1:1 Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother,
1:2 to the congregation* of God, she who is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, to the called ones, holy-ones, together-with all the ones calling upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:
1:3 grace to you° and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. {Starting here in 1:2 to the end of the N.T., the 'congregation*’ is denoted in pronoun form as 'she' or 'her' because in Revelation 'bride of Christ' is used to denote them. Rev. 19:7, 21:2, 21:9.}
1:4 I am always giving-thanks to my God concerning you°, upon the basis of the grace of God which was given to you° in Christ Jesus;
1:5 that you° were enriched in him in everything, in all speech and all knowledge;
1:6 just-as the testimony of the Christ was confirmed in you°;
1:7 so-then you° are lacking in no gift*; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1:8 who will also confirm you° until the end, as irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 God is faithful, through whom you° were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1:10 Now brethren, I am pleading with you° through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in-order-that you° all should speak the same thing and there should be no splits among you°, but you° should have been mended in the same mind and in the same viewpoint.
1:11 For* it was indicated to me concerning you°, my brethren, by the household of Chloe, that strifes are among you°.
1:12 Now I am saying this, Each of you° says, I am indeed of Paul! But I am indeed of Apollos! But I am indeed of Cephas! But I am indeed of Christ!
1:13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified on your° behalf, was he? Or were you° immersed* into the name of Paul?
1:14 I give-thanks to God that I immersed* none of you°, except Crispus and Gaius; {Act 18:8}
1:15 in-order-that not anyone might say, I immersed* you into my own name.
1:16 And I also immersed* the household of Stephanas; furthermore, I do not know if I immersed* any other.
1:17 For* Christ sent me not to immerse*, but to proclaim the good-news; not in wisdom of speech (that* the cross of Christ might not be made void).
1:18 For* the account of the cross is indeed foolishness to the ones perishing, but to us the ones being saved it is the power of God.
1:19 For* it has been written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and I will reject the understanding of the intelligent ones.’ {Isa 29:14, Psa 33:10}
1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Did God not make the wisdom of this world foolish?
1:21 For* since the world through its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, God was delighted through the foolishness of the preaching to save the believing ones.
1:22 Since both Jews ask for a sign and Greeks seek wisdom;
1:23 but we preach Christ who has been crucified, indeed an offense to the Jews, but foolishness to the Greeks;
1:24 but to them, the invited ones, both Jews and Greeks, Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than that of men, and the weakness of God is mightier than that of men.
1:26 For* you°, brethren, look at your calling, that not many are wise according-to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world in-order-that he may shame the wise, and God chose the weak things of the world in-order-that he may shame the strong;
1:28 and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things which have been scorned and the things which are not in-order-that he might do-away-with the things which are,
1:29 *that every flesh should not boast in God’s sight.
1:30 But you° are from him, in Christ Jesus, who has become to us wisdom and righteousness and holiness and redemption all from God,
1:31 that*, just-as it has been written, ‘He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.’ {Jer 9:24}