1 Corinthians 2

1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God.

And when I came to you, brothers, I came not to proclaim God’s great secret purpose in fine language of philosophy;

2 For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

for I determined to know nothing, while among you, but Jesus as Christ, and him a crucified Christ.

3 When I was with you, I was weak and afraid and I shook.

In weakness and fear and great trembling came I among you.

4 My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

My message and my preaching were not in the persuasive language of philosophy, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power;

5 that your faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

in order that your faith should rest, not on human philosophy, but on the power of God.

6 We speak wisdom, however, among those who are mature, but a wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are passing away. (aiōn g165)

Notwithstanding, among those who are mature I do teach philosophy; though not the philosophy of the present age, nor of its rulers who are coming to nought. (aiōn g165)

7 But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God determined in advance before the ages for our glory, (aiōn g165)

No, it is God’s wisdom that I utter, that hidden wisdom which God had decreed before the world began, unto our glory. (aiōn g165)

8 which none of the rulers of this age has understood. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (aiōn g165)

None of the rulers of the present age understands it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. (aiōn g165)

9 But as it is written, No eye has seen, and no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things which God has prepared for those who love him.

Nay, as it is written. Eye has not seen, Nor ear heard, Neither have entered into man’s heart The things which God has prepared For those who love him.

10 But to us God revealed it through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

Yet God has unveiled them to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit fathoms everything, even the abysmal depths of God.

11 For what person knows the things of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

For what man knows the depths of man except the man’s own inner Spirit? Even so, also, the Spirit of God knows the deeps profound of God.

12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes forth from God, that we may realize the blessings freely given us by God.

13 And we speak of these things, not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

Of these high themes we speak in words not taught by human philosophy, but by the Spirit; interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men.

14 Now the natural person does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The unspiritual man rejects the teachings of God’s Spirit; for him it is folly. He cannot understand it, for it is spiritually discerned,

15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.

But the spiritual man discerns everything, yet is himself discerned by no one.

16 For, "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

For what man understands the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him?