An Exhortation to Thanksgiving

1001 Shout aloud unto Jehovah, all the earth! 2 Serve Jehovah with joy: come before his presence with exultation. 3 Know that Jehovah is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving [and] into his courts with praise; give thanks unto him, bless his name: 5 For Jehovah is good; his loving-kindness [endureth] for ever; and his faithfulness from generation to generation.

A Pledge to Live Righteously

1011 I will sing of loving-kindness and judgment: unto thee, Jehovah, will I sing psalms. 2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. When wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart. 3 I will set no thing of Belial before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know evil. 5 Whoso secretly slandereth his neighbour, him will I destroy; him that hath a high look and a proud heart will I not suffer. 6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 7 He that practiseth deceit shall not dwell within my house; he that speaketh falsehoods shall not subsist in my sight. 8 Every morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land: to cut off all workers of iniquity from the city of Jehovah.

A Cry in Distress

1021 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before Jehovah. Jehovah, hear my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee. 2 Hide not thy face from me: in the day of my trouble, incline thine ear unto me; in the day I call, answer me speedily. 3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a firebrand. 4 My heart is smitten and withered like grass; yea, I have forgotten to eat my bread. 5 By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my flesh. 6 I am become like the pelican of the wilderness, I am as an owl in desolate places; 7 I watch, and am like a sparrow alone upon the housetop. 8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; they that are mad against me swear by me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, 10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath; for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11 My days are like a lengthened-out shadow, and I, I am withered like grass.

12 But thou, Jehovah, abidest for ever, and thy memorial from generation to generation. 13 Thou wilt rise up, thou wilt have mercy upon Zion: for it is the time to be gracious to her, for the set time is come. 14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour her dust. 15 And the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. 16 When Jehovah shall build up Zion, he will appear in his glory. 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute one, and not despise their prayer. 18 This shall be written for the generation to come; and a people that shall be created shall praise Jah: 19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from the heavens hath Jehovah beheld the earth, 20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to die; 21 That the name of Jehovah may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem, 22 When the peoples shall be gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah.

23 He weakened my strength in the way, he shortened my days. 24 I said, My God, take me not away in the midst of my days! ... Thy years are from generation to generation. 25 Of old hast thou founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands: 26 They shall perish, but thou continuest; and all of them shall grow old as a garment: as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. 27 But thou art the Same, and thy years shall have no end. 28 The children of thy servants shall abide, and their seed shall be established before thee.

Salutation

11 Paul, [a] called apostle of Jesus Christ, by God's will, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 to the assembly of God which is in Corinth, to [those] sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, with all that in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and [the] Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving for Spiritual Gifts

4 I thank my God always about you, in respect of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus; 5 that in everything ye have been enriched in him, in all word [of doctrine], and all knowledge, 6 (according as the testimony of the Christ has been confirmed in you,) 7 so that ye come short in no gift, awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who shall also confirm you to [the] end, unimpeachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God [is] faithful, by whom ye have been called into [the] fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church

10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all say the same thing, and that there be not among you divisions; but that ye be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion. 11 For it has been shewn to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of [the house of] Chloe, that there are strifes among you. 12 But I speak of this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. 13 Is the Christ divided? has Paul been crucified for you? or have ye been baptised unto the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I have baptised none of you, unless Crispus and Gaius, 15 that no one may say that I have baptised unto my own name. 16 Yes, I baptised also the house of Stephanas; for the rest I know not if I have baptised any other.

17 For Christ has not sent me to baptise, but to preach glad tidings; not in wisdom of word, that the cross of the Christ may not be made vain.

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

18 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us that are saved it is God's power. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the understanding of the understanding ones. 20 Where [is the] wise? where scribe? where disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom has not known God, God has been pleased by the foolishness of the preaching to save those that believe. 22 Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews an offence, and to nations foolishness; 24 but to those that [are] called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ God's power and God's wisdom. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that [there are] not many wise according to flesh, not many powerful, not many high-born. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, that he may put to shame the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world, that he may put to shame the strong things; 28 and the ignoble things of the world, and the despised, has God chosen, [and] things that are not, that he may annul the things that are; 29 so that no flesh should boast before God. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption; 31 that according as it is written, He that boasts, let him boast in [the] Lord.