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 [to be] an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 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.

unto the church of God which is at Corinth, [even] them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their [Lord] 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 for you. I thank him for the blessing bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.

I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given 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;

that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge;

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

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

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

so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for 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 shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye be] unreproveable 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 ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 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.

Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

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

For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them [which are of the household] 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 Cephas,” or “I Christ.”

Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 You have torn the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into 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, save Crispus and Gaius;

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

lest any man should say that ye were baptized into my name.

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

And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether 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, in case the cross of the Christ should be robbed of its meaning.

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.

18 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.

For the word of the cross is to them that are perishing foolishness; but unto us which are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For scripture says – “I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to naught, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will bring to nothing.”

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the prudence of the prudent will I reject.

20 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)

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (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 seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.

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

Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

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

but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto 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 unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 For God’s “folly” is wiser than people, and God’s “weakness” is stronger than people.

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, 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;

For behold your calling, brethren, how that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called]:

27 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,

but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are 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 the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, [yea] and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:

29 so that in his presence no one should boast.

that no flesh should glory before 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 was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

31 so that – in the words of scripture – “Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!”

that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.