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Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God[a]—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
    and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
    for those who love him.”[b]

10 But[c] it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. 2:7 Greek But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery.
  2. 2:9 Isa 64:4.
  3. 2:10 Some manuscripts read For.
  4. 2:13 Or explaining spiritual truths in spiritual language, or explaining spiritual truths to spiritual people.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (A)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (B)this age nor of the rulers of (C)this age, who are (D)passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a (E)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (F)predestined before the (G)ages to our glory; the wisdom (H)which none of the rulers of (I)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (J)the Lord of glory; but just as it is written:

(K)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the human heart,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 [a](L)For to us God revealed them (M)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (N)depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the (O)spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (P)have not received the spirit of (Q)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, (R)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [b]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:10 One early ms But
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual things for spiritual people