1
Greetings
1Paul, called as an emissary of Messiah Yeshua by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2To God’s community in Corinth—having been made holy in Messiah Yeshua, called as kedoshim—with all who everywhere call on the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, both theirs and ours:
3Grace to you and shalom from God our Father, and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah!
Thanksgiving
4I always thank my God for you because of God’s grace that was given to you in Messiah Yeshua.
5For in Him you were made rich in every way—in all speaking and all knowledge—
6just as the evidence of Messiah was confirmed among you.
7So you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you eagerly wait for the revealing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
8He will also strengthen you until the end—blameless in the Day of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
9God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah our Lord.
Concern about Disunity
10Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, through the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
11For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are rivalries among you.
12I say this because you are each saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Kefa,” or “I follow Messiah.”
13Has Messiah been divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you immersed into the name of Paul?
14I thank God that I immersed none of you, except Crispus and Gaius,
15so that no one should say that I had immersed you into my own name.
16(I also immersed the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t recall if I immersed anyone else.)
17For Messiah sent me not to immerse, but to proclaim the Good News—not with cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Messiah would not be made of no effect.
Whose Wisdom Is Foolish?
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the intelligent.”
20Where is the wise one? Where is the Torah scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21For seeing that—in God’s wisdom—the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased—through the foolishness of the message proclaimed—to save those who believe.
22For Jewish people ask for signs and Greek people seek after wisdom,
23but we proclaim Messiah crucified—a stumbling block to Jewish people and foolishness to Gentile people,
24but to those who are called (both Jewish and Greek people), Messiah, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For you see your calling, brothers and sisters, that not many are wise according to human standards, not many are powerful, and not many are born well.
27Yet God chose the foolish things of the world so He might put to shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world so He might put to shame the strong;
28and God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, the things that are as nothing, so He might bring to nothing the things that are—
29so that no human might boast before God.
30But because of Him you are in Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and holiness and redemption—
31so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in Adonai.”