to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,

so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you eagerly wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ;

God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

What I mean is this, that each one of you says, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

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

For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will frustrate."

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

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to fleshly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong,

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

therefore, as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

But, as it is written, "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,"

God has revealed them to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit which is in him? Even so no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand the things freely given to us by God.

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

But the spiritual man judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as carnal men, as infants in Christ.

for you are still carnal. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal, and are you not walking like mere men?

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord assigned to each one.

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

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.

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

each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.

If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become a fool so that he may become wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";

and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or by any human court; I do not even judge myself.

I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted by this. It is the Lord who judges me.

Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that in us you may learn not to go beyond what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in favor of one against the other.

For who regards you as different? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

You are already filled! You have already become rich! You have become kings without us! And indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.

For, I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all, like men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.

when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

I do not write this to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

Now some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.

It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: a man has his father's wife.

For though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit, and have already passed judgment on the one who has committed this, as if I were present.

In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,

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

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is an immoral person, or greedy, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindlernot even to eat with such a one.

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to try trivial cases?

So if you have disputes about such matters, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between his brethren,

Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

"Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food"but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

By his power God raised the Lord, and he will also raise us up.

Or do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh."

But he who unites himself with the Lord is one spirit with him.

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

I wish that all men were as I myself am. But each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.

But I say to the unmarried and to the widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I.

But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.

If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she must not divorce him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.

But if the unbelieving partner leaves, let him do so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.

Only, let each one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised.

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

For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was free when called is Christ's slave.

Now concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is.

I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; so that from now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

and those who mourn, as though they were not mourning; and those who rejoice, as though they were not rejoicing; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;

and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it. For the form of this world is passing away.

But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

but a married man is concerned about the affairs of the world, how he may please his wife,

and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman, and the virgin, is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but the married woman is concerned about the affairs of the world, how she may please her husband.

This I say for your own benefit, not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is good and to secure undivided devotion to the Lord.

But if any man thinks that he is not acting properly toward his betrothed, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let them marry.

But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has control over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

But in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

But if anyone loves God, he is known by him.

Therefore concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"),

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we exist.

However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, being accustomed to idols, eat food as really sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

But food will not commend us to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

For if a man sees you, who have knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?

And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.

Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

This is my defense to those who would examine me.

Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?