1 A nd I, when I came to you, brethren, came not in excellency of word, or wisdom, announcing to you the testimony of God.

As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;

2 F or I did not judge to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.

3 A nd I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling;

And I was in ( passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling '> after I had come] among you.

4 a nd my word and my preaching, not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of Spirit and of power;

And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the Spirit and power '> a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],

5 t hat your faith might not stand in men's wisdom, but in God's power.

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.

6 B ut we speak wisdom among the perfect; but wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who come to nought.

Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.

7 B ut we speak God's wisdom in mystery, that hidden which God had predetermined before the ages for our glory:

But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden and now revealed to us by God— which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification.

8 w hich none of the princes of this age knew, (for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;)

None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 b ut according as it is written, Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man's heart, which God has prepared for them that love him,

But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him '> who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].

10 b ut God has revealed to us by Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God '> divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].

11 F or who of men hath known the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? thus also the things of God knows no one except the Spirit of God.

For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 B ut we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which of God, that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God:

Now we have not received the spirit the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts bestowed on us by God.

13 w hich also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual by spiritual.

And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language.

14 B ut natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him; and he cannot know because they are spiritually discerned;

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

15 b ut the spiritual discerns all things, and he is discerned of no one.

But the spiritual man tries all things '> examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one.

16 F or who has known the mind of Lord, who shall instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.