Collection for Jerusalem

16 Concerning the collection of money for God’s people: You should do what I have directed the churches in Galatia to do. ² On the first day of the week, each of you should set aside whatever you can afford from what you earn so that the collection won’t be delayed until I come. ³ Then when I get there, I’ll send whomever you approve to Jerusalem with letters of recommendation to bring your gift. ⁴ If it seems right for me to go too, they’ll travel with me.

Plans to visit

⁵ I’ll come to you after I go through Macedonia, and because I’m going through Macedonia, ⁶ I may stay with you or even spend the winter there in Corinth so that you can send me on my way to wherever I’m off to next. ⁷ I don’t want to make a quick visit to you, since I hope to spend some time with you if the Lord lets it happen. ⁸ I’ll stay here in Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. ⁹ In spite of the fact that there are many opponents, a big and productive opportunity has opened up for my mission here.

¹⁰ If Timothy comes to you, be sure that he has no reason to be afraid while he’s with you, because he does the work of the Lord just like I do. ¹¹ So don’t let anyone disrespect him, but send him on in peace so he can join me. I’m waiting for him along with the brothers and sisters. ¹² Concerning Apollos our brother: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the brothers and sisters, but he didn’t want to go now. He’ll come when he has an opportunity.

Final greeting

¹³ Stay awake, stand firm in your faith, be brave, be strong. ¹⁴ Everything should be done in love.

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to do something else. You know that the people in Stephanas’ household were the first crop of the harvest to come from the mission to Achaia. They have dedicated themselves to the service of God’s people. ¹⁶ So accept the authority of people like them and of anyone who cooperates and works hard. ¹⁷ I’m so happy that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived; they’ve made up for my missing you. ¹⁸ Indeed they’ve provided my spirit and yours with a much-needed rest. Therefore, give them proper recognition.

¹⁹ The churches in the province of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, together with the church that meets in their house. ²⁰ All the brothers and sisters greet you. You in turn should greet each other with a holy kiss. ²¹ Here is my greeting in my own handwriting—Paul.

²² A curse on anyone who doesn’t love the Lord. Come, Lord! ²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. ²⁴ My love is with all of you in Christ Jesus.

Greeting

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother.

To God’s church that is in Corinth, along with all of God’s people throughout Achaia.

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

God’s comfort in trouble

³ May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. ⁴ He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. ⁵ That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. ⁶ So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort.

⁸ Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be unaware of the troubles that we went through in Asia. We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive. ⁹ It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty. This was so that we would have confidence in God, who raises the dead, instead of ourselves. ¹⁰ God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, ¹¹ since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people.

Paul explains his change of plans

¹² We have conducted ourselves with godly sincerity and pure motives in the world, and especially toward you. This is why we are confident, and our conscience confirms this. We didn’t act with human wisdom but we relied on the grace of God. ¹³ We don’t write anything to you except what you can read and also understand. I hope that you will understand totally ¹⁴ since you have already understood us partly. Understand that in the day of our Lord Jesus, we will make you proud as you will also make us proud.

¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you could have a second opportunity to see me. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then come to you again on my way back from Macedonia, at which point I was hoping you would help me on my way to Judea.

¹⁷ So I wasn’t unreliable when I planned to do this, was I? Or do I make decisions with a substandard human process so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸ But as God is faithful, our message to you isn’t both yes and no. ¹⁹ God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the one who was preached among you by us—through me, Silvanus, and Timothy—he wasn’t yes and no. In him it is always yes. ²⁰ All of God’s promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God.

²¹ God is the one who establishes us with you in Christ and who anointed us. ²² God also sealed us and gave the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts. ²³ I call on God as my witness—I didn’t come again to Corinth because I wanted to spare you. ²⁴ It isn’t that we are trying to control your faith, but we are working with you for your happiness, because you stand firm in your faith.