1 Corinthians 11

Contemporary English Version

11 ^1 (A) You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Rules for Worship

² I am proud of you, because you always remember me and obey the teachings I gave you. ³ Now I want you to know that Christ is the head of all men, and a man is the head of a woman. But God is the head of Christ. ⁴ This means that any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head brings shame to his head.

⁵ But any woman who prays or prophesies without something on her head brings shame to her head. In fact, she may as well shave her head.^{[a] 6} A woman should wear something on her head. It is a disgrace for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair. But if she refuses to wear something on her head, let her cut off her hair.

^7 (B) Men were created to be like God and to bring honor to God. This means a man should not wear anything on his head. Women were created to bring honor to men. ^8 (C) It was the woman who was made from a man, and not the man who was made from a woman. ⁹ He wasn't created for her. She was created for him. ¹⁰ And so, because of this, and also because of the angels, a woman ought to wear something on her head, as a sign of her authority.^[b]

¹¹ As far as the Lord is concerned, men and women need each other. ¹² It is true that the first woman came from a man, but all other men have been given birth by women. Yet God is the one who created everything. ¹³ Ask yourselves if it is proper for a woman to pray without something on her head. ¹⁴ Isn't it unnatural and disgraceful for men to have long hair? ¹⁵ But long hair is a beautiful way for a woman to cover her head. ¹⁶ This is how things are done in all of God's churches,^[c] and this is why none of you should argue about what I have said.

Rules for the Lord's Supper

¹⁷ Your worship services do you more harm than good. I am certainly not going to praise you for this. ¹⁸ I am told you can't get along with each other when you worship, and I am sure that some of what I have heard is true. ¹⁹ You are bound to argue with each other, but it is easy to see which of you have God's approval.

²⁰ When you meet together, you don't really celebrate the Lord's Supper. ²¹ You even start eating before everyone gets to the meeting, and some of you go hungry, while others get drunk. ²² Don't you have homes where you can eat and drink? Do you hate God's church? Do you want to embarrass people who don't have anything? What can I say to you? I certainly cannot praise you.

The Lord's Supper

(Matthew 26.26-29; Mark 14.22-25; Luke 22.14-20)

²³ I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. And it came from the Lord himself.

He took some bread in his hands. ²⁴ Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.”

^25 (D) After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and said, “This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me.”

²⁶ The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about his death until he comes.

²⁷ But if you eat the bread and drink the wine in a way that isn't worthy of the Lord, you sin against his body and blood. ²⁸ This is why you must examine the way you eat and drink. ²⁹ If you fail to understand that you are the body of the Lord, you will condemn yourselves by the way you eat and drink. ³⁰ This is why many of you are sick and weak and why a lot of others have died. ³¹ If we carefully judge ourselves, we won't be punished. ³² But when the Lord judges and punishes us, he does it to keep us from being condemned with the rest of the world.

³³ My dear friends, you should wait until everyone gets there before you start eating. ³⁴ If you really are hungry, you can eat at home. Then you won't condemn yourselves when you meet together.

After I arrive, I will instruct you about the other matters.