so that you do not lack in any spiritual gift [as you] eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same [thing] and there not be divisions among you, and that you be made complete in the same mind and with the same purpose.

Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

(Now I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Beyond that I do not know if I baptized anyone else.)

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not with {clever speech}, lest the cross of Christ be emptied.

Where [is] the wise person? Where [is] the scribe? Where [is] the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

For consider your calling, brothers, that not many [were] wise according to human standards, not many [were] powerful, not many [were] well born.

and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are,

so that all flesh may not boast before God.

And I, [when I] came to you, brothers, did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

and my speech and my preaching [were] not with the persuasiveness of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power,

in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing,

which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But just as it is written, "[Things] which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him."

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who [is] from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

[things] which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in [words] taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual [things] to spiritual [people].

But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual [people], but as to fleshly [people], as to infants in Christ.

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able [to eat it]. But now you are still not able,

for you are still fleshly. For where [there is] jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and do you not live like [unregenerate] people?

For whenever anyone says, "I am with Paul," and another, "I [am] with Apollos," are you not [merely] human?

Do you not know that you are God's temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you?

But to me it is a very little matter that I be judged by you or by a human court, but I do not [even] judge myself.

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, but not by this am I vindicated. But the one who judges me is the Lord.

Therefore do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord should come, who will both enlighten the hidden things of darkness and will reveal the counsels of hearts, and then praise will come to each one from God.

Now I have applied these things, brothers, to myself and Apollos for your sake, in order that in us you may learn not [to go] beyond what is written, lest someone be inflated with pride on behalf of one [person] against the other.

For who concedes you [superiority]? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if indeed you received [it], why do you boast as [if you] did not receive [it]?

I am not writing these [things] to shame you, but admonishing [you] as my dear children.

For if you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, yet [you do] not [have] many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I fathered you through the gospel.

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.

For the kingdom of God [is] not with talk, but with power.

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 you are inflated with pride, and should you not rather have mourned, so that the one who has done this deed would be removed from your midst?

Your boasting [is] not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough?

So then, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old leaven or with the leaven of wickedness and sinfulness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in the letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

But now I have written to you not to associate with any so-called brother, if he is a sexually immoral person or a greedy person or an idolater or an abusive person or a drunkard or a swindler--with such a person not even to eat.

For what [is it] to me to judge those outside? Should you not judge those inside?

Does anyone among you, [if he] has a matter against someone else, dare to go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if by you the world is judged, are you unworthy of the most insignificant courts?

Do you not know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters?

I say [this] to your shame. So is there not anyone wise among you who will be able to render a decision between his brothers?

Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners,

nor thieves, nor greedy persons, not drunkards, not abusive persons, not swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

All [things] are permitted for me, but not all [things] are profitable. All [things] are permitted for me, but I will not be controlled by anything.

Food [is] for the stomach, and the stomach for food, but God will abolish {both of them}. Now the body [is] not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Therefore, shall I take away the members of Christ [and] make [them] members of a prostitute? May it never be!

Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body [with her]? For it says, "The two will become one flesh."

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

Now concerning [the things] about which you wrote: "[It is] good for a man not to touch a woman."

The wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband [does]. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but his wife [does].

Do not defraud one another, except perhaps by agreement, for a time, in order that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and [then] you should be {together} again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control.

But I say this as a concession, not as a command.

To the married I command--not I, but the Lord--a wife must not separate from [her] husband.

But if indeed she does separate, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce [his] wife.

Now to the rest I say--not the Lord--if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.

And if any wife has an unbelieving husband and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce her husband.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. The brother or the sister is not bound in such [cases]. But God has called us in peace.

Was anyone called [after] being circumcised? He must not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called in uncircumcision? He must not become circumcised.

Were you called [while] a slave? Do not let it be a concern to you. But if indeed you are able to become free, rather make use of [it].

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Now concerning virgins I do not have a command from the Lord, but I am giving an opinion as one shown mercy by the Lord to be trustworthy.

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek release. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

But if you marry, you have not sinned, and if the virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have affliction in the flesh, and I would spare you.

But I say this, brothers: the time is shortened, that from now on even those who have wives should be as [if they] do not have [wives],

and those who weep as [if they] do not weep, and those who rejoice as [if they] do not rejoice, and those who buy as [if they] do not possess,

and those who make use of the world as [if they] do not make full use of [it]. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not that I may put a restriction on you, but to promote appropriate and devoted service to the Lord without distraction.

But if anyone thinks he is behaving dishonorably concerning his virgin, if she is past her prime and it ought to be thus, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin. Let them marry.

But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has authority concerning his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin, he will do well.

So then, the one who marries his own virgin does well, and the one who does not marry [her] will do better.

If anyone thinks he knows anything, he has not yet known as it is necessary to know.

But this knowledge [is] not in everyone. But some, being accustomed until now to the idol, eat [this food] as food sacrificed to idols, and their conscience, [because it] is weak, is defiled.

But food does not bring us close to God. For neither if we eat do we have more, nor if we do not eat do we lack.

For if someone should see you who has knowledge reclining for a meal in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, [because it] is weak, be strengthened so that [he] eats the food sacrificed to idols?

Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat {forever}, in order that I may not cause my brother to sin.

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, yet indeed I am to you, for you are my seal of apostleship in the Lord.

Do we not have the right to eat and drink?

Do we not have the right to take along a sister [as] wife, like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right {to refrain from working}?

Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?

I am not saying these [things] according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these [things]?

For in the law of Moses it is written, "You must not muzzle an ox [while it] is threshing." It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?

If others share this right over you, do we not [do so] even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all [things], in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those performing the holy services eat the things from the temple, [and] those attending to the altar have a share with the altar?

But I have not made use of any of these [rights]. And I am not writing these [things] in order that it may be thus with me. For [it would be] better to me rather to die than [for] anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting.

For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel.

What then is my reward? That [when I] proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law [I became] as under the law ([although I] myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law.

To those outside the law [I became] as outside the law ([although I] am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law.

Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Therefore I run in this way, not as [running] aimlessly; I box in this way, not as beating the air.

For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all went through the sea,

But God was not pleased with the majority of them, for they were struck down in the desert.