1 Corinthians 2

1 And I, having come to you, brothers, came—not in superiority of discourse or wisdom—declaring to you the testimony of God,

For my own part, friends, when I came to you, it was with no display of eloquence or philosophy that I came to tell the hidden purpose of God;

2 for I decided not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified;

for I had determined that, while with you, I would forget everything except Jesus Christ – and him crucified!

3 and I, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, was with you;

Indeed, when I came among you, I was weak, and full of fears, and in great anxiety.

4 and my word and my preaching was not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power—

My message and my proclamation were not delivered in the persuasive language of philosophy, but were accompanied by the manifestation of spiritual power,

5 that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

so that your faith should be based, not on the human wisdom, but on the power of God.

6 And wisdom we speak among the perfect, and wisdom not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age—of those becoming useless, (aiōn g165)

Yet there is a philosophy that we teach to those whose faith is matured, but it is not the philosophy of today, or of the leaders of today – whose downfall is at hand. (aiōn g165)

7 but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God foreordained before the ages to our glory, (aiōn g165)

No, it is a divine philosophy that we teach, one concerned with the hidden purpose of God – that long hidden philosophy which God, before time began, destined for our glory. (aiōn g165)

8 which no one of the rulers of this age knew, for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; (aiōn g165)

This philosophy is clearly not known to any of the leaders of today, since, had they known it, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord! (aiōn g165)

9 but according as it has been written: “What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and on the heart of man did not come up, what God prepared for those loving Him”;

It is what scripture speaks of as – ‘What eye never saw, nor ear ever heard, what never entered people’s minds – all these things God has prepared for those who love him.’

10 but God revealed [them] to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God,

Yet to us God revealed it through his Spirit; for the Spirit fathoms all things, even the inmost depths of God’s being.

11 for who of men has known the things of the man, except the spirit of the man that [is] in him? So also the things of God no one has known, except the Spirit of God.

For what person is there who knows what a person is, except the person’s own spirit within them? So, also, no one comprehends what God is, except the Spirit of God.

12 And we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that [is] of God, that we may know the things conferred by God on us,

And as for us, it is not the spirit of the world that we have received, but the Spirit that comes from God, so that we may realize the blessings given to us by him.

13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things,

And we speak of these gifts, not in language taught by human philosophy, but in language taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things in spiritual words.

14 and the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know [them], because they are discerned spiritually;

The merely intellectual person rejects the teaching of the Spirit of God; for to them it is mere folly; they cannot grasp it, because it is to be understood only by spiritual insight.

15 and he who is spiritual, indeed discerns all things, and he himself is discerned by no one;

But the person with spiritual insight is able to understand everything, although they themselves are understood by no one.

16 for who knew the mind of the LORD that he will instruct Him? And we have the mind of Christ.

For who has so comprehended the mind of the Lord as to be able to instruct him? We, however, have the mind of Christ.