1 Corinthians, 3

1. Brothers, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.

1. And so, brothers, I was not able to talk to you as spiritual people; I had to talk to you as people still living by your natural inclinations, still infants in Christ;

2. I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it. Indeed, you are still not able, even now,

2. I fed you with milk and not solid food, for you were not yet able to take it -- and even now, you are still not able to,

3. for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way?

3. for you are still living by your natural inclinations. As long as there are jealousy and rivalry among you, that surely means that you are still living by your natural inclinations and by merely human principles.

4. Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?

4. While there is one that says, 'I belong to Paul' and another that says, 'I belong to Apollos' are you not being only too human?

5. What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.

5. For what is Apollos and what is Paul? The servants through whom you came to believe, and each has only what the Lord has given him.

6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.

6. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God gave growth.

7. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.

7. In this, neither the planter nor the waterer counts for anything; only God, who gives growth.

8. The one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.

8. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will have the proper pay for the work that he has done.

9. For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building.

9. After all, we do share in God's work; you are God's farm, God's building.

10. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,

10. By the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundations like a trained master-builder, and someone else is building on them. Now each one must be careful how he does the building.

11. for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ.

11. For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ.

12. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

12. On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw

13. the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work.

13. but each person's handiwork will be shown for what it is. The Day which dawns in fire will make it clear and the fire itself will test the quality of each person's work.

14. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage.

14. The one whose work stands up to it will be given his wages;

15. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.

15. the one whose work is burnt down will suffer the loss of it, though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire.

16. Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

16. Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you?

17. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

17. If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God's temple is holy; and you are that temple.

18. Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.

18. There is no room for self-delusion. Any one of you who thinks he is wise by worldly standards must learn to be a fool in order to be really wise.

19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: "He catches the wise in their own ruses,"

19. For the wisdom of the world is folly to God. As scripture says: He traps the crafty in the snare of their own cunning

20. and again: "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain."

20. and again: The Lord knows the plans of the wise and how insipid they are.

21. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,

21. So there is to be no boasting about human beings: everything belongs to you,

22. Paul or Apollos or Kephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you,

22. whether it is Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future -- all belong to you;

23. and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

23. but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.