1 Corinthians 11–16

¹¹Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.^*

Head Coverings

²I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you.^{* 3}But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man^q is the head of the woman,^r and God is the head of Christ.^{* 4}Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head shames his head,^{* 5}but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled shames her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair, but if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. ⁷For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection^s of God, but woman is the reflection^t of man.^{* 8}Indeed, man was not made from woman but woman from man.^{* 9}Neither was man created for the sake of woman but woman for the sake of man.^{* 10}For this reason a woman ought to have authority over her head,^u because of the angels.^{* 11}Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. ¹²For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, but all things come from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? ¹⁴Does not nature itself teach you that, if a man wears long hair, it is dishonoring to him, ¹⁵but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.^*

Abuses at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.^{* 19}Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.^{* 20}When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹For when the time comes to eat, each of you proceeds to eat your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. ²²What! Do you not have households to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

²³For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,^{* 24}and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for^v you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, 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 the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^*

Partaking of the Supper Unworthily

²⁷Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.^{* 28}Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.^{* 29}For all who eat and drink^w without discerning the body^x eat and drink judgment against themselves. ³⁰For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.^{y 31}But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.^{* 32}But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined^z so that we may not be condemned along with the world.^*

³³So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴If you are hungry, eat at home,^a so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.^*

Spiritual Gifts

¹²Now concerning spiritual gifts,^b brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant.^{* 2}You know that when you were gentiles you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.^{* 3}Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.^*

⁴Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit,^{* 5}and there are varieties of services but the same Lord,^{* 6}and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.^{* 8}To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,^{* 9}to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,^{* 10}to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.^{* 11}All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.^*

One Body with Many Members

¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.^{* 13}For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.^*

¹⁴Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many members yet one body. ²¹The 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.” ²²On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect, ²⁴whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.^{* 28}And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.^{* 29}Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work powerful deeds? ³⁰Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?^{* 31}But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.^*

The Gift of Love

¹³If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.^{* 3}If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast^c but do not have love, I gain nothing.^*

⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant^{* 5}or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs;^{* 6}it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth.^{* 7}It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.^*

⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, ¹⁰but when the complete 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 an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.^{* 13}And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.

Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

¹⁴Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy.^{* 2}For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God, for no one understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit.^{* 3}But those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.^{* 4}Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. ⁵Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.^*

⁶Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you in some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?^{* 7}It is the same way with lifeless instruments that produce sound, such as the flute or the harp. If they do not give distinct notes, how will what is being played on the flute or harp be recognized? ⁸And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?^{* 9}So with yourselves: If in a tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air.^{* 10}There are doubtless…