2 Corinthians 3(ESV) Ministers of the New Covenant Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with t...

2 Corinthians 3(ESV) Ministers of the New Covenant Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our[a] hearts, to be known and read by all. 3And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with t...

2 Corinthians 2(ESV) 2For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4For I wrote to ...

2 Corinthians 1(ESV) Greeting Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. God of All Comfort 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies...

1 Corinthians 16(ESV) The Collection for the Saints Now concerning[a] the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accre...

1 Corinthians 15(ESV) The Resurrection of Christ Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to youunless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in...

1 Corinthians 14(ESV) Prophecy and Tongues Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consola...

1 Corinthians 13(ESV) The Way of Love If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not 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 have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to b...

1 Corinthians 12(ESV) Spiritual Gifts Now concerning[a] spiritual gifts,[b] brothers,[c] I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in...

1 Corinthians 11(ESV) Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Head Coverings 2Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wifea]"[a] is her husband,b]"[b] and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophe...

1 Corinthians 10(ESV) Warning Against Idolatry For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them...

1 Corinthians 9(ESV) Paul Surrenders His Rights Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5Do we not...

1 Corinthians 8(ESV) Food Offered to Idols Now concerning[a] food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. 2If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.[b] 4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we k...

1 Corinthians 7 (ESV) Principles for Marriage Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: "It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman." 2But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her hus...

1 Corinthians 6 (ESV) Lawsuits Against Believers When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, th...

1 Corinthians 5(ESV) Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 3For though absent in body, I am present in spirit...

1 Corinthians 4(ESV) The Ministry of Apostles This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4For I am not aware of anything agai...

1 Corinthians 3(ESV) Divisions in the Church But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh ...

1 Corinthians 2(ESV) Proclaiming Christ Crucified And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] did not come proclaiming to you the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible ...

1 Corinthians 1(ESV) Greeting Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God ...

Romans 16(ESV) Personal Greetings I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant[a] of the church at Cenchreae,2that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. 3Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4who risked their necks f...

Romans 15(ESV) The Example of Christ We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4For whatever was written in former days was wr...

Romans 14(ESV) Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ...

Romans 13(ESV) Submission to the Authorities Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. W...