1 Corinthians 1

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

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 assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:

from Paul, who has been called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our fellow follower of the Lord.

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 always thank my God concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

I always thank God for you. I thank him for the blessing bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.

5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and 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 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you—

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

7 so that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

There is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless 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 you were called into 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 beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

But I appeal to you, my friends, 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 has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

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

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”

I mean this: that every one of you says either “I follow Paul,” or “I Apollos,” or “I Cephas,” or “I Christ.”

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

You have torn the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

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

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

15 so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.

so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I do not know whether I baptized any other.)

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

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

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

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The message of the cross is indeed mere folly to those who are on the path to ruin, but to us who are on the path of salvation it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

For scripture says – “I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to naught, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will bring to nothing.”

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age (aiōn g165)? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Where is the philosopher? Where the teacher of the Law? Where the disputant of today? Has not God shown the world’s philosophy to be folly? (aiōn g165)

21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the 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 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

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

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks,

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

24 but to those who are 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 weakness of God is stronger than men.

For God’s “folly” is wiser than people, and God’s “weakness” is stronger than people.

26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

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

27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong.

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

28 God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that do not exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist,

and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant – things that to it are unreal – to bring its “realities” to nothing,

29 that no flesh should boast before God.

so that in his presence no one should boast.

30 Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to 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 that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

so that – in the words of scripture – “Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!”