1 Corinthians 11

1 Imitate me, as I myself imitate Christ.

Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.

2 I praise you, indeed, because you never forget me, and are keeping my injunctions in mind, exactly as I laid them on you.

Now I praise you that ye remember me in all things, and hold fast the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.

3 But I am anxious that you should understand that the Christ is the head of every man, that man is the head of woman, and that God is the head of the Christ.

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

4 Any man who keeps his head covered, when praying or preaching in public, dishonours him who is his head;

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

5 while any woman, who prays or preaches in public bare-headed, dishonours him who is her head; for that is to make herself like one of the shameless women who shave their heads.

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoureth her head: for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven.

6 Indeed, if a woman does not keep her head covered, she may as well cut her hair short. But, since to cut her hair short, or shave it off, marks her as one of the shameless women, she should keep her head covered.

For if a woman is not veiled, let her also be shorn: but if it is a shame to a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be veiled.

7 A man ought not to have his head covered, for he has been from the beginning the likeness of God and the reflection of his glory, but woman is the reflection of man’s glory.

For a man indeed ought not to have his head veiled, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

8 For it was not man who was taken from woman, but woman who was taken from man.

For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man:

9 Besides, man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man:

10 And, therefore, a woman ought to wear on her head a symbol of her subjection, because of the presence of the angels.

for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head, because of the angels.

11 Still, when in union with the Lord, woman is not independent of man, or man of woman;

Howbeit neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord.

12 for just as woman came from man, so man comes by means of woman; and all things come from God.

For as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the woman; but all things are of God.

13 Judge for yourselves. Is it fitting that a woman should pray to God in public with her head uncovered?

Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled?

14 Does not nature herself teach us that, while for a man to wear his hair long is degrading to him,

Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a dishonour to him?

15 a woman’s long hair is her glory? Her hair has been given her to serve as a covering.

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

16 If, however, anyone still thinks it right to contest the point – well, we have no such custom, nor have the churches of God.

But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

17 In giving directions on the next subject, I cannot praise you; because your meetings do more harm than good.

But in giving you this charge, I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better but for the worse.

18 To begin with, I am told that when you meet together as a church there are divisions among you. In part I believe this,

For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it.

19 indeed, there must be parties among you, so that the people of real worth become known.

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

20 When you meet together, as I understand, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s Supper;

When therefore ye assemble yourselves together, it is not possible to eat the Lord’s supper:

21 for, as you eat, each of you tries to secure his own supper first, with the result that one has too little to eat, and another has too much to drink!

for in your eating each one taketh before [other] his own supper; and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

22 Have you no houses in which you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show your contempt for the church of God, and to humiliate the poor? What can I say to you? Should I praise you? In this matter I cannot praise you.

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and put them to shame that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

23 For I myself received from the Lord the account which I have in turn given to you – how the Lord Jesus, on the very night of his betrayal, took some bread,

For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, how that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;

24 and, after saying the thanksgiving, broke it and said ‘This is my own body given on your behalf. Do this in memory of me.’

and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 And in the same way with the cup, after supper, saying ‘This cup is the new covenant made by my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in memory of me.’

In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me.

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death – until he comes.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread, or drinks the Lord’s cup, in an irreverent spirit, will have to answer for an offence against the Lord’s body and blood.

Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

28 Let everyone look into their own heart, and only then eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

29 For the person who eats and drinks brings a judgment on themselves by their eating and drinking, when they do not discern the body.

For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he discern not the body.

30 That is why so many among you are weak and ill, and why some are sleeping.

For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.

31 But, if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.

But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 Yet, in being judged by the Lord, we are undergoing discipline, so that we may not have judgment passed on us with the rest of the world.

But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33 Therefore, my friends, when you meet together to eat the Supper, wait for one another.

Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, wait one for another.

34 If anyone is hungry, they should eat at home, so that your meetings may not bring a judgment on you. The other details I will settle when I come.

If any man is hungry, let him eat at home; that your coming together be not unto judgment. And the rest will I set in order whensoever I come.