King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
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And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm.
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
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That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it - unless it was for nothing that you believed.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
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I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
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that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures;
5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
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that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles.
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
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Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
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Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
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Last of all he appeared also to me - even though I am like someone whose birth was abnormal.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
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For I am the least of all the apostles - I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
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But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God's grace working with me.
11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
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So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
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Now, since our message is that Christ has been raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
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If that is true, it means that Christ was not raised;
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
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and if Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
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More than that, we are shown to be lying about God, because we said that he raised Christ from death - but if it is true that the dead are not raised to life, then he did not raise Christ.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
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For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised.
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
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And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
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It would also mean that the believers in Christ who have died are lost.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
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If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
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But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
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For just as death came by means of a man, in the same way the rising from death comes by means of a man.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
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For just as all people die because of their union with Adam, in the same way all will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
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But each one will be raised in proper order: Christ, first of all; then, at the time of his coming, those who belong to him.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
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Then the end will come; Christ will overcome all spiritual rulers, authorities, and powers, and will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
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For Christ must rule until God defeats all enemies and puts them under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
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The last enemy to be defeated will be death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
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For the scripture says, "God put [all] things under his feet." It is clear, of course, that the words "all things" do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
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But when all things have been placed under Christ's rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?
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Now, what about those people who are baptized for the dead? What do they hope to accomplish? If it is true, as some claim, that the dead are not raised to life, why are those people being baptized for the dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
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And as for us - why would we run the risk of danger every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
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My friends, I face death every day! The pride I have in you, in our life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord, makes me declare this.
32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
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If I have, as it were, fought "wild beasts" here in Ephesus simply from human motives, what have I gained? But if the dead are not raised to life, then, as the saying goes, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die."
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
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Do not be fooled. "Bad companions ruin good character."
34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
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Come back to your right senses and stop your sinful ways. I declare to your shame that some of you do not know God.
35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
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Someone will ask, "How can the dead be raised to life? What kind of body will they have?"
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
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You fool! When you plant a seed in the ground, it does not sprout to life unless it dies.
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
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And what you plant is a bare seed, perhaps a grain of wheat or some other grain, not the full-bodied plant that will later grow up.
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
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God provides that seed with the body he wishes; he gives each seed its own proper body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
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And the flesh of living beings is not all the same kind of flesh; human beings have one kind of flesh, animals another, birds another, and fish another.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
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And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; the beauty that belongs to heavenly bodies is different from the beauty that belongs to earthly bodies.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
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The sun has its own beauty, the moon another beauty, and the stars a different beauty; and even among stars there are different kinds of beauty.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
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This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried, it is mortal; when raised, it will be immortal.
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
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When buried, it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and strong.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
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When buried, it is a physical body; when raised, it will be a spiritual body. There is, of course, a physical body, so there has to be a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
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For the scripture says, "The first man, Adam, was created a living being"; but the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
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It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
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The first Adam, made of earth, came from the earth; the second Adam came from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
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Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth; those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
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Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth, so we will wear the likeness of the Man from heaven.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
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What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood cannot share in God's Kingdom, and what is mortal cannot possess immortality.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
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Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed.
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
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For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
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So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: "Death is destroyed; victory is complete!"
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
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"Where, Death, is your victory? Where, Death, is your power to hurt?"
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
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Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.