The Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning[a] (A)the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On (B)the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, (C)as he may prosper, (D)so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send (E)those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Plans for Travel

(F)I will visit you after passing through (G)Macedonia, for (H)I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may (I)help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now (J)just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, (K)if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until (L)Pentecost, for (M)a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and (N)there are many adversaries.

10 (O)When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for (P)he is doing (Q)the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So (R)let no one despise him. (S)Help him on his way (T)in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Final Instructions

12 Now concerning (U)our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will[b] to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

13 (V)Be watchful, (W)stand firm in the faith, (X)act like men, (Y)be strong. 14 (Z)Let all that you do be done in love.

15 Now I urge you, brothers[c]—you know that (AA)the household[d] of Stephanas were (AB)the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves (AC)to the service of the saints— 16 (AD)be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for (AE)your absence, 18 for they (AF)refreshed my spirit as well as yours. (AG)Give recognition to such people.

Greetings

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. (AH)Aquila and Prisca, together with (AI)the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. (AJ)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write (AK)this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be (AL)accursed. Our Lord, come![e] 23 (AM)The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:1 The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians' letter; see 7:1; also verse 12
  2. 1 Corinthians 16:12 Or God's will for him
  3. 1 Corinthians 16:15 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 20
  4. 1 Corinthians 16:15 Greek house
  5. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Greek Maranatha (a transliteration of Aramaic)

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. 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. When I arrive, (G)whomever you approve, I will send them with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem; and if it is appropriate for me to go also, they will go with me.

But I (H)will come to you after I go through (I)Macedonia; for I (J)am going through Macedonia, 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. 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. But I will remain in (N)Ephesus until (O)Pentecost; 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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:1 I.e., the Christians in Jerusalem
  2. 1 Corinthians 16:2 Lit put with himself
  3. 1 Corinthians 16:9 Lit and effective
  4. 1 Corinthians 16:10 Lit is with you without reason to fear
  5. 1 Corinthians 16:15 Lit it is
  6. 1 Corinthians 16:15 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  7. 1 Corinthians 16:17 Or presence
  8. 1 Corinthians 16:17 Or made up for your absence
  9. 1 Corinthians 16:19 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  10. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Gr anathema
  11. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Aramaic [Our] Lord, come!

The Collection for the Lord’s People

16 Now about the collection(A) for the Lord’s people:(B) Do what I told the Galatian(C) churches to do. On the first day of every week,(D) each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.(E) Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve(F) and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests

After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you(G)—for I will be going through Macedonia.(H) Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey,(I) wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.(J) But I will stay on at Ephesus(K) until Pentecost,(L) because a great door for effective work has opened to me,(M) and there are many who oppose me.

10 When Timothy(N) comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord,(O) just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt.(P) Send him on his way(Q) in peace(R) so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos:(S) I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on your guard; stand firm(T) in the faith; be courageous; be strong.(U) 14 Do everything in love.(V)

15 You know that the household of Stephanas(W) were the first converts(X) in Achaia,(Y) and they have devoted themselves to the service(Z) of the Lord’s people.(AA) I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit(AB) to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.(AC) 18 For they refreshed(AD) my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.(AE)

Final Greetings

19 The churches in the province of Asia(AF) send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla[a](AG) greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.(AH) 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.(AI)

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.(AJ)

22 If anyone does not love the Lord,(AK) let that person be cursed!(AL) Come, Lord[b]!(AM)

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.(AN)

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

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
  2. 1 Corinthians 16:22 The Greek for Come, Lord reproduces an Aramaic expression (Marana tha) used by early Christians.
  3. 1 Corinthians 16:24 Some manuscripts do not have Amen.

Collection for the Jerusalem Church

16 Now about the collection(A) for the saints: You should do the same as I instructed the Galatian(B) churches. On the first day of the week,[a](C) each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he prospers, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.(D) When I arrive, I will send with letters(E) those you recommend to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.(F) If it is suitable for me to go as well, they can travel with me.

Paul’s Travel Plans

I will come to you after I pass through Macedonia(G)—for I will be traveling through Macedonia— and perhaps I will remain with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I go. I don’t want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows.(H) But I will stay in Ephesus(I) until Pentecost,(J) because a wide door(K) for effective ministry has opened for me[b]—yet many oppose me. 10 If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear from you, because he is doing the Lord’s work,(L) just as I am. 11 Therefore, no one should look down(M) on him. Send him on his way in peace so he can come to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.[c]

12 About our brother Apollos:(N) I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. However, he will come when he has an opportunity.

Final Exhortation

13 Be alert, stand firm in the faith,(O) act like a man, be strong. 14 Your every action must be done with love.(P)

15 Brothers, you know the household of Stephanas: They are the firstfruits(Q) of Achaia(R) and have devoted themselves to serving the saints. I urge you 16 also to submit to such people, and to everyone who works and labors with them. 17 I am pleased to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus present, because these men have made up for your absence. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit(S) and yours. Therefore recognize(T) such people.

Conclusion

19 The churches of Asia(U) greet you.(V) Aquila and Priscilla(W) greet you warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.(X) 20 All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.(Y)

21 This greeting is in my own hand[d](Z)—Paul. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse be on him. Marana tha that is, Lord, come![e] 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.(AA) 24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:2 Or Each Sunday
  2. 1 Corinthians 16:9 Lit for a door has opened to me, great and effective
  3. 1 Corinthians 16:11 With the brothers may connect with Paul or Timothy.
  4. 1 Corinthians 16:21 Paul normally dictated his letters to a secretary, but signed the end of each letter himself; Rm 16:22; Gl 6:11; Col 4:18; 2Th 3:17.
  5. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Or Maran atha (an Aram expression transliterated into Gk) = Our Lord has come!

A Collection for God's People

16 (A) When you collect money for God's people, I want you to do exactly what I told the churches in Galatia to do. That is, each Sunday each of you must put aside part of what you have earned. If you do this, you won't have to take up a collection when I come. Choose some followers to take the money to Jerusalem. I will send them on with the money and with letters which show that you approve of them. If you think I should go along, they can go with me.

Paul's Travel Plans

(B) After I have gone through Macedonia, I hope to see you and visit with you for a while. I may even stay all winter, so that you can help me on my way to wherever I will be going next. If the Lord lets me, I would rather come later for a longer visit than to stop off now for only a short visit. (C)(D) I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because there is a wonderful opportunity for me to do some work here. But there are also many people who are against me.

10 (E) When Timothy arrives, give him a friendly welcome. He is doing the Lord's work, just as I am. 11 Don't let anyone mistreat him. I am looking for him to return to me together with the other followers. So when he leaves, send him off with your blessings.

12 I have tried hard to get our friend Apollos to visit you with the other followers. He doesn't want to come just now, but he will come when he can.

Personal Concerns and Greetings

13 Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong. 14 Show love in everything you do.

15 (F) You know that Stephanas and his family were the first in Achaia to have faith in the Lord. They have done all they can for God's people. My friends, I ask you 16 to obey leaders like them and to do the same for all others who work hard with you.

17 I was glad to see Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. Having them here was like having you. 18 They made me feel much better, just as they made you feel better. You should appreciate people like them.

19 (G) Greetings from the churches in Asia.

Aquila and Priscilla, together with the church that meets in their house, send greetings in the name of the Lord.

20 All the Lord's followers send their greetings.

Give each other a warm greeting.

21 I am signing this letter myself: PAUL.

22 I pray that God will put a curse on everyone who doesn't love the Lord. And may the Lord come soon.

23 I pray the Lord Jesus will be kind to you.

24 I love everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus.