1 Corinthians 1

1 Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

To the Church of God in Corinth, to those who have been consecrated by union with Christ Jesus and called to become his People, and also to all, wherever they may be, who invoke the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Master and ours,

2 to the congregation of God that is at Corinth, to called men, to holy men who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus with all in every place who call upon the name of our the Lord Jesus Christ-both ours and theirs.

from Paul, who has been called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our Brother.

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

May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

4 I thank my God always about you, for the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

I always thank God about you for the blessing bestowed upon you in Christ Jesus.

5 that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all speech and in all knowledge.

For through union with him you were enriched in every way — in your power to preach, and in your knowledge of the Truth;

6 Just as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

and so became yourselves a confirmation of my testimony to the Christ.

7 so that ye come behind in not one gift, waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

And thus there is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

8 who will also confirm you until the end, irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And God himself will strengthen you to the end, so that at the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ you may be found blameless.

9 God is faithful through whom ye were called for the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

God will not fail you, and it is he who called you into communion with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

10 Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and there be no divisions among you, but ye may be thoroughly prepared in the same mind and in the same understanding.

But I appeal to you, Brothers, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you profess, and not to allow divisions to exist among you, but to be united — of one mind and of one opinion.

11 For it was declared to me about you, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

For I have been informed, my Brothers, by the members of Chloe’s household, that party feeling exists among you.

12 Now I say this. That each of you actually say, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.

I mean this: that every one of you says either ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I Apollos,’ or ‘I Kephas,’ or ‘I Christ.’

13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye immersed in the name of Paul?

You have rent the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? or were you baptized into the Faith of Paul?

14 I thank God that I immersed none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest some man should say that I immersed in my name.

so that no one can say that you were baptized into my Faith.

16 And I also immersed the household of Stephanas. Besides, I know not whether I immersed any other.

I baptized also the household of Stephanas. I do not know that I baptized any one else.

17 For Christ sent me not to immerse, but to preach the good news, not in wisdom of speech lest the cross of Christ would be emptied.

My mission from Christ was not to baptize, but to tell the Good News; not, however, in the language of philosophy, lest the cross of the Christ should be robbed of its meaning.

18 For the message of the cross is of course foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is a power of God.

The Message of the Cross is indeed mere folly to those who are in the path to Ruin, but to us who are in the path of Salvation it is the very power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will frustrate the understanding of those of understanding.

For Scripture says — ‘I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to nought, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will make of no account.’

20 Where is a wise man? Where is a scholar? Where is a researcher of this age? Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? (aiōn g165)

Where is the Philosopher? where the Teacher of the Law? where the Disputant of to-day? Has not God shown the world’s philosophy to be folly? (aiōn g165)

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through its wisdom, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

For since the world, in God’s wisdom, did not by its philosophy learn to know God, God saw fit, by the ‘folly’ of our proclamation, to save those who believe in Christ!

22 And because Jews demand a sign and Greeks search for wisdom,

While Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks study philosophy,

23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, it is truly to Jews a stumbling-block and to Gentiles foolishness.

we are proclaiming Christ crucified! — to the Jews an obstacle, to the Gentiles mere folly,

24 But to them, to the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God!

25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weak thing of God is stronger than men.

For God’s ‘folly’ is wiser than men, and God’s ‘weakness’ is stronger than men.

26 For notice your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many eminent.

Look at the facts of your Call, Brothers. There are not many among you who are wise, as men reckon wisdom, not many who are influential, not many who are high-born;

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world, so that he might humiliate the wise, and God chose the weak things of the world, so that he might humiliate the powerful.

but God chose what the world counts foolish to put its wise men to shame, and God chose what the world counts weak to put its strong things to shame,

28 And God chose the common things of the world, and the disdained things, and the things that are not, so that he might make useless the things that are,

and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant — things that to it are unreal — to bring its ‘realities’ to nothing,

29 so that no flesh may boast before God.

so that in his presence no human being should boast.

30 But ye are his, in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

But you, by your union with Christ Jesus, belong to God; and Christ, by God’s will, became not only our Wisdom, but also our Righteousness, Holiness, and Deliverance,

31 so that, just as it is written, He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.

so that — in the words of Scripture — ‘Let him who boasts make his boast of the Lord!’