Skip to the text

1 Corinthians · Bible in Basic English

1 Corinthians 1 Bible in Basic English

Leer en español
About BBE
  • Scholarly edition
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew (not verified)
  • NT: Critical text (not verified)
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Simplified language
  • 1965
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God, with all those who in every place give honour to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give praise to my God for you at all times, because of the grace of God which has been given to you in Christ Jesus; 5 So that in him you have wealth in all things, in word and in knowledge of every sort; 6 Even as the witness of the Christ has been made certain among you: 7 So that having every grace you are living in the hope of the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 Who will give you strength to the end, to be free from all sin in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is true, through whom you have been given a part with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I make request to you, my brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will all say the same thing, and that there may be no divisions among you, so that you may be in complete agreement, in the same mind and in the same opinion. 11 Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers. 12 That is, that some of you say, I am of Paul; some say, I am of Apollos; some say, I am of Cephas; and some say, I am Christ's. 13 Is there a division in Christ? was Paul nailed to the cross for you? or were you given baptism in the name of Paul? 14 I give praise to God that not one of you had baptism from me, but Crispus and Gaius; 15 So that no one may be able to say that you had baptism in my name. 16 And I gave baptism to the house of Stephanas; but I am not certain that any others had baptism from me. 17 For Christ sent me, not to give baptism, but to be a preacher of the good news: not with wise words, for fear that the cross of Christ might be made of no value. 18 For the word of the cross seems foolish to those who are on the way to destruction; but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God. 19 As it says in the holy Writings, I will put an end to the wisdom of the wise, and will put on one side the designs of those who have knowledge. 20 Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For because, by the purpose of God, the world, with all its wisdom, had not the knowledge of God, it was God's pleasure, by so foolish a thing as preaching, to give salvation to those who had faith in him. 22 Seeing that the Jews make request for signs, and the Greeks are looking for knowledge: 23 But we give the good news of Christ on the cross, a hard thing to the Jews, and a foolish thing to the Gentiles; 24 But to those of God's selection, Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. 25 Because what seems foolish in God is wiser than men; and what seems feeble in God is stronger than men. 26 For you see God's design for you, my brothers, that he has not taken a great number of the wise after the flesh, not the strong, not the noble: 27 But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong; 28 And the low things of the world, and the things without honour, did God make selection of, yes, even the things which are not, so that he might make as nothing the things which are: 29 So that no flesh might have glory before God. 30 But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy: 31 So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Apollos

    Alexandrian Jewish teacher

    An eloquent Alexandrian Jew, mighty in the Scriptures, who was taught more accurately by Priscilla and Aquila and then ministered in Achaia and at Corinth.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 18:24; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 3:6

  • Chloe

    Woman whose people reported to Paul

    Members of her household informed Paul of the quarrels at Corinth.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Corinthians 1:11

  • Crispus

    Synagogue leader at Corinth

    The leader of the synagogue at Corinth who believed in the Lord with his whole household and was baptized by Paul.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 1:14

  • Gaius

    Host of Paul and the church

    Paul's host at Corinth, whose hospitality extended to the whole church; Paul baptized him.

    Cited in the guide: Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14

  • Sosthenes

    Synagogue leader at Corinth

    The synagogue leader seized and beaten before Gallio's tribunal at Corinth; a Sosthenes is named as co-sender of 1 Corinthians, probably the same man.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 18:17; 1 Corinthians 1:1

  • Stephanas

    First fruits of Achaia

    Paul baptized his household, the first fruits of Achaia, who devoted themselves to serving the saints; he visited Paul at Ephesus.

    Cited in the guide: 1 Corinthians 1:16; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 1 Corinthians 16:17

Places

  • Corinth

    Today: Southern Greece (the isthmus) · On Second Journey · On Third Journey

    Corinth straddled the isthmus linking mainland Greece to the Peloponnese — a hub of commerce and immorality. Paul founded the church here; a Roman bema traditionally linked to his hearing before…

    Cited in the guide: Acts 18:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1

Cross references (31)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Romans 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 18:17; Colossians 1:1
  2. 2 Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Acts 26:18; 1 Peter 1:15–16
  3. 3 Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:2
  4. 4 Romans 1:8; John 14:26; John 15:26; Romans 6:17; John 14:14
  5. 5 2 Corinthians 9:11; 2 Corinthians 8:7; Colossians 2:3; Philippians 1:9; Romans 15:14
  6. 6 Revelation 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:8; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Corinthians 2:1–2; Acts 20:24
  7. 7 Philippians 3:20; 2 Peter 3:12; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Jude 21
  8. 8 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Colossians 1:22; Philippians 1:6; Jude 24–25
  9. 9 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23; Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 10:13
  10. 10 Philippians 2:1–4; Ephesians 4:1–7; 1 Corinthians 12:25; Romans 12:16; James 3:13–18
  11. 11 1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:23–25; Galatians 5:26; Proverbs 18:6; Genesis 37:2
  12. 12 Matthew 23:9–10; John 1:42; 1 Corinthians 3:21–23; 1 Corinthians 3:4–6; Galatians 2:9
  13. 13 Ephesians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Acts 2:38; Acts 10:48; 1 Corinthians 10:2
  14. 14 Acts 18:8; Romans 16:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 14:18
  15. 15 John 7:18; 2 Corinthians 11:2; John 3:28–29
  16. 16 1 Corinthians 16:15; 1 Corinthians 16:17; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33
  17. 17 1 Corinthians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:4–5; 2 Corinthians 10:10
  18. 18 1 Corinthians 2:14; Romans 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 1:23–25; 2 Corinthians 4:3
  19. 19 Isaiah 29:14; Jeremiah 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:19; Job 5:12–13; Isaiah 19:11
  20. 20 Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 3:19; Job 12:17; 1 Corinthians 1:19; Job 12:24
  21. 21 Luke 10:21; Romans 1:20–22; Matthew 11:25; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 1:24
  22. 22 Matthew 16:1–4; Matthew 12:38–39; John 2:18; Acts 17:18–21; Mark 8:11
  23. 23 1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Peter 2:8; 1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 5:11; Isaiah 8:14–15
  24. 24 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 2:3; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Romans 1:16
  25. 25 Romans 11:33–36; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Zechariah 4:6–7; 2 Corinthians 13:4; Zechariah 12:7–8
  26. 26 James 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:18–20; 1 Corinthians 2:8; James 1:9–11; Matthew 11:25–26
  27. 27 James 2:5; Matthew 11:25; 1 Corinthians 1:20; Psalm 8:2; Luke 21:15
  28. 28 Job 34:24; Romans 4:17; Isaiah 2:11; Isaiah 41:12; Job 34:19–20
  29. 29 Romans 3:27; Ephesians 2:9; Jeremiah 9:23; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 1:31
  30. 30 Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:9; Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:11
  31. 31 Jeremiah 9:23–24; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Philippians 3:3; Psalm 105:3; Isaiah 41:16

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Commentary 1:1 John Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians (Homily I)

    See how immediately, from the very beginning, he casts down their pride, and dashes to the ground all their fond imagination, in that he speaks of himself as "called." For what I have learnt, saith he, I discovered not myself, nor acquired by my own wisdom, but while I was persecuting and laying waste the Church I was called.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)

  2. Quotes verse 1:31 Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians (Chapters VII–XIII)

    … "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in the Lord, in diligently seeking Him, and doing judgment and righteousness" ), being especially mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus which He spake, teaching …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  3. Quotes verse 1:18 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book I, Chapters III–IV)

    Moreover, they affirm that the Apostle Paul himself made mention of this cross in the following words: "The doctrine of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God." And again: "God forbid that I should glory in anything save in the cross of Christ, by whom the world …

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)

  4. Quotes verse 1:30 Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (Book V)

    But the Only-begotten has been "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification," and has been numbered amongst us, and paid tribute to Cæsar.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)

  5. Quotes verse 1:9 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily LIX)

    … whom;" as when it saith, "I have gotten a man by God," putting not the second cause, but the first; and again, "Is not the interpretation of them by God," and, "God is faithful, by whom ye are called unto the fellowship of His Son."

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)