New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Greetings from Paul

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

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Greetings from Paul

Paul, [a] called apostle of Jesus Christ, by God's will, and Sosthenes the brother,

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I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,a to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,b just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

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to the assembly of God which is in Corinth, to [those] sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours:

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

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

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Paul Gives Thanks to God

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.

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Thanksgiving

I thank my God always about you, in respect of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus;

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Through him, God has enriched your church in every way — with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.

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that in everything ye have been enriched in him, in all word [of doctrine], and all knowledge,

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This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true.

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(according as the testimony of the Christ has been confirmed in you,)

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Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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so that ye come short in no gift, awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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He 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.

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who shall also confirm you to [the] end, unimpeachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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God 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.

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God [is] faithful, by whom ye have been called into [the] fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Divisions in the Church

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,c 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.

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Unity in the Church

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all say the same thing, and that there be not among you divisions; but that ye be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion.

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For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters.

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For it has been shewn to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of [the house of] Chloe, that there are strifes among you.

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Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,d” or “I follow only Christ.”

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But I speak of this, that each of you says, *I* am of Paul, and *I* of Apollos, and *I* of Cephas, and *I* of Christ.

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Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not!

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Is the Christ divided? has Paul been crucified for you? or have ye been baptised unto the name of Paul?

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

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I thank God that I have baptised none of you, unless Crispus and Gaius,

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for now no one can say they were baptized in my name.

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that no one may say that I have baptised unto my own name.

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(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.)

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Yes, I baptised also the house of Stephanas; for the rest I know not if I have baptised any other.

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For 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.

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For Christ has not sent me to baptise, but to preach glad tidings; not in wisdom of word, that the cross of the Christ may not be made vain.

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The Wisdom of God

The 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.

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Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us that are saved it is God's power.

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As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”e

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For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the understanding of the understanding ones.

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So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.

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

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Since 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.

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For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom has not known God, God has been pleased by the foolishness of the preaching to save those that believe.

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It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

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Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom;

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So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

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but *we* preach Christ crucified, to Jews an offence, and to nations foolishness;

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But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,f Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

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but to those that [are] called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ God's power and God's wisdom.

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This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

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The Foolish to Shame the Wise

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

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Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthyg when God called you.

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For consider your calling, brethren, that [there are] not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many high-born.

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Instead, 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.

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But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, that he may put to shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world, that he may put to shame the strong things;

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God chose things despised by the world,h things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

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and the ignoble things of the world, and the despised, has God chosen, [and] things that are not, that he may annul the things that are;

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As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

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so that no flesh should boast before God.

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God 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.

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But of him are *ye* in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption;

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Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”i

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that according as it is written, He that boasts, let him boast in [the] Lord.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1