1 Corinthians 15
1 Moreover, brethren, I make known unto you The joyful message, which I myself announced to you, which also ye received, in which also ye stand;
Next, Brothers, I would remind you of the Good News which I told you, and which you received — the Good News on which you have taken your stand,
2 Through which also ye are being saved, —if ye hold fast, with what discourse, I announced the joyful message unto you; unless indeed, in vain, ye believed.
and by means of which you are being saved. I would remind you of the very words that I used in telling it to you, since you are still holding fast to it, and since it was not in vain that you became believers in Christ.
3 For I delivered unto you, among the first things, what also I received: —how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,
For at the very beginning of my teaching I gave you the account which I had myself received — that Christ died for our sins (as the Scriptures had foretold),
4 And that he was buried, and that he hath been raised, on the third day, according to the Scriptures, —
that he was buried, that on the third day he was raised (as the Scriptures had foretold),
5 And that he appeared unto Cephas, then, to the twelve,
and that he appeared to Kephas, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, —of whom, the greater number, remain until even now, but, some, have fallen asleep, —
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of our Brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have gone to their rest.
7 After that, he appeared unto James, then, unto all the apostles,
After that, he appeared to James, and then to all the Apostles.
8 And, last of all, just as if unto the unseasonable birth, he appeared, even unto me;
Last of all, he appeared even to me, who am, as it were, the abortion.
9 For, I, am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God.
For I am the meanest of the Apostles, I who am unworthy of the name of ‘Apostle,’ because I persecuted the Church of God.
10 But, by favour of God, I am what I am, and, his favour, which was unto me, hath not been made void, —but, much more abundantly than they all, have I toiled, albeit not, I, but the favour of God with me.
But it is through the love of God that I am what I am, and the love that he showed me has not been wasted. No, I have toiled harder than any of them, and yet it was not I, but the love of God working with me.
11 Whether therefore, I, or, they, thus do we proclaim, and, thus did ye believe.
Whether, then, it was I or whether it was they, this we proclaim, and this you believed.
12 Now, if, Christ is proclaimed, that, from among the dead, he hath been raised, how say some, among you—resurrection of the dead, there is none?
Now, if it is proclaimed of Christ that he has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?
13 But, if, resurrection of the dead, there is none, not even Christ, hath been raised;
But, if there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised;
14 And, if Christ, hath not been raised, void, after all, is our proclamation, void also, our faith, —
and, if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without meaning, and our faith without meaning also!
15 And we are found, even false-witnesses of God, because we have witnessed respecting God, that he raised the Christ, —whom he did not raise, if, indeed, after all, the dead are not raised!
Yes, and we are being proved to have borne false testimony about God; for we testified of God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise, if, indeed, the dead do not rise!
16 For, if the dead are not raised, not even Christ, hath been raised;
For, if the dead do not rise, then even Christ himself has not been raised,
17 And, if Christ hath not been raised, to no purpose, is your faith, yet, are ye in your sins!
and, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is folly — your sins are on you still!
18 Hence also, they who are fallen asleep in Christ, are lost:
Yes, and they, who have passed to their rest in union with Christ, perished!
19 If, in this life, in Christ, we have hoped—and that is all, we are, of all men, most to be pitied.
If all that we have done has been to place our hope in Christ for this life, then we of all men are the most to be pitied.
20 But, now, hath Christ been raised from among the dead, —a firstfruit of them who have fallen asleep;
But, in truth, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are at rest.
21 For, since indeed, through a man, came death, through a man, also cometh the raising of the dead;
For, since through a man there is death, so, too, through a man there is a resurrection of the dead.
22 For, just as, in the Adam, all die, so, also, in the Christ, shall all be made alive.
For, as through union with Adam all men die, so through union with the Christ will all be made to live.
23 But, each, in his own rank: —A firstfruit, Christ, after that, they who are the Christ’s, in his presence,
But each in his proper order — Christ the first-fruits; afterwards, at his Coming, those who belong to the Christ.
24 Afterwards, the end—whensoever he delivereth up the kingdom unto his God and Father, whensoever he shall bring to nought all rule and all authority and power;
Then will come the end — when he surrenders the Kingdom to his God and Father, having overthrown all other rule and all other authority and power.
25 For he must needs reign, until he shall put all his enemies under his feet:
For he must reign until God ‘has put all his enemies under his feet.’
26 As a last enemy, death, is to be destroyed;
The last enemy to be overthrown is death;
27 For—He put, all things, in subjection under his feet. But, whensoever it shall be said—all things are in subjection!—it is evident that it means, —Except him who did put into subjection, unto him, the all things—
for God has placed all things under Christ’s feet. (But, when it is said that all things have been placed under Christ, it is plain that God is excepted who placed everything under him.)
28 But whensoever have been put into subjection, unto him, the all things, then, the Son himself, [also] shall be put in subjection unto him who put in subjection, unto him, the all things, —that, God, may be, all things in all.
And, when everything has been placed under him, the Son will place himself under God who placed everything under him, that God may be all in all!
29 Else, what will they do, who are being immersed in behalf of the dead? If, not at all, are the dead to be raised, why are they even being immersed in their behalf?
Again, what good will they be doing who are baptized on behalf of the dead? If it is true that the dead do not rise, why are people baptized on their behalf?
30 Why also are, we, running into peril every hour?
Why, too, do we risk our lives every hour?
31 Day by day, am I dying!—Yea! by your own boasting, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Daily I face death — I swear it, Brothers, by the pride in you that I feel through my union with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
32 If, after the manner of men, I have fought with wild-beasts at Ephesus, what, to me, the profit? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for, tomorrow, we die.
If with only human hopes I had fought in the arena at Ephesus, what should I have gained by it? If the dead do not rise, then — ‘Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die’!
33 Be not deceiving yourselves, —evil communications corrupt gentle manners: —
Do not be deceived. ‘Good character is marred by evil company.’
34 Wake up to sobriety, in righteousness, and be not committing sin; for some have, an ignorance of God: for shame, unto you, am I speaking!
Awake to a righteous life, and cease to sin. There are some who have no true knowledge of God. I speak in this way to shame you.
35 But some one will say—How, are the dead raised? and, with what kind of body, do they come?
Some one, however, may ask ‘How do the dead rise? and in what body will they come?’
36 Simple one! What, thou, sowest, is not quickened, except it die;
You foolish man! The seed you yourself sow does not come to life, unless it dies!
37 And, what thou sowest, not the body that shall come into existence, dost thou sow, but a naked kernel—if it so happen, of wheat, or of any of the rest, —
And when you sow, you sow not the body that will be, but a mere grain — perhaps of wheat, or something else.
38 Howbeit, God, giveth it a body, as he pleased, and, unto each of the seeds, a body of its own.
God gives it the body that he pleases — to each seed its special body.
39 Not all flesh, is the same flesh; but, one, indeed, is, [the flesh] of men, and, another, the flesh of beasts, and, another, the flesh of birds, and, another, of fishes;
All forms of life are not the same; there is one for men, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fishes.
40 And there are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies, —but, of one kind, indeed, is the glory of the heavenly, and, of another kind, is the glory of the earthly; —
There are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies; but the beauty of the heavenly bodies is not the beauty of the earthly.
41 One, is the glory of a sun, and, another, the glory of a moon, and, another, the glory of stars, —nay! star from star, differeth in glory.
There is a beauty of the sun, and a beauty of the moon, and a beauty of the stars; for even star differs from star in beauty.
42 Thus, also the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption,
It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. Sown a mortal body, it rises immortal; sown disfigured, it rises beautiful;
43 It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power,
sown weak, it rises strong; sown a human body, it rises a spiritual body.
44 It is sown a body of the soul, it is raised a body of the spirit; if there is a body of the soul, there is also of the spirit: —
As surely as there is a human body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Thus, also, it is written—The first man, Adam, became, a living soul, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
That is what is meant by the words — ‘Adam, the first man, became a human being’; the last Adam became a Life-giving spirit.
46 Howbeit, not first, is the [body] of the spirit, but that, of the soul, —afterwards, that of the spirit.
That which comes first is not the spiritual, but the human; afterwards comes the spiritual;
47 The first man, is of the ground, earthy, the second man, is, of heaven:
the first man was from the dust of the earth; the second man from Heaven.
48 As, the man of earth, such, also, the men of earth, and, as, the man of heaven, such, also, the men of heaven;
Those who are of the dust are like him who came from the dust; and those who are of Heaven are like him who came from Heaven.
49 And, even as we have borne the image of the man of earth, let us also bear the image of the man of heaven.
And as we have borne the likeness of him who came from the dust, so let us bear the likeness of him who came from Heaven.
50 And, this, I say, brethren, —that, flesh and blood, cannot inherit, God’s kingdom. Neither doth, corruption, inherit, incorruption.
This I say, Brothers — Flesh and blood can have no share in the Kingdom of God, nor can the perishable share the imperishable.
51 Lo! a sacred secret, unto you, do I declare: —we shall not, all, sleep, but we shall, all, be changed, —
Listen, I will tell you God’s hidden purpose! We shall not all have passed to our rest, but we shall all be transformed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, during the last trumpet; for it shall sound, and, the dead, shall be raised, incorruptible, and, we, shall be changed.
at the last trumpet-call; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise immortal, and we, also, shall be transformed.
53 For this corruptible must needs clothe itself with incorruptibility, and this mortal, clothe itself, with immortality.
For this perishable body of ours must put on an imperishable form, and this dying body a deathless form.
54 But, whensoever, this mortal, shall clothe itself with immortality, then, shall be brought to pass the saying that is written—Death hath been swallowed up, victoriously;
And, when this dying body has put on its deathless form, then indeed will the words of Scripture come true —
‘Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O Death, is thy victory? Where, O Death, is thy sting?’ (Hadēs g86)
56 Now, the sting of death, is, sin, and, the power of sin, is, the law; —
It is sin that gives death its sting, and it is the Law that gives sin its power.
57 But, unto God, be thanks, who is giving unto us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
58 So, then, my beloved brethren, —become ye, steadfast, immovable, superabounding in the work of the Lord, at all times; knowing that, your toil, is not in vain in the Lord.
Therefore, my dear Brothers, stand firm, unshaken, always diligent in the Lord’s work, for you know that, in union with him, your toil is not in vain.
