Now I beg you all, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be harmonious in what you say and not to have factions among you, but to be perfectly harmonious in your minds and judgments.

This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah."

For, since in the wisdom of God the world by it's wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by what they called the folly of preaching to save those that believe.

Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men.

For consider, brothers, what happened when God called you. Not many of you were what men call wise, not many of you were influential, not many were of high birth.

Just the opposite: God chose what the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame, what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame,

what the world calls of low degree, yea, what it counts as nothing and what it thinks does not exist, God chose to put a stop to what it thinks exists,

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do];

And, my discourse, and what I proclaimed, were not in suasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of Spirit and power:

Yet there is a wisdom that we impart when we are with people who have a mature faith, but it is not what this world calls wisdom, nor what the authorities of this world, doomed as they are to pass away, would call so.

but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence].

but, according as it hath been written, 'What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and upon the heart of man came not up, what God did prepare for those loving Him -- '

this is what God has revealed to us by his spirit: for the spirit penetrates into all things, even the profound counsels of God.

For what man can understand his own inner thoughts except by his own spirit within him? Just so no one but the Spirit of God can understand the thoughts of God.

now the spirit which we have received, is not the spirit of this world, but that which comes from God; that we might know what he has graciously bestowed upon us.

this is what we declare, not in the words which human wisdom, but which the holy spirit dictates; explaining spiritual things in a spiritual language.

A material man will not accept what the Spirit of God offers. It seems mere folly to him, and he cannot understand it, because it takes spiritual insight to see its true value.

The spiritual man, again, can read the meaning of everything; and yet no one can read what he is.

For what man understands the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him?

When one cries, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," what are you but men of the world?

Then what is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Mere servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave each of us his task.

In the measure of the grace given to me, I, as a wise master-builder, have put the base in position, and another goes on building on it. But let every man take care what he puts on it.

For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If what a person has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

Do you not know what you are God's sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God is dwelling within you?

If any one tear down God's sanctuary, God will tear him down; for the sanctuary of God is holy, and that is what you are.

Let no one of you deceive himself. If any one of you imagines that he is wiser than the rest of you, in what this world calls wisdom, he had better become a fool, so as to become really wise.

Now further, what is always demanded of managers is that they can be depended on.

Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

Now, brothers, for your sakes I have applied all this to Apollos and myself, that from us as illustrations you might learn the lesson, "Never go beyond what is written," so that you might stop boasting in favor of one teacher against another.

For who makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not get from someone? But if you got it from someone, why do you boast as though you had not?

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

But I am coming, and coming soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out, not only what those conceited fellows say but what they can do,

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

To deliver such a man as this over to Satan, that what is sensual in him may be destroyed, so that his spirit may be saved at the Day of the Lord.

Therefore let us keep our festival not with old yeast nor with the yeast of what is evil and mischievous, but with bread free from yeast--the bread of transparent sincerity and of truth.

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.

For what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not for you to judge those who are inside the church,

For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? [i.e., non-Christians]; God judges them. But should you not judge those people who are inside? [i.e., Christians]. [So], remove the evil person from your fellowship [See Deut. 17:7].

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? what! and not worthy of judging the affairs of this life?

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

Why, the very fact that you have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

What! know ye not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor sodomites,

Or is a thief, or the worse for drink, or makes use of strong language, or takes by force what is not his, will have any part in the kingdom of God.

That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

You know that your bodies belong to the Messiah, don't you? Should I take what belongs to the Messiah and unite them with a prostitute? Certainly not!

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

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

Now about what you asked: "Is it advisable for a man not to marry?"

The husband must always give his wife what is due her, and the wife too must do so for her husband.

You husbands and wives must stop refusing each other what is due, unless you agree to do so just for awhile, so as to have plenty of time for prayer, and then to be together again, so as to keep Satan from tempting you because of your lack of self-control.

But what I have just said is by way of concession, not command.

I should wish every one to be just what I am myself. But every one has his own gift from God-one in one way, and one in another.

For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

However, each one must live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

This is what I command in all the Churches. Was any one already circumcised when called? Let him not have recourse to the surgeons. Was any one uncircumcised when called? Let him remain uncircumcised.

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

Brothers, each man, in what he was called, should remain in this before God.

Now I have no command from the Lord concerning [what you wrote about] unmarried women. [Note: The word here is "virgins" but some think it includes both males and females]. But I give my advice as someone who has received the Lord's mercy to be counted trustworthy.

I think, then, that, in view of the time of suffering that has now come upon us, what I have already said is best-that a man should remain as he is.

This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

Now I say this for your own advantage, and not that I should lay a snare in your way, but as what is seemly, and that you may wait on the Lord without distraction.

Now if a father thinks that he is not doing the proper thing regarding his single daughter, if she is past the bloom of her youth, and she ought to do so, let him do what she desires; he commits no sin. Let the daughter and her suitor marry.

But the father who stands firm in his purpose, without having any necessity for doing so, and he has made the decision in his own heart to keep her single, will do what is right.

And so the man who gives his daughter in marriage does what is right, and yet the man who does not do so does even better.

About food that has been offered to idols, it is true, as you say, that we all have some knowledge on that matter. Knowledge gives people airs; love is what builds up character.

As to the eating therefore of what is offered in sacrifice to idols, we know that the heathen deities have no real existence, and that there is but one God.

What we eat, however, will not bring us nearer to God. We lose nothing by not eating this food, and we gain nothing by eating it.

For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol's temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won't he?

For this overscrupulous brother, for whom Christ died, is ruined by what you call your knowledge.

Therefore, if what I eat makes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, lest I make my brother to stumble.

What! are we the only ones, myself and Barnabas, who are denied the right of abstaining from work for our living?

What soldier ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its grapes? Who shepherds a flock and does not drink any of the milk the flock produces?

Am I saying only what men say? Does not the Law say so too?

If other people have the right to receive a share of what you have, should we not have even more [right to it]? Yet we did not make use of this right, but instead we put up with whatever we had to so we would not become a hindrance to [the spread of] the good news [about Christ].

Do not you know that those who do the work of the Temple live on what comes from the Temple, and that those who serve at the altar share the offerings with the altar?

But I have used no right of this kind; nor have I written thus that anything of this kind should be done for me; for it were better for me to die, than that any one should take from me what I glory in.

What I am proud of is not the mere preaching of the gospel; that I am constrained to do. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Then what is the pay that I am getting? To be able to preach the good news without expense to anybody, and so never to make full use of my rights in preaching the good news.

and all drank the same spiritual drink: (for they drank of what flowed from the spiritual rock: and that rock was Christ.)

Now all these things occurred as warnings to us, to keep us from hankering after what is evil, in the ways they did.

No temptation has taken hold of you but what is common to human nature. And God is to be trusted not to let you be tempted beyond your strength, but when temptation comes, to make a way out of it, so that you can bear up under it.

Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

I am speaking to sensible men; decide for yourselves about what I say.

Look at the Israelis from a human point of view. Those who eat the sacrifices share in what is on the altar, don't they?

Then what do I mean? That the sacrifice to an idol is a reality, or that an idol itself is a reality? Of course not!

I mean that what the heathen sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be in fellowship with demons.

What! would we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Let a man give attention not only to what is good for himself, but equally to his neighbour's good.

But now I mean his conscience, not your own. "Why, on what ground," you may object, "is the question of my liberty of action to be decided by a conscience not my own?

If I eat with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of what I am thankful for?

Then whether you eat, or whether you drink, or what you do, do all things to the glory of God.

Do not [do what could] cause Jews, Greeks [i.e., Gentiles] or the church of God to fall [away from God].

But in giving this next instruction, I do not praise you, because when you meet together it is not for the better but for the worse.

for, in the first place, when you meet as a Church, there are divisions among you. This is what I am told, and I believe that there is some truth in it.

It is not that you have no houses to eat and drink in, is it? Or, are you trying to show your contempt for the church of God and trying to humiliate those who have no houses? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? No, I cannot praise you for this.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread,

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is beneficial [to all].

But one and the same Spirit produces all these results and gives what he wants to each person.