For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to proclaim the Good News?not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

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

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God.

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

that your faith would not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

We speak wisdom, however, among those who are mature, but a wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who will pass away.

which none of the rulers of this age has understood. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

And we speak of these things, not with words taught by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

Now the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

And I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual, but as fleshly, as infants in Christ.

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you weren't yet ready. And even now you are still not ready,

for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not walk in the ways of men?

For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not men?

Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you?

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by man's judgment. Yes, I do not judge my own self.

For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord.

Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to go beyond the things which are written, that none of you be puffed up against one another.

For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

For though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the Good News.

Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you.

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing. And I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.

For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even among the Gentiles, that one has his father's wife.

You are puffed up, and did not rather mourn, that he who had done this deed might be removed from among you.

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old yeast, neither with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

yet not at all meaning with the sexual sinners of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then you would have to leave the world.

But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner. Do not even eat with such a person.

For what have I to do with also judging those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are within?

Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

I say this to move you to shame. Is not there even one wise man among you who would be able to decide between his brothers?

Therefore it is already altogether a defect in you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor men who have sexual relations with men,

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

"Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods," but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be.

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, "The two," says he, "will become one flesh."

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,

Now concerning the things about which you wrote: it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.

Do not deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to prayer, and may be together again, that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.

But if they do not have self-control, let them marry. For it's better to marry than to burn.

But to the married I command?not I, but the Lord?that the wife not leave her husband

(but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife.

But to the rest I?not the Lord?say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her.

The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband.

Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.

Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

Were you called being a bondservant? Do not let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it.

You were bought with a price. Do not become bondservants of men.

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be freed. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you.

and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;

and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away.

This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction.

But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He does not sin. Let them marry.

So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage does better.

But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

However, that knowledge is not in all men. But some, being so accustomed to idols until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we do not eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forevermore, that I do not cause my brother to stumble.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my office of apostle in the Lord.

Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work?

What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and does not drink from the flock's milk?

Do I speak these things according to the ways of men? Or does not the Law also say the same thing?

For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen that God cares,

If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.

Do you not know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar?

But I have used none of these things, and I do not write these things that it may be done so in my case; for I would rather die, than that anyone should make my boasting void.

For if I proclaim the Good News, I have nothing to boast about; for necessity is laid on me; but woe is to me, if I do not proclaim the Good News.

For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward. But if not of my own will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

What then is my reward? That, when I proclaim the Good News, I may present the Good News without charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News.

To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;

to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.

I therefore run like that, as not uncertainly. I fight like that, as not beating the air,

Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he does not fall.

No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is not it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is not it a sharing of the body of Christ?

Consider Israel according to the flesh. Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God, and I do not desire that you would have fellowship with demons.

"All things are lawful," but not all things are profitable. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up.

But if one of those who do not believe invites you to a meal, and you are inclined to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no questions for the sake of conscience.

But if anyone says to you, "This was offered to idols," do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience.

Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other's conscience. For why is my liberty judged by another conscience?

even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.

For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.

For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.

For man is not from woman, but woman from man;