I Corinthians 11-12

I Corinthians 11

¹So take me for your example, even as I take Christ for mine.

²Now I am pleased to see that you keep me in memory in all things, and that you give attention to the teaching which was handed down from me to you.

³But it is important for you to keep this fact in mind, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.

⁴Every man who takes part in prayer, or gives teaching as a prophet, with his head covered, puts shame on his head.

⁵But every woman who does so with her head unveiled, puts shame on her head: for it is the same as if her hair was cut off.

⁶For if a woman is not veiled, let her hair be cut off; but if it is a shame to a woman to have her hair cut off, let her be veiled.

⁷For it is not right for a man to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

⁸For the man did not come from the woman, but the woman from the man.

⁹And the man was not made for the woman, but the woman for the man.

¹⁰For this reason it is right for the woman to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

¹¹But the woman is not separate from the man, and the man is not separate from the woman in the Lord.

¹²For as the woman is from the man, so the man is through the woman; but all things are from God.

¹³Be judges yourselves of the question: does it seem right for a woman to take part in prayer unveiled?

¹⁴Does it not seem natural to you that if a man has long hair, it is a cause of shame to him?

¹⁵But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering.

¹⁶But if any man will not be ruled in this question, this is not our way of doing things, and it is not done in the churches of God.

¹⁷But in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.

¹⁸For first of all, it has come to my ears that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and I take the statement to be true in part.

¹⁹For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you.

²⁰But now, when you come together, it is not possible to take the holy meal of the Lord:

²¹For when you take your food, everyone takes his meal before the other; and one has not enough food, and another is the worse for drink.

²²What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not.

²³For it was handed down to me from the Lord, as I gave it to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when Judas was false to him, took bread,

²⁴And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me.

²⁵In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me.

²⁶For whenever you take the bread and the cup you give witness to the Lord's death till he comes.

²⁷If, then, anyone takes the bread or the cup of the Lord in the wrong spirit, he will be responsible for the body and blood of the Lord.

²⁸But let no man take of the bread and the cup without testing himself.

²⁹For a man puts himself in danger, if he takes part in the holy meal without being conscious that it is the Lord's body.

³⁰For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead.

³¹But if we were true judges of ourselves, punishment would not come on us.

³²But if punishment does come, it is sent by the Lord, so that we may be safe when the world is judged.

³³So then, my brothers, when you come together to the holy meal of the Lord, let there be waiting for one another.

³⁴If any man is in need of food, let him take his meal in his house; so that you may not come together to your damage. And the rest I will put in order when I come.

I Corinthians 12

¹But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.

²You are conscious that when you were Gentiles, in whatever way you were guided, you went after images without voice or power.

³So it is my desire for you to be clear about this; that no one is able to say by the Spirit of God that Jesus is cursed; and no one is able to say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.

⁴Now there are different qualities given to men, but the same Spirit.

⁵And there are different sorts of servants, but the same Lord.

⁶And there are different operations, but the same God, who is working all things in all.

⁷But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good.

⁸For to one are given words of wisdom through the Spirit; and to another words of knowledge through the same Spirit:

⁹To another faith in the same Spirit; and to another the power of taking away disease, by the one Spirit;

¹⁰And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues:

¹¹But all these are the operations of the one and the same Spirit, giving to every man separately as his pleasure is.

¹²For as the body is one, and has a number of parts, and all the parts make one body, so is Christ.

¹³For through the baptism of the one Spirit we were all formed into one body, Jews or Greeks, servants or free men, and were all made full of the same Spirit.

¹⁴For the body is not one part, but a number of parts.

¹⁵If the foot says, Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body; it is no less a part of the body.

¹⁶And if the ear says, Because I am not the eye, I am not a part of the body; it is a part of the body all the same.

¹⁷If all the body was an eye, where would be the hearing? if all was hearing, where would be the smelling?

¹⁸But now God has put every one of the parts in the body as it was pleasing to him.

¹⁹And if they were all one part, where would the body be?

²⁰But now they are all different parts, but one body.

²¹And the eye may not say to the hand, I have no need of you: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

²²No, those parts which seem to be feeble are the more necessary;

²³And to those parts of the body which seem to have less honour we give all the more honour; and to those parts of the body which are a cause of shame to us we give the greater respect;

²⁴But those parts of the body which are beautiful have no need of such care: and so the body has been joined together by God in such a way as to give more honour to those parts which had need of it;

²⁵So that there might be no division in the body; but all the parts might have the same care for one another.

²⁶And if there is pain in one part of the body, all the parts will be feeling it; or if one part is honoured, all the parts will be glad.

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ, and every one of you the separate parts of it.

²⁸And God has put some in the church, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then those with wonder-working powers, then those with the power of taking away disease, helpers, wise guides, users of strange tongues.

²⁹Are all Apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? have all the power of working wonders?

³⁰Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?

³¹But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit. And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.