1 Imitate
a me, just as I also
imitate Christ.
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Head Coverings
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered
them to you.
3 But I want you to know that
a the head of every man is Christ,
b the head of woman
is man, and the
c head of Christ
is God.
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4 Every man praying or
a prophesying, having
his head covered, dishonors his head.
‡
5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with
her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were
a shaved.
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6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is
a shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.
‡
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover
his head, since
a he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
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8 For man is not from woman, but woman
a from man.
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9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman
a for the man.
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10 For this reason the woman ought to have
a symbol of authority on
her head, because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless,
a neither
is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.
‡
12 For as woman
came from man, even so man also
comes through woman; but all things are from God.
13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Does not even nature 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 a glory to her; for
her hair is given
1 to her for a covering.
‡
16 But
a if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom,
b nor
do the churches of God.
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Conduct at the Lord’s Supper
17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise
you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when you come together as a church,
a I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
‡
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
The apostle Paul writes to the church he raised up. His instruction to this badly divided church is to keep the doctrines as delivered by him, not by somebody else, but as Paul taught them to the church.