1 Corinthians 11

1 Be imitators of me, as I am an imitator of Christ.

2 Indeed I praise you for remembering me in everything, and because you are holding fast to the traditions just as you received them.

3 But I wish you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and of a wife her husband is head; and that God is head of Christ.

4 Every man who prays or prophesies with head veiled dishonors his Head;

5 but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head (her husband). for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven.

6 If a woman does not wear a veil, let her also cut off her hair; now if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her be veiled.

7 A man, indeed, ought not to have his head veiled, for he is an image and glory of God; but woman is a glory of man.

8 For it is not man who was made from woman, but woman was made from man.

9 And man was not created for woman, but woman for man.

10 For this reason the woman ought to have authority over her head, because of her guardian angels.

11 However, in the Lord neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman;

12 for just as the woman was made from the man, so also is the man born of the woman, while they both come from God.

13 Judge of this for your own selves. It is fitting that a woman should pray to God with her head unveiled.

14 Nor does nature itself teach you that it is a disgrace to a man to have long hair,

15 but it is woman’s glory, because her hair has been given her instead of a veil.

16 If, however, any one is inclined to be disputatious regarding such a custom, let him know that neither I nor the churches of God hold to such a custom.

17 But in giving you the following instructions, I cannot praise you; your solemn assemblies do more harm than good.

18 To begin with, I am told - and I believe there is some truth in it - that when you meet at a church there are divisions among you.

19 For there must needs be also parties among you, in order that the good may be tested and made known.

20 Again, when you meet together, there is no true eating of the Lord’s Supper;

21 for each one of you begins to eat his own supper; one goes hungry, while another gets drunk.

22 What! Have you no houses in which to eat or drink? or do you wish to show your contempt for the church of God, and to shame those who have no homes to eat in? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I certainly do not praise you.

23 For I passed on to you the account, which I myself received from the Lord; how the Lord Jesus, on the very night he was betrayed, took bread,

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, saying, "This is my body, broken for you; this do in memory of me."

25 In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in memory of me."

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming your Lord’s death until he come.

27 So he that eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthy must answer for a sin against the body and blood of the Lord.

28 Let each man scrutinize himself, and thus let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 For whoever eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks condemnation to himself.

30 This is why many among you are feeble and sickly, and many sleep.

31 If however, we were judging ourselves aright, we should not now be condemned;

32 but through our condemnation by the Lord, we are trained so that we may not be condemned;

33 So, my brothers, whenever you come together for this meal, wait for one another.

34 If any one is hungry, let him eat at home, so that your meetings do not bring condemnation upon you. The other matters I will adjust when I come.