1Cor 2 | HCSB | STEP | When I came to you , brothers , announcing the testimony of God to you , I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom .

1 Corinthians 2

Paul’s Proclamation

1 When I came to you, ^{▼▼brother(s): The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.}brothers, announcing the testimony ^{▼▼Other mss read mystery} of God to you, I did not come with brilliance ^c of speech ^d or wisdom. 2 For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ^e 3 I came to you in weakness, ^f in fear, ^g and in much trembling. ^h 4 My speech ⁱ and my proclamation were not with persuasive ^j words of wisdom ^{▼▼Other mss read human wisdom} but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit, 5 so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power. ^l

Spiritual Wisdom

6 However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, ^m but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers ⁿ of this age, who are coming to nothing. ^o 7 On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a ^{▼▼Mystery: Transliteration of the Greek word mysterion; a secret hidden in the past but now revealed}mystery, a wisdom God predestined ^q before the ages for our glory. ^r 8 None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ^s 9 But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,
and what never entered the human mind –
God prepared this for those who love Him. ^{t
,} ^u

10 Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, ^v even the depths of God. ^w 11 For who among men knows the thoughts ^{▼▼Or things} of a man except the spirit ^y of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows ^z the thoughts ^{▼▼Or things} of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the ^{▼▼world: The organized Satanic system that is opposed to God and hostile to Jesus and His followers. The non-Christian culture including governments, educational systems, and businesses}world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words ^ac taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. ^{▼▼Or things with spiritual words} 14 But the unbeliever ^{▼▼Or unspiritual; lit natural} does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated ^{▼▼Or judged, or discerned} spiritually. 15 The spiritual person, however, can evaluate ^{▼▼Or judge, or discern} everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated ^{▼▼Or judged, or discerned} by anyone. 16 For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct Him? ^{ai
,} ^aj

But we have the mind of Christ. ^ak