1 P aul, summoned by the will and purpose of God to be an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

2 T o the church (assembly) of God which is in Corinth, to those consecrated and purified and made holy in Christ Jesus, selected and called to be saints (God’s people), together with all those who in any place call upon and give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

unto the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours:

3 G race (favor and spiritual blessing) be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God at all times for you because of the grace (the favor and spiritual blessing) of God which was bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,

I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus;

5 t hat in Him in every respect you were enriched, in full power and readiness of speech and complete knowledge and illumination.

that in everything ye were enriched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge;

6 I n this way witnessing concerning Christ (the Messiah) was so confirmed and established and made sure in you

even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

7 T hat you are not falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace '> the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait and watch for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and being made visible to all.

so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;

8 A nd He will establish you to the end guiltless and irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be unreproveable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 G od is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 B ut I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.

Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 F or it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.

For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them that are of the household of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12 W hat I mean is this, that each one of you says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.

Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos: and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 I s Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

I thank God that I baptized none of you, save Crispus and Gaius;

15 L est anyone should say that I baptized in my own name.

lest any man should say that ye were baptized into my name.

16 I did baptize the household of Stephanas also. More than these, I do not remember that I baptized anyone.

And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17 F or Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.

18 F or the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the the power of God.

For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God.

19 F or it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify and bring to nothing.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought.

20 W here is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world’s wisdom?

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

21 F or when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching, to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).

For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.

22 F or while Jews ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,

Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:

23 W e preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block, and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.

but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness;

24 B ut to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.

but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

25 b ecause the foolish thing God is wiser than men, and the weak thing from God is stronger than men.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26 F or consider your own call, brethren; not many wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.

For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 f or God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.

but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong;

28 A nd God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,

and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are:

29 S o that no mortal man should boast in the presence of God.

that no flesh should glory before God.

30 B ut it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, our Righteousness, and our Consecration, and our Redemption.

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:

31 S o then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.