1 Corinthians 12
1 Now concerning spirituall giftes, brethren, I would not haue you ignorant.
Now, my fellow believers, [I will answer your questions] about the things God’s Spirit [enables believers to do]. I want you to know clearly [LIT] [about these things].
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, and were caried away vnto the dumme Idoles, as ye were led.
You know that before you became Christians, various things led you to [worship] idols, which are unable to tell you [any of God’s message].
3 Wherefore, I declare vnto you, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Iesus execrable: also no man can say that Iesus is the Lord, but by the holy Ghost.
So [the first thing] that I will tell you now is that it is not the Spirit of God who would cause anyone to say, “Jesus deserved to die,” and that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can enable anyone to say, “Jesus is [truly] the Lord.”
4 Now there are diuersities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are various things [that God’s] Spirit enables [various believers to do], but it is that same Spirit [who enables us to do them].
5 And there are diuersities of administrations, but the same Lord,
There are many different ways to serve [the Lord], but it is the same Lord [whom we all are serving].
6 And there are diuersities of operations, but God is the same which worketh all in all.
[We believers] have the power to do various [tasks], but it is the same God who gives all of us the power [to do] these things.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is giuen to euery man, to profite withall.
[God’s] Spirit gives his power to each believer in order to benefit all the other [believers].
8 For to one is giuen by the Spirit the word of wisdome: and to an other the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit:
To some, the Spirit gives the ability to speak very wise messages. To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to know [things that he reveals to them].
9 And to another is giuen faith by the same Spirit: and to another the giftes of healing, by the same Spirit:
To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to believe [that God will work miracles]. To others, the Spirit gives the ability to heal [sick people].
10 And to another the operations of great workes: and to another, prophecie: and to another, the discerning of spirits: and to another, diuersities of tongues: and to another, the interpretation of tongues.
To others, he gives the power [to perform] miracles. To others, he gives the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. To others, he gives the ability to tell [if a message is really from God or not]. To others he gives the ability to speak messages in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned]. To others, he gives the ability to tell the meaning of those messages [MTY].
11 And all these thinges worketh one and the selfe same Spirit, distributing to euery man seuerally as he will.
It is the same Spirit who gives all these abilities. He gives whatever abilities he wants to give, to whatever person he wants to give them.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, which is one, though they be many, yet are but one body: euen so is Christ.
Although a person’s body has many parts, all the parts form just one body [DOU]. It is like that [with those who belong to] Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we bee Iewes, or Grecians, whether we be bonde, or free, and haue bene all made to drinke into one Spirit.
When we were baptized {When people baptized us}, the one [Holy] Spirit caused us to become one group [of believers]. It does not matter whether we are Jews or non-Jews. It does not matter whether we are slaves or not slaves. [When we believed in Christ], the one Spirit came to live [MET] within all of us.
14 For the body also is not one member, but many.
[Our] bodies do not have only one part. They have many parts [with various functions].
15 If the foote would say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
If our foot could [talk and] say [to us], “Because I am not [your] hand, I am not a part of [your] body,” it would still be a part of [our] body.
16 And if the eare would say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?
If our ear could [talk and] say, “Because I am not [your] eye, I am not a part of your body,” it would still be a part of our body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smellling?
If our body were only an eye, (we would not be able to hear./how could we hear?) [RHQ] If our body were only an ear, (we would not be able to smell [anything]!/how could we smell [anything]?) [RHQ]
18 But nowe hath God disposed the members euery one of them in the bodie at his owne pleasure.
But the truth is that God has put all the parts of our bodies together exactly as he wanted to put them.
19 For if they were all one member, where were the body?
If [our body] had only one part, it would not be a body. [RHQ]
20 But now are there many members, yet but one body.
But the truth is that there are many parts [in our body], but it is still only one body.
21 And the eye cannot say vnto the hand, I haue no neede of thee: nor the head againe to the feete, I haue no neede of you.
That is why if our eye [could talk], it should never say to our hand, “I do not need you!” And if our head [could talk], it should not say to our feet, “I do not need you!”
22 Yea, much rather those members of the body, which seeme to be more feeble, are necessarie.
Instead, the parts of our body that seem to be weaker are the ones that are absolutely necessary.
23 And vpon those members of the body, which wee thinke most vnhonest, put wee more honestie on: and our vncomely parts haue more comelinesse on.
And the parts that we do not think highly of are the parts that we clothe carefully. And we protect carefully those parts that we do not show to people.
24 For our comely partes neede it not: but God hath tempered the body together, and hath giuen the more honour to that part which lacked,
The parts that are [all right to] show people, we do not need to protect. Instead, God, who has put all the parts of our bodies together, causes us to care for in a special way the parts that we think are less important.
25 Lest there should be any diuision in the body: but that the members shoulde haue the same care one for another.
He does that in order that all the parts of our body will work together harmoniously [LIT], and so that all the parts will care for all the other parts equally.
26 Therefore if one member suffer, all suffer with it: if one member be had in honour, all the members reioyce with it.
If one part of our body hurts, [it is as though] all the parts of our body are hurting. If we pay special attention to one part of our body, [it is as though] all the parts of our body feel pleasure [MET].
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members for your part.
[Everything I have just said about how the parts of our bodies relate to each other applies to how] all of you who belong to Christ [should relate to each other]. Each of you belongs to him, [but you have not all been given the same abilities and work].
28 And God hath ordained some in the Church: as first Apostles, secondly Prophetes, thirdly teachers, then them that doe miracles: after that, the giftes of healing, helpers, gouernours, diuersitie of tongues.
God has placed apostles in our congregations. Apostles are first [in rank]. Next [in rank] are those who speak messages which come directly from God. Next [in rank] are those who teach [spiritual truth]. Then there are those who have the power to work miracles, those who have the ability to heal [sick people], those who have the ability to help [others], those who have the ability to govern [the affairs of the congregation], and those who have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned].
29 Are all Apostles? are all Prophetes? are all teachers?
Certainly not all [believers] are apostles. [RHQ] They all do not have the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to teach [spiritual truth]. [RHQ] They do not all have the power to work miracles. [RHQ]
30 Are all doers of miracles? haue all the gifts of healing? doe all speake with tongues? doe all interprete?
They do not all have the ability to heal people. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [they have not learned]. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to tell others the meaning of those messages. [RHQ] [Certainly not!]
31 But desire you the best giftes, and I will yet shewe you a more excellent way.
But you should eagerly desire to have [the abilities that will help other believers] the most (OR, [the abilities that God considers] to be the most important). But now I will tell you the best way [to use the abilities that God’s Spirit has given you].
