1 W hen I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

فَحِينَ جِئتُكُمْ أيُّها الإخوَةُ، لَمْ آتِ مُذِيعاً عَلَيكُمْ سِرَّ اللهِ بِكَلامِ البَلاغَةِ أوْ بِالحِكْمَةِ البَشَرِيَّةِ.

2 F or I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

فَإنَّنِي صَمَّمتُ ألّا أعرِفَ شَيئاً وَأنا بَينَكُمْ إلّا يَسُوعَ المَسِيحَ وَمَوتَهُ عَلَى الصَّلِيبِ.

3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

فَجِئتُكُمْ فِي ضَعفٍ وَخَوفٍ وَارتِعابٍ شَدِيدٍ.

4 M y speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

وَلَمْ أُقَدِّمْ كَلامِي وَرِسالَتِي بِكَلِماتٍ مُقنِعَةٍ مِنَ الحِكْمَةِ البَشَرِيَّةِ، بَلْ بِبُرهانِ الرُّوحِ وَقُوَّتِهِ.

5 t hat your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

وَذَلِكَ لِكَي لا يَعْتَمِدَ إيمانُكُمْ عَلَى حِكْمَةِ البَشَرِ، بَلْ عَلَى قُوَّةِ اللهِ. حِكمَةُ الله

6 W e speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing.

يُعلِنُ كلامُنا حِكمَةً بَينَ النّاضِجِينَ، لَكِنَّها لَيسَتْ حِكمَةَ هَذا العالَمِ، وَلا هِيَ مِنْ حُكّامِ هَذا العالَمِ الزّائِلِينَ.

7 B ut we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,

لَكِنَّنا نَتَكَلَّمُ عَنْ سِرِّ حِكمَةِ اللهِ الَّتِي كانَتْ مَخفِيَّةً عَنِ النّاسِ، لَكِنَّ اللهَ حَدَّدَها مُسبَقاً قَبلَ بَدءِ الزَّمانِ مِنْ أجلِ مَجدِنا.

8 w hich none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.

وَهِيَ حِكمَةٌ لَمْ يَعرِفْها أيٌّ مِنْ حُكّامِ هَذا العالَمِ. فَلَو عَرَفُوها، لَما صَلَبُوا الرَّبَّ المَجِيدَ.

9 B ut as it is written, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.”

لَكِنْ كَما يَقُولُ الكِتابُ: «ما لَمْ تُبصِرْهُ عَينٌ، وَلا سَمِعَتْ بِهِ أُذُنٌ، وَلا تَخَيَّلَهُ فِكرُ بَشَرٍ، ما أعَدَّهُ اللهُ لِلَّذينَ يُحِبُّونَهُ.»

10 B ut to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

لَكِنَّ اللهَ أعلَنَهُ لَنا بِالرَّوحِ القُدُسِ. فَالرُّوحُ يَكشِفُ كُلَّ شَيءٍ، حَتَّى أعماقَ اللهِ.

11 F or who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God’s Spirit.

فَلا أحَدَ يَعرِفُ أفكارَ الإنسانِ إلّا رُوحُ الإنسانِ الَّتِي فِيهِ، كَذَلِكَ لا أحَدَ يَعرِفُ أفكارَ اللهِ إلّا رُوحُ اللهِ.

12 B ut we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

لَكِنَّنا لَمْ نَنَلْ رُوحَ العالَمِ، بَلِ الرُّوحَ الَّذِي يَأتِي مِنَ اللهِ، لِكَي نَعرِفَ الأشياءَ الَّتِي وَهَبَنا إيّاها اللهُ.

13 W hich things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

وَهِيَ الأشياءُ الَّتِي نَتَكَلَّمُ بِها وَلَمْ نَتَعَلَّمْها مِنْ بَشَرٍ، وَإنَّما هِيَ كَلِماتٌ يُعَلِّمُها لَنا الرُّوحُ القُدُسُ، فَنُفَسِّرُ الحَقائِقَ الرُّوحِيَّةَ بِكَلِماتٍ رُوحِيَّةٍ.

14 N ow the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

فَالشَّخصُ الَّذِي لَيسَ فِيهِ رُوحُ اللهِ لا يَقبَلُ الحَقائِقَ الَّتِي يُعلِنُها رُوحُ اللهِ، لِأنَّهُ يَعتَبِرُها حَماقَةً، وَلا يَستَطِيعُ أنْ يَفهَمَها، لِأنَّها تُقاسُ بِمِقياسٍ رُوحِيٍّ.

15 B ut he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one.

أمّا الشَّخصُ الرُّوحِيُّ فَيَستَطِيعُ أنْ يَقِيسَ كُلَّ الأُمُورِ، لَكِنْ لا يُمكِنُ لِلآخَرِينَ أنْ يَقِيسُوهُ.

16 “ For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.

فَكَما هُوَ مَكتُوبٌ: «مَنْ ذا الَّذِي يَعرِفُ فِكرَ الرَّبِّ، مَنْ يَستَطيعُ أنْ يُعَلِّمَ الرَّبَّ؟» أمّا نَحنُ فَلَنا فِكرُ المَسِيحِ.