1 Corinthians 12

1 Now, my fellow believers, [I will answer your questions] about the things God’s Spirit [enables believers to do]. I want you to know clearly [LIT] [about these things].

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

2 You know that before you became Christians, various things led you to [worship] idols, which are unable to tell you [any of God’s message].

You know that when you were pagans you were somehow enticed and led astray to mute idols.

3 So [the first thing] that I will tell you now is that it is not the Spirit of God who would cause anyone to say, “Jesus deserved to die,” and that the Holy Spirit is the only one who can enable anyone to say, “Jesus is [truly] the Lord.”

Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are various things [that God’s] Spirit enables [various believers to do], but it is that same Spirit [who enables us to do them].

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

5 There are many different ways to serve [the Lord], but it is the same Lord [whom we all are serving].

and there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord;

6 [We believers] have the power to do various [tasks], but it is the same God who gives all of us the power [to do] these things.

and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers all of them in everyone.

7 [God’s] Spirit gives his power to each believer in order to benefit all the other [believers].

A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the benefit of all.

8 To some, the Spirit gives the ability to speak very wise messages. To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to know [things that he reveals to them].

To one person there is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

9 To others, the same Spirit gives the ability to believe [that God will work miracles]. To others, the Spirit gives the ability to heal [sick people].

to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit,

10 To others, he gives the power [to perform] miracles. To others, he gives the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. To others, he gives the ability to tell [if a message is really from God or not]. To others he gives the ability to speak messages in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned]. To others, he gives the ability to tell the meaning of those messages [MTY].

to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 It is the same Spirit who gives all these abilities. He gives whatever abilities he wants to give, to whatever person he wants to give them.

All these gifts are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who distributes to each person individually just as he wills.

12 Although a person’s body has many parts, all the parts form just one body [DOU]. It is like that [with those who belong to] Christ.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members constitute one body even though they are many, so it is with Christ.

13 When we were baptized {When people baptized us}, the one [Holy] Spirit caused us to become one group [of believers]. It does not matter whether we are Jews or non-Jews. It does not matter whether we are slaves or not slaves. [When we believed in Christ], the one Spirit came to live [MET] within all of us.

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we have all been given to drink into one Spirit.

14 [Our] bodies do not have only one part. They have many parts [with various functions].

Even so the body does not consist of one member, but many.

15 If our foot could [talk and] say [to us], “Because I am not [your] hand, I am not a part of [your] body,” it would still be a part of [our] body.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it for that reason not a part of the body?

16 If our ear could [talk and] say, “Because I am not [your] eye, I am not a part of your body,” it would still be a part of our body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it for that reason not a part of the body?

17 If our body were only an eye, (we would not be able to hear./how could we hear?) [RHQ] If our body were only an ear, (we would not be able to smell [anything]!/how could we smell [anything]?) [RHQ]

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

18 But the truth is that God has put all the parts of our bodies together exactly as he wanted to put them.

But as it is, God has placed each one of the members in the body just as he desired.

19 If [our body] had only one part, it would not be a body. [RHQ]

If they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But the truth is that there are many parts [in our body], but it is still only one body.

As it is, there are many members, yet one body.

21 That is why if our eye [could talk], it should never say to our hand, “I do not need you!” And if our head [could talk], it should not say to our feet, “I do not need you!”

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of yoʋ,” nor in turn can the head say to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

22 Instead, the parts of our body that seem to be weaker are the ones that are absolutely necessary.

On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are essential,

23 And the parts that we do not think highly of are the parts that we clothe carefully. And we protect carefully those parts that we do not show to people.

and the members of the body that we consider to be less honorable are clothed with more abundant honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,

24 The parts that are [all right to] show people, we do not need to protect. Instead, God, who has put all the parts of our bodies together, causes us to care for in a special way the parts that we think are less important.

but our presentable parts have no need of it. Instead, God has put the body together, giving more abundant honor to the part that lacked it,

25 He does that in order that all the parts of our body will work together harmoniously [LIT], and so that all the parts will care for all the other parts equally.

so that there would be no divisions in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for one another.

26 If one part of our body hurts, [it is as though] all the parts of our body are hurting. If we pay special attention to one part of our body, [it is as though] all the parts of our body feel pleasure [MET].

If one member suffers, all the other members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the other members rejoice with it.

27 [Everything I have just said about how the parts of our bodies relate to each other applies to how] all of you who belong to Christ [should relate to each other]. Each of you belongs to him, [but you have not all been given the same abilities and work].

Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.

28 God has placed apostles in our congregations. Apostles are first [in rank]. Next [in rank] are those who speak messages which come directly from God. Next [in rank] are those who teach [spiritual truth]. Then there are those who have the power to work miracles, those who have the ability to heal [sick people], those who have the ability to help [others], those who have the ability to govern [the affairs of the congregation], and those who have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [that they have not learned].

And those whom God has appointed in the church are as follows: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, leading, and various kinds of tongues.

29 Certainly not all [believers] are apostles. [RHQ] They all do not have the ability to speak messages that come directly from God. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to teach [spiritual truth]. [RHQ] They do not all have the power to work miracles. [RHQ]

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

30 They do not all have the ability to heal people. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to speak [messages] in languages [MTY] [they have not learned]. [RHQ] They do not all have the ability to tell others the meaning of those messages. [RHQ] [Certainly not!]

Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

31 But you should eagerly desire to have [the abilities that will help other believers] the most (OR, [the abilities that God considers] to be the most important). But now I will tell you the best way [to use the abilities that God’s Spirit has given you].

No, but earnestly desire the better gifts. And now I will show you a far more excellent way.