1 Corinthians 3:18-23
New Living Translation
18 Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,
“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”[a]
20 And again,
“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.”[b]
21 So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you— 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Peter,[c] or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
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1 Corinthians 3:18-23
International Standard Version
True Wisdom
18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of[a] this world, he must become a fool to become really wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God’s sight. For it is written,
“He catches the wise with their own trickery,”[b]
20 and again,
21 So let no one boast about human beings, since everything belongs to you, 22 whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas,[e] the world, life, death, the present, or the future—everything belongs to you, 23 but you belong to the Messiah,[f] and the Messiah[g] belongs to God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Corinthians 3:18 The Gk. lacks the ways of
- 1 Corinthians 3:19 Job 5:13
- 1 Corinthians 3:20 MT source citation reads Lord
- 1 Corinthians 3:20 Ps 94:11
- 1 Corinthians 3:22 I.e. Peter
- 1 Corinthians 3:23 Or Christ
- 1 Corinthians 3:23 Or Christ
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