that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

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 God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things 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.

And we the spirit of the world did not receive, but the Spirit that is of God, that we may know the things conferred by God on us,

which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.

Now the natural person [Note: Since this person is contrasted with the spiritual person of verse 15, it is taken here to mean the person without the Holy Spirit] does not receive the things [i.e., truths] revealed by the Holy Spirit of God, because they are [considered] foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them because they must be discerned by using spiritual judgment [i.e., judgment aided by the Holy Spirit].

and he who is spiritual, doth discern indeed all things, and he himself is by no one discerned;

For who has knowledge of the mind of the Lord, so as to be his teacher? But we have the mind of Christ.

And as for myself, brethren, I found it impossible to speak to you as spiritual men. It had to be as to worldlings--mere babes in Christ.

I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready.

you are still unspiritual. For so long as jealousy and strife continue among you, can it be denied that you are unspiritual and are living and acting like mere men of the world?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

The planter and the waterer are all one, though each of us will be paid for his own work.

We work together in God's service; you are God's field to be planted, God's house to be built.

According to the [remarkable] grace of God which was given to me [to prepare me for my task], like a skillful master builder I laid a foundation, and now another is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it,

But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,

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 any one's work--the building which he has erected--stands the test, he will be rewarded.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively and individually]?

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

And again, "God knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they be vain."

So then, let, no one, be boasting in men; for, all things, are yours -

whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things about to be -- all are yours,

So then, let us [who minister] be regarded as servants of Christ and stewards (trustees, administrators) of the mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal].

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

For this reason let there be no judging before the time, till the Lord comes, who will make clear the secret things of the dark, and the designs of the heart; and then will every man have his praise from God.

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?

[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you.

God, it seems to me, has exhibited us Apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; for we have come to be a spectacle to all creation--alike to angels and to men.

We, for Christ's sake, are 'fools,' but you, by your union with Christ, are men of discernment. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are despised.

We have worked hard with our own hands for a living. When abused by people, we bless them. When persecuted, we patiently bear it.

Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now.

This I don't write to give you any confusion, but by way of remonstrance, to you who are my dear children.

For if you have ten thousand teachers in Christ still you have not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you by the gospel.

Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

But I shall come to you shortly, if it be the Lords will, and will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power;

Which shall it be? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in a loving and tender spirit?

On all hands, there is reported to be among you - fornication, and such fornication as this - which, not among the nations, is found , - as that one should have, his father's wife: -

And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

For I, although absent in body, yet present in spirit, have already passed sentence, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, on him who has done this thing.

[I command you], when you people are assembled together, with my spirit [also present], in the name [i.e., by the authority] and power of our Lord Jesus,

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

So then, let us be keeping the feast, not with old leaven, nor with leaven of baseness and wickedness, - but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote a unto you in my letter - not to be mixing yourselves up with fornicators; -

By no means [did I mean] the sexually immoral people of this world or the greedy people and swindlers or idolaters, since then you would have to depart out of the world.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

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;

Dare any one of you, having a matter with the other, go to be judged before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

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

If therefore you have things belonging to this life which need to be decided, is it men who are absolutely nothing in the Church--is it *they* whom you make your judges?

I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

but brother with brother doth go to be judged, and this before unbelievers!

Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

On the contrary, it is you who wrong and defraud, and you do this even to your brothers and sisters.

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

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.

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Meats are ordained for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Let not the body be applied unto fornication, but unto the Lord, and the Lord unto the body.

And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Do ye not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then, taking the members of the Christ, make them members of a harlot? Far be the thought.

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

but he that is attach'd to the Lord, is united to him by one and the same spirit.

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 a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body.

Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage].

Let a man pay his wife her due, and let a woman also pay her husband his.

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.

Now I wish all men to be even as myself: but every one has his own gift of God: one man thus, and another thus.

But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them to be even as I am.

But if they do not have [sufficient] self-control, they should marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

But to the married I enjoin, not I, but the Lord, Let not wife be separated from husband;

But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.

And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us in peace.

For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband [by leading him to Christ]? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife [by leading her to Christ]?

Only, whatever be the condition in life which the Lord has assigned to each individual--and whatever the condition in which he was living when God called him--in that let him continue.

Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.

Whatever be the condition in life in which a man was, when he was called, in that let him continue.

Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.

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.

Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Brothers, everyone should stay in the same condition in which he was called by God.

Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.

I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.

Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

If you get married it is not a sin; and if an unmarried woman gets married it is not a sin. But those who do so will have trouble in the flesh. But I will not be hard on you.

But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;

And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;