Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,

To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honour to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

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

I give praise to my God for you at all times, because of the grace of God which has been given to you in Christ Jesus;

God is true, through whom you have been given a part with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I give praise to God that not one of you had baptism from me, but Crispus and Gaius;

For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news: not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value.

For the word of the cross seems foolish to those who are on the way to destruction; but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God.

Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him.

But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles;

But to those of God's selection, Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.

Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men.

For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble:

But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong;

And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are:

So that no flesh might have glory before God.

But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy:

And when I came to you, my brothers, I did not come with wise words of knowledge, putting before you the secret of God.

So that your faith might be based not on man's wisdom but on the power of God.

But we give the news of the secret wisdom of God, which he had kept in store before the world came into existence, for our glory;

But as it says in the holy Writings, Things which the eye saw not, and which had not come to the ears or into the heart of man, such things as God has made ready for those who have love for him.

But God has given us the revelation of these things through his Spirit, for the Spirit makes search into all things, even the deep things of God.

For who has knowledge of the things of a man but the spirit of the man which is in him? in the same way, no one has knowledge of the things of God but the Spirit of God.

But we have not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes from God, so that we may have knowledge of the things which are freely given to us by God.

For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.

What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? They are but servants who gave you the good news as God gave it to them.

I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave the increase.

So then the planter is nothing, and the waterer is nothing; but God who gives the increase.

For we are workers with God: you are God's planting, God's building.

But on the base a man may put gold, silver, stones of great price, wood, dry grass, cut stems;

If the fire puts an end to any man's work, it will be his loss: but he will get salvation himself, though as by fire.

Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you?

If anyone makes the house of God unclean, God will put an end to him; for the house of God is holy, and you are his house.

For the wisdom of this world is foolish before God. As it is said in the holy Writings, He who takes the wise in their secret designs:

And you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God.

For this reason let there be no judging before the time, till the Lord comes, who will make clear the secret things of the dark, and the designs of the heart; and then will every man have his praise from God.

For it seems to me that God has put us the Apostles last of all, as men whose fate is death: for we are put on view to the world, and to angels, and to men.

For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you have not more than one father: for in Christ Jesus I have given birth to you through the good news.

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

This pride of yours is not good. Do you not see that a little leaven makes a change in all the mass?

As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you.

Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men,

Or is a thief, or the worse for drink, or makes use of strong language, or takes by force what is not his, will have any part in the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you; but you have been washed, you have been made holy, you have been given righteousness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will put an end to them together. But the body is not for the desires of the flesh, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body:

And God who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead will do the same for us by his power.

Or do you not see that he who is joined to a loose woman is one body with her? for God has said, The two of them will become one flesh.

Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? and you are not the owners of yourselves;

For a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body.

Now, as to the things in your letter to me: It is good for a man to have nothing to do with a woman.

Do not keep back from one another what is right, but only for a short time, and by agreement, so that you may give yourselves to prayer, and come together again; so that Satan may not get the better of you through your loss of self-control.

It is my desire that all men might be even as I am. But every man has the power of his special way of life given him by God, one in this way and one in that.

But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them to be even as I am.

But if they have not self-control let them get married; for married life is better than the burning of desire.

But if the one who is not a Christian has a desire to go away, let it be so: the brother or the sister in such a position is not forced to do one thing or the other: but it is God's pleasure that we may be at peace with one another.

Only, as the Lord has given to a man, and as is the purpose of God for him, so let him go on living. And these are my orders for all the churches.

Circumcision is nothing, and its opposite is nothing, but only doing the orders of God is of value.

Let every man keep the position in which he has been placed by God.

My brothers, let every man keep in that condition which is the purpose of God for him.

In my opinion then, because of the present trouble, it is good for a man to keep as he is.

If you are married to a wife, make no attempt to get free from her: if you are free from a wife, do not take a wife.

If you get married it is not a sin; and if an unmarried woman gets married it is not a sin. But those who do so will have trouble in the flesh. But I will not be hard on you.

But it will be better for her to keep as she is, in my opinion: and it seems to me that I have the Spirit of God.

But if anyone has love for God, God has knowledge of him.

So, then, as to the question of taking food offered to images, we are certain that an image is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.

There is for us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we are for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we have our being through him.

But God's approval of us is not based on the food we take: if we do not take it we are no worse for it; and if we take it we are no better.

For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders?

If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ.

Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar?

Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.

For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not.

What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news.

And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law.

To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law.

And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.

And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown.

But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.

But with most of them God was not pleased: for they came to their end in the waste land.

Then do not go after false gods, as some of them did; as it is said in the holy Writings, After resting and feasting, the people got up to take their pleasure.

You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it.

What I say is that the things offered by the Gentiles are offered to evil spirits and not to God; and it is not my desire for you to have any part with evil spirits.

We are free to do all things, but there are things which it is not wise to do. We are free to do all things, but not all things are for the common good.

Let a man give attention not only to what is good for himself, but equally to his neighbour's good.

But if I give praise to God for the food which I take, let no man say evil of me for that reason.

So then, if it is a question of food or drink, or any other thing, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Give no cause of trouble to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God.

Even as I give way to all men in all things, not looking for profit for myself, but for the good of others, that they may get salvation.

But it is important for you to keep this fact in mind, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.

But every woman who does so with her head unveiled, puts shame on her head: for it is the same as if her hair was cut off.

For if a woman is not veiled, let her hair be cut off; but if it is a shame to a woman to have her hair cut off, let her be veiled.

For it is not right for a man to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

For as the woman is from the man, so the man is through the woman; but all things are from God.

But if any man will not be ruled in this question, this is not our way of doing things, and it is not done in the churches of God.

For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you.

What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not.

So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.

And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.