[This letter is from] Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and [from] our brother Sosthenes;

I give thanks to my God always concerning you for the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus,

Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

God can be depended on, and it was he who called you to this fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

for it was signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe, that contentions are among you;

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

My mission from Christ was not to baptize, but to tell the Good News; not, however, in the language of philosophy, lest the cross of the Christ should be robbed of its meaning.

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

we are preaching the Christ who was crucified -- a message that is a trap-stick to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks,

But it was what the world calls foolish that God chose to put the wise to shame with, and it was what the world calls weak that God chose to shame its strength with,

and it was what the world calls low and insignificant and unreal that God chose to nullify its realities,

This was all done so that no human being could boast in front of God.

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

As for me, my brethren, when I appear'd among you, it was not to represent to you the divine mystery in sublime language, and with human literature.

For while I was with you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus the Messiah, and him crucified.

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

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

but we speak Gods wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God determined on before the world was, for our glory;

But we [apostles] did not receive the spirit of the world [i.e., human wisdom. See verse 6], but the Holy Spirit from God, so that we could understand what was freely given to us from God [i.e., the gift of inspiration. See verses 9-10].

And I, brethren, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly -- as to babes in Christ;

I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but it was God who kept the plants growing.

According to the grace of God that was given to me, as a wise master-builder, a foundation I have laid, and another doth build on it,

For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?

For though you have ten thousand teachers in the Christian life, you certainly could not have many fathers. For it was I myself who became your father through your union with Christ Jesus, which resulted from my telling you the good news.

Now some are full of pride, as if I was not coming to you.

as for me, though I am absent in person, yet being present by my authority, with regard to him that has committed this fact, I am come to the same resolution, as if I was present,

I have decided-having been present in spirit at your meetings, when the power of the Lord Jesus was with us-

cleanse out, therefore, the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as ye are unleavened, for also our passover for us was sacrificed -- Christ,

Now what I really meant was for you to stop associating with any so-called brother, if he is sexually immoral, a greedy grasper, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler -- with such a person you must even stop eating.

Or, do you not know that your [physical] body is a temple [i.e., sanctuary] for the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves,

Moreover, you are not your own masters; you were bought, and the price was paid. Therefore, honor God in your bodies.

I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.

For the unbelieving husband was consecrated in the wife, and the unbelieving wife was consecrated in the husband: for then are our children unclean; and now are they holy.

Only whatever be the lot in life to which God has assigned each one??nd whatever the condition in which he was living when God called him??n that let him continue. Such is the rule I give in all the churches.

Has a man been called after he was circumcised? He must not try to change it. Has a man been called without being circumcised? He must not be circumcised.

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

a servant -- wast thou called? be not anxious; but if also thou art able to 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.

You were bought, and the price was paid. Do not let yourselves become slaves to men.

Brothers, each one must continue close to God in the very station in which he was called.

The woman was bound by law for as much time as her husband lives; and if her husband be set to sleep, she is free to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

For supposing there are so-called gods in heaven or on earth??nd indeed there are plenty of such gods and lords??6 yet for us there is just one God, the Father, who is the source of all things, and for whom we live, and just one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live.

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things and the goal of our living, and but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live.

But it is not in all of you that such knowledge is found. Some, because of their past habits with idols, even down to the present moment, still eat such food as was really sacrificed to an idol, and so their consciences, because they are overscrupulous, are contaminated.

Is He not really speaking on our behalf? Yes, indeed, this law was written on our behalf, because the plowman ought to plow and the thresher ought to thresh, in the hope of sharing in the crop.

If it was we who sowed the spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

For if I preached because [I personally decided] I wanted to, I could claim a reward. But if I did not preach from a personal decision to do so, then it would be because I was entrusted with the task [by God].

For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.

And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law.

To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law.

To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation.

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

It all happened to them by way of warning for others, and it was written down for the purpose of instructing us whose lot has been cast in the closing hours of the world.

Does not the "cup of blessing," which we bless, signify a fellowship with Christ's [physical] blood? [Note: This was the cup used at the close of the Passover meal and was called this because of the prayer of thanksgiving offered for it. Paul refers to such a prayer in connection with its use in the Lord's Supper]. Does not the bread that we break signify a fellowship with Christ's [physical] body?

However, if someone says to you, "This was offered as a sacrifice," don't eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience.

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.

Every man who prays or prophesies [i.e., speaks in a public assembly, since prophecy was always for the benefit of others] with his [physical] head covered [Note: The Greek word here denotes "something hanging down" and could refer to long hair or a cloth shawl], shows disrespect for his head [i.e., Christ].

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head; for it is one and the same as if she was shaved.

For the man was not of the woman; but the woman was taken out of the man:

Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

For as the woman was originally from the man, so also is the man by the woman: but all things are from God.

[And] does not the very nature of things teach you that it is disgraceful for a man to have long hair? [Note: The prevailing, worldwide custom, observable to Paul even in his day, was shorter hair on men and longer hair on women. The fact of exceptions to this arrangement only proves the rule. See Num. 6:5; I Sam. 1:11].

but if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her; because the hair was given her as for a veil.

For first of all, I have been informed [Note: This was probably by Chloe's family. See 1:11] that divisions exist among you people when you assemble as a congregation. And I am inclined to believe it [is true].

So, when you people assemble together [Note: This was a church meeting at which they also shared a common meal prior to the Lord's Supper], it is not possible to eat the Lord's Supper [properly].

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

After the same manner he took the cup when supper was done saying, "This cup is the new testament in my blood, this do as oft as ye drink it, in the remembrance of me."

You know that there was a time when you were Gentiles, going astray after idols that could not speak, just as you happened to be led.

For it was by one Spirit that we were all baptized to form one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free men, and were all imbued with one Spirit.

If the whole body was an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole was a hearing, where would be the smelling?

But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him.

for our comely ones have no need. But God has commingled the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which was lacking,

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I imagined as a child: but as soon as I was a man I put away childishness.

for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known;

Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.

And the prophets' spirits are [to be] under the prophets' control [i.e., a prophet was to determine if or when he exercised his gift],

What? was it from you that the word of God went forth? or came it unto you alone?

Now I am going to make clear to you, my brothers, what the good news was which I gave to you, and which you took, and on which your faith is based,

and through which you are to be saved, unless your faith at first was spurious.

For I gave to you first of all what was handed down to me, how Christ underwent death for our sins, as it says in the Writings;

and that he was buried, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures,

and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.

After that, he was seen of more than five hundred brethren at once: of which many remain unto this day, and many are fallen asleep.

Then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles,

And last of all he was seen of me, as of one that was born out of due time.

But by the grace of God I am that I am. And his grace which is in me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me.

But whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Now if what we preach about Christ is that he was raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ was not raised,

and if Christ was not raised, there is nothing in our message; there is nothing in our faith either,

For if the dead are never raised, Christ was not raised;

and if Christ was not raised, your faith is a delusion; you are still under the control of your sins.

But the truth is, Christ was raised from the dead, the first to be raised of those who have fallen asleep.

For since it was through a man that we have death, it is through a man also that we have the raising of the dead.

If, after the way of men, I was fighting with beasts at Ephesus, what profit is it to me? If the dead do not come to life again, let us take our pleasure in feasting, for tomorrow we come to an end.

As it is written, "The first man Adam was made a living soul," and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit:

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.