1 Corinthians 11–16

Concerning Head Coverings in Worship

11Become imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

²Now I praise you that you remember me in all things, and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to them. ³But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies while^* having something^* on his head dishonors his head, ⁵but every woman who prays or prophesies with uncovered head dishonors her head, for she is one and the same with the one whose head is shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover herself, let her hair be shorn off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her head^a shorn or shaved, let her cover her head.^{b 7}For indeed a man ought not to cover his head, because he^* is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. ⁸For man is not from woman, but woman from man. ⁹For indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man. ¹⁰Because of this, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, on account of the angels. ¹¹Nevertheless, neither is woman anything apart from man, nor is man anything apart from woman in the Lord. ¹²For just as the woman is from the man, thus also the man is through the woman. But all things are from God. ¹³You judge for yourselves^c: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head^* uncovered? ¹⁴And does not nature itself teach you that a man, if he wears long hair, it is a dishonor to him? ¹⁵But a woman, if she wears long hair, it is her glory, because her hair is given^d for a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone is disposed to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Improper Conduct at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷But in giving this instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For in the first place, when you^* come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. ¹⁹For indeed it is necessary that there be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. ²⁰Therefore, when^* you come together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹For when you^* eat it, each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk. ²²For do you not have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who do not have anything? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and after he^* had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵Likewise also the cup, after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup. ²⁹For the one who eats and drinks, if he^* does not recognize the body, eats and drinks judgment against himself. ³⁰Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and quite a few have died^e. ³¹But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. ³²But if we^* are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.

³³So then, my brothers, when you^* come together in order to eat the Lord’s supper,^* wait for one another. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining matters whenever I come.

Varieties of Spiritual Gifts

12Now concerning spiritual gifts,^a brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. ²You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the speechless idols, however you were led. ³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed,” and no one is able to say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, ⁵and there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord, ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but the same God, who works all things in all people. ⁷But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is beneficial to all. ⁸For to one is given a word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another^b gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another^c miraculous powers^d, to another^e prophecy, to another^f distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another^g interpretation of tongues. ¹¹But in all these things one and the same Spirit is at work, distributing to each one individually just as he wishes.

Unity in the Midst of Diversity

¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of the body, although they^* are many, are one body, thus also Christ. ¹³For by^h one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free persons, and all were made to drink one Spirit. ¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” not because of this is it not a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as he wanted. ¹⁹And if they all were one member, where would the body be? ²⁰But now there are many members, but one body.

²¹Now the eye is not able to say to the hand, “I do not have need of you,” or again, the head to the feet, “I do not have need of you.” ²²But by much more the members of the body which are thought to be weaker are necessary, ²³and the parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, these we clothe with more abundant honor, and our unpresentable parts come to have more abundant presentability, ²⁴but our presentable parts do not have need of this. Yet God composed the body by giving more abundant honor to the part which lacked it, ²⁵in order that there not be a division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for one another. ²⁶And if one member suffers, all the members suffer together; if a memberⁱ is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and members of it individually^j, ²⁸and whom God has appointed in the church: first, apostles, second, prophets, third, teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues. ²⁹Not all are apostles, are they?^* Not all are prophets, are they?^* Not all are teachers, are they?^* Not all are workers of miracles, are they?^{* 30}Not all have gifts of healing, do they?^* Not all speak with tongues, do they?^* Not all interpret, do they?^{* 31}But strive^k for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Love, the More Excellent Way

13If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a ringing brass gong or a clashing cymbal. ²And if I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned,^a but do not have love, it benefits me nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, ⁵it does not behave dishonorably, it is not selfish^b, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, ⁶it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will pass away. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but whenever the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 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 set aside the things of a child. ¹²For now we see through a mirror indirectly^c, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know completely, just as I have also been completely known. ¹³And now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Appropriate Use of Prophecy and Tongues

14Pursue love, and strive for spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. ²For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, because no one understands, but by the Spirit^a he speaks mysteries. ³But the one who prophesies speaks to people edification and encouragement and consolation. ⁴The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵Now I want you all to speak with tongues, but even more that you may prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks with tongues, unless he interprets, in order that the church may receive edification.

⁶But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with tongues, how do I benefit you, unless I speak to you either with a revelation or with knowledge or with a prophecy or with a teaching? ⁷Likewise, the inanimate things which produce a sound, whether flute or lyre, if they do not produce a…