unto the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be'saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours:

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called :

but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.

But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.

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 of God.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.

for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?

What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.

So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon.

For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.

If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:

and again, The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise that they are vain.

and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Here, moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

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

Already are ye filled, already ye are become rich, ye have come to reign without us: yea and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For, I think, God hath set forth us the apostles last of all, as men doomed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, both to angels and men.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye have glory, but we have dishonor.

being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things, even until now.

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

For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.

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

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

It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father's wife.

For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing,

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:

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

but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.

Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

I say this to move you to shame. What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren,

Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to nought both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body:

and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up as through his power.

Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

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

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.

But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

But if they have not continency, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her.

And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases : but God hath called us in peace.

Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as God hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the churches.

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God.

Wast thou called being a bondservant? Care not for it: nay, even if thou canst become free, use it rather.

For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant.

Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be trustworthy.

I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is.

But this I say, brethren, the time is shortened, that henceforth both those that have wives may be as though they had none;

and those that weep, as though they wept not; and those that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and those that buy, as though they possessed not;

and those that use the world, as not using it to the full: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife,

and is divided.'so also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married is careful for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

And this I say for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

But he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power as touching in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter , shall do well.

A wife is bound for so long time as her husband liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

But she is happier if she abide as she is, after my judgment: and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

If any man thinketh that he knoweth anything, he knoweth not yet as he ought to know;

but if any man loveth God, the same is known by him.

Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no God but one.

For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or on earth; as there are gods many, and lords many;

yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through him.

Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge: but some, being used until now to the idol, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

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

For if a man see thee who hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

For through thy knowledge he that is weak perisheth, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

And thus, sinning against the brethren, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, ye sin against Christ.

My defence to them that examine me is this.

Have we no right to lead about a wife that is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Is it for the oxen that God careth,

If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things?

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 gospel of Christ.

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.

What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use to the full my right in the gospel.