1 Corinthians 3–4

Chapter 3

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal. As unto little ones in Christ.

²I gave you milk to drink, not meat: for you were not able as yet. But neither indeed are you now able: for you are yet carnal.

³For, whereas there is among you envying and contention, are you not carnal and walk you not according to man?

⁴For while one saith: I indeed am of Paul: and another: I am of Apollo: are you not men? What then is Apollo and what is Paul?

⁵The ministers of him whom you have believed: and to every one as the Lord hath given.

⁶I have planted, Apollo watered: but God gave the increase.

⁷Therefore, neither he that planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth: but God that giveth the increase.

⁸Now he that planteth and he that watereth, are one. And every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour.

⁹For we are God’s coadjutors. You are God’s husbandry: you are God’s building.

¹⁰According to the grace of God that is given to me, as a wise architect, I have laid the foundation: and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

¹¹For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus.

¹²Now, if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble:

¹³Every man’s work shall be manifest. For the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire. And the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is.

¹⁴If any man’s work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

¹⁵If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

¹⁶Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

¹⁷But if any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you are.

¹⁸Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness.

²⁰And again: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

²¹Let no man therefore glory in men.

²²For all things are yours, whether it be Paul or Apollo or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. For all are yours.

²³And you are Christ’s. And Christ is God’s.

Chapter 4

Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.

²Here now it is required among the dispensers that a man be found faithful.

³But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you or by man’s day. But neither do I judge my own self.

⁴For I am not conscious to myself of anything. Yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

⁵Therefore, judge not before the time: until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. And then shall every man have praise from God.

⁶But these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollo, for your sakes: that in us you may learn that one be not puffed up against the other for another, above that which is written.

⁷For who distinguisheth thee? Or what hast thou that thou hast not received, and if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

⁸You are now full: you are now become rich: you reign without us; and I would to God you did reign, that we also might reign with you.

⁹For I think that God hath set forth us apostles, the last, as it were men appointed to death. We are made a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ: we are weak, but you are strong: you are honourable, but we without honour.

¹¹Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no fixed abode.

¹²And we labour, working with our own hands. We are reviled: and we bless. We are persecuted: and we suffer it.

¹³We are blasphemed: and we entreat. We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now.

¹⁴I write not these things to confound you: but I admonish you as my dearest children.

¹⁵For if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you.

¹⁶Wherefore, I beseech you, be ye followers of me as I also am of Christ.

¹⁷For this cause have I sent to you Timothy, who is my dearest son and faithful in the Lord. Who will put you in mind of my ways, which are in Christ Jesus: as I teach every where in every church.

¹⁸As if I would not come to you, so some are puffed up.

¹⁹But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will: and will know, not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power.

²⁰For the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power.

²¹What will you? Shall I come to you with a rod? Or in charity and in the spirit of meekness?