Notum autem vobis facio, fratres, Evangelium, quod prædicavi vobis, quod et accepistis, in quo et statis,

Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand;

Here, brethren, is an account of the gospel I preached to you. It was this that was handed on to you; upon this your faith rests;

per quod et salvamini: qua ratione prædicaverim vobis, si tenetis, nisi frustra credidistis.

By which also you are saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.

through this (if you keep in mind the tenor of its preaching) you are in the way of salvation; unless indeed your belief was ill founded.

Tradidi enim vobis in primis quod et accepi: quoniam Christus mortuus est pro peccatis nostris secundum Scripturas:

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

The chief message I handed on to you, as it was handed on to me, was that Christ, as the scriptures had foretold, died for our sins;

et quia sepultus est, et quia resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas:

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

that he was buried, and then, as the scriptures had foretold, rose again on the third day.

et quia visus est Cephæ, et post hoc undecim:

And that he was seen by Cephas; and after that by the eleven.

That he was seen by Cephas, then by the eleven apostles,

deinde visus est plus quam quingentis fratribus simul: ex quibus multi manent usque adhuc, quidam autem dormierunt:

Then was he seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep.

and afterwards by more than five hundred of the brethren at once, most of whom are alive at this day, though some have gone to their rest.

deinde visus est Jacobo, deinde Apostolis omnibus:

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

Then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles;

novissime autem omnium tamquam abortivo, visus est et mihi.

And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time.

and last of all, I too saw him, like the last child, that comes to birth unexpectedly.

Ego enim sum minimus Apostolorum, qui non sum dignus vocari Apostolus, quoniam persecutus sum ecclesiam Dei.

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

Of all the apostles, I am the least; nay, I am not fit to be called an apostle, since there was a time when I persecuted the church of God;

Gratia autem Dei sum id quod sum, et gratia ejus in me vacua non fuit, sed abundantius illis omnibus laboravi: non ego autem, sed gratia Dei mecum:

But by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace in me hath not been void, but I have laboured more abundantly than all they: yet not I, but the grace of God with me:

only, by God’s grace, I am what I am, and the grace he has shewn me has not been without fruit; I have worked harder than all of them, or rather, it was not I, but the grace of God working with me.

sive enim ego, sive illi: sic prædicamus, et sic credidistis.

For whether I, or they, so we preach, and so you have believed.

That is our preaching, mine or theirs as you will; that is the faith which has come to you.

Si autem Christus prædicatur quod resurrexit a mortuis, quomodo quidam dicunt in vobis, quoniam resurrectio mortuorum non est?

Now if Christ be preached, that he arose again from the dead, how do some among you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead?

If what we preach about Christ, then, is that he rose from the dead, how is it that some of you say the dead do not rise again?

Si autem resurrectio mortuorum non est: neque Christus resurrexit.

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

If the dead do not rise, then Christ has not risen either;

Si autem Christus non resurrexit, inanis est ergo prædicatio nostra, inanis est et fides vestra:

And if Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

and if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is groundless, and your faith, too, is groundless.

invenimur autem et falsi testes Dei: quoniam testimonium diximus adversus Deum quod suscitaverit Christum, quem non suscitavit, si mortui non resurgunt.

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God: because we have given testimony against God, that he hath raised up Christ; whom he hath not raised up, if the dead rise not again.

Worse still, we are convicted of giving false testimony about God; we bore God witness that he had raised Christ up from the dead, and he has not raised him up, if it is true that the dead do not rise again.

Nam si mortui non resurgunt, neque Christus resurrexit.

For if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again.

If the dead, I say, do not rise, then Christ has not risen either;

Quod si Christus non resurrexit, vana est fides vestra: adhuc enim estis in peccatis vestris.

And if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins.

and if Christ has not risen, all your faith is a delusion; you are back in your sins.

Ergo et qui dormierunt in Christo, perierunt.

Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished.

It follows, too, that those who have gone to their rest in Christ have been lost.

Si in hac vita tantum in Christo sperantes sumus, miserabiliores sumus omnibus hominibus.

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

If the hope we have learned to repose in Christ belongs to this world only, then we are unhappy beyond all other men.

Nunc autem Christus resurrexit a mortuis primitiæ dormientium,

But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep:

But no, Christ has risen from the dead, the first-fruits of all those who have fallen asleep;

quoniam quidem per hominem mors, et per hominem resurrectio mortuorum.

For by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead.

a man had brought us death, and a man should bring us resurrection from the dead;

Et sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur, ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur.

And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

just as all have died with Adam, so with Christ all will be brought to life.

Unusquisque autem in suo ordine, primitiæ Christus: deinde ii qui sunt Christi, qui in adventu ejus crediderunt.

But every one in his own order: the firstfruits Christ, then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming.

But each must rise in his own rank; Christ is the first-fruits, and after him follow those who belong to him, those who have put their trust in his return.

Deinde finis: cum tradiderit regnum Deo et Patri, cum evacuaverit omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem.

Afterwards the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he shall have brought to nought all principality, and power, and virtue.

Full completion comes after that, when he places his kingship in the hands of God, his Father, having first dispossessed every other sort of rule, authority, and power;

Oportet autem illum regnare donec ponat omnes inimicos sub pedibus ejus.

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

his reign, as we know, must continue until he has put all his enemies under his feet,

Novissima autem inimica destruetur mors: omnia enim subjecit pedibus ejus. Cum autem dicat:

And the enemy death shall be destroyed last: For he hath put all things under his feet. And whereas he saith,

and the last of those enemies to be dispossessed is death. God has put all things in subjection under his feet; that is,

Omnia subjecta sunt ei, sine dubio præter eum qui subjecit ei omnia.

All things are put under him; undoubtedly, he is excepted, who put all things under him.

all things have been made subject to him, except indeed that power which made them his subjects.

Cum autem subjecta fuerint illi omnia: tunc et ipse Filius subjectus erit ei, qui subjecit sibi omnia, ut sit Deus omnia in omnibus.

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then the Son also himself shall be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

And when that subjection is complete, then the Son himself will become subject to the power which made all things his subjects, so that God may be all in all.

Alioquin quid facient qui baptizantur pro mortuis, si omnino mortui non resurgunt? ut quid et baptizantur pro illis?

Otherwise what shall they do that are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not again at all? why are they then baptized for them?

Tell me, what can be the use of being baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise again? Why should anyone be baptized for them?

ut quid et nos periclitamur omni hora?

Why also are we in danger every hour?

Why do we, for that matter, face peril hour after hour?

Quotidie morior per vestram gloriam, fratres, quam habeo in Christo Jesu Domino nostro.

I die daily, I protest by your glory, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I swear to you, brethren, by all the pride I take in you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that death is daily at my side.

Si secundum hominem ad bestias pugnavi Ephesi, quid mihi prodest, si mortui non resurgunt? Manducemus, et bibamus, cras enim moriemur.

If (according to man) I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me, if the dead rise not again? Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall die.

When I fought against beasts at Ephesus with all my strength, of what use was it, if the dead do not rise again? Let us eat and drink, since we must die to-morrow.

Nolite seduci: corrumpunt mores bonos colloquia mala.

Be not seduced: Evil communications corrupt good manners.

Do not be led into such errors; bad company, they say, can corrupt noble minds.

Evigilate justi, et nolite peccare: ignorantiam enim Dei quidam habent, ad reverentiam vobis loquor.

Awake, ye just, and sin not. For some have not the knowledge of God, I speak it to your shame.

Come back to your senses, like right-minded men, and sin no longer; there are some, I say it to your shame, who lack the knowledge of God.

Sed dicet aliquis: Quomodo resurgunt mortui? qualive corpore venient?

But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? or with what manner of body shall they come?

But perhaps someone will ask, How can the dead rise up? What kind of body will they be wearing when they appear?

Insipiens, tu quod seminas non vivificatur, nisi prius moriatur:

Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first.

Poor fool, when thou sowest seed in the ground, it must die before it can be brought to life;

et quod seminas, non corpus, quod futurum est, seminas, sed nudum granum, ut puta tritici, aut alicujus ceterorum.

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be; but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest.

and what thou sowest is not the full body that is one day to be, it is only bare grain, of wheat, it may be, or some other crop;

Deus autem dat illi corpus sicut vult: ut unicuique seminum proprium corpus.

But God giveth it a body as he will: and to every seed its proper body.

it is for God to embody it according to his will, each grain in the body that belongs to it.

Non omnis caro, eadem caro: sed alia quidem hominum, alia vero pecorum, alia volucrum, alia autem piscium.

All flesh is not the same flesh: but one is the flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes.

Nature is not all one; men have one nature, the beasts another, the birds another, the fishes another;

Et corpora cælestia, et corpora terrestria: sed alia quidem cælestium gloria, alia autem terrestrium.

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

so, too, there are bodies that belong to earth and bodies that belong to heaven; and heavenly bodies have one kind of beauty, earthly bodies another.

Alia claritas solis, alia claritas lunæ, et alia claritas stellarum. Stella enim a stella differt in claritate:

One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from star in glory.

The sun has its own beauty, the moon has hers, the stars have theirs, one star even differs from another in its beauty.

sic et resurrectio mortuorum. Seminatur in corruptione, surget in incorruptione.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption.

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown corruptible, rises incorruptible;

Seminatur in ignobilitate, surget in gloria: seminatur in infirmitate, surget in virtute:

It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power.

what is sown unhonoured, rises in glory; what is sown in weakness, is raised in power;

seminatur corpus animale, surget corpus spiritale. Si est corpus animale, est et spiritale, sicut scriptum est:

It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. If there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:

what is sown a natural body, rises a spiritual body. If there is such a thing as a natural body, there must be a spiritual body too.

Factus est primus homo Adam in animam viventem, novissimus Adam in spiritum vivificantem.

The first man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a quickening spirit.

Mankind begins with the Adam who became, as Scripture tells us, a living soul; it is fulfilled in the Adam who has become a life-giving spirit.

Sed non prius quod spiritale est, sed quod animale: deinde quod spiritale.

Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual.

It was not the principle of spiritual life that came first; natural life came first, then spiritual life;

Primus homo de terra, terrenus: secundus homo de cælo, cælestis.

The first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven, heavenly.

the man who came first came from earth, fashioned of dust, the man who came afterwards came from heaven, and his fashion is heavenly.

Qualis terrenus, tales et terreni: et qualis cælestis, tales et cælestes.

Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly.

The nature of that earth-born man is shared by his earthly sons, the nature of the heaven-born man, by his heavenly sons;

Igitur, sicut portavimus imaginem terreni, portemus et imaginem cælestis.

Therefore as we have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the heavenly.

and it remains for us, who once bore the stamp of earth, to bear the stamp of heaven.

Hoc autem dico, fratres: quia caro et sanguis regnum Dei possidere non possunt: neque corruptio incorruptelam possidebit.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God: neither shall corruption possess incorruption.

What I mean, brethren, is this; the kingdom of God cannot be enjoyed by flesh and blood; the principle of corruption cannot share a life which is incorruptible.

Ecce mysterium vobis dico: omnes quidem resurgemus, sed non omnes immutabimur.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all be changed.

Here is a secret I will make known to you; we shall all rise again, but not all of us will undergo the change I speak of.

In momento, in ictu oculi, in novissima tuba: canet enim tuba, et mortui resurgent incorrupti: et nos immutabimur.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible: and we shall be changed.

It will happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds; the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise again, free from corruption, and we shall find ourselves changed;

Oportet enim corruptibile hoc induere incorruptionem: et mortale hoc induere immortalitatem.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality.

this corruptible nature of ours must be clothed with incorruptible life, this mortal nature with immortality.

Cum autem mortale hoc induerit immortalitatem, tunc fiet sermo, qui scriptus est: Absorpta est mors in victoria.

And when this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory.

Then, when this mortal nature wears its immortality, the saying of scripture will come true, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Ubi est mors victoria tua? ubi est mors stimulus tuus?

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

Where then, death, is thy victory; where, death, is thy sting?

Stimulus autem mortis peccatum est: virtus vero peccati lex.

Now the sting of death is sin: and the power of sin is the law.

It is sin that gives death its sting, just as it is the law that gives sin its power;

Deo autem gratias, qui dedit nobis victoriam per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum.

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

thanks be to God, then, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Itaque fratres mei dilecti, stabiles estote, et immobiles: abundantes in opere Domini semper, scientes quod labor vester non est inanis in Domino.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable; always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Stand firm, then, my beloved brethren, immovable in your resolve, doing your full share continually in the task the Lord has given you, since you know that your labour in the Lord’s service cannot be spent in vain.