^aImitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

2 ^aI praise and appreciate you because you ^bremember me in everything and you ^cfirmly hold to the ¹traditions the substance of my instructions, just as I have passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the ^ahead (authority over) of every man, and ^bman is the head of woman, and God is the ^chead of Christ. 4 Every man who prays or ^1aprophesies with something on his head dishonors his head and the One who is his head. 5 And every ^awoman who prays or prophesies when she has her ¹head uncovered disgraces her head; for she is one and the same as the ²woman whose head is ^bshaved in disgrace. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and ¹if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head. 7 A man ought not have his head covered during worship, since he is the ^aimage and reflected glory of God; but the woman is the expression of man’s glory. Gen 1:26 8 For ^aman does not originate from woman, but woman from man; Gen 2:21-23 9 for indeed man was not created for the sake of woman, but ^awoman for the sake of man. Gen 2:18 10 Therefore the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, ¹for the sake of the angels so as not to offend them. 11 Nevertheless, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as the woman originates from the man, so also man is born through the woman; and ^aall things whether male or female originate ^bfrom God as their Creator. 13 ^1aJudge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to offer prayer to God publicly with her head uncovered? 14 Does not common sense itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her ornament and glory? For her long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 Now if anyone is inclined to be contentious about this, ^awe have no other practice in worship than this, nor do ^bthe churches of God in general.

17 But in giving this next instruction, ^aI do not praise you, because when you meet together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you meet together in church, I hear that there are ^adivisions among you; and in part I believe it, 19 for doubtless there ^ahave to be factions among you, ^bso that those who are of approved character may be clearly recognized among you. 20 So when you meet together, it is not to eat the ¹Lord’s Supper, 21 for when you eat, each one hurries to get his own supper first not waiting for others or the poor. So one goes hungry while ^aanother gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you show contempt for the ^achurch of God and ^bhumiliate those impoverished believers who have nothing? What will I say to you? Shall ^cI praise you for this? In this I will not praise you!

23 ¹For ^aI received from the Lord Himself that instruction which I passed on to you, that ^bthe Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is (represents) My body, which is offered as a sacrifice for you. Do this in affectionate remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took ^athe cup, saying, “This cup is the ^bnew covenant ratified and established in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in affectionate remembrance of Me.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are symbolically proclaiming the fact of the Lord’s death ^auntil He comes again.

27 So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy of Him will be ^aguilty of profaning and sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But a person must prayerfully ^aexamine himself and his relationship to Christ, and only when he has done so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without solemn reverence and heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ, eats and drinks a judgment on himself if he does not ¹recognize the body of Christ. 30 That careless and unworthy participation is the reason why many among you are weak and sick, and a number ^asleep in death. 31 But if we evaluated and judged ourselves honestly recognizing our shortcomings and correcting our behavior, we would not be judged. 32 But when we fall short and are judged by the Lord, we are ^adisciplined by undergoing His correction so that we will not be condemned to eternal punishment along with ^bthe world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat the Lord’s Supper, wait for one another and see to it that no one is left out. 34 If anyone is too ^ahungry to wait, let him eat ^bat home, so that you will not come together for judgment on yourselves. About the remaining matters of which I was informed, I will ^ctake care of them ^dwhen I come.