1 Corinthians 11
1 Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.
Be imitators of me, in so far as I in turn am an imitator of Christ.
2 I praise you, indeed, because you never forget me, and are keeping my injunctions in mind, exactly as I laid them on you.
Now I commend you for remembering me in everything, and because you hold fast truths and practices precisely as I have taught them to you.
3 But I am anxious that you should understand that the Christ is the head of every man, that man is the head of woman, and that God is the head of the Christ.
I would have you know, however, that of every man, Christ is the Head, that of a woman her husband is the Head, and that God is Christ's Head.
4 Any man who keeps his head covered, when praying or preaching in public, dishonors him who is his head;
A man who wears a veil when praying or prophesying dishonors his Head;
5 while any woman, who prays or preaches in public bare-headed, dishonors him who is her head; for that is to make herself like one of the shameless women who shave their heads.
but a woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her Head, for it is exactly the same as if she had her hair cut short.
6 Indeed, if a woman does not keep her head covered, she may as well cut her hair short. But, since to cut her hair short, or shave it off, marks her as one of the shameless women, she should keep her head covered.
If a woman will not wear a veil, let her also cut off her hair. But since it is a dishonor to a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her wear a veil.
7 A man ought not to have his head covered, for he has been from the beginning the likeness of God and the reflection of his glory, but woman is the reflection of man’s glory.
For a man ought not to have a veil on his head, since he is the image and glory of God; while woman is the glory of man.
8 For it was not man who was taken from woman, but woman who was taken from man.
Man does not take his origin from woman, but woman takes hers from man.
9 Besides, man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.
For man was not created for woman's sake, but woman for man's.
10 And, therefore, a woman ought to wear on her head a symbol of her subjection, because of the presence of the angels.
That is why a woman ought to have on her head a symbol of subjection, because of the angels.
11 Still, when in union with the Lord, woman is not independent of man, or man of woman;
Yet, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man nor man independent of woman.
12 for just as woman came from man, so man comes by means of woman; and all things come from God.
For just as woman originates from man, so also man comes into existence through woman, but everything springs originally from God.
13 Judge for yourselves. Is it fitting that a woman should pray to God in public with her head uncovered?
Judge of this for your own selves: is it seemly for a woman to pray to God when she is unveiled?
14 Does not nature herself teach us that, while for a man to wear his hair long is degrading to him,
Does not Nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a dishonor to him,
15 a woman’s long hair is her glory? Her hair has been given her to serve as a covering.
but that if a woman has long hair it is her glory, because her hair was given her for a covering?
16 If, however, anyone still thinks it right to contest the point – well, we have no such custom, nor have the churches of God.
But if any one is inclined to be contentious on the point, we have no such custom, nor have the Churches of God.
17 In giving directions on the next subject, I cannot praise you; because your meetings do more harm than good.
But while giving you these instructions, there is one thing I cannot praise--your meeting together, with bad rather than good results.
18 To begin with, I am told that when you meet together as a church there are divisions among you. In part I believe this,
for, in the first place, when you meet as a Church, there are divisions among you. This is what I am told, and I believe that there is some truth in it.
19 indeed, there must be parties among you, so that the people of real worth become known.
For there must of necessity be differences of opinion among you, in order that it may be plainly seen who are the men of sterling worth among you.
20 When you meet together, as I understand, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s Supper;
When, however, you meet in one place, there is no eating the Supper of the Lord;
21 for, as you eat, each of you tries to secure his own supper first, with the result that one has too little to eat, and another has too much to drink!
for it is his own supper of which each of you is in a hurry to partake, and one eats like a hungry man, while another has already drunk to excess.
22 Have you no houses in which you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show your contempt for the church of God, and to humiliate the poor? What can I say to you? Should I praise you? In this matter I cannot praise you.
Why, have you no homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you wish to show your contempt for the Church of God and make those who have no homes feel ashamed? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I certainly do not praise you.
23 For I myself received from the Lord the account which I have in turn given to you – how the Lord Jesus, on the very night of his betrayal, took some bread,
For it was from the Lord that I received the facts which, in turn, I handed on to you; how that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was to be betrayed, took some bread,
24 and, after saying the thanksgiving, broke it and said “This is my own body given on your behalf. Do this in memory of me.”
and after giving thanks He broke it and said, "This is my body which is about to be broken for you. Do this in memory of me."
25 And in the same way with the cup, after supper, saying “This cup is the new covenant made by my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in memory of me.”
In the same way, when the meal was over, He also took the cup. "This cup," He said, "is the new Covenant of which my blood is the pledge. Do this, every time that you drink it, in memory of me."
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death – until he comes.
For every time that you eat this bread and drink from the cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death--until He returns.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread, or drinks the Lord’s cup, in an irreverent spirit, will have to answer for an offense against the Lord’s body and blood.
Whoever, therefore, in an unworthy manner, eats the bread or drinks from the cup of the Lord sins against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 Let everyone look into their own heart, and only then eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
But let a man examine himself, and, having done that, then let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.
29 For the person who eats and drinks brings a judgment on themselves by their eating and drinking, when they do not discern the body.
For any one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgement to himself, if he fails to estimate the body aright.
30 That is why so many among you are weak and ill, and why some are sleeping.
That is why many among you are sickly and out of health, and why not a few die.
31 But, if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.
If, however, we estimated ourselves aright, we should not be judged.
32 Yet, in being judged by the Lord, we are undergoing discipline, so that we may not have judgment passed on us with the rest of the world.
But when we are judged by the Lord, chastisement follows, to save us from being condemned along with the world.
33 Therefore, my friends, when you meet together to eat the Supper, wait for one another.
Therefore, brethren, when you come together for this meal, wait for one another.
34 If anyone is hungry, they should eat at home, so that your meetings may not bring a judgment on you. The other details I will settle when I come.
If any one is hungry, let him eat at home; so that your coming together may not lead to judgement. The other matters I will deal with whenever I come.
