1Paul called to be an Apostle of Iesus Christ, through the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2Vnto the Church of God, which is at Corinthus, to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus, Saintes by calling, with all that call on the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ in euery place, both their Lord, and ours: 3Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 4I thanke my God alwayes on your behalfe for the grace of God, which is giuen you in Iesus Christ, 5That in all things ye are made rich in him, in all kinde of speach, and in all knowledge: 6As the testimonie of Iesus Christ hath bene confirmed in you: 7So that ye are not destitute of any gift: wayting for the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. 8Who shall also confirme you vnto the ende, that ye may be blamelesse, in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ. 9God is faithfull, by whom ye are called vnto the fellowship of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. 10Nowe I beseeche you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ, that ye all speake one thing, and that there be no dissensions among you: but be ye knit together in one mind, and in one iudgement. 11For it hath bene declared vnto me, my brethren, of you by them that are of the house of Cloe, that there are contentions among you. 12Nowe this I say, that euery one of you saith, I am Pauls, and I am Apollos, and I am Cephas, and I am Christs. 13Is Christ deuided? was Paul crucified for you? either were ye baptized into the name of Paul? 14I thanke God, that I baptized none of you, but Crispus, and Gaius, 15Lest any should say, that I had baptized into mine owne name. 16I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas: furthermore knowe I not, whether I baptized any other. 17For CHRIST sent me not to baptize, but to preache the Gospel, not with wisdome of wordes, lest the crosse of Christ should be made of none effect. 18For that preaching of the crosse is to them that perish, foolishnesse: but vnto vs, which are saued, it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisedome of the wise, and will cast away the vnderstanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the Scribe? where is the disputer of this worlde? hath not God made the wisedome of this worlde foolishnesse? 21For seeing the worlde by wisedome knewe not God in the wisedome of GOD, it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue: 22Seeing also that the Iewes require a signe, and the Grecians seeke after wisdome. 23But wee preach Christ crucified: vnto the Iewes, euen a stumbling blocke, and vnto the Grecians, foolishnesse: 24But vnto them which are called, both of the Iewes and Grecians, we preach Christ, the power of God, and the wisedome of God. 25For the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men, and the weakenesse of God is stronger then men. 26For brethren, you see your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. 27But God hath chosen the foolish thinges of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weake thinges of the worlde, to confound the mightie things, 28And vile things of the worlde and thinges which are despised, hath God chosen, and thinges which are not, to bring to nought thinges that are, 29That no flesh shoulde reioyce in his presence. 30But ye are of him in Christ Iesus, who of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse, and sanctification, and redemption, 31That, according as it is written, Hee that reioyceth, let him reioyce in the Lord.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Learn More

1 Corinthians 1

Greetings from Paul

1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.

2I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,#1:2a Corinth was the capital city of Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula. to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,#1:2b Or because you belong to Christ Jesus. just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

3May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

4I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 5Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. 6This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. 7Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He 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. 9God 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.

Divisions in the Church

10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters,#1:10 Greek brothers; also in 1:11, 26. 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. 11For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,#1:12 Greek Cephas.” or “I follow only Christ.”

13Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17For 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.

The Wisdom of God

18The 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. 19As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise

and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”#1:19 Isa 29:14.

20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21Since 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. 22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,#1:24 Greek and Greeks. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy#1:26 Or high born. when God called you. 27Instead, 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. 28God chose things despised by the world,#1:28 Or God chose those who are low born. things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30God 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. 31Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”#1:31 Jer 9:24.

NLT brought to you by Tyndale House Publishers Inc.

For more information about the NLT:

Learn More

Choose your language

1 Corinthians 1

1 Corinthians 1