1 Corinthians 1

1 PAUL, called and sent by Jesus Messiah in the good pleasure of God; and Sosthenes, a brother;

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,

2 to the church of God which is at Corinth, to the people called and sanctified, who are sanctified in Jesus Messiah; and to all them, in every place, who invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Messiah, their and our Lord:

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.

3 Grace be with you, and peace; from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Messiah.

May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

4 I thank my God at all times on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given to you in Jesus Messiah;

I always thank God for you. I thank him for the blessing bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.

5 that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all discourse, and in all knowledge;

For through union with him you were enriched in every way – in your power to preach, and in your knowledge of the truth;

6 even as the testimony of Messiah was confirmed among you:

and so became yourselves a confirmation of my testimony to the Christ.

7 so that ye are not inferior in any one of his gifts; but are waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Messiah:

There is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

8 who will confirm you unto the end, so that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Messiah.

And God himself will strengthen you to the end, so that at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ you may be found blameless.

9 God is faithful; by whom ye have been called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Messiah, our Lord.

God will not fail you, and it is he who called you into communion with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

10 And I beseech you, my Brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Messiah, that to you all there may be one language; and that there may be no divisions among you: but that ye may become perfectly of one mind, and of one way of thinking.

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.

11 For concerning you, my Brethren, it hath been reported to me by the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

For I have been informed, my friends, by the members of Chloe’s household, that party feeling exists among you.

12 And this I state: That one of you saith, I am of Paul; and another saith, I am of Apollos; and another saith, I am of Cephas; and another saith, I am of Messiah.

I mean this: that every one of you says either ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I Apollos,’ or ‘I Cephas,’ or ‘I Christ.’

13 Now was Messiah divided? Or was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

You have torn the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank my God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius;

I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 lest any one should say, that I baptized in my own name.

so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

16 I moreover baptized the household of Stephanas: but further, I know not that I baptized any other.

I baptized also the household of Stephanas. I do not know that I baptized anyone else.

17 For Messiah did not send me to baptize, but to preach; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Messiah should be inefficient.

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.

18 For a discourse concerning the cross is, to them who perish, foolishness; but to us who live, it is the energy of God.

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.

19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; and I will dissipate the intelligence of the sagacious.

For scripture says – ‘I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to naught, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will bring to nothing.’

20 Where is the wise? Or where is the scribe? Or where is the disputant of this world? Lo, hath not God showed, that the wisdom of this world is folly? (aiōn g165)

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)

21 For in the wisdom of God, because the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to quicken them who believe.

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!

22 Because the Jews ask for signs, and the Gentiles demand wisdom.

While Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks study philosophy,

23 But we preach Messiah as crucified; which is a stumbling-block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles;

we are proclaiming Christ crucified! – to the Jews an obstacle, to the Gentiles mere folly,

24 but to them who are called, both Jews and Gentiles, Messiah is the energy of God, and the wisdom of God.

but to those who have received the call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God!

25 Because the foolishness of God, is wiser than men; and the feebleness of God, is stronger than men.

For God’s ‘folly’ is wiser than people, and God’s ‘weakness’ is stronger than people.

26 For look also at your calling, my Brethren; that not many among you are wise, according to the flesh; and not many among you are mighty, and not many among you are of high birth.

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;

27 But God hath chosen the foolish ones of the world, to shame the wise; and he hath chosen the feeble ones of the world, to shame the mighty;

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,

28 and he hath chosen those of humble birth in the world, and the despised, and them who are nothing, to bring to naught them who are something:

and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant – things that to it are unreal – to bring its ‘realities’ to nothing,

29 so that no flesh might, glory before him.

so that in his presence no one should boast.

30 And ye, moreover, are of him in Jesus Messiah; who hath become to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

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,

31 according to that which is written: He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

so that – in the words of scripture – ‘Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!’