The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother,
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From Paul, who was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes -
2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honour to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
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To the church of God which is in Corinth, to all who are called to be God's holy people, who belong to him in union with Christ Jesus, together with all people everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
4 I give praise to my God for you at all times, because of the grace of God which has been given to you in Christ Jesus;
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I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace he has given you through Christ Jesus.
5 So that in him you have wealth in all things, in word and in knowledge of every sort;
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For in union with Christ you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge.
6 Even as the witness of the Christ has been made certain among you:
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The message about Christ has become so firmly established in you
7 So that having every grace you are living in the hope of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ;
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that you have not failed to receive a single blessing, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
8 Who will give you strength to the end, to be free from all sin in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be faultless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 God is true, through whom you have been given a part with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
10 Now I make request to you, my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will all say the same thing, and that there may be no divisions among you, so that you may be in complete agreement, in the same mind and in the same opinion.
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By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.
11 Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers.
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For some people from Chloe's family have told me quite plainly, my friends, that there are quarrels among you.
12 That is, that some of you say, I am of Paul; some say, I am of Apollos; some say, I am of Cephas; and some say, I am Christ's.
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Let me put it this way: each one of you says something different. One says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Peter"; and another, "I follow Christ."
13 Is there a division in Christ? was Paul nailed to the cross for you? or were you given baptism in the name of Paul?
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Christ has been divided into groups! Was it Paul who died on the cross for you? Were you baptized as Paul's disciples?
14 I give praise to God that not one of you had baptism from me, but Crispus and Gaius;
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I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius.
15 So that no one may be able to say that you had baptism in my name.
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No one can say, then, that you were baptized as my disciples
16 And I gave baptism to the house of Stephanas; but I am not certain that any others had baptism from me.
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(Oh yes, I also baptized Stephanas and his family; but I can't remember whether I baptized anyone else.)
17 For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news: not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value.
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Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the Good News, and to tell it without using the language of human wisdom, in order to make sure that Christ's death on the cross is not robbed of its power.
18 For the word of the cross seems foolish to those who are on the way to destruction; but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God.
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For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God's power.
19 As it says in the holy Writings, I will put an end to the wisdom of the wise, and will put on one side the designs of those who have knowledge.
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The scripture says, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars."
20 Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
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So then, where does that leave the wise? or the scholars? or the skillful debaters of this world? God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness!
21 For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him.
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For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom. Instead, by means of the so-called "foolish" message we preach, God decided to save those who believe.
22 Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge:
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Jews want miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom.
23 But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles;
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As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles;
24 But to those of God's selection, Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God.
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but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men.
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For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
26 For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble:
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Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you. From the human point of view few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing.
27 But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong;
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God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise, and he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.
28 And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are:
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He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.
29 So that no flesh might have glory before God.
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This means that no one can boast in God's presence.
30 But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy:
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But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By him we are put right with God; we become God's holy people and are set free.
31 So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.
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So then, as the scripture says, "Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the Lord has done."
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.