1 Corinthians 1

1 Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Sosthenes the 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 assembly of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all those calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place — both theirs and ours:

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

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

4 I give thanks to my God always concerning you for the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus,

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

5 that in every thing ye were enriched in him, in all discourse and 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 according as the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in you,

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

7 so that ye are not behind in any gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

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

8 who also shall confirm you unto the end — unblamable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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 faithful [is] God, through whom ye were called to the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ 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 call upon you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the same thing ye may all say, and there may not be divisions among you, and ye may be perfected in the same mind, and in the same judgment,

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 it was signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe, that contentions are among you;

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

12 and I say this, that each one of you saith, 'I, indeed, am of Paul' — 'and I of Apollos,' — 'and I of Cephas,' — 'and I of Christ.'

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

13 Hath the Christ been divided? was Paul crucified for you? or to the name of Paul were ye baptized;

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 give thanks to God that no one of you did I baptize, except Crispus and Gaius —

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

15 that no one may say that to my own name I did baptize;

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

16 and I did baptize also Stephanas' household — further, I have not known if I did baptize any other.

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

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but — to proclaim good news; not in wisdom of discourse, that the cross of the Christ may not be made of none effect;

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 the word of the cross to those indeed perishing is foolishness, and to us — those being saved — it is the power 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 hath been written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nought;'

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? where the scribe? where a disputer of this age? did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? (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, seeing in the wisdom of God the world through the wisdom knew not God, it did please God through the foolishness of the preaching to save those believing.

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 Since also Jews ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

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

23 also we — we preach Christ crucified, to Jews, indeed, a stumbling-block, and to Greeks foolishness,

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

24 and to those called — both Jews and Greeks — Christ the power 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 weakness of God is stronger than men;

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

26 for see your calling, brethren, that not many [are] wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;

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 the foolish things of the world did God choose, that the wise He may put to shame; and the weak things of the world did God choose that He may put to shame the strong;

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 the base things of the world, and the things despised did God choose, and the things that are not, that the things that are He may make useless —

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

29 that no flesh may glory before Him;

so that in his presence no one should boast.

30 and of Him ye — ye are in Christ Jesus, who became to us from God wisdom, righteousness also, 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 that, according as it hath been written, 'He who is glorying — in the Lord let him glory.'

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