Beginning

1 ¶ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes, our brother,

² unto the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of God which is at Corinth, to those that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

³ Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you in Christ Jesus,

⁵ that in every thing ye are enriched in him in all word and in all knowledge,

⁶ with which the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in you,

⁷ so that ye lack nothing in any gift, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁸ who shall also confirm that ye shall remain unimpeachable unto the end, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ God is faithful, by whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰ ¶ Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfect, joined together in the same understanding and in the same perception.

¹¹ For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

¹² In other words, that each one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.

¹³ Is the Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

¹⁴ ¶ I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius,

¹⁵ lest any should say that ye were baptized into my name.

¹⁶ And I baptized also the household of Stephanas; besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

¹⁷ ¶ For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} of Christ should be made void.

¹⁸ For the word of the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} is foolishness to those that perish, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.

¹⁹ For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

²⁰ Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the philosopher of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

²¹ For in the wisdom of God, since the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe.

²² For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom,

²³ but we preach Christ crucified, {Gr. Stauroo – hung on a stake} unto the Jews a stumblingblock and unto the Gentiles foolishness;

²⁴ but unto those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

²⁵ For that which is foolish of God is wiser than men, and that which is weak of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ For look upon your vocation, brothers, that ye are not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,

²⁷ but rather God has chosen that which is the foolishness of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen that which is the weakness of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

²⁸ and that which is vile of the world and that which is despised God has chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are,

²⁹ that no flesh should glory in his presence.

³⁰ But of him ye are reborn in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

³¹ that, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

2 ¶ And I, brothers, when I came to you, came not with puffed up speech or wisdom to declare unto you the testimony of God.

² For I judged not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

³ And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.

⁴ And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

⁵ that your faith should not be founded in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

⁶ ¶ For we speak perfect wisdom of God, and not the wisdom of this age nor of the princes of this age, that come to nought,

⁷ but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages unto our glory,

⁸ which none of the princes of this age knew (for had they known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory).

⁹ But as it is written, That which eye has not seen nor ear heard neither has entered into the heart of man is that which God has prepared for those that love him.

¹⁰ But God has revealed this unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

¹¹ For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one has known the things of God, but the Spirit of God.

¹² Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that God has given us.

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but with doctrine of the Holy Spirit, jointly fitting spiritual things by spiritual means.

¹⁴ But the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

¹⁵ But he that is spiritual discerns all things, yet he is discerned by no one.

¹⁶ For who has known the understanding of the Lord? Who has instructed him? But we have the understanding of Christ.

3 ¶ And I, brothers, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

² I have fed you with milk, and not with solid food, for until now ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

³ For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?

⁴ For while one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?

⁵ ¶ Who then is Paul? and who is Apollos? but servants by whom ye believed, each one according to that which the Lord gave.

⁶ I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

⁷ So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters, but God that gives the increase.

⁸ Now he that plants and he that waters are one although each one shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹ For we are labourers together with God; ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each one see how the building is built.

¹¹ ¶ For no one can lay another foundation than that laid, which is Jesus the Christ.

¹² Now if anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble,

¹³ the work of each one shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire; the work of each one, whatever sort it is, the fire shall put it to test.

¹⁴ If the work of anyone abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

¹⁵ If anyone’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

¹⁶ ¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy that one; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

¹⁸ ¶ Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you seems to be wise in this age, let them become a fool that they may be wise.

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness.

²⁰ And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

²¹ ¶ Therefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours;

²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come, all are yours;

²³ and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

4 ¶ Let us reckon men as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

² Moreover, it is required in stewards that each one be found faithful.

³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by man’s judgment; I do not even judge my own self.

⁴ For although I have nothing on my conscience, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judges me is the Lord.

⁵ Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each one have praise of God.

⁶ And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes, that in us ye might not learn above that which is written, lest because of one, some of you become puffed up against others.

⁷ ¶ For who makes thee to judge? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, what dost thou glory of, as if thou hadst not received it?

⁸ Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye reign as kings without us, and I wish ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

⁹ For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men.

¹⁰ We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.

¹¹ Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are ill clad and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place

¹² and labour, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it;

¹³ being blasphemed, we intreat; we are made as the filth of this world and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

¹⁴ ¶ I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn you, as to my beloved sons.

¹⁵ For though ye may have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet ye shall not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

¹⁶ Therefore, I beseech you that ye imitate me.

¹⁷ ¶ For this cause I have sent Timothy unto you, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every congregation. {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}

¹⁸ Now some are puffed up as though I will never come to you.

¹⁹ But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and will know not the words of those who are puffed up, but the virtue.

²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not in words, but in virtue.

²¹ What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod or in charity and in the spirit of meekness?