1 Corinthians 2

New International Version

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom^(A) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^[a] ²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.^(B) ³I came to you^(C) in weakness^(D) with great fear and trembling.^(E) ⁴My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,^(F) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,^(G) ⁵so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.^(H)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

⁶We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,^(I) but not the wisdom of this age^(J) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.^(K) ⁷No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery^(L) that has been hidden^(M) and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸None of the rulers of this age^(N) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.^(O) ⁹However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”^[b]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—^(P)

¹⁰these are the things God has revealed^(Q) to us by his Spirit.^(R)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who knows a person’s thoughts^(S) except their own spirit^(T) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²What we have received is not the spirit^(U) of the world,^(V) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom^(W) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.^[c] ¹⁴The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God^(X) but considers them foolishness,^(Y) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵The person with the Spirit^(Z) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”^[d]^(AA)

But we have the mind of Christ.^(AB)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13

Psalm 116

New International Version

Psalm 116

¹I love the Lord,^(A) for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry^(B) for mercy.^(C)
²Because he turned his ear^(D) to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

³The cords of death^(E) entangled me,
    the anguish of the grave came over me;
    I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
⁴Then I called on the name^(F) of the Lord:
    “Lord, save me!^(G)”

⁵The Lord is gracious and righteous;^(H)
our God is full of compassion.^(I)
⁶The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low,^(J) he saved me.^(K)

⁷Return to your rest,^(L) my soul,
for the Lord has been good^(M) to you.

⁸For you, Lord, have delivered me^(N) from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling,
⁹that I may walk before the Lord^(O)
    in the land of the living.^(P)

¹⁰I trusted^(Q) in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”;^(R)
¹¹in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”^(S)

¹²What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness^(T) to me?

¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name^(U) of the Lord.
¹⁴I will fulfill my vows^(V) to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵Precious in the sight^(W) of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.^(X)
¹⁶Truly I am your servant, Lord;^(Y)
    I serve you just as my mother did;^(Z)
    you have freed me from my chains.^(AA)

¹⁷I will sacrifice a thank offering^(AB) to you
    and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will fulfill my vows^(AC) to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹in the courts^(AD) of the house of the Lord—
    in your midst, Jerusalem.^(AE)

Praise the Lord.^[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Psalm 116:19 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

Psalm 117

New International Version

Psalm 117

¹Praise the Lord,^(A) all you nations;^(B)
extol him, all you peoples.
²For great is his love^(C) toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord^(D) endures forever.

Praise the Lord.^[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Psalm 117:2 Hebrew Hallelu Yah

Psalm 118

New International Version

Psalm 118

¹Give thanks to the Lord,^(A) for he is good;^(B)
his love endures forever.^(C)

²Let Israel say:^(D)
    “His love endures forever.”^(E)
³Let the house of Aaron say:^(F)
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴Let those who fear the Lord^(G) say:
    “His love endures forever.”

⁵When hard pressed,^(H) I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.^(I)
⁶The Lord is with me;^(J) I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?^(K)
⁷The Lord is with me; he is my helper.^(L)
    I look in triumph on my enemies.^(M)

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord^(N)
    than to trust in humans.^(O)
⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.^(P)
¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(Q)
¹¹They surrounded me^(R) on every side,^(S)
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹²They swarmed around me like bees,^(T)
    but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;^(U)
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(V)
¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.^(W)
¹⁴The Lord is my strength^(X) and my defense^[a];
    he has become my salvation.^(Y)

¹⁵Shouts of joy^(Z) and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand^(AA) has done mighty things!^(AB)
¹⁶    The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷I will not die^(AC) but live,
    and will proclaim^(AD) what the Lord has done.
¹⁸The Lord has chastened^(AE) me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.^(AF)
¹⁹Open for me the gates^(AG) of the righteous;
    I will enter^(AH) and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the gate of the Lord^(AI)
    through which the righteous may enter.^(AJ)
²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me;^(AK)
    you have become my salvation.^(AL)

²²The stone^(AM) the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;^(AN)
²³the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous^(AO) in our eyes.
²⁴The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.^(AP)

²⁵Lord, save us!^(AQ)
Lord, grant us success!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes^(AR) in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.^[b]^(AS)
²⁷The Lord is God,^(AT)
    and he has made his light shine^(AU) on us.
With boughs in hand,^(AV) join in the festal procession
    up^[c] to the horns of the altar.^(AW)