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¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also ye received, and wherein ye stand:² By which also ye are saved, if ye retain what I preached to you, unless ye have believed in vain.³ For I delivered to you first, that which I also received, That Christ died for our sins,⁴ according to the scriptures, And that he was buried, and that he was raised the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.⁵ Afterwards he was seen by above five hundred brethren at once,⁶ of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep.⁷ After this he was seen by James, then by all the apostles.⁸ Last of all he was seen by me also, as an untimely birth.⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy 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 toward me was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.¹¹ Whether therefore I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

¹² But if Christ is preached, that he rose from the dead, how say some among you, that there is no resurrection of the dead?¹³ For if there be no resurrection of the dead, neither is Christ raised.¹⁴ And if Christ be not raised, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.¹⁵ Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified from God, that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise, if the dead rise not.¹⁶ For if the dead rise not, neither is Christ raised:¹⁷ And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are still in your sins.¹⁸ Then also they who sleep in Christ are perished.¹⁹ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are more miserable than all men.

²⁰ But now is Christ risen from the dead, the first-fruit of them that slept.²¹ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.²² For as through Adam all die, even so through Christ shall all be made alive.²³ But every one in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, afterward they who are Christ's, at his coming.²⁴ Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power.²⁵ For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.²⁶ The last enemy that is destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet.²⁷ But when he saith, All things are put under him, it is manifest that he who did put all things under him is excepted.²⁸ But when all things shall be put under him, then shall the Son himself also be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.²⁹ Else what shall they do, who are baptized for the dead? If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for them?³⁰ Why are we also in danger every hour? I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.³¹ If after the manner of men,³² I have fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.³³ Be not deceived. Evil communications corrupt good manners.³⁴ Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

³⁵ But some one will say, How are the dead raised? And with what body do they come?³⁶ Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die,³⁷ And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat, or of any other corn:³⁸ But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to each of the seeds, its own body.³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts, another of fishes, another of birds.⁴⁰ There are also heavenly, and there are earthly bodies: but the glory of the heavenly is one, and that of the earthly another.⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: and one star differeth from another 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, The first Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam is a quickening Spirit.⁴⁶ Yet the spiritual body was not first, but the animal; afterward the spiritual.⁴⁷ The first man was from the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.⁴⁸ As was the earthy, such are they also that are earthy, and as was the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.⁴⁹ And as we have borne the image of the earthy, 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 tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality.⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory; The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.⁵⁶ But thanks be to God,⁵⁷ who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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