1 Corinthians 11–16

11Imitate ^ame, just as I also imitate Christ.

Head Coverings

²Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. ³But I want you to know that ^bthe head of every man is Christ, ^cthe head of woman is man, and ^dthe head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man praying or ^eprophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were ^fshaved. ⁶For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is ^gshameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. ⁷For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since ^hhe is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man is not from woman, but woman ⁱfrom man. ⁹Nor was man created for the woman, but woman ^jfor the man. ¹⁰For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. ¹¹Nevertheless, ^kneither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. ¹²For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.

¹³Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? ¹⁵But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given ¹to her for a covering. ¹⁶But ^lif anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, ^mnor do the churches of God.

Conduct at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For first of all, when you come together as a church, ⁿI hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. ¹⁹For ^othere must also be factions among you, ^pthat those who are approved may be ²recognized among you. ²⁰Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. ²¹For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and ^qanother is drunk. ²²What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise ^rthe church of God and ^sshame ³those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²³For ^tI received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: ^uthat the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ⁴“Take, eat; this is My body which is ⁵broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, 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 ^vtill He comes.

Examine Yourself

²⁷Therefore whoever eats ^wthis bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and ⁶blood of the Lord. ²⁸But ^xlet a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹For he who eats and drinks ⁷in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the ⁸Lord’s body. ³⁰For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many ⁹sleep. ³¹For ^yif we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. ³²But when we are judged, ^zwe are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

³³Therefore, my brethren, when you ^acome together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.

Spiritual Gifts: Unity in Diversity

12Now ^aconcerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: ²You know ^bthat ¹you were Gentiles, carried away to these ^cdumb ²idols, however you were led. ³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus ³accursed, and ^dno one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

^4eThere are ⁴diversities of gifts, but ^fthe same Spirit. ^5gThere are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God ^hwho works ⁵all in all. ⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸for to one is given ⁱthe word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another ^jthe word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ^9kto another faith by the same Spirit, to another ^lgifts of healings by ⁶the same Spirit, ^10mto another the working of miracles, to another ⁿprophecy, to another ^odiscerning of spirits, to another ^pdifferent kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹But one and the same Spirit works all these things, ^qdistributing to each one individually ^ras He wills.

Unity and Diversity in One Body

¹²For ^sas the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, ^tso also is Christ. ¹³For ^uby one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—^vwhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and ^whave all been made to drink ⁷into one Spirit. ¹⁴For in fact the body is not one member but many.

¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? ¹⁸But now ^xGod has set the members, each one of them, in the body ^yjust as He pleased. ¹⁹And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

²⁰But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ²¹And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²²No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, ²⁴but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵that there should be no ⁸schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

²⁷Now ^zyou are the body of Christ, and ^amembers individually. ²⁸And ^bGod has appointed these in the church: first ^capostles, second ^dprophets, third teachers, after that ^emiracles, then ^fgifts of healings, ^ghelps, ^hadministrations, varieties of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But ⁱearnestly desire the ⁹best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

The Greatest Gift

13Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of ^aprophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, ^bso that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³And ^cthough I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body ¹to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

^4dLove suffers long and is ^ekind; love ^fdoes not envy; love does not parade itself, is not ²puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, ^gdoes not seek its own, is not provoked, ³thinks no evil; ^6hdoes not rejoice in iniquity, but ⁱrejoices in the truth; ^7jbears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ^9kFor we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is ⁴perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹²For ^lnow we see in a mirror, dimly, but then ^mface to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Prophecy and Tongues

14Pursue love, and ^adesire spiritual gifts, ^bbut especially that you may prophesy. ²For he who ^cspeaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. ³But he who prophesies speaks ^dedification and ^eexhortation and comfort to men. ⁴He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; ¹for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Tongues Must Be Interpreted

⁶But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by ^frevelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? ⁷Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? ⁸For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? ⁹So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without ²significance. ¹¹Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a ³foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. ¹²Even so you, since you are …