Instructions and Greetings

16 Now concerning ^(A)the collection for ^[a](B)the saints, as ^(C)I directed the churches of ^(D)Galatia, so you are to do as well. ² On ^(E)the first day of every week, each of you is to ^[b]put aside and save as he may prosper, so that ^(F)no collections need to be made when I come. ³ When I arrive, ^(G)whomever you approve, I will send them with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem; ⁴ and if it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.

⁵ But I ^(H)will come to you after I go through ^(I)Macedonia; for I ^(J)am going through Macedonia, ⁶ and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may ^(K)send me on my way wherever I go. ⁷ For I do not want to see you now ^(L)just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, ^(M)if the Lord permits. ⁸ But I will remain in ^(N)Ephesus until ^(O)Pentecost; ⁹ for a ^(P)wide door ^[c]for effective service has opened to me, and ^(Q)there are many adversaries.

¹⁰ Now if ^(R)Timothy comes, see that he ^[d]has no reason to be afraid while among you, for he is doing ^(S)the Lord’s work, as I also am. ^11 (T)So do not look down on him, anyone. But ^(U)send him on his way ^(V)in peace, so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brothers.

¹² Now concerning our brother ^(W)Apollos, I strongly encouraged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has the opportunity.

^13 (X)Be on the alert, ^(Y)stand firm in the faith, ^(Z)act like men, ^(AA)be strong. ¹⁴ All that you do must be done ^(AB)in love.

¹⁵ Now I urge you, brothers and sisters: you know the ^(AC)household of Stephanas, that ^[e]they are the ^(AD)first fruits of ^(AE)Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to ^(AF)ministry to ^(AG)the ^[f]saints; ¹⁶ I urge that ^(AH)you also be subject to such as these and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. ¹⁷ I rejoice over the ^[g](AI)coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, because they have ^[h]supplied ^(AJ)what was lacking on your part. ¹⁸ For they ^(AK)have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore ^(AL)acknowledge such men.

¹⁹ The churches of ^[i](AM)Asia greet you. ^(AN)Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with ^(AO)the church that is in their house. ²⁰ All the brothers and sisters greet you. ^(AP)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹ The greeting is in ^(AQ)my own hand—that of Paul. ²² If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be ^[j](AR)accursed. ^[k](AS)Maranatha! ^23 (AT)The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. ²⁴ My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in ^[a]the Spirit to ^(A)go to Jerusalem ^(B)after he had passed through ^(C)Macedonia and ^(D)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(E)I must also see Rome.” ²² And after he sent into ^(F)Macedonia two of ^(G)those who assisted him, ^(H)Timothy and ^(I)Erastus, he himself stayed in ^[b](J)Asia for a while.

²³ About that time ^[c]a major disturbance occurred in regard to ^[d](K)the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of ^[e]Artemis, ^(L)was bringing ^[f]considerable ^[g]business to the craftsmen; ²⁵ he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ^[h]depends upon this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in ^(M)Ephesus, but in almost all of ^[i](N)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that ^[j](O)gods made by hands are not gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess ^[k]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of ^[l](P)Asia and ^(Q)the ^[m]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is ^[n]Artemis of the ^(R)Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along ^(S)Gaius and ^(T)Aristarchus, Paul’s ^(U)Macedonian traveling ^(V)companions. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, ^(W)the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Also some of the ^[o]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to ^[p]venture into the theater. ^32 (X)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the ^[q]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know ^[r]for what reason they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd ^[s]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having ^(Y)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is ^[t]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of ^(Z)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great ^[u]Artemis and of the image which fell down from ^[v]the sky? ³⁶ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither ^(AA)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and ^[w](AB)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the ^[x]lawful ^[y]assembly. ⁴⁰ For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the ^[z]assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for ^(AC)the disciples, and when he had ^[aa]encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left ^(AD)to go to ^(AE)Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much ^[ab]encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ And there he spent three months, and when ^(AF)a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for ^(AG)Syria, he decided to return through ^(AH)Macedonia. ⁴ And ^[ac]he was accompanied by Sopater of ^(AI)Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by ^(AJ)Aristarchus and Secundus of the ^(AK)Thessalonians, and ^(AL)Gaius of ^(AM)Derbe, and ^(AN)Timothy, and ^(AO)Tychicus and ^(AP)Trophimus of ^[ad](AQ)Asia. ⁵ Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for ^(AR)us at ^(AS)Troas. ^6 (AT)We sailed from ^(AU)Philippi after ^[ae](AV)the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at ^(AW)Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, ^[a](A)called as an apostle, ^(B)set apart for ^(C)the gospel of God, ² which He ^(D)promised beforehand through His ^(E)prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son, who was born ^(F)of a ^[b]descendant of David ^(G)according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared ^(H)the Son of God with power according to the ^[c]Spirit of holiness ^[d]by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and ^(I)apostleship ^[e]to bring about the ^(J)obedience of faith among ^(K)all the Gentiles in behalf of His name, ⁶ among whom you also are the ^(L)called of Jesus Christ;

⁷ to all who are ^(M)beloved of God in Rome, called as ^[f](N)saints: ^(O)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, ^(P)I thank my God through Jesus Christ ^[g]for you all, because ^(Q)your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world. ⁹ For ^(R)God, whom I ^(S)serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly ^(T)I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always in my prayers requesting if perhaps now, at last by ^(U)the will of God, I will succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For ^(V)I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be ^[h]established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. ^13 (W)I do not want you to be unaware, ^(X)brothers and sisters, that often I ^(Y)have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some ^(Z)fruit among you also just as among the rest of the Gentiles. ^14 (AA)I am ^[i]under obligation both to Greeks and to the ^[j](AB)uncultured, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to ^(AC)preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ^(AD)ashamed of the gospel, for ^(AE)it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the ^(AF)Jew first and also to ^(AG)the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it ^(AH)the righteousness of God is revealed ^[k]from faith to faith; as it is written: “^[l](AI)But the righteous one will live by faith.”

Unbelief and Its Consequences

¹⁸ For ^(AJ)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who ^(AK)suppress the truth ^[m]in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because ^(AL)that which is known about God is evident ^[n]within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For ^(AM)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ^(AN)being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not ^[o]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became ^(AO)futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. ^22 (AP)Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and they ^(AQ)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and ^[p]crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore ^(AR)God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts, so that their bodies would be ^(AS)dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for ^[q](AT)falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, ^(AU)who is blessed ^[r]forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason ^(AV)God gave them over to ^(AW)degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, ²⁷ and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations ^[s]with women and burned in their desire toward one another, ^(AX)males with males committing ^[t]shameful acts and receiving in ^[u]their own persons the due penalty of their error.

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit ^[v]to acknowledge God, ^(AY)God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper, ²⁹ people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are ^(AZ)gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, ^[w](BA)haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, ^(BB)disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, ^(BC)unfeeling, and unmerciful; ³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of ^(BD)death, they not only do the same, but also ^(BE)approve of those who practice them.