1 Corinthians 15
1 And I make known to you, brothers, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you also received, in which you also have stood,
Next, Brothers, I would remind you of the Good News which I told you, and which you received — the Good News on which you have taken your stand,
2 through which you are also being saved, if you hold fast [to] the word—what I proclaimed as good news to you—unless you believed in vain.
and by means of which you are being saved. I would remind you of the very words that I used in telling it to you, since you are still holding fast to it, and since it was not in vain that you became believers in Christ.
3 For I delivered to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Writings,
For at the very beginning of my teaching I gave you the account which I had myself received — that Christ died for our sins (as the Scriptures had foretold),
4 and that He was buried, and that He has risen on the third day according to the Writings,
that he was buried, that on the third day he was raised (as the Scriptures had foretold),
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve,
and that he appeared to Kephas, and then to the Twelve.
6 afterward He appeared to above five hundred brothers at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, and some also fell asleep;
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of our Brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have gone to their rest.
7 afterward He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
After that, he appeared to James, and then to all the Apostles.
8 And last of all—as to the untimely birth—He also appeared to me,
Last of all, he appeared even to me, who am, as it were, the abortion.
9 for I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Assembly of God,
For I am the meanest of the Apostles, I who am unworthy of the name of ‘Apostle,’ because I persecuted the Church of God.
10 and by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace that [is] toward me did not come in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God that [is] with me;
But it is through the love of God that I am what I am, and the love that he showed me has not been wasted. No, I have toiled harder than any of them, and yet it was not I, but the love of God working with me.
11 whether, then, I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.
Whether, then, it was I or whether it was they, this we proclaim, and this you believed.
12 And if Christ is preached, that He has risen out of the dead, how [do] certain among you say that there is no resurrection of [the] dead?
Now, if it is proclaimed of Christ that he has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?
13 And if there is no resurrection of [the] dead, neither has Christ risen;
But, if there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised;
14 and if Christ has not risen, then our preaching [is] void, and your faith [is] also void,
and, if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without meaning, and our faith without meaning also!
15 and we are also found [to be] false witnesses of God, because we testified of God that He raised up the Christ, whom He did not raise if then dead persons do not rise;
Yes, and we are being proved to have borne false testimony about God; for we testified of God that he raised the Christ, whom he did not raise, if, indeed, the dead do not rise!
16 for if dead persons do not rise, neither has Christ risen,
For, if the dead do not rise, then even Christ himself has not been raised,
17 and if Christ has not risen, your faith is vain, you are yet in your sins;
and, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is folly — your sins are on you still!
18 then, also, those having fallen asleep in Christ perished;
Yes, and they, who have passed to their rest in union with Christ, perished!
19 if we only have hope in Christ in this life, we are to be most pitied of all men.
If all that we have done has been to place our hope in Christ for this life, then we of all men are the most to be pitied.
20 And now, Christ has risen out of the dead—He became the first-fruits of those sleeping,
But, in truth, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are at rest.
21 for since through man [is] death, also through Man [is] a resurrection of the dead,
For, since through a man there is death, so, too, through a man there is a resurrection of the dead.
22 for even as in Adam all die, so also in the Christ all will be made alive,
For, as through union with Adam all men die, so through union with the Christ will all be made to live.
23 and each in his proper order: Christ, a first-fruit, afterward those who are the Christ’s in His coming,
But each in his proper order — Christ the first-fruits; afterwards, at his Coming, those who belong to the Christ.
24 then—the end, when He may deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He may have made all rule useless, and all authority and power.
Then will come the end — when he surrenders the Kingdom to his God and Father, having overthrown all other rule and all other authority and power.
25 For it is necessary for Him to reign until He may have put all the enemies under His feet.
For he must reign until God ‘has put all his enemies under his feet.’
26 The last enemy is done away with—death.
The last enemy to be overthrown is death;
27 For He put all things under His feet, and when one may say that all things have been subjected, [it is] evident that He is excepted who subjected all things to Him,
for God has placed all things under Christ’s feet. (But, when it is said that all things have been placed under Christ, it is plain that God is excepted who placed everything under him.)
28 and when all things may be subjected to Him, then also the Son Himself will be subject to Him, who subjected to Him all things, that God may be the all in all.
And, when everything has been placed under him, the Son will place himself under God who placed everything under him, that God may be all in all!
29 Seeing what will they do who are immersed for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why are they also immersed for the dead?
Again, what good will they be doing who are baptized on behalf of the dead? If it is true that the dead do not rise, why are people baptized on their behalf?
30 Why do we also stand in peril every hour?
Why, too, do we risk our lives every hour?
31 I die every day, by the glorying of you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Daily I face death — I swear it, Brothers, by the pride in you that I feel through my union with Christ Jesus, our Lord.
32 If I fought with wild beasts in Ephesus after the manner of a man, what [is] the advantage to me if the dead do not rise? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
If with only human hopes I had fought in the arena at Ephesus, what should I have gained by it? If the dead do not rise, then — ‘Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die’!
33 Do not be led astray; evil communications corrupt good manners;
Do not be deceived. ‘Good character is marred by evil company.’
34 wake up, as is right, and do not sin; for some have an ignorance of God; I say [it] to you for shame.
Awake to a righteous life, and cease to sin. There are some who have no true knowledge of God. I speak in this way to shame you.
35 But someone will say, “How do the dead rise?”
Some one, however, may ask ‘How do the dead rise? and in what body will they come?’
36 Unwise! You—what you sow is not quickened except it may die;
You foolish man! The seed you yourself sow does not come to life, unless it dies!
37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, it may be of wheat, or of someone of the others,
And when you sow, you sow not the body that will be, but a mere grain — perhaps of wheat, or something else.
38 and God gives a body to it according as He willed, and its proper body to each of the seeds.
God gives it the body that he pleases — to each seed its special body.
39 All flesh [is] not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another of fishes, and another of birds;
All forms of life are not the same; there is one for men, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fishes.
40 and [there are] heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but one [is] the glory of the heavenly, and another that of the earthly;
There are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies; but the beauty of the heavenly bodies is not the beauty of the earthly.
41 one glory of sun, and another glory of moon, and another glory of stars, for star differs from star in glory.
There is a beauty of the sun, and a beauty of the moon, and a beauty of the stars; for even star differs from star in beauty.
42 So also [is] the resurrection of the dead: it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption;
It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. Sown a mortal body, it rises immortal; sown disfigured, it rises beautiful;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
sown weak, it rises strong; sown a human body, it rises a spiritual body.
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body; there is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body;
As surely as there is a human body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 so also it has been written: “The first man Adam became a living creature,” the last Adam [is] for a life-giving spirit,
That is what is meant by the words — ‘Adam, the first man, became a human being’; the last Adam became a Life-giving spirit.
46 but that which is spiritual [is] not first, but that which [was] natural, afterward that which [is] spiritual.
That which comes first is not the spiritual, but the human; afterwards comes the spiritual;
47 The first man [is] out of the earth—earthly; the second Man [is] the LORD out of Heaven;
the first man was from the dust of the earth; the second man from Heaven.
48 as [is] the earthly, such [are] also the earthly; and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] also the heavenly;
Those who are of the dust are like him who came from the dust; and those who are of Heaven are like him who came from Heaven.
49 and according as we bore the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
And as we have borne the likeness of him who came from the dust, so let us bear the likeness of him who came from Heaven.
50 And this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood are not able to inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the corruption inherit the incorruption.
This I say, Brothers — Flesh and blood can have no share in the Kingdom of God, nor can the perishable share the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a secret: we indeed will not all sleep, but we will all be changed;
Listen, I will tell you God’s hidden purpose! We shall not all have passed to our rest, but we shall all be transformed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed;
at the last trumpet-call; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise immortal, and we, also, shall be transformed.
53 for it is necessary for this corruptible to put on incorruption, and this mortal to put on immortality;
For this perishable body of ours must put on an imperishable form, and this dying body a deathless form.
54 and when this corruptible may have put on incorruption, and this mortal may have put on immortality, then will be brought to pass the word that has been written: “Death was swallowed up—to victory;
And, when this dying body has put on its deathless form, then indeed will the words of Scripture come true —
‘Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where, O Death, is thy victory? Where, O Death, is thy sting?’ (Hadēs g86)
56 And the sting of death [is] sin, and the power of sin the Law;
It is sin that gives death its sting, and it is the Law that gives sin its power.
57 and to God—thanks, to Him who is giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
58 so that, my beloved brothers, become steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the work of the LORD at all times, knowing that your labor in the LORD is not vain.
Therefore, my dear Brothers, stand firm, unshaken, always diligent in the Lord’s work, for you know that, in union with him, your toil is not in vain.
