1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I have been chosen to be an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Sosthenes joins me in writing.
2We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. You have been made holy because you belong to Christ Jesus. God has chosen you to be his holy people. He has done the same for all people everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is their Lord and ours.
3May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Paul Gives Thanks
4I always thank my God for you. I thank him because of the grace he has given to you who belong to Christ Jesus. 5You have been blessed in every way because of him. You have been blessed in all your speech and knowledge. 6God has shown that what we have spoken to you about Christ is true. 7There is no gift of the Holy Spirit that you don’t have. You are full of hope as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. 8God will also keep you strong in faith to the very end. Then you will be without blame on the day our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 9God is faithful. He has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Taking Sides in the Church
10Brothers and sisters, I make my appeal to you. I do this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that all of you agree with one another in what you say. I ask that you don’t take sides. I ask that you are in complete agreement in all that you think. 11My brothers and sisters, I have been told you are arguing with one another. Some people from Chloe’s house have told me this. 12Here is what I mean. One of you says, “I follow Paul.” Another says, “I follow Apollos.” Another says, “I follow Peter.” And still another says, “I follow Christ.”
13Does Christ take sides? Did Paul die on the cross for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. 15No one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16It’s true that I also baptized those who live in the house of Stephanas. Besides that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else. 17Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the good news. He commanded me not to preach with wisdom and fancy words. That would take all the power away from the cross of Christ.
Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom
18The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God’s power to us who are being saved. 19It is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise.
I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.” (Isaiah 29:14)
20Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe. 22Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom. 23But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish. 24But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important. 29So no one can boast to God. 30Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us. He makes us right with God. He makes us holy and sets us free. 31It is written, “The one who boasts should boast about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24)
Nkyea
1Krataa yi firi me, Paulo a ɛnam Onyankopɔn pɛ so enti, wɔafrɛ me sɛ menyɛ Kristo Yesu somafoɔ no ne onua Sostene nkyɛn,
2Yɛde rekɔma Onyankopɔn asafo a ɛwɔ Korinto no ne wɔn a wɔafrɛ wɔn sɛ wɔmmɛyɛ Onyankopɔn akyidifoɔ kronkron no, ne wɔn a wɔwɔ baabiara a wɔbɔ yɛn Awurade Yesu din sɛ ɔyɛ wɔn ne yɛn Awurade no:
3Adom ne asomdwoeɛ a ɛfiri yɛn Agya Onyankopɔn ne yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo nka mo.
Aseda
4Esiane adom a Onyankopɔn nam Kristo Yesu so dom mo no enti, daa meda Onyankopɔn ase ma mo. 5Ɛnam ne so ama moayɛ ma biribiara mu, ɔkasa ne adwene mu. 6Kristo ho asɛm atim wɔ mo mu, 7ɛno enti, ɛsiane sɛ moretwɛn ama wɔada yɛn Awurade Yesu Kristo adi no enti, nhyira biara, monya bi. 8Ɔbɛhyɛ mo den akɔsi awieeɛ sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, da a Awurade bɛba no, wɔrennya mo ho mfomsoɔ biara. 9Onyankopɔn a wafrɛ mo aba ne Ba Yesu Kristo ayɔnkofa mu no yɛ ɔnokwafoɔ.
Asafo No Mpaapaemu
10Anuanom, menam Awurade Yesu Kristo tumi so metu mo fo sɛ, asɛm biara a mobɛka no, monyɛ adwene na mo mu ampaapae. Monsɔ adwene ne botaeɛ baako mu na ama moayɛ baako. 11Anuanom, nnipa bi a wɔfiri Kloe efie apae mu aka akyerɛ me sɛ, akasakasa wɔ mo asafo yi mu. 12Asɛm a mepɛ sɛ meka ne sɛ, wɔn mu biara ka asɛm a ɔpɛ. Yei ka sɛ, “Mewɔ Paulo afa” a, ɔfoforɔ sɛ, “Mewɔ Apolo afa.” Obi sɔre na ɔse, “Mewɔ Petro afa” a, ɔbaako nso se, “Mewɔ Kristo afa.”
13Wɔakyekyɛ Kristo mu akuakuo? Paulo na ɔwuu wɔ asɛnnua no so maa mo anaa? Wɔbɔɔ mo asu sɛ Paulo asuafoɔ anaa? 14Meda Onyankopɔn ase sɛ mammɔ mo mu biara asu ka Krispo ne Gaio ho. 15Obiara rentumi nka sɛ wɔbɔɔ mo asu sɛ mʼasuafoɔ. 16Mekae sɛ mebɔɔ Stefana ne ne fiefoɔ asu. Na menkae sɛ mebɔɔ obi foforɔ asu bio. 17Kristo ansoma me sɛ memmɛbɔ asu, na mmom ɔsomaa me sɛ memmɛka asɛmpa a ɛmfiri nnipa nyansa mu, na obi annyina so amma Kristo wu a ɔwuu asɛnnua no so no mu tumi anyɛ kwa.
Kristo A Ɔyɛ Onyankopɔn Tumi
18Asɛnka a ɛkyerɛ Kristo asɛnnuambɔ no yɛ nsɛm a aba nni mu ma wɔn a wɔreyera. Nanso, yɛn a wɔregye yɛn nkwa no deɛ, ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn tumi. 19Atwerɛsɛm no ka sɛ,
“Mɛsɛe anyansafoɔ nyansa,
na mɛma nimdefoɔ adenim ayɛ ɔkwa.”
20Enti, onyansafoɔ wɔ he? Onimdefoɔ nso wɔ he? Ewiase yi mu akyinnyegyefoɔ wɔ he? Onyankopɔn akyerɛ sɛ ewiase yi mu nyansa yɛ ohunu. 21Enti, Onyankopɔn nam ɔno ara ne nyansa so yɛɛ sɛ, nnipa a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔfa wɔn ara wɔn nyansa so hunu no no renhunu no da. Na mmom, Onyankopɔn yɛɛ nʼadwene sɛ wɔn a wɔgye asɛm a “aba nni mu” a yɛka no di no, ɔbɛgye wɔn nkwa. 22Yudafoɔ hwehwɛ sɛ wɔhunu nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ, ɛnna Helafoɔ nso hwehwɛ nyansa. 23Nanso, yɛn deɛ, yɛka Kristo wu a ɔwuu wɔ asɛnnua no so no ho asɛm. Saa asɛm no yɛ Yudafoɔ abufuo ɛnna ɛyɛ asɛm a aba nni mu ma amanamanmufoɔ; 24nanso Yudafoɔ ne amanamanmufoɔ a Onyankopɔn afrɛ wɔn no, Kristo yɛ Onyankopɔn tumi ne Onyankopɔn nyansa. 25Onyankopɔn asɛm a ɛyɛ sɛ aba nni mu no, aba wɔ mu sene nnipa nyansa, na saa ara nso na deɛ ɛyɛ sɛ ɛyɛ mmerɛ wɔ Onyankopɔn fam no yɛ den sene nnipa ahoɔden.
26Afei, anuanom, monkae ɛberɛ a Onyankopɔn frɛɛ mo no tebea a na mowɔ mu. Nnipa fam deɛ na mo mu bebree nyɛ anyansafoɔ, na mo mu bebree nni tumi, na mo mu bebree nyɛ adehyeɛ nso. 27Nanso, Onyankopɔn faa ewiase yi mu nsɛm a aba nni mu no, nam so guu anyansafoɔ anim ase. Onyankopɔn faa nneɛma a ɛyɛ mmerɛ wɔ ewiase, nam so de guu ahoɔden anim ase. 28Ɔfaa deɛ ewiase mmu na wɔmfa nyɛ hwee no de sɛee deɛ ewiase susu sɛ ɛho hia no. 29Yei kyerɛ sɛ obi ntumi nhoahoa ne ho Onyankopɔn anim. 30Nanso, Onyankopɔn aka mo abata Kristo Yesu ho na Onyankopɔn nam Kristo so ama yɛn nyansa; ɛnam ne so ma yɛatene wɔ Onyankopɔn anim. Yɛyɛ Onyankopɔn ahotefoɔ a wama yɛade yɛn ho. 31Enti sɛdeɛ Atwerɛsɛm no ka no, “Obiara a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔhoahoa ne ho no, ɔnhoahoa ne ho wɔ deɛ Awurade ayɛ mu.”
