1 Corinthians · Chapter 2

[ edit] And I, briþeren, whanne I cam to ȝou, cam not in hiȝneſſe of word, or wyſdom, tellinge, or ſchewinge, to ȝou þe witneſſing of Criſt. Soþli I ſchewide, or demyde, not me for to wite, or kunne, ony þing among ȝou, not but Criſt Jheſu, and him crucifyed. And I in ſykneſſe, and drede, and moche tremblyng, or quakyng, was anentis ȝou; and my word and my preching not in perſuable, or ſutile gloſynge, wordis of mannis wyſdom, but in ſchewynge of ſpirit and vertu; þat ȝoure feiþ be not in þe wyſdom of men, but in þe vertu of God.

Forſoþ we ſpeken wyſdom among perfyt men, forſoþ not wyſdom of þis world, neþer of princes of þis world, þat ben diſtroyed; but we ſpeken þe wyſdom of God, þat is hid in myſterie, or priuyte; þe which wyſdom God bifore ordeynede bifore worldis in to oure glorie, þe which no man of þe princes of þis world knew; for if þei hadden knowen, þei ſchulden neuere haue crucified þe Lord of glorie. But as it is writun, Þat yȝe ſyȝ not, ne eere herde, neþer it ſtiȝede in to herte of man, what þingis God made redy bifore to hem þat louen him; forſoþ God ſchewyde to vs by his ſpirit. Forſoþ þe ſpirit ſekiþ alle þingis, ȝhe, þe deepe þingis of God.

Soþeli who of men woot, what þingis ben of man, no but þe ſpirit of man þat is in him? So and what þingis ben of God, no man knowiþ, no but þe ſpirit of God. Forſoþ we han not reſſeyued þe ſpirit of þis world, but þe ſpirit þat is of God, þat we witen what þingis ben ȝouun to vs of God. Þe whiche þingis we ſpeken, not in tauȝt wordis of mannis wyſdom, but in doctryne of þe ſpirit, compariſonynge ſpiritual þingis to goſtly men. Forſoþ a beeſtli man perſeyueþ not þo þingis þat ben of þe ſpirit of God; ſoþli it is foly to him, and he may not vnderſtonde, for he is examyned, or aſayed, goſtly. Forſoþ a ſpiritual man demeþ alle þingis, and he is demyd, or dampned, of no man.

As it is writun, Who ſoþli knew þe witt of þe Lord, or who tauȝte him? Forſoþ we han þe witt of Criſt.