1 Corinthians 11–16

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.

Love: The Superior Way

13If I speak human or angelic languages

but do not have love, ^r

I am a sounding gong ^sor a clanging cymbal.

²If I have the gift of prophecy ^t

and understand all mysteries

and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith

so that I can move mountains ^u

but do not have love, I am nothing.

³And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor,

and if I give my body in order to boast ^v

but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, ^wlove is kind.

Love does not envy, ^x

is not boastful, is not conceited, ^y

⁵does not act improperly,

is not selfish, ^zis not provoked, ^a

and does not keep a record of wrongs.

⁶Love finds no joy in unrighteousness

but rejoices in the truth. ^b

⁷It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures ^call things.

⁸Love never ends. ^d

But as for prophecies,

they will come to an end;

as for languages, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

⁹For we know in part,

and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰But when the perfect comes,

the partial will come to an end.

¹¹When I was a child,

I spoke like a child,

I thought like a child,

I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man,

I put aside childish things.

¹²For now we see indistinctly, ^eas in a mirror, ^f

but then face to face. ^g

Now I know in part,

but then I will know fully, ^h

as I am fully known. ⁱ

¹³Now these three remain:

faith, hope, ^jand love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Prophecy: A Superior Gift

14Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. ²For the person who speaks in another language ^kis not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. ^l3But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. ⁴The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church. ⁵I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

⁶But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation ^mor knowledge or prophecy or teaching? ⁷Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp ⁿ—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? ⁸In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? ^o9In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning. ^p11Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner ^qto the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. ¹²So…