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And I, brothers, when I came to you, came not with excellency of words, or of wisdom, showing to you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

And I was among you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

Neither my word nor my preaching was in the enticing speech of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

So that your faith would not be in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.

Rather, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, which come to nothing,

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, having been hidden, which God predetermined to our glory before the world,

and which none of the princes of this world have known. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, ‘The things which neither eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor have come into man’s heart, are those which God has prepared for those who love Him.’

10 But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of a man, which is in him? So also, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit, Who is from God, that we might know the things that are given to us from God,

13 of which things we also speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but those which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

14 But the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he who is spiritual, discerns all things. Yet, he himself is judged by no one.

16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he might instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom(A) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.(B) I came to you(C) in weakness(D) with great fear and trembling.(E) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,(F) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,(G) so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.(H)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,(I) but not the wisdom of this age(J) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.(K) No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery(L) that has been hidden(M) and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age(N) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(O) However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—(P)

10 these are the things God has revealed(Q) to us by his Spirit.(R)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts(S) except their own spirit(T) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit(U) of the world,(V) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom(W) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God(X) but considers them foolishness,(Y) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit(Z) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”[d](AA)

But we have the mind of Christ.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13