1 Corinthians 1 (New American Standard)

Appeal to Unity

1 Paul, ¹called as an apostle of Jesus Christ ^aby ²the will of God, and ³Sosthenes our ⁴brother, 2 To ⁵the church of God which is at ⁶Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, ^bsaints ⁷by calling, with all who in every place ⁸call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours : 3 ⁹Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 ¹⁰I thank ^cmy God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were ¹¹enriched in Him, in all ¹²speech and ¹³all knowledge, 6 even as ¹⁴the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed ^din you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, ¹⁵awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 ¹⁶who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in ¹⁷the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 ¹⁸God is faithful, through whom you were ¹⁹called into ²⁰fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now ²¹I exhort you, ²²brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all ^eagree and that there be no ^f23divisions among you, but that you be ^gmade complete in ²⁴the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe's people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that ²⁵each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of ²⁶Apollos," and "I of ²⁷Cephas," and "I of Christ." 13 ^hHas Christ been divided ? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you ²⁸baptized ⁱin the name of Paul ? 14 ^jI thank God that I ²⁹baptized none of you except ³⁰Crispus and ³¹Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized ^kin my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the ³²household of Stephanas ; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 ³³For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ³⁴not in ^lcleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

The Wisdom of God

18 For the word of the cross is ³⁵foolishness to ³⁶those who ^mare perishing, but to us who ⁿare being saved it is ³⁷the power of God. 19 For it is written, "³⁸I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE." 20 ³⁹Where is the wise man ? Where is the scribe ? Where is the debater of ⁴⁰this age ? Has not God ⁴¹made foolish the wisdom of ⁴²the world ? 21 For since in the wisdom of God ⁴³the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, ⁴⁴God was well-pleased through the ⁴⁵foolishness of the ^omessage preached to ⁴⁶save those who believe. 22 For indeed ⁴⁷Jews ask for ^psigns and Greeks search for wisdom ; 23 but we preach ^q48Christ crucified, ⁴⁹to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles ⁵⁰foolishness, 24 but to those who are ⁵¹the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ ⁵²the power of God and ⁵³the wisdom of God. 25 Because the ⁵⁴foolishness of God is wiser than men, and ⁵⁵the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ^rconsider your ⁵⁶calling, brethren, that there were ⁵⁷not many wise according to ^sthe flesh, not many mighty, not many noble ; 27 but ⁵⁸God has chosen the foolish things of ⁵⁹the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of ⁶⁰the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of ⁶¹the world and the despised God has chosen, ⁶²the things that are not, so that He may ⁶³nullify the things that are, 29 so that ⁶⁴no ^tman may boast before God. 30 But ^uby His doing you are in ⁶⁵Christ Jesus, who became to us ⁶⁶wisdom from God, ^vand ⁶⁷righteousness and ⁶⁸sanctification, and ⁶⁹redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, "⁷⁰LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD."