1 Corinthians 11

1 Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

2 Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things, and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.

I praise you, indeed, because you never forget me, and are keeping my injunctions in mind, exactly as I laid them upon you.

3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

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.

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

Any man who keeps his head covered, when praying or preaching in public, dishonours him who is his Head;

5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoureth her head: for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven.

while any woman, who prays or preaches in public bare-headed, dishonours him who is her Head; for that is to make herself like one of the shameless women who shave their heads.

6 For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

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, let her keep her head covered.

7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head veiled, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

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.

8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man:

For it was not man who was taken from woman, but woman who was taken from man.

9 for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man:

Besides, man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

10 for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head, because of the angels.

And, therefore, a woman ought to wear on her head a symbol of her subjection, because of the presence of the angels.

11 Howbeit neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord.

Still, when in union with the Lord, woman is not independent of man, or man of woman;

12 For as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the woman; but all things are of God.

for just as woman came from man, so man comes by means of woman; and all things come from God.

13 Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled?

Judge for yourselves. Is it fitting that a woman should pray to God in public with her head uncovered?

14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a dishonour to him?

Does not nature herself teach us that, while for a man to wear his hair long is degrading to him,

15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

a woman’s long hair is her glory? Her hair has been given her to serve as a covering.

16 But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

If, however, any one still thinks it right to contest the point — well, we have no such custom, nor have the Churches of God.

17 But in giving you this charge, I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better but for the worse.

In giving directions on the next subject, I cannot praise you; because your meetings do more harm than good.

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it.

To begin with, I hear you and, to some extent, I believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Indeed, there must be actual parties among you, for so only will the men of real worth become known.

20 When therefore ye assemble yourselves together, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s supper:

When you meet together, as I understand, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s Supper;

21 for in your eating each one taketh before [other] his own supper; and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

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!

22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and put them to shame that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

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? Shall I praise you? In this matter I cannot praise you.

23 For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, how that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;

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,

24 and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me.

and, after saying the thanksgiving, broke it and said “This is my own body given on your behalf. Do this in memory of me.”

25 In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.

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.”

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

For whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death — till he comes.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread, or drinks the Lord’s cup, in an irreverent spirit, will have to answer for an offence against the Lord’s body and blood.

28 But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

Let each man look into his own heart, and only then eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.

For the man who eats and drinks brings a judgment upon himself by his eating and drinking, when he does not discern the body.

30 For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.

That is why so many among you are weak and ill, and why some are sleeping.

31 But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged.

But, if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

Yet, in being judged by the Lord, we are undergoing discipline, so that we may not have judgment passed upon us with the rest of the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait one for another.

Therefore, my Brothers, when you meet together to eat the Supper, wait for one another.

34 If any man is hungry, let him eat at home; that your coming together be not unto judgment. And the rest will I set in order whensoever I come.

If a man is hungry, let him eat at home, so that your meetings may not bring a judgment upon you. The other details I will settle when I come.