| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. | 1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, |
| 2I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. | 2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those 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 | 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 4I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. | 4I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus. |
| 5Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. | 5For in Him you have been enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge, |
| 6This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. | 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. |
| 7Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. | 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation 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. | 8He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 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 | 9God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. |
| 10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, 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. | 10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction. |
| 11For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. | 11My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. |
| 12Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter, ” or “I follow only Christ.” | 12What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow 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! | 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? |
| 14I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, | 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. | 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. |
| 16(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) | 16Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I baptized 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 | 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 19As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” | 19For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” |
| 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. | 20Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? |
| 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. | 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached 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. | 22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, |
| 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. | 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, |
| 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. | 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ 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. | 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. |
| 26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. | 26Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. |
| 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. | 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. |
| 28God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. | 28He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, |
| 29As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. | 29so that no one may boast in His presence. |
| 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. | 30It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. |
| 31Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” | 31Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” |
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