Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers.

For the word of the cross seems foolish to those who are on the way to destruction; but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God.

Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge:

And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are:

But still we have wisdom for those who are complete in knowledge, though not the wisdom of this world, and not of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing:

But we have not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes from God, so that we may have knowledge of the things which are freely given to us by God.

And these are the things which we say, not in the language of man's wisdom, but in words given to us by the Spirit, judging the things of the spirit by the help of the Spirit.

And the teaching I gave you, my brothers, was such as I was able to give, not to those who have the Spirit, but to those who are still in the flesh, even to children in Christ.

I gave you milk and not meat, because you were, then, unable to take it, and even now you are not able;

Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?

For when one says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am of Apollos; are you not talking like natural men?

What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? They are but servants who gave you the good news as God gave it to them.

Now the planter and the waterer are working for the same end: but they will have their separate rewards in the measure of their work.

For we are workers with God: you are God's planting, God's building.

Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you?

If anyone makes the house of God unclean, God will put an end to him; for the house of God is holy, and you are his house.

And again, The Lord has knowledge of the reasonings of the wise, that they are nothing.

So let no one take pride in men. For all things are yours;

Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

And you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God.

For even now you are full, even now you have wealth, you have been made kings without us: truly, I would be glad if you were kings, so that we might be kings with you.

For it seems to me that God has put us the Apostles last of all, as men whose fate is death: for we are put on view to the world, and to angels, and to men.

We are made to seem foolish for Christ, but you are wise in Christ; we are feeble, but you are strong; you have glory, but we have shame.

Even to this hour we are without food, drink, and clothing, we are given blows and have no certain resting-place;

When evil things are said about us we give gentle answers: we are made as the unclean things of the world, as that for which no one has any use, even till now.

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

But I will come to you in a short time, if it is pleasing to the Lord, and I will take note, not of the word of those who are full of pride, but of the power.

And in place of feeling sorrow, you are pleased with yourselves, so that he who has done this thing has not been sent away from among you.

Take away, then, the old leaven, so that you may be a new mass, even as you are without leaven. For Christ has been put to death as our Passover.

But I had not in mind the sinners who are outside the church, or those who have a desire for and take the property of others, or those who give worship to images; for it is not possible to keep away from such people without going out of the world completely:

For it is no business of mine to be judging those who are outside; but it is yours to be judging those who are among you;

As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you.

Is it not certain that the saints will be the judges of the world? if then the world will be judged by you, are you unable to give a decision about the smallest things?

Is it not certain that we are to be the judges of angels? how much more then of the things of this life?

If then there are questions to be judged in connection with the things of this life, why do you put them in the hands of those who have no position in the church?

I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

Do you not see that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? how then may I take what is a part of the body of Christ and make it a part of the body of a loose woman? such a thing may not be.

Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? and you are not the owners of yourselves;

For the husband who has not faith is made holy through his Christian wife, and the wife who is not a Christian is made holy through the brother: if not, your children would be unholy, but now are they holy.

Only, as the Lord has given to a man, and as is the purpose of God for him, so let him go on living. And these are my orders for all the churches.

If you are married to a wife, make no attempt to get free from her: if you are free from a wife, do not take a wife.

And for those who are in sorrow, to give no signs of it; and for those who are glad, to give no signs of joy; and for those who are getting property, to be as if they had nothing;

So, then, as to the question of taking food offered to images, we are certain that an image is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.

For though there are those who have the name of gods, in heaven or on earth, as there are a number of gods and a number of lords,

There is for us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we are for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we have our being through him.

Still, all men have not that knowledge: but some, being used till now to the image, are conscious that they are taking food which has been offered to the image; and because they are not strong in the faith, their minds are troubled.

But God's approval of us is not based on the food we take: if we do not take it we are no worse for it; and if we take it we are no better.

And so, through your knowledge, you are the cause of destruction to your brother, for whom Christ underwent death.

And in this way, doing evil to the brothers, and causing trouble to those whose faith is feeble, you are sinning against Christ.

Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord?

If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.

My answer to those who are judging me is this.

You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it.

Because we, being a number of persons, are one bread, we are one body: for we all take part in the one bread.

What I say is that the things offered by the Gentiles are offered to evil spirits and not to God; and it is not my desire for you to have any part with evil spirits.

Or may we be the cause of envy to the Lord? are we stronger than he?

We are free to do all things, but there are things which it is not wise to do. We are free to do all things, but not all things are for the common good.

If a Gentile makes a feast for you, and you are pleased to go as a guest, take whatever is put before you, without question of right or wrong.

For as the woman is from the man, so the man is through the woman; but all things are from God.

For first of all, it has come to my ears that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and I take the statement to be true in part.

For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you.

For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead.

You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power.

Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit.

And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord.

And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.

For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit:

But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is.

But now they are all different parts, but one body.

No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;

And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;

But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;

Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it.

Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders?

Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?

Love's ways are ever fair, it takes no thought for itself; it is not quickly made angry, it takes no account of evil;

So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air.

There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.

So if you are desiring the things which the Spirit gives, let your minds be turned first to the things which are for the good of the church.

For if you give a blessing with the spirit, how will the man who has no knowledge say, So be it, after your prayer, seeing that he has not taken in what you are saying?

For this reason tongues are for a sign, not to those who have faith, but to those who have not: but the prophet's word is for those who have faith, and not for the rest who have not.

If, then, the church has come together, and all are using tongues, and there come in men without knowledge or faith, will they not say that you are unbalanced?

But if all are teaching as prophets, and a man without faith or knowledge comes in, he is tested by all, he is judged by all;

The secrets of his heart are made clear; and he will go down on his face and give worship to God, saying that God is truly among you.

And the spirits of the prophets are controlled by the prophets;

For God is not a God whose ways are without order, but a God of peace; as in all the churches of the saints.

Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;

And if Christ did not come again from the dead, then our good news and your faith in it are of no effect.

Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.

And if that is so, your faith is of no effect; you are still in your sins.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy.

But now Christ has truly come back from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are sleeping.

But every man in his right order: Christ the first-fruits; then those who are Christ's at his coming.

For his rule will go on till he has put all those who are against him under his feet.

For, as it says, He has put all things under his feet. But when he says, All things are put under him, it is clear that it is not said about him who put all things under him.

Again, what will they do who are given baptism for the dead? if the dead do not come back at all, why are people given baptism for them?

And why are we in danger every hour?

And there are bodies of heaven and bodies of earth, but the glory of the one is different from that of the other.

Those who are of the earth are like the man who was from the earth: and those who are of heaven are like the one from heaven.