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

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

2 u nto the congregation of God which is at Corinth, to those that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

To 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:

3 G race be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

4 I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you in Christ Jesus,

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,

5 t hat in every thing ye are enriched in him in all word and in all knowledge,

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

6 w ith which the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in you,

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

7 s o that ye lack nothing in any gift, waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

That 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.

8 w ho shall also confirm that ye shall remain unimpeachable unto the end, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

9 G od is faithful, by whom ye were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

God 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.

10 ¶ Now I beseech you, brethren, by 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 perfect, joined together in the same understanding and in the same perception.

But 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.

11 F or it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

For 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.

12 I n other words, that each one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.

What 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.

13 I s the Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

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

14 ¶ I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius,

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

15 l est any should say that ye were baptized into my name.

Lest anyone should say that I baptized in my own name.

16 A nd I baptized also the household of Stephanas; besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

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

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

For 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).

18 F or the word of the cross is foolishness to those that perish, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.

For 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.

19 F or it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

For 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.

20 W here is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the philosopher of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Where 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?

21 F or in the wisdom of God, since the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe.

For 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).

22 F or the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom,

For while Jews ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,

23 b ut we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock and unto the Gentiles foolishness;

We 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.

24 b ut unto those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

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

25 F or that which is foolish of God is wiser than men, and that which is weak of God is stronger than men.

because the foolish thing God is wiser than men, and the weak thing from God is stronger than men.

26 F or look upon your vocation, brothers, that ye are not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble,

For 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.

27 b ut rather God has chosen that which is the foolishness of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen that which is the weakness of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

for 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.

28 a nd that which is vile of the world and that which is despised God has chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are,

And 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,

29 t hat no flesh should glory in his presence.

So that no mortal man should boast in the presence of God.

30 B ut of him ye are reborn in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

But 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.

31 t hat, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

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