1 Corinthians 1

Greetings from Paul

1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

2I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,#1:2a Corinth was the capital city of Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula. to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,#1:2b Or because you belong to Christ Jesus. just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

3May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,#1:10 Greek brothers; also in 1:11, 26. by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,#1:12 Greek Cephas.” or “I follow only Christ.”

13Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

The Wisdom of God

18The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”#1:19 Isa 29:14.

20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,#1:24 Greek and Greeks. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy#1:26 Or high born. when God called you. 27Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28God chose things despised by the world,#1:28 Or God chose those who are low born. things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. 31Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”#1:31 Jer 9:24.

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Qorintiyim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 1

1Sha’ul, a called emissary of יהושע Messiah by the desire of Elohim, and brother Sosthenes,

2to the assembly of Elohim which is at Corinth, to those who are set-apart in Messiah יהושע, called set-apart ones, with all those calling on the Name of יהושע Messiah our Master in every place, theirs and ours:

3Favour to you and peace from Elohim our Father and the Master יהושע Messiah.

4I thank my Elohim always concerning you for the favour of Elohim which was given to you by Messiah יהושע,

5that in Him you were enriched in all – in every word and all knowledge –

6as the witness of Messiah was confirmed in you,

7so that you are not lacking in any gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Master יהושע Messiah,

8who shall also confirm you to the end, unreprovable in the day of our Master יהושע Messiah.

9Elohim is trustworthy, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, יהושע Messiah our Master.

10And I appeal to you, brothers, by the Name of our Master יהושע Messiah, that you all agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be knit together in the same mind and in the same opinion.

11For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are strifes among you.

12What I mean is this, that each one of you says, “I am of Sha’ul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Kĕpha,” or “I am of Messiah.”

13Has the Messiah been divided? Was Sha’ul impaled for you? Or were you immersed in the name of Sha’ul?

14I thank Elohim that I immersed not one of you except Crispus and Gaios,

15that no one should say that I immersed into my own name.

16Now I did also immerse the household of Stephanas. For the rest, I do not know whether I immersed anyone else.

17For Messiah did not send me to immerse, but to bring the Good News, not with wisdom of words, that the stake of Messiah should not be nullified.

18For the word of the stake is indeed foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Elohim.

19For it has been written, “I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the learning of the learned ones.”# Isa. 29:14#See Mat. 11:25; Rom. 1:22

20Where is the wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not Elohim made foolish the wisdom of this world?

21For since, in the wisdom of Elohim, the world through wisdom did not know Elohim, it pleased Elohim through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

22And since Yehuḏim ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

23yet we proclaim Messiah impaled, to the Yehuḏim a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness,

24but to those who are called – both Yehuḏim and Greeks – Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom of Elohim.

25For the foolishness of Elohim is wiser than men, and the weakness of Elohim is stronger than men.

26For look at your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

27But Elohim has chosen the foolish matters of the world to put to shame the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak of the world to put to shame the strong.

28And Elohim has chosen the low-born of the world and the despised, and the ones that are not, that He might bring to naught the ones that are,

29so that no flesh should boast in His presence.

30And of Him you are in Messiah יהושע, who became for us wisdom from Elohim, righteousness also, and set-apartness and redemption,

31that, as it has been written, “He who boasts, let him boast in יהוה.”# Jer. 9:23, 24

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