1 Corinthians 1

1 Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our 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 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:

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 be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from 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 on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

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

5 That in every thing all of you are enriched by him, in all utterance, (logos) 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 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 all of you come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming 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 shall also confirm you unto the end, that all of you may be 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, by whom all of you were called unto 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 plead to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that all of you be perfectly joined 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 declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, 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 this I say, that every one of you says, 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 Cephas,’ or ‘I Christ.’

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were all of you baptized in 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, but Crispus and Gaius;

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

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

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

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not 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 gospel: not with wisdom of words, (logos) lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

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 preaching (logos) of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are 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, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

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 disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (aiōn g165)

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 after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that 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 the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

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

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

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

24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 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 all of you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

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 has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

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 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nothing 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 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

so that in his presence no one should boast.

30 But of him are all of you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, 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, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

so that – in the words of scripture – ‘Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!’