Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:

To God’s church at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

I always thank my God for you because of God’s grace given to you in Christ Jesus,

so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you.

Is Christ divided? Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?

so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish?

For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom,

because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong.

God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something,

so that no one can boast in His presence.

so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.

On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory.

But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,
and what never entered the human mind—
God prepared this for those who love Him.

But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ.

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward.

If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.

Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

If anyone destroys God’s sanctuary, God will destroy him; for God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.

No one should deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, he must become foolish so that he can become wise.

So no one should boast in human leaders, for everything is yours—

A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and managers of God’s mysteries.

Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another.

For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it?

You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you!

when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.

It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is living with his father’s wife.

And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation.

turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.

Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.

So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those who have no standing in the church to judge?

I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?

Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,

no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.

Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

I say the following as a concession, not as a command.

I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.

But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter, but keeping God’s commands does.

For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave.

About virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

And I say this, brothers: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,

and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but because of what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.

But if any man thinks he is acting improperly toward his virgin, if she is past marriageable age, and so it must be, he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.

So then he who marries his virgin does well, but he who does not marry will do better.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—

However, not everyone has this knowledge. In fact, some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food offered to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?

Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to fall.

Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a Christian wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?

Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

Or isn’t He really saying it for us? Yes, this is written for us, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should do so in hope of sharing the crop.

If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more?

However, we have not made use of this right; instead we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.

To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law.

To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.

Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

I am speaking as to wise people. Judge for yourselves what I say.

No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons!

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons.

for the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.

I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience?

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

So if a woman’s head is not covered, her hair should be cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.

A man, in fact, should not cover his head, because he is God’s image and glory, but woman is man’s glory.

For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.

There must, indeed, be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper.

Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup.

but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. And I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.

So the body is not one part but many.

If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”

so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.

So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

If I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith
so that I can move mountains
but do not have love, I am nothing.

For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part,
but then I will know fully,
as I am fully known.