1 Corinthians 16 · 2 Corinthians 1–3

1Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I commanded the assemblies of Galatia, you do likewise.

2On the first day of every week, let each one of you save as he may prosper, that no collections are made when I come.

3When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.

4If it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.

5I will come to you when I have passed through Macedonia, for I am passing through Macedonia.

6But with you it may be that I will stay with you, or even winter with you, that you may send me on my journey wherever I go.

7For I do not wish to see you now in passing, but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.

8But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost,

9for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

10Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.

11Therefore let no one despise him. But set him forward on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brothers.

12Now concerning Apollos the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers, but it was not at all his desire to come now; but he will come when he has an opportunity.

13Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!

14Let all that you do be done in love.

15Now I beg you, brothers—you know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to serve the saints—

16that you also be in subjection to such, and to everyone who helps in the work and labors.

17I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus; for that which was lacking on your part, they supplied.

18For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge those who are like that.

19The assemblies of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, together with the assembly that is in their house.

20All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21This greeting is by me, Paul, with my own hand.

22If any man doesn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed. Come, Lord!

23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

5For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ.

6But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.

7Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so you are also of the comfort.

8For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.

9Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,

10who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver, on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us,

11you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift given to us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf.

12For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

13For we write no other things to you than what you read or even acknowledge, and I hope you will acknowledge to the end—

14as also you acknowledged us in part—that we are your boasting, even as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.

15In this confidence, I was determined to come first to you, that you might have a second benefit,

16and by you to pass into Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and to be sent forward by you on my journey to Judea.

17When I therefore planned this, did I show fickleness? Or the things that I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be the “Yes, yes” and the “No, no?”

18But as God is faithful, our word toward you was not “Yes and no.”

19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not “Yes and no,” but in him is “Yes.”

20For however many are the promises of God, in him is the “Yes.” Therefore also through him is the “Amen”, to the glory of God through us.

21Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,

22who also sealed us and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.

23But I call God for a witness to my soul, that to spare you, I didn’t come to Corinth.

24We don’t control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.

1But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.

2For if I make you grieve, then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve by me?

3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy would be shared by all of you.

4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made to grieve, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.

5But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.

6This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one;

7so that, on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.

8Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him.

9For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.

10Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

11that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

12Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,

13I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.

14Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.

15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God in those who are saved and in those who perish:

16to the one a stench from death to death, to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

17For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.

1Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

2You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men,

3being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.

4Such confidence we have through Christ toward God,

5not that we are sufficient of ourselves to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God,

6who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away,

8won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory?

9For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

10For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses.

11For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

12Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

13and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face so that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.

14But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.

15But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

16But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.