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:

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.

Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you?

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.

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.

I am not saying these things to put you to shame, but so that, as my dear children, you may see what is right.

It is said, in fact, that there is among you a sin of the flesh, such as is not seen even among the Gentiles, that one of you has his father's wife.

This pride of yours is not good. Do you not see that a little leaven makes a change in all the mass?

Do you not see that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? how then may I take what is a part of the body of Christ and make it a part of the body of a loose woman? such a thing may not be.

Or do you not see that he who is joined to a loose woman is one body with her? for God has said, The two of them will become one flesh.

Now about things offered to images: we all seem to ourselves to have knowledge. Knowledge gives pride, but love gives true strength.

For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, taking food as a guest in the house of an image, will it not give him, if he is feeble, the idea that he may take food offered to images?

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 we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world?

Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar?

Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward.

See Israel after the flesh: do not those who take as food the offerings of the altar take a part in the altar?

Now I am pleased to see that you keep me in memory in all things, and that you give attention to the teaching which was handed down from me to you.

Be judges yourselves of the question: does it seem right for a woman to take part in prayer unveiled?

Does it not seem natural to you that if a man has long hair, it is a cause of shame to him?

For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you.

No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;

And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;

For now we see things in a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now my knowledge is in part; then it will be complete, even as God's knowledge of me.

And he was seen by Cephas; then by the twelve;

Then he was seen by James; then by all the Apostles.

And last of all, as by one whose birth was out of the right time, he was seen by me.

Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.

Foolish man, it is necessary for the seed which you put into the earth to undergo death in order that it may come to life again:

And when you put it into the earth, you do not put in the body which it will be, but only the seed, of grain or some other sort of plant;

But God gives it a body, as it is pleasing to him, and to every seed its special body.

See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed.

But I may be with you for a time, or even for the winter, so that you may see me on my way, wherever I go.

For it is not my desire to see you now, on my way; because it is my hope to be with you for some time, if that is the Lord's pleasure.

Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without fear; because he is doing the Lord's work, even as I am:

See then that he has the honour which is right. But send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me: for I am looking for him with the brothers.