1 Corinthians 3 - English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

Divisions in the Church

3 But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as (A)spiritual people, but as (B)people of the flesh, as (C)infants in Christ. 2 (D)I fed you with milk, not solid food, for (E)you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is (F)jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For (G)when one says, “I follow Paul”, and another, “I follow Apollos”, (H)are you not being merely human?

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? (I)Servants through whom you believed, (J)as the Lord assigned to each. 6 (K)I planted, (L)Apollos watered, (M)but God gave the growth. 7 So (N)neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each (O)will receive his wages according to his labour. 9 For we are (P)God's fellow workers. You are God's field, (Q)God's building.

10 (R)According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a (S)foundation, and (T)someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a (U)foundation other (V)than that which is laid, (W)which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 (X)each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed (Y)by fire, and (Z)the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, (AA)he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, (AB)but only as through fire.

16 (AC)Do you not know that you[b] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For (AD)God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

18 (AE)Let no one deceive himself. (AF)If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For (AG)the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, (AH)“He catches the wise in their craftiness”, 20 and again, (AI)“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So (AJ)let no one boast in men. For (AK)all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and (AL)you are Christ's, and (AM)Christ is God's.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:1 Or brothers and sisters
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:16 The Greek for you is plural in verses 16 and 17

Cross references

  1. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : ch. 2:15; Rom. 7:14
  2. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : [ch. 2:14]
  3. 1 Corinthians 3:1 : Heb. 5:13; [ch. 2:6]
  4. 1 Corinthians 3:2 : Heb. 5:12, 13; 1 Pet. 2:2
  5. 1 Corinthians 3:2 : John 16:12
  6. 1 Corinthians 3:3 : Gal. 5:19, 20; [ch. 1:11; 11:18; Rom. 13:13]
  7. 1 Corinthians 3:4 : See ch. 1:12
  8. 1 Corinthians 3:4 : [ver. 3]
  9. 1 Corinthians 3:5 : 2 Cor. 6:4; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:25; [2 Cor. 3:3]
  10. 1 Corinthians 3:5 : See Rom. 12:6
  11. 1 Corinthians 3:6 : ch. 4:15; 9:1; 15:1; Acts 18:4-11; 2 Cor. 10:14, 15
  12. 1 Corinthians 3:6 : Acts 18:27
  13. 1 Corinthians 3:6 : [ch. 15:10; Col. 1:18]
  14. 1 Corinthians 3:7 : 2 Cor. 12:11; Gal. 6:3; [Gal. 2:6]
  15. 1 Corinthians 3:8 : ver. 14; ch. 15:58; 2 John 8; [ch. 4:5; Gal. 6:4, 5]; See Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6
  16. 1 Corinthians 3:9 : Mark 16:20; 2 Cor. 6:1
  17. 1 Corinthians 3:9 : Eph. 2:20-22; Col. 2:7; [ver. 16; Ps. 127:1]
  18. 1 Corinthians 3:10 : [2 Pet. 3:15]; See Rom. 12:3
  19. 1 Corinthians 3:10 : ver. 11, 12; Rom. 15:20; [Rev. 21:14]
  20. 1 Corinthians 3:10 : [ch. 4:15]
  21. 1 Corinthians 3:11 : Isa. 28:16
  22. 1 Corinthians 3:11 : [2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6, 7]
  23. 1 Corinthians 3:11 : [Eph. 2:20]
  24. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : ch. 4:5
  25. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : ver. 15; 2 Thess. 1:8
  26. 1 Corinthians 3:13 : 1 Pet. 1:7
  27. 1 Corinthians 3:14 : See ver. 8
  28. 1 Corinthians 3:15 : [Ps. 66:12; Isa. 43:2; Jude 23]
  29. 1 Corinthians 3:16 : ch. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21
  30. 1 Corinthians 3:17 : [2 Cor. 7:1]
  31. 1 Corinthians 3:18 : [Isa. 5:21; Gal. 6:3]
  32. 1 Corinthians 3:18 : [ch. 8:2; Jer. 8:8, 9]
  33. 1 Corinthians 3:19 : See ch. 1:20
  34. 1 Corinthians 3:19 : Cited from Job 5:13
  35. 1 Corinthians 3:20 : Cited from Ps. 94:11
  36. 1 Corinthians 3:21 : ver. 4-6; ch. 1:12; 4:6
  37. 1 Corinthians 3:21 : Rom. 8:28
  38. 1 Corinthians 3:23 : 2 Cor. 10:7; Gal. 3:29
  39. 1 Corinthians 3:23 : [ch. 11:3]

You Might Also Like:

1 Corinthians 3 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

3 And I, brethren, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly -- as to babes in Christ; 2 with milk I fed you, and not with meat, for ye were not yet able, but not even yet are ye now able, 3 for yet ye are fleshly, for where [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisio...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

3 And I, brethren, might not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to fleshly men [but as to fleshly]; as to little children in Christ, 2 I gave to you milk to drink, not meat; for ye might not yet understand, neither ye be able to now [but neither now soothly ye be able], 3 for yet ye be flesh...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

3 My brothers, I could not talk to you at first as to people who have the Spirit of God. But I talked to you as people who have the spirit of this world. I talked to you as people who are very new-born, baby Christians. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not food to eat. You were not ready for food. And ev...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - World English Bible (WEB)

3 Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, you aren’t ready even now, 3 for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t ...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - The Voice (VOICE)

3 My brothers and sisters, I cannot address you as people who walk by the Spirit; I have to speak to you as people who tend to think in merely human terms, as spiritual infants in the Anointed One. 2 I nursed you with milk, as a mother would feed her baby, because you were not, and still are not, d...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Building Together on God’s Foundation3 And I, brothers and sisters, could not speak to you as Spirit-filled but as worldly[a]—as infants in Messiah. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. Indeed, even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still worldly. For since there i...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

On Divisions in the Corinthian Church3 But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is je...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)

3 And I could not speak to you, brothers, as to spiritual men, but as to carnal, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, and not solid food. For you were not yet able to bear it, nor are you able even now. 3 For you are still fleshly, since there is among you envying and strife and divi...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New Testament for Everyone (NTE)

3 In my own case, my dear family, I couldn’t speak to you as spiritual people, but as people who were all too obviously merely human, little babies in the Messiah. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, because you weren’t able to take it – and you still can’t, even now! 3 You’re still determined ...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

On Divisions in the Corinthian Church3 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people but rather as fleshly, as infants in Christ.(A)2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,(B)3 for you are still flesh...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New Matthew Bible (NMB)

Paul rebukes the sects, and authors of sects. Christ is the foundation of his church. We must take heed how we build on this foundation. No one ought to glory in men, but in God. 3 And I could not speak to you brethren as to spiritual people, but as to carnal; even, as it were, to babes in Christ. ...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Paul and Apollos, Servants of Christ3 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people.[b] I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because yo...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New Life Version (NLV)

3 Christian brothers, I could not speak to you as to full-grown Christians. I spoke to you as men who have not obeyed the things you have been taught. I spoke to you as if you were baby Christians. 2 My teaching was as if I were giving you milk to drink. I could not give you meat because you were n...
Read More

1 Corinthians 3 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Sectarianism Is Carnal3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to (A)babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with (B)milk and not with solid food; (C)for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. Fo...
Read More