²³ And blessed is the one who is ^(A)not offended by me.”

⁶ And blessed is the one who ^(A)is not offended by me.”

⁷ So the honor is for you who ^(A)believe, but for those who ^(B)do not believe,

⁸ and

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^(E)as they were destined to do.

¹⁴ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are ^(A)folly to him, and ^(B)he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

³² Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the ^(A)stumbling stone, ³³ as it is written,

¹⁴ And he will become a ^(A)sanctuary and ^(B)a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And many ^(C)shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach^[a] to save those who believe. ²² For ^(A)Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ ^(B)crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ^(C)the power of God and ^(D)the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers: ^(E)not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,^[b] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But ^(F)God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; ^(G)God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even ^(H)things that are not, to ^(I)bring to nothing things that are,

The Words of Eternal Life

^60 (A)When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ But Jesus, ^(B)knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see ^(C)the Son of Man ^(D)ascending to ^(E)where he was before? ^63 (F)It is the Spirit who gives life; ^(G)the flesh is no help at all. ^(H)The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But ^(I)there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus ^(J)knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and ^(K)who it was who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you ^(L)that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

^66 (M)After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed ^(A)for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign ^(B)that is opposed