From Paul, who has been called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, And from Sosthenes, our Brother.

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;

In this way my testimony to Christ has been confirmed in your experience,

for he, who has called you to the communication of his son Jesus Christ our Lord, will make good his promise.

For it has been made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by {Chloe's people}, that there are quarrels among you.

By 'quarrelling' I mean that each of you has his party-cry, "I belong to Paul," "And I to Apollos," "And I to Cephas," "And I to Christ."

Christ has been parceled out by you! It was not Paul who was crucified for you, was it? You were not baptized in Paul's name, were you?

For Christ has not sent me to baptise, but to preach glad tidings; not in wisdom of word, that the cross of the Christ may not be made vain.

For it has been written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning will I set aside."

So where is your philosopher? Where is your man of letters? Where is your logician of this age? Has not God shown up the nonsense of the world's wisdom?

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom has not known God, God has been pleased by the foolishness of the preaching to save those that believe.

while we proclaim a Christ who has been crucified--to the Jews a stumbling-block, to Gentiles foolishness,

but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks alike, the Christ who is God's power and God's wisdom.

[This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort].

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 has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world has God chosen to put to shame the mighty,

and the ignoble things of the world and things that are despised has God chosen, and things that are not, to destroy things that are,

So you owe it all to Him through union with Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our means of right standing, our consecration, and our redemption,

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

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do];

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory;

which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory.

But, as the Scripture says, they are: "Things which eye has never seen and ear has never heard, and never have occurred to human hearts, which God prepared for those who love Him."

But God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, 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.

Now we have not received the spirit that belongs to the world but the Spirit that comes from God, that we may get an insight into the blessings God has graciously given us.

But he who has the Spirit, though judging all things, is himself judged by no one.

For who has ever known the Lord's thoughts, so that he can instruct Him? But we now possess Christ's thoughts.

Who then is Apollos, and who Paul? Ministering servants, through whom ye have believed, and as the Lord has given to each.

I have planted; Apollos watered; but God has given the increase.

Still, though planter and waterer are on the same level, each will get his own wage for the special work that he has done.

According to the grace of God which has been given to me, as a wise architect, I have laid the foundation, but another builds upon it. But let each see how he builds upon it.

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

each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.

If what a person has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

If a man's work is burned up, he must stand the loss, though he himself will be saved, but as one who has passed through the fire.

Are you not conscious that you are God's temple, and that the Spirit of God has His permanent home in you?

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He has taken the wise in their craftiness."

And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.

So do not criticize at all; the hour of reckoning has still to come, when the Lord will come to bring dark secrets to the light and to reveal life's inner aims and motives. Then each of us will get his meed of praise from God.

And these things, brethren, I have, in figure, applied to my self and Apollos, for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think more of teachers than what has been written; and that no one of you be vain of one to the injury of another.

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Every one of you already has all that heart can desire; already you have grown rich; without waiting for us, you have ascended your thrones! Yes indeed, would to God that you had ascended your thrones, that we also might reign with you!

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on exhibition at the disgraced end of the procession, as they do with men who are doomed to die in the arena.

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.

It is reported everywhere [that there] is sexual immorality among you, and sexual immorality of such a kind which [does] not [even exist] among the Gentiles, so that someone has the wife of [his] father.

And yet, you are proud of it, instead of being sorry for it, and seeing to it that the man who has done this be removed from your membership!

For my part, though I have been absent from you in person, I have been present with you in spirit, and so as really present, by the authority of our Lord Jesus, I have already passed judgment upon the man who has done this --

to deliver, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (ye and my spirit being gathered together, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ), him that has so wrought this:

You must clean out the old yeast, that you may be a fresh lump, as you are to be free from the old yeast. For our Passover Lamb, Christ, has already been sacrificed.

When one of you has a grievance against his neighbor, does he dare to go to law before a heathen court, instead of laying the case before God's people?

I ask this to make you blush with shame. Has it come to this, that there is not a single wise man among you who could settle a grievance of one brother against another,

but one brother has to go to law with another, and that before unbelieving judges?

"meat is design'd for the belly, and the belly for meat:" true, yet God has design'd both for destruction. now the body is not design'd for licentiousness, but for the glory of the Lord; since the Lord died for the glorification of the body:

And God has both raised up the Lord, and will raise us up from among the dead by his power.

Or, are you not aware that a man who has to do with a prostitute makes his body one with hers? For God says, "The two shall be physically one."

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit [with Him]. [Note: Just as the person who has sex with someone enters a close physical union with that person, so the person who becomes a Christian enters a close spiritual union with Christ].

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.

The wife does not have the right to do as she pleases with her own body; the husband has his right to it. In the same way the husband does not have the right to do as he pleases with his own body; the wife has her right to it.

However, I should like for everyone to be just as I am myself, yet each of us has his own special gift from God, one for one way, another for another.

For married people these are my instructions (and they are the Lord's, not mine). A wife is not to separate from her husband ??11 if she has separated, she must either remain single or be reconciled to him ??and a husband must not put away his wife.

(or if she has already left him let her either remain as she is, or be reconciled to him), and also that a husband is not to put away his wife.

To the rest of the people I myself would say -- though the Lord Himself has said nothing about it -- if a Christian has a wife that is not a believer and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her;

and a woman who has a husband that is not a believer, but he consents to live with her, must not divorce her husband.

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

But if the unbelieving consort actually leaves, let the separation stand. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not morally bound; God has called us to live in peace.

for what, hast thou known, O wife, whether the husband thou shalt save? or what, hast thou known, O husband, whether the wife thou shalt save?

Unless as the Lord has imparted to each one, as God has called each one, so let him walk; and so I appoint in all the churches.

Has a man been called after he was circumcised? He must not try to change it. Has a man been called without being circumcised? He must not be circumcised.

Being circumcised or not being circumcised has no value, but keeping God's commands is important.

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

Hast thou been called being a bondman, let it not concern thee; but and if thou canst become free, use it rather.

For the slave who has been called to union with the Lord is the Lord's freedman; in the same way the freeman who has been called is a slave of Christ.

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

And concerning the virgins I have no ordinance of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one that has obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.

I think, then, that, in view of the time of suffering that has now come upon us, what I have already said is best-that a man should remain as he is.

Hast thou been bound to a wife? seek not to be loosed; hast thou been loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

I mean this, brothers. The time has been cut short. For the future, men who have wives should live as though they had none,

but he that has married cares for the things of the world, how he shall please his wife.

There is a difference between the wife and the virgin. The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but she that has married cares for the things of the world, how she shall please her husband.

But if any man thinks he is [being tempted to] behave improperly toward his virgin [fiancee], and she is past prime [marriageable] age, and feels the need [to get married] [Note: The Greek says "and so it has to be"], he should do what he wants; they should get married --- that man has not sinned.

But the father who stands firm in his purpose, without having any necessity for doing so, and he has made the decision in his own heart to keep her single, will do what is right.

A wife has been given so long a time as her husband may live; but if her husband may die, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

Now about the foods that have been sacrificed to idols: We know that every one of us has some knowledge of the matter. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

If a man supposes that he has already gotten some true knowledge, as yet he has not learned it as he ought to know it.

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

Now as to eating food that has been offered to idols, we know well that an idol has no real existence in the universe, and that there is no God but One.

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak.

However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do.

For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

For it is written in the law of Moses: You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain? Has God a care for oxen?

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.

Just so the Lord has issued orders that those who preach the good news shall get their living out of it.

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for this obligation has been entrusted to me. How terrible it would be for me if I didn't preach the gospel!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if unwillingly, an apostolic stewardship has been intrusted to me.

To those who have no Law I became like a man who has no Law- -not that I am free from God's Law; no, for I am under Christ's Law-to win those who have no law.

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.

Neither become ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it has been written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."