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,

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:

So that in him you have wealth in all things, in word and in knowledge of every sort;

so that ye have not been deficient in any gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ:

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

Now I beg you all, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be harmonious in what you say and not to have factions among you, but to be perfectly harmonious in your minds and judgments.

for I have been inform'd, my brethren, by some of Chloe's family, that there are contentions among you.

Is the Christ divided? has Paul been crucified for you? or have ye been baptised unto the name of Paul?

I thank God that I have baptised none of you, unless Crispus and Gaius,

that no one may say that I have baptised unto my own name.

and I did baptize also Stephanas' household -- further, I have not known if I did baptize any other.

for Christ did not send me to baptize: but to preach the gospel: tho' not with the preaching of the wise, lest the cross of Christ should have been hinder'd in its efficacy.

As it says in the holy Writings, I will put an end to the wisdom of the wise, and will put on one side the designs of those who have knowledge.

but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For consider your own calling, brothers, that not many wise in earthly wisdom, not many powerful, not many of noble birth, have been called.

and the things which the world regards as base, and those which it sets utterly at nought--things that have no existence--God has chosen in order to reduce to nothing things that do exist;

So that no flesh might have glory before God.

But God brought you into [fellowship with] Christ Jesus, who was made to be God's wisdom for us. Through Christ you have received a right relationship with God, [as well as] holiness and redemption [i.e., being bought back from Satan].

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

And I did not use persuasive words of [human] wisdom in my message and preaching, but they were [accompanied by] a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power [from God]. [Note: This "demonstration" could have included the evidence of miraculous spiritual gifts which Paul utilized while there in Corinth. See 14:18].

This was so that your faith would not [have to] depend on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

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:

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 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.

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

And the teaching I gave you, my brothers, was such as I was able to give, not to those who have the Spirit, but to those who are still in the flesh, even to children in Christ.

With milk, have I fed you, not, with meat; for, not yet, have ye been able; - nay! not yeteven now, are ye able,

who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye have received faith according to the divine gifts imparted to each of them?

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

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.

In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.

If any man's work comes through the test, he will have a reward.

have ye not known that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you?

Let no man have a false idea. If any man seems to himself to be wise among you, let him become foolish, so that he may be wise.

for of nothing to myself have I been conscious, but not in this have I been declared right -- and he who is discerning me is the Lord:

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.

My brothers, it is because of you that I have taken Apollos and myself as examples of these things, so that in us you might see that it is not wise to go farther than what is in the holy Writings, so that no one of you may be lifted up against his brother.

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 I think that, God, hath set forth, us the apostles, to be last of all, as men devoted to death, - in that, a spectacle, have we been made, unto the world, - both unto messengers and unto 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.

Even to this hour we are without food, drink, and clothing, we are given blows and have no certain resting-place;

We have worked hard with our own hands for a living. When abused by people, we bless them. When persecuted, we patiently bear it.

Being defamed, we beseech: as the sweepings of the world have we become, the offscouring of all - until even 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.

But some have become arrogant, as [if] I were not coming to you.

But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk of the ones who have become arrogant, but the power.

Which will you have? Shall I come to you with a stick, or in a loving and gentle spirit?

On all hands, there is reported to be among you - fornication, and such fornication as this - which, not among the nations, is found , - as that one should have, his father's wife: -

And, ye, have become puffed up, and have not rather mourned, in order that he might be removed out of your midst, who, this deed, hath wrought.

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

In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you have come together with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

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.

Not good is your glorying; have ye not known that a little leaven the whole lump doth leaven?

I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators;

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, now, I have written unto you not to be mixing yourselves up, - if anyone named a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one as this, not so much, as to be eating together,

For what have I to do to be judging them who are without? Do, ye, not judge, them who are within,

Do any of you dare, when you have a matter against another, to go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

have ye not known that the saints shall judge the world? and if by you the world is judged, are ye unworthy of the smaller judgments?

have ye not known that we shall judge messengers? why not then the things of life?

If then there are questions to be judged in connection with the things of this life, why do you put them in the hands of those who have no position in the church?

More than this, it is not to your credit to have causes at law with one another at all. Why not put up with wrong? why not undergo loss?

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.

"Everything is permissible for me [to do];" but not everything is profitable. [Note: The words in quote marks in this and the following verse are thought to have been commonly held views of that day, to which Paul gives an inspired reply]. "Everything is permissible for me [to do];" but I will not be ruled by anything.

Have ye not known that your bodies are members of Christ? having taken, then, the members of the Christ, shall I make them members of an harlot? let it be not!

have ye not known that he who is joined to the harlot is one body? 'for they shall be -- saith He -- the two for one flesh.'

Or know ye not that, your body, is, a shrine of the Holy Spirit that is within you, which ye have from God? And ye are not your own; -

For ye have been bought with a price! Therefore glorify God 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.

But because of the desires of the flesh, let every man have his wife, and every woman her husband.

A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does.

Be not depriving one another - unless perhaps by consent for a season, that ye may have leisure for prayer, and, again, may be together, - lest Satan be tempting you by reason of your want of self-control.

But what I have just said is by way of concession, not command.

Yet I wish that everyone were like me [i.e., with the ability to remain single. See 9:5]. However, each person has his own special gift from God; one has this gift [i.e., being content to remain single. See Matt. 19:12], and another has the other gift [i.e., feeling the need to marry and have a family].

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

But I proclaim to those who have married, not I, but the Lord, That a wife shall not depart from her husband

(but if also she shall have been separated, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband;) and let not husband leave wife.

But as to the rest, I say, not the Lord, If any brother have an unbelieving wife, and she consent to dwell with him, let him not leave her.

For, in such cases, the unbelieving husband has become--and is--holy through union with a Christian woman, and the unbelieving wife is holy through union with a Christian brother. Otherwise your children would be unholy, but in reality they have a place among God's people.

For what assurance have you, O woman, as to whether you will save your husband? Or what assurance have you, O man, as to whether you will save your wife?

If a man was circumcised when he was called, he must not try to alter it. If a man was uncircumcised when he was called, he must not have himself circumcised.

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.

With a price, have ye been bought, - do not become bond-servants of men:

Now about virgins I have no orders from the Lord: but I give my opinion as one to whom the Lord has given mercy to be true to him.

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.

Have you been given to a wife? do not seek separation; have you been separated from a wife? do not seek 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 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 they that weep, as those that are unconcern'd; and they that rejoice, as those that do not; and they that buy, as those that have no possessions;

and they that possess this world, as those that can't make an ill use of it. for the scene of this world is continually shifting. I would have you free from anxiety.

But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

The wife and the virgin have been distinguished: the unmarried is anxious for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit, and the married is anxious for the things of the world, how she shall please the husband.

so that he who marries, does well; but he who lives single, may have less trouble.

A wife, is bound for as long a time as her husband is living; but, if the husband have fallen asleep, she is, free, to be married unto whom she pleaseth, - only, in the Lord;