The Gift for Other Believers

16 Now I will write about the collection of money for God’s people. Do the same thing that I told the Galatian churches to do: ² On the first day of every week, each one of you should put aside as much money as you can from what you are blessed with. You should save it up, so that you will not have to collect money after I come. ³ When I arrive, I will send some men to take your gift to Jerusalem. These will be men who you all agree should go. I will send them with letters of introduction. ⁴ If it seems good for me to go also, these men will go along with me.

Paul’s Plans

⁵ I plan to go through Macedonia. So I will come to you after I go through there. ⁶ Maybe I will stay with you for a time. I might even stay all winter. Then you can help me on my trip, wherever I go. ⁷ I do not want to come to see you now, because I would have to leave to go other places. I hope to stay a longer time with you if the Lord allows it. ⁸ But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost. ⁹ I will stay, because a good opportunity for a great and growing work has been given to me now. And there are many people working against me.

¹⁰ Timothy might come to you. Try to make him feel comfortable with you. He is working for the Lord just as I am. ¹¹ So none of you should refuse to accept Timothy. Help him on his trip in peace, so that he can come back to me. I am expecting him to come back with the brothers.

¹² Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. But he was sure that he did not want to go now. But when he has the opportunity, he will go to you.

Paul Ends His Letter

¹³ Be careful. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong. ¹⁴ Do everything in love.

¹⁵ You know that the family of Stephanas were the first believers in Southern Greece. They have given themselves to the service of God’s people. I ask you, brothers, ¹⁶ to follow the leading of people like these and anyone else who works and serves with them.

¹⁷ I am happy that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come. You are not here, but they have filled your place. ¹⁸ They have given rest to my spirit and to yours. You should recognize the value of men like these.

¹⁹ The churches in the country of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord. Also the church that meets in their house greets you. ²⁰ All the brothers here send greetings. Give each other a holy kiss when you meet.

²¹ I am Paul, and I am writing this greeting with my own hand.

²² If anyone does not love the Lord, then let him be separated from God—lost forever!

Come, O Lord!

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

²⁴ My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

Other Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell all the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must be holy because I am holy.

³ “‘Each person among you must respect his mother and father. And you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ “‘Do not worship idols. Do not make statues of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ “‘You may sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord. If you do, you must offer it so you will be accepted. ⁶ You may eat it the same day you offer it. And you may also eat it on the next day. But if any is left on the third day, you must burn it up. ⁷ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is unclean. It will not be accepted. ⁸ Anyone who eats it then will be guilty of sin. This is because he did not respect the holy things that belong to the Lord. He must be separated from his people.

⁹ “‘You harvest your crops on your land. But do not harvest all the way to the corners of your fields. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. ¹⁰ Don’t pick all the grapes in your vineyards. And don’t pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for poor people. You must also leave them for people traveling through your country. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “‘You must not steal. You must not cheat people. You must not lie to each other. ¹² You must not make a false promise by my name. If you do that, you will show that you don’t respect your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘You must not cheat your neighbor. You must not rob him. You must not keep a hired worker’s salary all night until morning. ¹⁴ You must not curse a deaf man. And you must not put something in front of a blind person to make him fall. But you must respect your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Be fair in your judging. You must not show special favor to poor people or great people. You must be fair when you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶ You must not spread false stories against other people. You must not do anything that would put your neighbor’s life in danger. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘You must not hate your brother in your heart. If your neighbor does something wrong, tell him about it. If you do not, you will be partly to blame. ¹⁸ Forget about the wrong things people do to you. You must not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “‘Obey my laws. You must not mate two different kinds of cattle. You must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two different kinds of material mixed together.

²⁰ “‘A man might have physical relations with a slave girl of another man. But this slave girl has not been bought or given her freedom. If this happens, there must be punishment. But they are not to be put to death. This is because the woman was not free. ²¹ The man must bring a male sheep as his penalty offering. He must bring it to the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ²² The priest will offer the male sheep as a penalty offering before the Lord. It will be for the man’s sin. The priest will perform the acts to remove the sins of the man so he will belong to the Lord. Then the man will be forgiven for his sin.

²³ “‘In the future you will enter your country. You will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit. ²⁴ In the fourth year the fruit from the tree will be the Lord’s. It will be a holy offering of praise to him. ²⁵ Then in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit from the tree. The tree will then produce more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “‘You must not eat anything with the blood in it.

“‘You must not try to tell the future by signs or black magic.

²⁷ “‘You must not cut the hair on the sides of your heads. And you must not cut the edges of your beard. ²⁸ You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died. Do not put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “‘You must not make your daughter become a prostitute. That only shows you do not respect her. If you do this, the country will be filled with all kinds of sin.

³⁰ “‘Obey the laws about Sabbaths. You must respect my Most Holy Place. I am the Lord.

³¹ “‘Do not go to mediums or fortune-tellers for advice. If you do, you will become unclean. I am the Lord your God.

³² “‘Show respect to old people. Stand up when they come into the room. Show respect also to your God. I am the Lord.

³³ “‘Do not mistreat foreigners living in your country. ³⁴ Treat them just as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time. That was in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “‘Be fair when you judge people. And be fair when you measure and weigh things. ³⁶ Your weighing baskets should be the right size. And your jars should hold the right amount of liquid. Your weights and balances should weigh correctly. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷ “‘Remember all my laws and rules, and obey them. I am the Lord.’”

A Warning About False Teachers

4 The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the later times some people will stop believing the true faith. They will obey spirits that lie and will follow the teachings of demons. ² Such teachings come from hypocrites, men who cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is as if their understanding were destroyed by a hot iron. ³ They tell people that it is wrong to marry. And they tell people that there are some foods that must not be eaten. But God made those foods, and the people who believe and who know the truth can eat those foods with thanks. ⁴ Everything that God made is good. Nothing that God made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to God. ⁵ Everything God made is made holy by what God has said and by prayer.

Be a Good Servant of Christ

⁶ Tell these things to the brothers. This will show that you are a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you are made strong by the words of faith and good teaching that you have been following. ⁷ People tell silly stories that do not agree with God’s truth. Do not follow what those stories teach. But teach yourself only to serve God. ⁸ Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way. Serving God brings you blessings in this life and in the future life, too. ⁹ What I say is true, and you should fully accept it. ¹⁰ For this is why we work and struggle:^[a] We hope in the living God. He is the Savior of all people. And in a very special way, he is the Savior of all who believe in him.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² You are young, but do not let anyone treat you as if you were not important. Be an example to show the believers how they should live. Show them with your words, with the way you live, with your love, with your faith, and with your pure life. ¹³ Continue to read the Scriptures to the people, strengthen them, and teach them. Do these things until I come. ¹⁴ Remember to use the gift that you have. That gift was given to you through a prophecy when the group of elders laid their hands on^[b] you. ¹⁵ Continue to do those things. Give your life to doing them. Then everyone can see that your work is progressing. ¹⁶ Be careful in your life and in your teaching. Continue to live and teach rightly. Then you will save yourself and those people who listen to you.