1 Corinthians 1
1 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,
Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ, through God’s will, —and Sosthenes the brother, —
2 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.
Unto the assembly of God which is in Corinth, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, —with all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every place, —their Lord and ours:
3 May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.
Favour unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank God for you. I thank him for the blessing bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.
I give thanks unto my God, at all times, concerning you, by reason of the favour of God given unto you in Christ Jesus, —
5 For through union with him you were enriched in every way – in your power to preach, and in your knowledge of the truth;
That, in everything, ye have been enriched in him—in all discourse and in all knowledge;
6 and so became yourselves a confirmation of my testimony to the Christ.
Even as, the witness of the Christ, hath been confirmed in you,
7 There is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
So that ye come short in no gift of favour, —ardently awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ:
8 And God himself will strengthen you to the end, so that at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ you may be found blameless.
Who will also confirm you unto the end, unaccusable in the day of our Lord Jesus [Christ]:
9 God will not fail you, and it is he who called you into communion with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Faithful, is God, through whom ye have been called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 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.
But I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, —that, the same thing, ye, all, be saying, and that there be not, among you, divisions; but that ye be fitly joined together—in the same mind, and in the same judgment.
11 For I have been informed, my friends, by the members of Chloe’s household, that party feeling exists among you.
For it hath been signified unto me, concerning you, my brethren, —by them who are of [the household of] Chloe, —that there are strifes among you,
12 I mean this: that every one of you says either ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I Apollos,’ or ‘I Cephas,’ or ‘I Christ.’
Now I mean this, —that, each one of you, is saying—I, indeed, am of Paul, but, I, of Apollos, but, I, of Cephas, but, I, of Christ:
13 You have torn the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
The Christ is divided! Was, Paul, crucified for you? Or, into the name of Paul, were ye immersed?
14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
I give thanks, that, none of you, did I immerse—save Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.
Lest any should say—into my own name, I immersed:
16 I baptized also the household of Stephanas. I do not know that I baptized anyone else.
Yea! I immersed the house of Stephanas also, —besides, I know not whether, anyone else, I immersed.
17 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.
For Christ sent me not, to be immersing, but to be telling the good news, —not with wisdom of discourse, lest, void should be made, the cross of the Christ.
18 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.
For, the discourse which concerneth the cross, unto them, indeed, who are perishing, is, foolishness; but, unto them who are being saved—unto us, it is, God’s power.
19 For scripture says – ‘I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to naught, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will bring to nothing.’
For it is written—I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and, the discernment of the discerning, will I set aside.
20 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)
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (aiōn g165)
21 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!
For, seeing that, in the wisdom of God, the world, through its wisdom, did not get to knew God, God was well-pleased—through the foolishness of the thing proclaimed, to save them that believe.
22 While Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks study philosophy,
Seeing that both, Jews for signs, do ask, and, Greeks for wisdom, do seek,
23 we are proclaiming Christ crucified! – to the Jews an obstacle, to the Gentiles mere folly,
Whereas, we, proclaim a Christ who hath been crucified, —unto Jews, indeed, an occasion of stumbling, and, unto Gentiles, foolishness;
24 but to those who have received the call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God!
But, unto the called themselves—both Jews and Greeks, Christ, God’s power, and, God’s wisdom.
25 For God’s ‘folly’ is wiser than people, and God’s ‘weakness’ is stronger than people.
Because, God’s foolish thing, is, wiser than men, and, God’s weak thing, mightier than men.
26 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;
For be looking at the calling of you, brethren, —that [there were] not many wise, according to flesh. Not many powerful, not many high-born:
27 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,
On the contrary—the foolish things of the world, hath God chosen, that he might put to shame them who are wise, and, the weak things of the world, hath God chosen, that he might put to shame the things that are mighty,
28 and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant – things that to it are unreal – to bring its ‘realities’ to nothing,
And, the low-born things of the world, and the things that are despised, hath God chosen, —[and] the things that are not, —that, the things that are, he might bring to nought;
29 so that in his presence no one should boast.
So that no flesh should boast before God.
30 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,
But, of him, are, ye, in Christ Jesus, who hath been made wisdom unto us, from God, —both righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 so that – in the words of scripture – ‘Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!’
In order that, even as it is written—He that boasteth, in the Lord, let him boast.
