For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be made ineffective [deprived of its saving power].

For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.

and of Him ye -- ye are in Christ Jesus, who became to us from God wisdom, righteousness also, and sanctification, and redemption,

For I determined to be utterly ignorant, when among you, of everything except of Jesus Christ, and of Him as having been crucified.

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

You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?

Already you are full! Already you are rich! You have reigned as kings without us! And oh that indeed you did reign, that we also might reign with you.

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles at the end of the line, like men sentenced to death [and paraded as prisoners in a procession], because we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater], both to angels and to men.

It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and of a kind unheard of even among the Gentiles--a man has his father's wife!

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.

Do you not know that we [believers] will judge angels? How much more then [as to] matters of this life?

Meats are for the stomach, and the stomach for meats; but God will make an end of both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body;

And of what ye wrote to me: good for a man not to touch a woman.

And, on account of fornication, let each have his own wife, and let each have her own husband.

Be not depriving one another - unless perhaps by consent for a season, that ye may have leisure for prayer, and, again, may be together, - lest Satan be tempting you by reason of your want of self-control.

Circumcision is nothing; the want of it is nothing; but to keep the commands of God is everything.

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

And on your knowledge the weak brother will fall, he for whom Christ died.

Therefore if what I eat causes my brother to fall, never again to the end of my days will I touch any kind of animal food, for fear I should cause my brother to fall.

who doth serve as a soldier at his own charges at any time? who doth plant a vineyard, and of its fruit doth not eat? or who doth feed a flock, and of the milk of the flock doth not eat?

Nor may we be fornicators, like some of them who committed fornication and on a single day 23,000 of them fell dead.

And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come,

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

and if any one may say to you, 'This is a thing sacrificed to an idol,' -- do not eat, because of that one who shewed it, and of the conscience, for the Lord's is the earth and its fulness:

But I wish you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and of a wife her husband is head; and that God is head of Christ.

for [doubtless] there have to be factions among you, so that those who are of approved character may be clearly recognized among you.

So that whosoever shall eat the bread, or drink the cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty in respect of the body and of the blood of the Lord.

and let a man be proving himself, and so of the bread let him eat, and of the cup let him drink;

God appointed some in the church to be, in the first place, apostles, in the second place, prophets, in the third place, teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, those of helping and of governing, divers kinds of tongues. Are all apostles?

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Love never fails; but whether there be gifts of prophecy, they shall have an end; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall have an end.

And so there remain Faith, Hope, Love--these three; and of these the greatest is Love.

And of the prophets let two or three speak, and let the others judge;

But let me recall to you, brethren, the Good News which I brought you, which you accepted, and on which you are standing,

And he was put in the place of the dead; and on the third day he came back from the dead, as it says in the Writings;

Then [i.e., at Christ's return] the end [of the world] will occur, when He will turn over the kingdom to God, the Father, after He has abolished all [hostile] dominion, authority and power.

Recover your senses rightly, and in not; for some have a want of knowledge of God: I speak to your confusion.

All flesh is not the same: there is human flesh, and flesh of cattle, of birds, and of fishes.

And there are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies, - but, of one kind, indeed, is the glory of the heavenly, and, of another kind, is the glory of the earthly; -

The first man is from the earth, and of the earth: the second man is from heaven.

Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong.

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus, Amen. {The end of the First Epistle unto the Corinthians, Sent from Philippi, by Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus, and Timothy.}

He rescued us from so great a threat of death, and will continue to rescue us. On Him we have set our hope. And He will again rescue us [from danger and draw us near],

And of you who help together by supplication for us (a gift for us from many persons, because of many), so that there may be gratitude about you.

And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.

yet, obtaining no relief for my spirit because I did not find our brother Titus, I bade them farewell and went on into Macedonia.

I live for God as the fragrance of Christ breathed alike on those who are being saved and on those who are perishing,

And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

For He says, "At a time of welcome I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have succoured you." Now is the time of loving welcome! Now is the day of salvation!

By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

Having therefore these promises, beloved friends, let us purify ourselves from all defilement of body and of spirit, and secure perfect holiness through the fear of God.

but also by the fact that he had felt comforted on your account, and by the report which he brought of your eager affection, of your grief, and of your jealousy on my behalf, so that I rejoiced more than ever.

And that as you are full of every good thing, of faith, of the word, of knowledge, of a ready mind, and of love to us, so you may be full of this grace in the same way.

not according to command do I speak, but because of the diligence of others, and of your love proving the genuineness,

For he received indeed the entreaty, but, being full of zeal, he went of his own accord to you;

and not that only, but who was also appointed by the churches as our fellowtraveler in the matter of this bounty, which is administered by us to the honor of the Lord himself, and of our ready mind;

Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.

God has power to shower all kinds of blessings upon you, so that, having, under all circumstances and on all occasions, all that you can need, you may be able to shower all kinds of benefits upon others.

For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

We have not indeed the audacity to class or compare ourselves with some of those who indulge in self-commendation! But, when such persons measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they show a want of wisdom.

And when I was with you, and in want, I was burdensome to no man; for my want the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied; and on every occasion I have kept myself from being burdensome, and will keep myself.

I have been often on my travels, I have been in danger from rivers and robbers, in danger from Jews and Gentiles, through dangers of town and of desert, through dangers on the sea, through dangers among false brothers ??27 through labour and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, starving many a time, cold and ill-clad, and all the rest of it.

Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,

For I am afraid that perhaps, when I come, I may find that you are not what I want you to be, and, on the other hand, that you may find that I am what you do not want me to be. I am afraid that I may find quarreling, jealousy, ill-feeling, rivalry, slandering, back-biting, self-assertion, and disorder.

This is the third time I am coming to you. At the mouth of two witnesses, and of three, shall every word be established.

since you demand a proof of my mission from Christ, who with regard to you has shown no want of power among you.

Finally, brethren, farewell; be perfect, be comforted, be of the same mind, be at peace; and the God of love and of peace will be with you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the holy ghost, be with you all. Amen. {The end of the Second Epistle unto the Corinthians, Sent from Philippi, a city in Macedonia, by Titus and Luke}

instead of going up to Jerusalem to see those who had been apostles before me, I went off at once to Arabia, and on my return I came back to Damascus.

then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia,

[I went on to say] “We are Jews by birth and not sinners from among the Gentiles;

For in union with Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor the want of it counts for anything, but only faith acting through love.

But far be it from me to have glory in anything, but only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which this world has come to an end on the cross for me, and I for it.

For neither circumcision nor the want of it is of any importance, but only a new creation.

and as many as by this rule do walk -- peace upon them, and kindness, and on the Israel of God!

to usher in the fullness of the times and to bring together in the Messiah all things in heaven and on earth.

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which prevails among you, and of your love for all God's people,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

And he came and brought the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off, and of peace to those that were near;

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Built upon the foundation of the sent, and of the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the corner stone;

For this reason [because I preach that you and believing Jews are joint heirs] I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

in order to equip the saints for the work of serving, for the building up of the Body of Christ??13 till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the maturity of manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Joining with one another in holy songs of praise and of the Spirit, using your voice in songs and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

This mystery is great: but I speak in regard of Christ and of the church.

As for you fathers, do not exasperate your children, but bring them up in the discipline and on the admonitions of the Lord.

For our conflict is not with flesh and blood only, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the world and of the darkness of this age, against wicked spirits in heavenly places.

So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),

and on your feet put the readiness the good news of peace brings.

And on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin];

and of this being persuaded, I have known that I shall remain and continue with you all, to your advancement and joy of the faith,