1 Corinthians 1

1 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,

Paul, called an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and brother Sosthenes,

2 from Paul, who has been called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our Brother.

to the church of God being in Corinth, to the sanctified in Christ Jesus, to the called saints, along with all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, theirs and ours:

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

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank God about you for the blessing bestowed upon you in Christ Jesus.

I give thanks to my God always in your behalf, for the grace of God given unto you in Christ Jesus;

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

because in everything you are enriched in him, in all speech and in all knowledge;

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

as the testimony of Christ is confirmed in you;

7 And thus there is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

so that you are deficient in no spiritual gift; awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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

who will also establish you unblamable unto the end in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

God is faithful, through whom you have been called unto the fellowship of His Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

10 But I appeal to you, Brothers, 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.

But I exhort you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you may all speak the same things, and that there may be no schisms among you; but you may be perfected in the same mind and in the same disposition.

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

For it has been revealed to me concerning you, my brethren, by those who are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

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

And I say this, that each one says, I indeed am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 You have rent the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? or were you baptized into the Faith of Paul?

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

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

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

15 so that no one can say that you were baptized into my Faith.

in order that no one may say that you are baptized in my name.

16 I baptized also the household of Stephanas. I do not know that I baptized any one else.

But I baptized also the family of Stephanas: besides, I know not if I baptized any other.

17 My mission from Christ was not to baptize, but to tell the Good News; not, however, in the language of philosophy, lest the cross of the Christ should be robbed of its meaning.

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with the wisdom of speech, in order that the cross of Christ may not be made of none effect.

18 The Message of the Cross is indeed mere folly to those who are in the path to Ruin, but to us who are in the path of Salvation it is the very power of God.

For the word of the cross is foolishness indeed to those who are lost; but to those who are saved it is the power of God.

19 For Scripture says — ‘I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to nought, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will make of no account.’

For it has been written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nought the understanding of the intelligent.

20 Where is the Philosopher? where the Teacher of the Law? where the Disputant of to-day? Has not God shown the world’s philosophy to be folly? (aiōn g165)

Where is the wise man? where is the scribe? where is the investigator of this age? has not God rendered the wisdom of the world foolishness? (aiōn g165)

21 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!

For since in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

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

Since indeed the Jews ask for miracles, and the Greeks seek after wisdom;

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

but we preach Christ having been crucified, to the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and to the Gentiles foolishness;

24 but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God!

but to you who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

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

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 Look at the facts of your Call, Brothers. There are not many among you who are wise, as men reckon wisdom, not many who are influential, not many who are high-born;

For you see your calling, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many influential, not many high-born:

27 but God chose what the world counts foolish to put its wise men to shame, and God chose what the world counts weak to put its strong things to shame,

but God has chosen the foolish things of the world, that he may confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world, that he may confound the strong;

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

and God has chosen the base-born of the world, and those of no reputation, the things which are not, that He may set at nought the things which are,

29 so that in his presence no human being should boast.

in order that no flesh can boast in the sight of God.

30 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,

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God was made unto us wisdom, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

31 so that — in the words of Scripture — ‘Let him who boasts make his boast of the Lord!’

in order that, as it has been written, Let him that glorieth glory in the Lord.