1 Corinthians 1

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

This letter comes from Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother.

2 to the assembly of God which is at Corinth—those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:

It is sent to the church of God in Corinth, those who are being made right in Christ Jesus, called to live holy lives—and to everyone who worships the Lord Jesus Christ everywhere, the Lord both of them and of us.

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

May you have grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

I'm always thanking God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus.

5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge—

Through him you have been made rich in everything, in all that you say and every aspect of what you know.

6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you—

In fact the testimony of Christ was proved valid in your experience,

7 so that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

so that you're not missing any spiritual gift as you wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will also keep you strong to the very end, so you will be kept right until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is trustworthy who called you to share together in fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Brothers and sisters, I plead with you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree and that you're not divided. Instead develop a united attitude and purpose.

11 For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

For I have been told things about you, my brothers and sisters, by some of Chloe's people—that you are quarreling among yourselves.

12 Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”

Let me explain what I mean. You're all making different claims: “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Is Christ divided? Did Paul die on a cross for you? Was it in the name of Paul that you were baptized?

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

I'm grateful to God that I didn't baptize any of you, except Crispus and Gaius,

15 so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.

so nobody can claim they were baptized in my name.

16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.)

(Oh, and I also baptized the Stephanas family—I can't think of anyone else.)

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void.

For Christ didn't send me out to baptize, but to spread the good news, and not with eloquent human wisdom, otherwise the cross of Christ would be made powerless.

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For the message of the cross is nonsense to those who are lost, but it's the power of God to those of us who are saved.

19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

As Scripture says, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will wipe out the cleverness of the clever.”

20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (aiōn g165)

So how about the wise, the writers, and the philosophers of this age? Hasn't God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness? (aiōn g165)

21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

Since God in his wisdom allowed the world in its wisdom not to know God, it was God's gracious plan that by the foolishness of the good news those who trusted in him would be saved.

22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,

The Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks look for wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks,

but our message is of Christ killed on a cross—offensive to the Jews, and foolishness to the foreigners.

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God;

However, for those who are called by God, both Jews and foreigners, Christ is 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 the foolishness of God is wiser than we are; and the weakness of God is stronger than we are.

26 For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble;

Brothers and sisters, remember your calling—and that this did not include many who are wise, humanly speaking; not many who are powerful; not many who are important.

27 but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong.

Instead God chose the things the world considers foolish to humiliate those who think they are wise. He chose the things the world considers weak to humiliate those who think they are strong.

28 God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist,

He chose the things that are unimportant and despised by the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

29 that no flesh should boast before God.

so that nobody should boast in God's presence.

30 Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

It's because of him that you live in Christ Jesus, who God made to be wisdom for us. He sets us right, keeps us right, and frees us.

31 that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.”

So as Scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast, let them boast in the Lord.”