Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth,

even to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, and called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is both their Lord and ours;

(even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you;)

for God is faithful by whom ye were called into the communion of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

I mean, that each of you saith, as if of different parties, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, I of Cephas, and I of Christ.

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

For the doctrine of the cross is to them, that perish, foolishness: but to us, who are saved, it is the power of God.

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

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

Because the foolishness of God, as they call it, is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For ye see by your calling, brethren, that not many wise men according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called:

but God hath chosen things that are foolish in the eye of the world to put it's wise men to confusion; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty;

and things in the opinion of the world ignoble, and despicable, and accounted as nothing, hath God chosen, to abolish things that are in esteem among men;

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

that, as it is written, He that glorieth may glory in the Lord.

But as it is written, "Eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those that love Him."

But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God.

For who among men knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of a man which is in him? so also the things of God no one knoweth, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God; that we might know the things that are graciously bestowed upon us by God:

Whereas the spiritual man discerneth all things, yet is himself discerned by no one.

And I, my brethren, could not speak to you, as to spiritual persons, but as to carnal ones, even as to babes in Christ.

Because ye are still carnal: for while there is among you envy and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk as men?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whose means ye embraced the faith, even as the Lord gave success to each of them?

So that neither he that planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase.

And he that planteth, and he that watereth, are as one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise architect I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon: but let every one see to it how he buildeth thereon.

For no one can lay any other foundation, but that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ: and if any build upon this foundation gold,

every man's work shall be made manifest. For the great day will shew it; because it will be discovered by fire, and the fire will prove every man's work of what sort it is.

but if any man's work be burnt, he will be damaged; though he himself shall be saved, but, as it were out of fire.

If any one destroy the temple of God, him will God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, and this temple are ye.

Let no one deceive himself: if any among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be truly wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; for it is written, "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness:"

and again, "The Lord knoweth the thoughts 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 the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

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

But to me it is of very small moment to be judged by you, or by any man's judgement; nor indeed do I judge myself:

(for I am conscious to myself of nothing; though I am not hereby justified;) but He that judgeth me is the Lord.

These things, my brethren, I have by a figure transferred to myself, and Apollos, for your sakes, that ye may learn in us not to be wise above what is written, that ye may not be puffed up for one against another.

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

Ye are now full, ye are now rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I wish ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For it seems to me that God hath as it were exhibited us the apostles last upon the stage as appointed to death; for we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels and to men.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ: we are weak, but ye are strong: ye are honoured, but we are despised.

We are made as the filth of the world, and the refuse of all things to this day.

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

For this end have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who will bring to your remembrance my ways in Christ, how I teach every where in every church.

Now some are puffed up, as if I would not come to you.

It is commonly reported that there is lewdness among you, and such lewdness as is not named even amongst the heathens, that one should have his father's wife.

For I indeed, absent in body, but present in spirit, have already, as if I were present, judged him who hath wrought this wickedness: in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good.

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new mass, without leaven. For our paschal lamb, even Christ, was slain for us.

Wherefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavening of sincerity and truth.

But now I have written to you, not to associate with him, if any one, that is called a brother, be a whoremonger, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or rapacious; with such a one no not to eat.

I speak it to your shame. What! is there not one wise man among you, that is able to judge between his bretheren?

Now there is certainly a fault among you, that ye have law-suits with one another: why do ye not rather endure wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

meats are for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God will destroy both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

And as God hath raised up the Lord, so will He raise up us by his power.

God forbid! What! know ye not that he who is joined to an harlot is one body with her? for these two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

And he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

Flee from whoredom. Every other sin, that a man committeth, is without the body; but he, that committeth whoredom, sinneth against his own body.

What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have from God?

Now as to the things concerning which ye wrote to me: it were good for a man not to touch a woman.

for I could wish that all men were as I myself am; but every man hath his proper gift from God, one of one kind and another of another?

Now to the unmarried and widows I say, it is good for them to continue so, as I do.

But if they have not the gift of continence, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with lust.

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

But if the unbeliever depart, let them depart; a brother or a sister is not bound in such cases.

But God hath called us to peace; for how knowest thou, O wife, but thou shalt save thy husband; or how knowest thou, O husband, but thou shalt save thy wife?

However, as God hath distributed to every man, and as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk: and thus I order in all the churches.

Is any one called that is circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised: is any one called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised: for circumcision is nothing,

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

For he that is called in the Lord being a slave, is the Lord's freed-man: and he likewise that is called being free is the servant of Christ.

But concerning single persons I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgement as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.

I think then, that it is---better on account of the present distress,---that it is better, I say,

But this I say, brethren, that the time is short: it remains therefore, that even those, who have wives, be as though they had none;

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

and they, that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

And I would have you without anxiety. Now he, that is unmarried, careth for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he,

that is married, is in care about the things of the world, and how he may please his wife.

There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin: she, that is unmarried, careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but she, that is married, is in care about the things of the world, and how she may please her husband.

And this I say for your own benefit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but in order to recommend that which is fit and becoming before the Lord without distraction.

But he, that is stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doth well.

The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth: but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord:

but she is happier, in my opinion, if she continue as she is: and I think I have the Spirit of God.

Now as to things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge about them. Knowledge however puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

And if any one be conceited of his knowledge, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

But if any man love God, he is owned by Him.

As to the eating therefore of things sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

For though there be some that are called Gods, whether in heaven or on earth, (as there are among the heathen gods many,

and lords many,) yet to us there is but one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.

But there is not in all men this knowledge: and some with a consciousness of the idol unto this day, eat it as a thing sacrificed to an idol, and so their conscience being weak is defiled.

But meat does not recommend us to God; for neither, if we eat, are we the better; nor the worse, if we eat not.

For if any one see thee, who hast knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him that is weak be encouraged to eat of the things sacrificed to idols?

And this is my answer to them that call me to account: have we not power to eat and to drink?

we not power to lead about with us a sister a wife as well as other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

Or is it I only and Barnabas, that have not power to forbear working?

Do I speak these things as a man only?

or saith not the law the same also? for it is written in the law of Moses, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." Now doth God take care for oxen,

or doth He say this indeed for our sakes? For it is certainly written for our sakes, that he, who ploweth, might plow in hope; and that he, who thresheth in hope, should partake of his hope.

If we then have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?