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The Collection for Jerusalem

16 Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

Paul’s Final Instructions

I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia,[a] for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.

10 When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. 11 Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.[b]

12 Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous.[c] Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece,[d] and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters,[e] 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. 17 I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.

Paul’s Final Greetings

19 The churches here in the province of Asia[f] send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla[g] and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.

21 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come![h]

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

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

Notas al pie

  1. 16:5 Macedonia was in the northern region of Greece.
  2. 16:11 Greek with the brothers; also in 16:12.
  3. 16:13 Greek Be men.
  4. 16:15a Greek in Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula.
  5. 16:15b Greek brothers; also in 16:20.
  6. 16:19a Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey.
  7. 16:19b Greek Prisca.
  8. 16:22 From Aramaic, Marana tha. Some manuscripts read Maran atha, “Our Lord has come.”
  9. 16:24 Some manuscripts add Amen.

Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning (A)the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: (B)On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, (C)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. (D)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans(E)

Now I will come to you (F)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may (G)send me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, (H)if the Lord permits.

But I will tarry in Ephesus until (I)Pentecost. For (J)a great and effective door has opened to me, and (K)there are many adversaries.

10 And (L)if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for (M)he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 (N)Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey (O)in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

12 Now concerning our brother (P)Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

Final Exhortations

13 (Q)Watch, (R)stand fast in the faith, be brave, (S)be strong. 14 (T)Let all that you do be done with love.

15 I urge you, brethren—you know (U)the household of Stephanas, that it is (V)the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to (W)the ministry of the saints— 16 (X)that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and (Y)labors with us.

17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, (Z)for what was lacking on your part they supplied. 18 (AA)For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore (AB)acknowledge such men.

Greetings and a Solemn Farewell

19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, (AC)with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you.

(AD)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 (AE)The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.

22 If anyone (AF)does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, (AG)let him be [a]accursed. (AH)O[b] Lord, come!

23 (AI)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Notas al pie

  1. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Gr. anathema
  2. 1 Corinthians 16:22 Aram. Marana tha; possibly Maran atha, Our Lord has come

Collection for the Jerusalem Church

16 Now about the collection(A) for the saints: Do the same as I instructed the Galatian(B) churches. On the first day of the week,(C) each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, 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 gift to Jerusalem.(F) If it is suitable for me to go as well, they will 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, since 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[a]—yet many oppose me. 10 If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear while with you, because he is doing the Lord’s work,(L) just as I am. 11 So let no one look down(M) on him. Send him on his way in peace so that he can come to me, because I am expecting him with the brothers.

12 Now 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) be courageous,[b] be strong. 14 Do everything in love.(P)

15 Brothers and sisters, 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 delighted 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) send you greetings.(V) Aquila and Priscilla(W) send you greetings warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.(X) 20 All the brothers and sisters send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.(Y)

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

Notas al pie

  1. 16:9 Lit door has opened to me, great and effective
  2. 16:13 Lit act like men
  3. 16:22 Aramaic Marana tha

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]

Notas al pie

  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.

16 Now I call you, just as I did the churches gathering in Galatia, to collect funds to support God’s people in Jerusalem. On Sunday, the first day of the week, I want each of you to set aside an amount, as God has blessed you, so the funds will be collected by the time I come. When I get there, I will send those you recommend by your own letters to carry your generous and gracious donation to Jerusalem. If you think it seems appropriate for me to travel with them, then we’ll go together.

Get ready. I will come your way after traveling through Macedonia. For I’m just passing through Macedonia and will probably stay with you through the winter so that you may provide for my next journey (wherever that may be). I want to reconnect with you, not just pass through; if the Lord is willing, I hope to stay awhile. But until Pentecost, I plan to stay in Ephesus because, not only has God opened a significant door here for me to serve, but also there is a lot of opposition against me.

Churches are often characterized by words such as “independent” and “autonomous.” But one would be hard-pressed to find any of these ideas in the Scriptures. Instead, Paul seems to be modeling submission and interdependence. We must always consider others and shape our actions to bless them. But he does not stop there—it is clear that we are responsible to care for one another in physical and monetary ways. What might Paul say to the church today, given the drastic disparity between the wealthy churches of the West and the brothers and sisters in the rest of the world who lack food, water, or shelter?

10 If Timothy comes, see that he is comfortable and untroubled; his work is the Lord’s, as is mine. 11 No one should treat him badly. Send him on to meet me in peace because the brothers and sisters here and I are looking for him. 12 You shouldn’t expect to see our brother Apollos, although I tried to persuade him to come to you with the rest of the brothers and sisters, because now is not the best time for him to come. When it’s his time, he will come.

13 Listen, stay alert, stand tall in the faith, be courageous, and be strong. 14 Let love prevail in your life, words, and actions.

15 Finally, brothers and sisters, I call on you to follow your leaders. People like those in the house of Stephanas—you know they were among the first believers in Achaia, and they have devoted their lives to serving God’s people— 16 I urge you to submit to the authority of such leaders, to every coworker, and to those who offer their backs and shoulders for the work. 17 I celebrate the arrival of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, as they have supplied me with what you could not. 18 They have been a breath of fresh air for me as I know they are for you, so respect and honor those like them.

19 The churches in Asia salute you. Aquila and Prisca send a heartfelt greeting in the Lord along with those who gather at their house. 20 The entire family in faith here sends their greetings. Be sure you greet one another by a holy kiss.

21 This closing greeting is written by my own hand—Paul’s: 22 May those who have no love for the Lord be cursed. Maranatha, “Our Lord, come!” 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love to you all in the name of the Anointed One, Jesus. [Amen.][a]

Notas al pie

  1. 16:24 Some manuscripts omit this word.