1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Sosthenes, who is also a follower.
2 To God's church in Corinth. Christ Jesus chose you to be his very own people, and you worship in his name, as we and all others do who call him Lord.
3 My prayer is that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
4 I never stop thanking my God for treating you with undeserved grace by giving you Christ Jesus, 5 who helps you speak and understand so well. 6 Now you are certain that everything we told you about our Lord Christ Jesus is true. 7 You are not missing out on any blessings, as you wait for him to return. 8 And until the day Christ does return, he will keep you completely innocent. 9 God can be trusted, and he chose you to be partners with his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Taking Sides
10 My dear friends, as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to get along with each other. Don't take sides. Always try to agree in what you think. 11 Several people from Chloe's family have already reported to me that you keep arguing with each other. 12 They have said that some of you claim to follow me, while others claim to follow Apollos or Peter or Christ.
13 Has Christ been divided up? Was I nailed to a cross for you? Were you baptized in my name? 14 I thank God that I didn't baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15 Not one of you can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 I did baptize the family of Stephanas, but I don't remember if I baptized anyone else. 17 Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to tell the good news without using words that sound wise and would make the cross of Christ lose its power.
Christ Is God's Power and Wisdom
18 The message about the cross doesn't make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God's power at work. 19 As God says in the Scriptures,
“I will destroy the wisdom
of all who claim
to be wise.
I will confuse those
who think they know
so much.”
20 What happened to those wise people? What happened to those experts in the Scriptures? What happened to the ones who think they have all the answers? Didn't God show that the wisdom of this world is foolish? 21 God was wise and decided not to let the people of this world use their wisdom to learn about him.
Instead, God chose to save only those who believe the foolish message we preach. 22 Jews ask for miracles, and Greeks want something that sounds wise. 23 But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. 24 Our message is God's power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. 25 Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.
26 My dear friends, remember what you were when God chose you. The people of this world didn't think that many of you were wise. Only a few of you were in places of power, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of this world to put the wise to shame. He chose the weak things of this world to put the powerful to shame.
28 What the world thinks is worthless, useless, and nothing at all is what God has used to destroy what the world considers important. 29 God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to him. 30 You are God's children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy. 31 So if you want to brag, do what the Scriptures say and brag about the Lord.
1 Pāvils, pēc Dieva prāta aicināts Kristus Jēzus apustulis, un brālis Sostens 2 Dieva draudzei Korintā, Jēzū Kristū svētītiem, aicinātiem svētajiem un visiem, kas piesauc mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus Vārdu visās vietās, tiklab pie viņiem, kā pie mums: 3 žēlastība jums un miers no Dieva, mūsu Tēva, un Kunga Jēzus Kristus! 4 Es pateicos Dievam vienumēr jūsu dēļ par žēlastību, kas jums ir dota Kristū Jēzū, 5 jo ar Viņu jūs esat kļuvuši bagāti visās lietās viscaur vārdos un atziņā, 6 tāpēc ka Kristus liecībai ir likti stipri pamati jūsu vidū, 7 tādēļ jums netrūkst nevienas dāvanas, un jūs sagaidāt mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus parādīšanos. 8 Viņš jūs arī darīs stiprus līdz galam, nevainojamus mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus dienā. 9 Dievs ir uzticīgs, kas jūs aicinājis Sava Dēla Jēzus Kristus, mūsu Kunga, sadraudzībā. 10 Bet es jūs, brāļi, pamācu mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus Vārdā, lai jūsu starpā būtu vienprātība un neceltos šķelšanās, bet lai jūs visi pilnīgi vienoti stāvētu vienā prātā un vienā domā. 11 Jo man par jums, mani brāļi, ir pienākušas ziņas no Hloes nama ļaudīm, ka jūsu starpā ir ķildas. 12 Es gribu teikt to, ko pie jums visur dzird runājam, viens saka: es turos pie Pāvila, otrs: es pie Apolla, trešais: es pie Kēfas, bet ceturtais: es pie Kristus. 13 Vai tad Kristus ir dalīts? Vai tad Pāvils ir par jums krustā sists? Jeb vai jūs esat kristīti uz Pāvila vārdu? 14 Paldies Dievam, ka es pie jums cita neviena neesmu kristījis kā vien Krispu un Gaju; 15 tā neviens nevar teikt, ka jūs esat kristīti uz manu vārdu. 16 Es gan kristīju arī Stefanas namu, bet neatceros, vai vēl kādu citu būtu kristījis. 17 Jo Kristus mani nav sūtījis kristīt, bet evaņģēliju sludināt, ne gudriem vārdiem, lai Kristus krusts nepaliktu bez satura. 18 Jo vēsts par krustu ir ģeķība tiem, kas pazūd, bet mums, kas topam izglābti, tas ir Dieva spēks. 19 Jo ir rakstīts: Es samaitāšu gudro gudrību un likšu kaunā prātnieku prātu. - 20 Kur paliek gudrie? Kur rakstu mācītāji? Kur šīs pasaules vārdu meistari? Vai tad Dievs nav pārvērtis pasaules gudrību ģeķībā? 21 Jo, kad pasaule ar savu gudrību Dievu Viņa gudrībā neatzina, tad Dievam labpatika izglābt ticīgos ar ģeķīgu sludināšanu. 22 Jūdi prasa zīmes, un grieķi meklē gudrību. 23 Bet mēs sludinām Kristu, krustā sisto, kas jūdiem apgrēcība un pagāniem ģeķība, 24 bet tiem, kas aicināti, tiklab jūdiem, kā grieķiem, Dieva spēks un Dieva gudrība. 25 Jo Dieva ģeķība ir gudrāka nekā cilvēki, un Dieva nespēks ir stiprāks nekā cilvēka. 26 Raugait, brāļi, savus aicinātos, nav tur taču daudz pasaules gudro, nav daudz vareno, nav daudz augsti dzimušo. 27 Bet, kas ģeķīgs pasaulē, to Dievs ir izredzējis, lai liktu kaunā gudros; un, kas nespēcīgs pasaulē, to Dievs ir izredzējis, lai liktu kaunā stipros; 28 un, kas pasaulē zems un nicināts un kas nav nekas, to Dievs ir izredzējis, lai iznīcinātu to, kas ir kas; 29 lai nekas, kas ir miesa, nelielās Dieva priekšā. 30 Pateicoties Viņam, esat jūs vienībā ar Kristu Jēzu, kas mums kļuvis par Dieva gudrību, par taisnību, par dzīves svētumu un pestīšanu, 31 lai būtu, kā ir rakstīts: kas lielās, tas lai lielās ar To Kungu.
