He recalls God’s grace to the Corinthians, exhorts them to be of one mind, and rebukes the division that was among them. The wisdom of the world is foolishness before God; yea, there is no wisdom but in the despised cross of God.

1 Paul, by calling an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and brother Sosthenes.

² To the congregation of God which is at Corinth. To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

³ Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I thank my God always in your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ – ⁵ that in all things you are made rich by him, in all learning and in all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of Jesus Christ was confirmed in you, ⁷ so that you are behind in no gift, and wait for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For God is faithful, by whom you are called to the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁰ I beseech you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to all speak one thing, and that there be no dissension among you, but be knit together in one mind and in one purpose. ¹¹ It is reported to me about you, my brethren, by those who are of the house of Chloe, that there is strife among you. ¹² And this is what I mean: that commonly among you one says, I hold to Paul; another, I hold to Apollos; the third, I hold to Cephas; the fourth, I hold to Christ. ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I christened none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. ¹⁶ (I baptized also the household of Stephanas. Beyond this, I do not remember if I baptized anyone or not.)

¹⁷ For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should have been made of no effect. ¹⁸ For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will cast away the understanding of the learned. ²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this world? Has not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness?

²¹ For when the world through wisdom did not know God, in the wisdom of God, it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. ²² For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. ²³ But we preach Christ crucified: to the Jews an occasion of falling, and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both of the Jews and the Greeks, we preach Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ Brethren, look on your calling, how it is that not many who are wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many of high degree, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world, to confound things which are strong. ²⁸ And low things of the world, and things which are despised, God has chosen, yea and things of no reputation, to bring to nothing things of reputation, ²⁹ so that no flesh may glory in his presence. ³⁰ And to him you belong in Christ Jesus, who by God is made wisdom to us, and also righteousness and sanctifying and redemption, ³¹ so that as it is written, he who glories will glory in the Lord.