New King James Version

New Living Translation

1Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,

1Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.

2by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

2It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.

3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

3I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.

4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

4He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

5and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

5He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.

6After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.

6After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

7After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

7Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

8Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

8Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

9For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

9For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

10But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

11Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

11So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed. The Resurrection of the Dead

12Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

12But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?

13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

13For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.

14And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

14And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.

15Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

15And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead.

16For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.

16And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.

17And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

17And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.

18Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

18In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!

19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

19And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

20But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

20But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

21For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

21So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.

22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

22Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.

23But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

23But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.

24Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

24After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.

25For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

25For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.

26The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

26And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

27For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.

27For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)

28Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

28Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.

29Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?

29If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?

30And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour?

30And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour?

31I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

31For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.

32If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

32And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus —if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

33Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

33Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

34Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

34Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all. The Resurrection Body

35But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”

35But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”

36Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.

36What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.

37And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.

37And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.

38But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

38Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.

39All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.

39Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

40There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

40There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.

41There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.

41The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.

42So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

42It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.

43It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.

44It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

45The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

46However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.

46What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.

47The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

47Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.

48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.

48Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.

49And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

49Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

50What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

51But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

52It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.

53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

53For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.

54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

54Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.

55“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

55O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ”

56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

56For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.

57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

57But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.