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)
11:1 a Bar 1:1; Bef 1:1 b 2Ko 1:1 c Bik 18:17Nze Pawulo eyayitibwa okuba omutume wa Yesu Kristo olw’okwagala kwa Katonda, ne Sossene1:1 Sossene alabika okuba nga ye mukulembeze w’ekkuŋŋaaniro ayogerwako mu Bik 18:17 owooluganda1:1 owooluganda kitegeeza mukkiriza munnange, 21:2 a Bik 18:1 b Bar 1:7tuwandiikira ekkanisa ya Katonda eri mu Kkolinso n’eri abo abaatukuzibwa mu Kristo Yesu, abayitibwa abatukuvu, n’abo bonna abakoowoola erinnya lya Mukama waffe Yesu Kristo mu buli kifo, owaabwe era owaffe; 31:3 Bar 1:7ekisa kibe ku mmwe n’emirembe egiva eri Katonda Kitaffe ne Mukama waffe Kristo.
Okwebaza
41:4 Bar 1:8Nneebaza Katonda wange bulijjo ku lwammwe, olw’ekisa kya Katonda ekyabaweebwa mu Kristo Yesu, 51:5 a 2Ko 9:11 b 2Ko 8:7mu ye mwagaggawazibwa mu buli kintu, ne mu kwogera kwonna, era ne mu kutegeera kwonna, 61:6 Kub 1:2era ng’obujulirwa bwa Kristo bwe bwakakasibwa mu mmwe, 71:7 Baf 3:20; Tit 2:13; 2Pe 3:12muleme kubaako kye mwetaaga mu kirabo kyonna, nga mulindirira okubikkulirwa kwa Mukama waffe Yesu Kristo. 81:8 1Bs 3:13Era oyo y’alibanyweza ku nkomerero, nga temuliiko kya kunenyezebwa ku lunaku lwa Mukama waffe Yesu Kristo. 91:9 a Is 49:7; 1Bs 5:24 b 1Yk 1:3Katonda mwesigwa, oyo eyabayita mu kussekimu okw’Omwana we Yesu Kristo Mukama waffe.
10Kaakano mbeegayirira abooluganda, mu Iinnya lya Mukama waffe Yesu Kristo, mukkiriziganyenga mwekka na mwekka muleme okwawukananga. Naye mube n’omutima gumu n’endowooza emu. 11Abooluganda, ab’ewa Kuloowe bannyinnyonnyola nti mu mmwe mulimu ennyombo. 121:12 a 1Ko 3:4, 22 b Bik 18:24 c Yk 1:42Kye ŋŋamba kye kino nti buli omu ku mmwe agamba nti nze ndi wa Pawulo, nze ndi wa Apolo, nze ndi wa Keefa, nze ndi wa Kristo.
131:13 Mat 28:19Kale Kristo ayawuliddwamu? Pawulo yakomererwa ku musaalaba ku lwammwe? Oba mwabatizibwa mu linnya lya Pawulo? 141:14 a Bik 18:8; Bar 16:23 b Bik 19:29Neebaza Katonda kubanga nze sibatizanga muntu n’omu ku mmwe okuggyako Kulisupo ne Gaayo. 15Noolwekyo si kulwa nga wabaawo agamba nti mwabatizibwa mu linnya lyange. 161:16 1Ko 16:15Naye nzijukira nga nabatiza ab’omu nnyumba ya Suteefana, naye sirowooza nga nabatiza omuntu omulala yenna. 171:17 a Yk 4:2 b 1Ko 2:1, 4, 13Kristo teyantuma kubatiza wabula yantuma kubuulira Njiri. Era sigibuulira mu magezi ga bigambo bugambo, si kulwa ng’omusaalaba gwa Kristo gumalibwamu amaanyi gaagwo.
Kristo amagezi n’amaanyi ga Katonda
181:18 a 2Ko 2:15 b Bar 1:16Ekigambo ky’omusaalaba kya busirusiru eri abo abazikirira naye eri ffe abaalokolebwa ge maanyi ga Katonda. 191:19 Is 29:14Kubanga kyawandiikibwa nti,
“Ndizikiriza amagezi g’abagezi,
ne nzigyawo okumanya kw’abayivu.”
201:20 a Is 19:11, 12 b Yob 12:17Kale omugezi aluwa? N’omuwandiisi aluwa? Omuwakanyi w’omulembe guno aluwa? Katonda teyafuula amagezi ag’ensi eno okuba obusirusiru? 21Kubanga Katonda, mu magezi ge, yalaba ng’ensi teyinza kumumanya ng’eyita mu kutegeera kwayo. Katonda kyeyava asiima okuyita mu busirusiru bw’okubuulira Enjiri okulokola abakkiriza. 221:22 Mat 12:38Kubanga Abayudaaya banoonya bubonero, Abayonaani bo ne banoonya amagezi, 231:23 a Luk 2:34; Bag 5:11 b 1Ko 2:14naye ffe tubuulira Kristo eyakomererwa. Eri Abayudaaya nkonge, eri Abaamawanga busirusiru, 241:24 a Bar 8:28 b nny 30; Bak 2:3naye eri abaayitibwa, Abayudaaya n’Abamawanga, Kristo ge maanyi ga Katonda, era amagezi ga Katonda. 251:25 a nny 18 b 2Ko 13:4Kubanga obusirusiru bwa Katonda businga amagezi g’abantu, n’obunafu bwa Katonda businga abantu amaanyi.
26Kubanga mulabe okuyitibwa kwammwe abooluganda, bangi ku mmwe temwali bagezi mu mubiri, era nga bangi temuli b’amaanyi, era nga bangi temwazaalibwa nga muli ba kitiibwa. 271:27 a Yak 2:5 b nny 20Naye Katonda yalonda ebisirusiru eby’ensi, akwase abagezi ensonyi; era Katonda yalonda ebinafu eby’ensi, akwase ab’amaanyi ensonyi, 281:28 Bar 4:17era n’alonda abakopi ab’ensi n’abo abanyoomebwa; era n’ebitaliiwo alyoke aggyewo ebiriwo, 291:29 Bef 2:9waleme kubaawo muntu n’omu eyeenyumiriza mu maaso ga Katonda. 301:30 a Yer 23:5, 6 b Bar 3:24Kyokka ku bw’oyo muli mu Kristo Yesu, eyafuuka amagezi gye tuli okuva eri Katonda, bwe butuukirivu, n’okutukuzibwa, n’okununulibwa, 311:31 Yer 9:23, 24nga bwe kyawandiikibwa nti eyeenyumiriza yeenyumirizenga mu Mukama waffe.
