1 Corinthians 1

1 This letter comes from Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother.

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

2 It is sent to the church of God in Corinth, those who are being made right in Christ Jesus, called to live holy lives—and to everyone who worships the Lord Jesus Christ everywhere, the Lord both of them and of us.

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

3 May you have grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

4 I'm always thanking God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus.

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

5 Through him you have been made rich in everything, in all that you say and every aspect of what you know.

that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;

6 In fact the testimony of Christ was proved valid in your experience,

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7 so that you're not missing any spiritual gift as you wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed;

8 He will also keep you strong to the very end, so you will be kept right until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

who will also strengthen you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is trustworthy who called you to share together in fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

10 Brothers and sisters, I plead with you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree and that you're not divided. Instead develop a united attitude and purpose.

Now I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement, so that there may be no divisions among you, and to be united by the same mind and conviction.

11 For I have been told things about you, my brothers and sisters, by some of Chloe's people—that you are quarreling among yourselves.

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.

12 Let me explain what I mean. You're all making different claims: “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow Christ.”

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

13 Is Christ divided? Did Paul die on a cross for you? Was it in the name of Paul that you were baptized?

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

14 I'm grateful to God that I didn't baptize any of you, except Crispus and Gaius,

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

15 so nobody can claim they were baptized in my name.

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

16 (Oh, and I also baptized the Stephanas family—I can't think of anyone else.)

(Now I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other.)

17 For Christ didn't send me out to baptize, but to spread the good news, and not with eloquent human wisdom, otherwise the cross of Christ would be made powerless.

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

18 For the message of the cross is nonsense to those who are lost, but it's the power of God to those of us who are saved.

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

19 As Scripture says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will wipe out the cleverness of the clever.”

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will nullify."

20 So how about the wise, the writers, and the philosophers of this age? Hasn't God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness? (aiōn g165)

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn't God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (aiōn g165)

21 Since God in his wisdom allowed the world in its wisdom not to know God, it was God's gracious plan that by the foolishness of the good news those who trusted in him would be saved.

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.

22 The Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,

For Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom,

23 but our message is of Christ killed on a cross—offensive to the Jews, and foolishness to the foreigners.

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the non-Jews,

24 However, for those who are called by God, both Jews and foreigners, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

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

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than we are; and the weakness of God is stronger than we are.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man's, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's.

26 Brothers and sisters, remember your calling—and that this did not include many who are wise, humanly speaking; not many who are powerful; not many who are important.

For consider your calling, brothers, that not many were wise from a human perspective, not many mighty, not many of noble birth.

27 Instead God chose the things the world considers foolish to humiliate those who think they are wise. He chose the things the world considers weak to humiliate those who think they are strong.

But God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise. And God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong.

28 He chose the things that are unimportant and despised by the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

And God chose the lowly of the world, and the despised, what is considered to be nothing, to bring to nothing what is considered to be something,

29 so that nobody should boast in God's presence.

that no flesh might boast before God.

30 It's because of him that you live in Christ Jesus, who God made to be wisdom for us. He sets us right, keeps us right, and frees us.

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

31 So as Scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast, let them boast in the Lord.”

so that, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."