Head Coverings

Now I commend you (B)because you remember me in everything and (C)maintain the traditions (D)even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that (E)the head of every man is Christ, (F)the head of a wife[a] is her husband,[b] and (G)the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife[c] who prays or (H)prophesies (I)with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same (J)as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since (K)he is the image and glory of God, but (L)woman is the glory of man. For (M)man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but (N)woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.[d] 11 Nevertheless, (O)in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And (P)all things are from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 (Q)If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do (R)the churches of God.

The Lord's Supper

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, (S)I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,[e] 19 for (T)there must be factions among you in order (U)that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, (V)another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise (W)the church of God and (X)humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 For (Y)I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that (Z)the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for[f] you. Do this in remembrance of me.”[g] 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the 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 (AA)until he comes.

27 (AB)Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord (AC)in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning (AD)the body and blood of the Lord. 28 (AE)Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some (AF)have died.[h] 31 (AG)But if we judged[i] ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, (AH)we are disciplined[j] so that we may not be (AI)condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers,[k] when you come together to eat, wait for[l] one another— 34 (AJ)if anyone is hungry, (AK)let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things (AL)I will give directions (AM)when I come.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Greek gunē. This term may refer to a woman or a wife, depending on the context
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Greek anēr. This term may refer to a man or a husband, depending on the context
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:5 In verses 5–13, the Greek word gunē is translated wife in verses that deal with wearing a veil, a sign of being married in first-century culture
  4. 1 Corinthians 11:10 Or messengers, that is, people sent to observe and report
  5. 1 Corinthians 11:18 Or I believe a certain report
  6. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Some manuscripts broken for
  7. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Or as my memorial; also verse 25
  8. 1 Corinthians 11:30 Greek have fallen asleep (as in 15:6, 20)
  9. 1 Corinthians 11:31 Or discerned
  10. 1 Corinthians 11:32 Or when we are judged we are being disciplined by the Lord
  11. 1 Corinthians 11:33 Or brothers and sisters
  12. 1 Corinthians 11:33 Or share with

11 Follow my example,(A) as I follow the example of Christ.(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

I praise you(C) for remembering me in everything(D) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.(E) But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,(F) and the head of the woman is man,[a](G) and the head of Christ is God.(H) Every man who prays or prophesies(I) with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies(J) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.(K) For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

A man ought not to cover his head,[b] since he is the image(L) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;(M) neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.(N) 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own[c] head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.(O)

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.(P)

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper(Q)

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you,(R) for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions(S) among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.(T) 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.(U) As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God(V) by humiliating those who have nothing?(W) What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?(X) Certainly not in this matter!

23 For I received from the Lord(Y) what I also passed on to you:(Z) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,(AA) which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant(AB) in my blood;(AC) do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.(AD)

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.(AE) 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves(AF) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.(AG) 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.(AH) 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined(AI) so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.(AJ)

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry(AK) should eat something at home,(AL) so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come(AM) I will give further directions.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:3 Or of the wife is her husband
  2. 1 Corinthians 11:7 Or Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head—she is just like one of the “shorn women.” If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. A man ought not to have long hair
  3. 1 Corinthians 11:10 Or have a sign of authority on her