Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
1
1 Paul,
called to be
an apostle of
Jesus Christ
through the will
of God, and
our brother Sosthenes,
2 to
the assembly of
God which is
at Corinth—those
who are sanctified
in Christ Jesus,
called saints, with
all who call
on the name
of our Lord
Jesus Christ in
every place,
both theirs and
ours:
3 Grace
to you and
peace from God
our Father and
the Lord Jesus
Christ.
4 I
always thank my
God concerning you
for the grace
of God which
was given you
in Christ Jesus,
5 that
in everything you
were enriched in
him, in all
speech and all
knowledge—
6 even
as the testimony
of Christ
was confirmed in
you—
7 so
that you come
behind in no
gift, waiting for
the revelation of
our Lord Jesus
Christ,
8 who
will also confirm
you until the
end, blameless in
the day of
our Lord Jesus
Christ.
9 God
is faithful,
through whom you
were called into
the fellowship of
his Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
10 Now
I beg you,
brothers,
through the name
of our Lord,
Jesus Christ, that
you all speak
the same thing,
and that there
be no divisions
among you, but
that you
be perfected together
in the same
mind and in
the same judgment.
11 For
it has
been reported to
me concerning you,
my brothers, by
those who are
from Chloe’s household,
that there are
contentions among
you.
12 Now
I mean this,
that each one
of you says, “I
follow Paul,” “I
follow Apollos,” “I
follow Cephas,”
and, “I follow
Christ.”
13 Is
Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified
for you? Or
were you baptized
into the name
of Paul?
14 I
thank God that
I baptized none of
you except Crispus
and Gaius,
15 so
that no one
should say that
I had baptized you
into my own
name.
16 (I
also baptized the
household of
Stephanas; besides
them, I don’t
know whether
I baptized any
other.)
17 For
Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to
preach the Good
News—not in
wisdom of words,
so that the
cross of
Christ wouldn’t be
made void.
18 For
the word of
the cross is
foolishness to
those who
are dying, but to
us who are
being saved it
is the power
of God.
19 For
it is written,
“I will destroy
the wisdom of
the wise.
I will bring
the discernment of
the discerning to nothing.”
20 Where
is the wise?
Where is the
scribe? Where is
the debater of
this age? Hasn’t
God made foolish
the wisdom of
this world?
21 For
seeing that in
the wisdom of
God, the world
through its
wisdom didn’t know
God, it was
God’s good
pleasure through
the foolishness of
the preaching to
save those who
believe.
22 For
Jews ask for signs,
Greeks seek after
wisdom,
23 but
we preach Christ
crucified, a
stumbling block to
Jews and
foolishness to Greeks,
24 but
to those who
are called, both
Jews and Greeks,
Christ is the
power of God
and the wisdom
of God;
25 because
the foolishness of
God is wiser
than men, and
the weakness of
God is stronger
than men.
26 For
you see your
calling, brothers, that
not many are
wise according to
the flesh, not
many mighty, and
not many noble;
27 but
God chose the
foolish things of
the world that
he might put
to shame those
who are wise.
God chose the weak
things of the
world that he
might put to
shame the things
that are strong.
28 God
chose the lowly
things of the
world, and the
things that are
despised, and the
things that don’t
exist, that he
might bring to
nothing the things
that exist,
29 that
no flesh should
boast before God.
30 Because
of him, you
are in Christ
Jesus, who was
made to us
wisdom from God,
and righteousness
and sanctification, and redemption,
31 that,
as it is
written, “He who
boasts, let him
boast in the
Lord.”