For they did not know about God's way of making people right with Himself, so they attempted to establish their own way. In doing this they did not submit to God's way for being made right with Him.

For Moses writes about the righteousness [that is] from the law: "The person who does [this] will live by it."

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

"And [do not ask yourself], 'Who will go down into the deep hole?'" (in order to bring Christ up from the dead). [Note: This "deep hole" probably refers to the unseen place of departed spirits, or possibly the grave. Being made right with God does not require something as difficult as bringing Christ down from heaven or up from the dead (which God had already done), but is within easy reach of everyone].

On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim:

And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that the Message comes through its having been spoken by Christ.

but still I ask, did not Israel know this? first, Moses saith, "I will provoke you to jealousy, by those that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you."

But about Israel he says, "All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!"

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

But if this is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of actions. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,

(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Say I then, Have they stumbled, that they should fall irrecoverably? God forbid! but this I say, that by their fall salvation is come to the Gentiles to excite them to emulation.

I tell you this, you Gentiles, that as an apostle to the Gentiles I lay great stress on my office,

This is true; yet it was their unbelief that cut them off, and you only stand through your faith.

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

The Liberator will come from Zion;
He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

And we [all] have different gifts, in harmony with the unearned favor [God has] shown us. If our gift is the ability to prophesy [i.e., to speak for God], we should make use of this gift in harmony with the amount of faith we have.

I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head;

For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

Pay them all their respective dues, tribute to one, taxes to another, respect to this man, honour to that.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed.

This man puts one day before another: to that man they are the same. Let every man be certain in his mind.

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

I am conscious of this, and am certain in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself; but for the man in whose opinion it is unclean, for him it is unclean.

For he that in this serves the Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.

Therefore, whatever you believe about this matter should be held between you and God. That person is happy who does not condemn himself for practicing something he believes is right.

And may God, the giver of this patience and this encouragement, grant you to be united in sympathy in Christ,

For I tell you that Christ was [appointed] to be a servant of the circumcised ones [i.e., the Jews], in order to uphold the truth of God. This was so He could confirm [as valid] the promises made to our forefathers,

And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

May God, who inspires our hope, grant you perfect happiness and peace in your faith, till you are filled with this hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But in parts of this letter I have expressed myself somewhat boldly--by way of refreshing your memories--

for this purpose: that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ among the gentiles, and should minister the glad tidings of God, that the gentiles might be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the holy ghost.

For I will not dare to speak about anything, except what Christ has done through me in bringing about the obedience of the Gentiles. He accomplished this by my message and my deeds,

in the power demonstrated by [miraculous] signs and wonders, [produced] by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, I have completed preaching the good news about Christ from Jerusalem, all the way around [the area] to Illyricum [Note: This country was located northwest of Greece and in present-day Croatia].

And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person's foundation,

This [goal—my commitment to this principle] is the reason why I have often been prevented from coming to you [in Rome].

But now, as there is no more unoccupied ground in this part of the world, and I have for years past been eager to pay you a visit,

Yes, they have kindly done this, and, in fact, it was a debt they owed them. For seeing that the Gentiles have been admitted in to partnership with the Jews in their spiritual blessings, they in turn are under an obligation to render sacred service to the Jews in temporal things.

When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.

that I may be delivered from them which believe not in Jewry; and that this my service, which I have to Jerusalem, may be accepted of the saints,

I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church at Cenchrea. [Note: This was a seaport town about seven miles east of Corinth].

They risked their own lives for me, so not only I, but also all the Gentile churches [i.e., people converted from among the Gentiles] are grateful to them [for this].

I also send greetings to the church that meets in their house. Greetings to my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia [Note: This was a province in the western part of present-day Turkey].

For all have knowledge of how you do what you are ordered. For this reason I have joy in you, but it is my desire that you may be wise in what is good, and without knowledge of evil.

I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

Gaius, who is hosting me [i.e., Paul] and the whole church [here], sends you his greetings. [Note: This was probably the Gaius who lived in Corinth (I Cor. 1:14) and was apparently both wealthy and generous]. Erastus, the city treasurer [of Corinth] sends his greetings to you, along with our brother Quartus. {{Some manuscripts contain verse 24), which repeats the benediction of verse 20}}

Now may there be glory for ever, through Jesus Christ, to the only wise God, who is able to make you stand firm [in the faith], according to the good news and proclamation of Jesus Christ. This message is the secret which was [eventually] revealed, after having been kept quiet about for long ages.

but now is opened at this time and declared opened by the scriptures of prophecy, at the commandment of the everlasting God, to stir up obedience to the faith published among all nations:

[This letter is from] Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and [from] our brother Sosthenes;

For in [fellowship with] Him you people have been made [spiritually] rich in every way, through all [kinds of] speech and knowledge. [Note: This probably refers to the communication and comprehension of truth represented by the spiritual gifts of languages and revelation].

In this way our testimony about Christ was confirmed and established in you,

Faithful is the God who called you to this fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

but we [apostles] preach that Christ was crucified [for our sins]. This message is offensive to Jews and foolishness to [unconverted] Gentiles.

[This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort].

But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong;

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

This was all done so that no human being could boast in front of God.

This is the God to whom you owe your being in Christ Jesus, whom God has made our 'Wisdom,' that is, our righteousness and consecration and redemption;

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, even this crucified man.

And I was weak, apprehensive and fearful when I was [there] with you. [Note: This probably refers to Paul's sense of inadequacy in view of the task before him].

And I did not use persuasive words of [human] wisdom in my message and preaching, but they were [accompanied by] a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power [from God]. [Note: This "demonstration" could have included the evidence of miraculous spiritual gifts which Paul utilized while there in Corinth. See 14:18].

This was so that your faith would not [have to] depend on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

this is what God has revealed to us by his spirit: for the spirit penetrates into all things, even the profound counsels of God.

now the spirit which we have received, is not the spirit of this world, but that which comes from God; that we might know what he has graciously bestowed upon us.

And this is what we discuss, using language taught by no human wisdom but by the Spirit. We interpret what is spiritual in spiritual language.

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].

I fed you with milk and not with solid food, since for this you were not yet strong enough. And even now you are not strong enough:

For when some one says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos," is not this the way men of the world speak?

In this the man who plants and the man who waters are one; yet each will receive his own reward in proportion to his own labor.

According to the grace of God that is given to me, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on this. But let every one take heed how he builds on this.

For other foundation can no man lay, than what is laid, which is Jesus Christ: And if any one build on this foundation, gold, silver, costly stones;

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

the character of each one's work will come to light, for the judgment day will show it up. This is so, because that day will show itself in fire, and the fire will test the character of each one's work.

If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward.

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy this one. For God's temple is holy, which you are.

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.

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

So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader]. For all things are yours,

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

In this case, moreover, it is sought in stewards that one be found faithful.

But [as for me personally] it matters very little to me that I may be judged by you or any human court [on this point]; in fact, I do not even judge myself.

For I am conscious of nothing in myself; but I am not justified by this: but he that examines 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.

Now I have applied these things [that is, the analogies about factions] to myself and Apollos for your benefit, believers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written [in Scripture], so that none of you will become arrogant and boast in favor of one [minister or teacher] against the other.

Why, who gives you your superiority, my brother? Or what have you that you did not receive? And if you really did receive it, why boast as if this were not so?

Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;

Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

I do not write these things to shame you, but to warn and advise you as my beloved children.

For although you have ten thousand guardians [Note: This word means someone who transported a child to his teacher] in [the fellowship of] Christ, you do not have many [spiritual] fathers. For I [spiritually] conceived you people through [preaching to you] the good news [about Christ]. [Note: Paul here refers to his work in establishing the church at Corinth].

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.