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;

Who will give you strength to the end, to be free from all sin in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is there a division in Christ? was Paul nailed to the cross for you? or were you given baptism in the name of Paul?

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.

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.

Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge:

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:

So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.

For I had made the decision to have knowledge of nothing among you but only of Jesus Christ on the cross.

And I was with you without strength, in fear and in doubt.

But still we have wisdom for those who are complete in knowledge, though not the wisdom of this world, and not of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing:

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;

Of which not one of the rulers of this world had knowledge: for if they had, they would not have put the Lord of glory on the cross:

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.

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.

For who has knowledge of the mind of the Lord, so as to be his teacher? But we have the mind of Christ.

Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?

For when one says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am of Apollos; are you not talking like natural men?

Now the planter and the waterer are working for the same end: but they will have their separate rewards in the measure of their work.

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

For there is no other base for the building but that which has been put down, which is Jesus Christ.

Every man's work will be made clear in that day, because it will be tested by fire; and the fire itself will make clear the quality of every man's work.

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.

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:

So let no one take pride in men. For all things are yours;

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

And it is right for such servants to be safe persons.

For I am not conscious of any wrong in myself; but this does not make me clear, for it is the Lord who is my judge.

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 who made you better than your brother? or what have you that has not been given to you? but if it has been given to you, what cause have you for pride, as if it had not been given to you?

For even now you are full, even now you have wealth, you have been made kings without us: truly, I would be glad if you were kings, so that we might be kings with you.

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.

We are made to seem foolish for Christ, but you are wise in Christ; we are feeble, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have shame.

When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.

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 this cause I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and true child in the Lord; he will make clear to you my ways in Christ, even as I am teaching everywhere in every church.

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

For I myself, being present in spirit though not in body, have come to a decision about him who has done this thing;

That this man is to be handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may have forgiveness in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Take away, then, the old leaven, so that you may be a new mass, even as you are without leaven. For Christ has been put to death as our Passover.

But I had not in mind the sinners who are outside the church, or those who have a desire for and take the property of others, or those who give worship to images; for it is not possible to keep away from such people without going out of the world completely:

But the sense of my letter was that if a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.

For it is no business of mine to be judging those who are outside; but it is yours to be judging those who are among you;

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

So far from doing this, you yourselves do wrong and take your brothers' property.

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.

I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

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.

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.

For the husband who has not faith is made holy through his Christian wife, and the wife who is not a Christian is made holy through the brother: if not, your children would be unholy, but now are they holy.

For how may you be certain, O wife, that you will not be the cause of salvation to your husband? or you, O husband, that you may not do the same for your wife?

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.

If you were a servant when you became a Christian, let it not be a grief to you; but if you have a chance to become free, make use of it.

For he who was a servant when he became a Christian is the Lord's free man; and he who was free when he became a Christian is the Lord's servant.

It is the Lord who has made payment for you: be not servants of men.

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.

But I say this, my brothers, the time is short; and from now it will be wise for those who have wives to be as if they had them not;

And for those who are in sorrow, to give no signs of it; and for those who are glad, to give no signs of joy; and for those who are getting property, to be as if they had nothing;

And for those who make use of the world, not to be using it fully; for this world's way of life will quickly come to an end.

But it is my desire for you to be free from cares. The unmarried man gives his mind to the things of the Lord, how he may give pleasure to the Lord:

And the wife is not the same as the virgin. The virgin gives her mind to the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and in spirit: but the married woman takes thought for the things of the world, how she may give pleasure to her husband.

Now I say this for your profit; not to make things hard for you, but because of what is right, and so that you may be able to give all your attention to the things of the Lord.

But if, in any man's opinion, he is not doing what is right for his virgin, if she is past her best years, and there is need for it, let him do what seems right to him; it is no sin; let them be married.

It is right for a wife to be with her husband as long as he is living; but when her husband is dead, she is free to be married to another; but only to a Christian.

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.

If anyone seems to himself to have knowledge, so far he has not the right sort of knowledge about anything;

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

For though there are those who have the name of gods, in heaven or on earth, as there are a number of gods and a number of lords,

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.

But take care that this power of yours does not give cause for trouble to the feeble.

For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, taking food as a guest in the house of an image, will it not give him, if he is feeble, the idea that he may take food offered to images?

And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death.

For this reason, if food is a cause of trouble to my brother, I will give up taking meat for ever, so that I may not be a cause of trouble to my brother.

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, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.

Who ever goes to war without looking to someone to be responsible for his payment? who puts in vines and does not take the fruit of them? or who takes care of sheep without drinking of their milk?

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?

Or has he us in mind? Yes, it was said for us; because it is right for the ploughman to do his ploughing in hope, and for him who is crushing the grain to do his work hoping for a part in the fruits of it.

If we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world?

But I have not made use of any of these things: and I am not writing this in the hope that it may be so for me: for it would be better for me to undergo death, than for any man to make this pride of mine of no effect.

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.

For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation.

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.

For it is my desire, my brothers, that you may keep in mind how all our fathers were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea;