1 Corinthians 11–12

11¹Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. ^f

Instructions about Head Coverings

²Now I praise you ^gbecause you always remember me and keep the traditions ^hjust as I delivered ⁱthem to you. ³But I want you to know that Christ is the head ^jof every man, and the man is the head of the woman, ^kland God is the head of Christ. ^m4Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors ⁿhis head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. ^o6So if a woman’s head ^pis not covered, her hair should be cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.

⁷A man, in fact, should not cover his head, because he is God’s image ^qand glory, ^rbut woman is man’s glory. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. ^s9And man was not created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. ¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. ¹²For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God. ^t

¹³Judge ^ufor yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not even nature itself teach ^vyou that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace ^wto him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? ^xFor her hair is given to her ^yas a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other ^zcustom, nor do the churches of God.

The Lord’s Supper

¹⁷Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. ¹⁹There must, indeed, be factions ^aamong you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. ²⁰Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper. ^b21For at the meal, each one eats his own supper ahead of others. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! ²²Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: ^cOn the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, ²⁴gave thanks, broke it, and said, ^d“This is My body, which is ^efor you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” ^f

²⁵In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant ^gestablished by My blood. ^hDo this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death ⁱuntil He comes. ^j

Self-Examination

²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body ^kand blood of the Lord. ²⁸So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, ^leats and drinks judgment ^mon himself. ³⁰This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. ⁿ³¹If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged, ³²but when we are judged, ^owe are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned ^pwith the world.

³³Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. And I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come. ^q

Diversity of Spiritual Gifts

12Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: ^rbrothers, I do not want you to be unaware. ²You know that when you were pagans, you used to be led off to the idols ^sthat could not speak. ^t3Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are different gifts, ^ubut the same Spirit. ⁵There are different ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person. ^v7A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person ^wto produce what is beneficial:

⁸to one ^xis given a message of wisdom ^y

through the Spirit,

to another, a message of knowledge

by the same Spirit,

⁹to another, faith by the same Spirit,

to another, gifts of healing ^zby the one Spirit,

¹⁰to another, the performing of miracles, ^a

to another, prophecy, ^b

to another, distinguishing between spirits, ^c

to another, different kinds of languages,

to another, interpretation of languages.

¹¹But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.

Unity Yet Diversity in the Body

¹²For as the body is one ^dand has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. ^e13For we were all baptized by ^fone Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. ^g14So the body is not one part but many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. ^h19And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? ²⁰Now there are many parts, yet one body.

²¹So the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²²But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, ⁱwe clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation. ²⁴But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, ²⁵so that there would be no division ^jin the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. ²⁶So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, ^kand individual members of it. ²⁸And God has placed these in the church: ^l

first apostles, second prophets,

third teachers, ^mnext miracles, ⁿ

then gifts of healing, ^ohelping,

managing, various kinds of languages.

²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets?

Are all teachers? Do all do miracles?

³⁰Do all have gifts of healing?

Do all speak in other languages?

Do all interpret? ^p

³¹But desire ^qthe greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.