1 Corinthians 11–13

1You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

2Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.

3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.

5And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.

6If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

7A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.

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

9Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

10For this reason a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.

11In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

12For just as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

13Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

14Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

15but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

16If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

17In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.

18First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

19And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.

20Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat.

21For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk.

22Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread,

24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25In the same way, after supper He took the cup, 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 this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

28Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

31Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.

32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

33So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.

1Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

2You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.

3Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4There are different gifts, but the same Spirit.

5There are different ministries, but the same Lord.

6There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people.

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit,

9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.

11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.

12The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.

13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.

14For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.

15If the foot should 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 should 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 sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

18But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design.

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

20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.”

22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

23and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty,

24whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,

25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another.

26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.

28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

31But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.

2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth.

7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.

9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.

11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.

12Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.