¹ NOW I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I have preached unto you, and which ye have received, in which also ye have stood fast;

² by which also ye are saved; if ye cleave to that word I have preached to you, except haply ye have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you among the first things that which I also had received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures;

⁴ and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

⁵ and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

⁶ afterwards he appeared before five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater number remain alive unto this hour, but some also are gone to rest.

⁷ Afterwards he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

⁸ And last of all he was seen also by me, who am but as an abortion.

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

¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was given to me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

¹¹ Therefore whether I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

¹² But if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead?

¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither is Christ risen:

¹⁴ and if Christ be not risen, vain indeed is our preaching, and vain also your faith.

¹⁵ Yea, and we also are found false witnesses for God; because we have testified on the behalf of God, that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if indeed the dead are not raised.

¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ risen:

¹⁷ and if Christ be not risen, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

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

¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are more miserable than all other men.

²⁰ But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruit of those who have fallen asleep.

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

²² For as in Adam all are dead, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

²³ But every one in his own rank: Christ the first-fruit; afterwards those that are Christ’s at his appearing.

²⁴ Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, and the Father; when he shall have destroyed every dominion and every authority and power.

²⁵ For he must reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet.

²⁶ The last enemy shall be destroyed, death.

²⁷ For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, that all things are put under him, it is evident that there is an exception of him, who subjected all things to him.

²⁸ But when he shall have put all things under him, then also the Son himself shall be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

²⁹ Else what will they do who are baptised? for the dead, if wholly dead they rise no more. Why are they then baptised for the dead?

³⁰ and why do we also expose ourselves to danger every hour?

³¹ I solemnly declare by all the joy over you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

³² If after the manner of men I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, of what advantage would it be to me, if the dead did not rise again? shall we eat and drink; because to-morrow we die?

³³ Be not deceived: evil conversations corrupt good manners.

³⁴ Awake as the righteous, and sin not; for some have an ignorance of God: I speak this to your shame.

³⁵ But will any man say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

³⁶ Thou fool! what thou sowest is not quickened except it die:

³⁷ and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body which shall be afterwards, but the bare grain, perhaps of wheat, or of some of the other seeds:

³⁸ but God giveth it a body as he pleaseth, and to each of the seeds its peculiar body.

³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, and another flesh of cattle, and another of fishes, and another of birds.

⁴⁰ Also there are celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and that of the terrestrial another.

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

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

⁴³ it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

⁴⁴ it is sown an animal body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is an animal body, and there is a spiritual body.

⁴⁵ And so it is written, There was a first man Adam a living soul; a last Adam a quickening spirit.

⁴⁶ But that which is spiritual was not first, but that which is animal; and afterward that which is spiritual.

⁴⁷ The first man was of the earth, earthly; the second man was the Lord from heaven.

⁴⁸ As is the earthly, so are they also that are earthly: and as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly.

⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

⁵⁰ But this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God: neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not indeed all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

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

⁵³ For that which is corruptible must put on incorruption, and that which is mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when that which is corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and that which is mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying which is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

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

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

⁵⁸ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.