1 وأنا، عِندَما جِئتُكُم أيّها الإخوَةُ، ما جِئتُ بِبَليغِ الكلامِ أوِ الحِكمَةِ لأُبشّرَكُم بِسِرّ اللهِ، 2 وإنّما شِئْتُ أنْ لا أعرِفَ شيئًا، وأنا بَينَكُم، غَيرَ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ، بَلْ يَسوعَ المَسيحَ المَصلوبَ. 3 وكُنتُ في مَجيئي إلَيكُم أشعُرُ بالضّعفِ والخَوفِ والرّعدَةِ، 4 وكانَ كلامي وتَبْشيري لا يَعتَمِدانِ على أساليبِ الحِكمَةِ البَشرِيّةِ في الإقناعِ، بَلْ على ما يُظهِرُهُ رُوحُ اللهِ وقُوّتُهُ، 5 حتى يَستَنِدَ إيمانُكم إلى قُدرَةِ اللهِ، لا إلى حِكمَةِ البَشَرِ.
حكمة الله
6 ولكِنْ هُناكَ حِكمَةٌ نَتكَلّمُ علَيها بَينَ النّاضِجينَ في الرّوحِ، وهِـيَ غَيرُ حِكمَةِ هذا العالَمِ ولا رُؤَساءِ هذا العالَمِ، وسُلطانُهُم إلى زَوالٍ، 7 بَلْ هِيَ حِكمَةُ اللهِ السرّيّةُ الخَفِـيّةُ التي أعَدّها اللهُ قَبلَ الدّهورِ في سَبـيلِ مَجدِنا، 8 وما عَرَفها أحدٌ مِنْ رُؤساءِ هذا العالَمِ، ولو عَرَفوها لَما صَلَبوا رَبّ المَجدِ. 9 لكِنْ كما يَقولُ الكِتابُ: «الذي ما رَأَتْهُ عَينٌ ولا سَمِعَتْ بِه أذُنٌ ولا خطَرَ على قَلبِ بَشَرٍ أعَدّهُ اللهُ لِلذينَ يُحبّونَهُ». 10 وكشَفَهُ اللهُ لَنا بالرّوحِ، لأنّ الرّوحَ يَفحَصُ كُلّ شيءٍ حتى أعماقِ اللهِ. 11 فمَنْ هوَ الذي يَعرِفُ ما في الإنسانِ غَيرُ الرّوحِ التي في الإنسانِ؟ وكذلِكَ ما مِنْ أحدٍ يَعرِفُ ما في اللهِ غَيرُ رُوحِ اللهِ. 12 وما نِلنا نَحنُ رُوحَ هذا العالَمِ، بَلْ نِلنا الرّوحَ الذي أرسَلَهُ اللهُ لنَعرِفَ ما وَهبَهُ اللهُ لنا. 13 ونَحنُ لا نتَكَلّمُ علَيها بِكلامٍ تُعَلّمُه الحِكمَةُ البَشَرِيّةُ، بَلْ بِكلامٍ يُعَلّمُه الرّوحُ القُدُسُ، فنَشرَحُ الحقائِقَ الرّوحانِـيّةَ بِعباراتٍ روحانِـيّةٍ. 14 فالإنسانُ البَشَريّ لا يَقبَلُ ما هوَ مِنْ رُوحِ اللهِ لأنّهُ يَعتَبِرُهُ حَماقَةً، ولا يَقدِرُ أنْ يَفهمَهُ لأنّ الحُكمَ فيهِ لا يكونُ إلاّ بالرّوحِ. 15 وأمّا الإنسانُ الرّوحانيّ، فيَحكُمُ في كُلّ شيءٍ ولا يَحكُمُ فيهِ أحدٌ. 16 فالكِتابُ يَقولُ: «مَنْ هوَ الذي يَعرِفُ فِكْرَ الرّبّ ليُرشِدَهُ؟» وأمّا نَحنُ، فلَنا فِكرُ المَسيحِ.
Telling about Christ and the Cross
1 Friends, when I came and told you the mystery that God had shared with us, I didn't use big words or try to sound wise. 2 In fact, while I was with you, I made up my mind to speak only about Jesus Christ, who had been nailed to a cross.
3 At first, I was weak and trembling with fear. 4 When I talked with you or preached, I didn't try to prove anything by sounding wise. I simply let God's Spirit show his power. 5 That way you would have faith because of God's power and not because of human wisdom.
6 We do use wisdom when speaking to people who are mature in their faith. But it isn't the wisdom of this world or of its rulers, who will soon disappear. 7 We speak of God's hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. 8 The rulers of this world didn't know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross. 9 But it is just as the Scriptures say,
“What God has planned
for people who love him
is more than eyes have seen
or ears have heard.
It has never even
entered our minds!”
10 God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. 11 You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. 12 But God has given us his Spirit. This is why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. This is also why we can recognize the blessings God has given us.
13 Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people. 14 This is why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish. 15 People who are guided by the Spirit can make all kinds of judgments, but they cannot be judged by others. 16 The Scriptures ask,
“Has anyone ever known
the thoughts of the Lord
or given him advice?”
But we understand what Christ is thinking.