1 Corinthians 221 CorinthiansDivisions and the message of the crossLiteral Standard Version

Literal Standard VersionBerean Standard Bible

1. Paul’s Message by the Spirit’s Power

2. 1LSVAnd I, having come to you, brothers, came—not in superiority of discourse or wisdom—declaring to you the testimony of God,BSBBSB: When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.
3. 2LSVfor I decided not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified;BSBBSB: For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
4. 3LSVand I, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, was with you;BSBBSB: I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
5. 4LSVand my word and my preaching was not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power—BSBBSB: My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,
6. 5LSVthat your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.BSBBSB: so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

7. Spiritual Wisdom

   (Ephesians 1:15–23)

8. 6LSVAnd wisdom we speak among the perfect, and wisdom not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age—of those becoming useless,BSBBSB: Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
9. 7LSVbut we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a secret, that God foreordained before the ages to our glory,BSBBSB: No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.
10. 8LSVwhich no one of the rulers of this age knew, for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory;BSBBSB: None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
11. 9LSVbut according as it has been written: “What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and on the heart of man did not come up, what God prepared for those loving Him”;BSBBSB: Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
12. 10LSVbut God revealed them to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God,BSBBSB: But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
13. 11LSVfor who of men has known the things of the man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? So also the things of God no one has known, except the Spirit of God.BSBBSB: For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
14. 12LSVAnd we did not receive the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is of God, that we may know the things conferred by God on us,BSBBSB: We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
15. 13LSVwhich things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things,BSBBSB: And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
16. 14LSVand the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are discerned spiritually;BSBBSB: The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
17. 15LSVand he who is spiritual, indeed discerns all things, and he himself is discerned by no one;BSBBSB: The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.
18. 16LSVfor who knew the mind of the LORD that he will instruct Him? And we have the mind of Christ.BSBBSB: “For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.