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THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE

CORINTHIANS

PAUL, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus Acts xxvii. 23.

by the will of GOD, together with Sosthenes

2 our brother, to the church of GOD which is in Acts xv'ii. 17. Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ

Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every 1 Pet. i. 2. place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our

3 Lord, who is theirs and ours; grace and peace

be to you from GOD our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.

4 I THANK GOD always on your behalf, for the Rom. i. 8.
grace of GoD which was given you in Christ
5 Jesus; that in every thing ye were enriched in
6 him, in all utterance and in all knowledge; even
as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among
7 you; so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting'

8 for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; who Titus ii. 13.
will also establish you unto the end, unblamable
9 in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is
faithful, by whom ye were called into fellowship
with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

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NOW I beseech you, brethren, by the name of

our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same 2 Cor. xiii. 11.
thing, and that there be no divisions among you;
but that ye be perfectly united in the same mind
and in the same judgment.

For it hath been declared to me of you, my brethren, by those who are of the house of Chloe, 12 that there are contentions among you. I mean

this, that each of you saith, "I am of Paul"; Acts xix. 1. And I, of Apollos"; "And I, of Cephas'

"And I, of Christ."

13 Has Christ been divided? was Paul crucified

for you? or were ye baptized into the name of

14 Paul? I give thanks that I baptized none of

15 you but Crispus and Gaius; lest any one should Acts xviii. 8.

I Cor. ii. 1.

Isa. xxix. 14.

Isa. xliv. 25.
Isa. xxxiii. 18.

Jer. ix. 24.

I Cor. i. 18.

Zeph. iii. 12.

Rom. iii. 27.

say that ye were baptized into my name.
Yet 16
I baptized also the household of Stephanas; I
know not that I baptized any one else..

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to 17
preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words,
lest the cross of Christ should be made of no
effect. For the message of the cross is, to 18
those who are perishing, foolishness; but to us
who are being saved, it is the power of GOD. For 19
it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

And the prudence of the prudent I will re

ject.'

Where is the wise man? where is the scholar? 20 where is the disputer of this age? hath not GoD shown the wisdom of the world to be foolish? For 21 since, in the wisdom of GOD, the world by wisdom knew not GOD, it pleased GOD by the foolishness of the message to save those who believe. For 22 Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach a crucified Christ, to Jews a 23 stumbling-block, and to Gentiles (a) foolishness; but to those who are the called, both Jews and 24 Greeks, Christ the power of GOD and the wisdom of GOD. For the foolishness of GOD is wiser than 25 men; and the weakness of GOD is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how 26 that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but 27 GOD chose the foolish things of the world that He may bring to shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the 28 world, and the things which are despised, GoD chose, yea, things which are not, that He may bring to naught the things which are; that no 29 flesh should glory in GoD's presence. But of 30 Him ye are in Christ Jesus, who is made unto us wisdom from GOD; yea, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; that, as it is 31 written, "He who glorieth, let him glory in the LORD."

AND I, brethren, when I came to you declaring

(a) Or (in some MSS.) Greeks.

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to you the testimony (a) of GOD, came not with 2 excellency of speech or of wisdom. For I deter

mined not to know any thing among you, except 3 Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with Gal. vi. 14. you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trem4 bling. And my utterance and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in 5 demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith might not have its being in the wisdom of men but in the power of GOD.

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Howbeit we speak wisdom among those who Phil. iii. 15. are perfect (b); yet not a wisdom of this age,

nor of the rulers of this age, who come to naught;

but we speak a wisdom of GOD in a mystery, the Psa. xxxiii. 10. hidden wisdom, which GOD foreordained before

8 the ages, unto our glory; which none of the
rulers of this world hath known; for had they
known it, they would not have crucified the
9 Lord of glory; but, as it is written,

"Things which eye saw not, and ear heard
not,

And which entered not the heart of man,
Whatsoever things GOD hath prepared for

those who love Him."

Isa. Ixiv. 4.

10 For GOD revealed them to us by the Spirit; for John xvi. 13. the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep II things of God. For what man knoweth the

things of a man, except the spirit of man which is within him? even so the things of GOD none 12 but the Spirit of GOD knoweth. Now we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from GOD; that we might know the 1 John v. 20. things which were freely given to us by God; 13 which things also we speak, not in the words which human wisdom teacheth, but in those which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual 14 things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But the spiritual man discerneth all things, yet Pro. xxviii. 5. 16 he himself is discerned by no one. For 'who Isa. xl. 13.

(a) Or (in some MSS.) mystery.

(b) Or fully grown, i.e. mature Christians (perfect in Christ,

Colossians i. 28).

I Cor. i. 12.

I Cor. xv. 10.

John xv. 5.
Psa. lxii. 12.

Isa. xxviii. 16.

Zec. iii. 2.

1 Cor. vi. 19.

Pro. xxvi. 12.

hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct Him?" But we have the mind of
Christ.

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AND I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men in the flesh, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with solid food; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it; neither yet now are ye able; for ye are yet 3 carnal. For whereas there are among you envying and strife, are ye not carnal and walking after the manner of men? For while one saith, I am of Paul "; and another, "I am of Apollos," are ye not men?

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What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I planted; Apollos watered; but GOD gave the increase. So then neither he who planteth, nor he who watereth, but only GOD who giveth the increase, is of any moment. Now, he who planteth and he who watereth are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are GOD's fellow-workers; ye are God's husbandry, GOD's building. According to the 10 grace of GoD which was given me, as a wise master-builder I laid a foundation; but another buildeth thereon. But let each take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation II can no one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one build upon the 12 foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, the work of each will be made 13 manifest; for the day will declare it, for it is revealed by fire; and the fire will prove each man's work, of what sort it is. If any one's 14 work which he built thereon shall abide, he will receive a reward. If any one's work be burnt, 15 he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved; yet so as through fire.

Know ye not that ye are a sanctuary of GOD, 16 and that the Spirit of GOD dwelleth in you? If 17 any one destroyeth the sanctuary of GOD, GOD will destroy him; for the sanctuary of God is holy, which sanctuary ye are.

Let no one deceive himself. If any one 18

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among you thinketh himself to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be19 come wise. For the wisdom of this world is Job. v. 13. foolishness with GOD. For it is written, "He

20 taketh the wise in their own craftiness"; and

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again, "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of the Psa. xciv. 11. wise, that they are vain."

Therefore let no one glory in men.

For all

22 things are yours; Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present,

23 or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Rom. xiv. 8. Christ's; and Christ is GOD'S.

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LET men so account of us as of ministers of
Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of GOD.

2 Moreover it is here required in stewards, that a Luke xii. 42.
3 man be found faithful. But with me it is a very

small matter that I should be examined by you or by man's judgment; yea, I examine not my 4 own self. For I am not conscious of anything against myself; yet I am not hereby justified; 5 but he who examineth me is the LORD. There

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fore judge nothing before the time, until the Matt. vii. 1,
Lord come, who both will bring to light the hid-

den things of darkness, and will make manifest Rom. ii. 16.
the counsels of the hearts; and then each will
have his praise from GOD.

Now, these things, brethren, I in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn by our case not to go beyond the things which are written, that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other. 7 For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou which thou didst not receive? now, if thou James i. 17. didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou 8 hadst not received it? Already ye are filled; already ye are become rich; apart from us ye reigned; yea, and I would ye did reign, that we 9 also might reign with you. For I reckon that GOD set forth us the apostles last of all, as if doomed to death; for we are made a spectacle 10 to the world, both to angels and to men.

We

are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are 11 honourable, but we are despised. Even unto Rom. viii. 35. this present hour we hunger and thirst, and are