1 Corinthians 16 - 2 Corinthians 1

English Standard Version

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. ² 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. ³ And when I arrive, I will send ^(E)those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴ If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Plans for Travel

^5 (F)I will visit you after passing through ^(G)Macedonia, for ^(H)I intend to pass through Macedonia, ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. ⁸ But I will stay in Ephesus until ^(L)Pentecost, ⁹ 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.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(AN)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(AO)by the will of God, and ^(AP)Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is at Corinth, ^(AQ)with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

^2 (AR)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God of All Comfort

^3 (AS)Blessed be the ^(AT)God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^(AU)God of all comfort, ^4 (AV)who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in ^(AW)Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.^{[f] 6 (AX)}If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you ^(AY)share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

⁸ For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,^[g] of ^(AZ)the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us ^(BA)rely not on ourselves ^(BB)but on God ^(BC)who raises the dead. ^10 (BD)He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. ^(BE)On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. ^11 (BF)You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf ^(BG)for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Paul's Change of Plans

¹² For our boast is this, ^(BH)the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity^[h] and ^(BI)godly sincerity, ^(BJ)not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. ¹³ For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— ¹⁴ just as you did ^(BK)partially understand us—that ^(BL)on the day of our Lord Jesus ^(BM)you will boast of us as ^(BN)we will boast of you.

¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, ^(BO)I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have ^(BP)a second ^(BQ)experience of grace. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you ^(BR)on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans ^(BS)according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸ As surely as ^(BT)God is faithful, ^(BU)our word to you has not been Yes and No. ¹⁹ For ^(BV)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, ^(BW)Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but ^(BX)in him it is always Yes. ²⁰ For ^(BY)all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our ^(BZ)Amen to God for his glory. ²¹ And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and ^(CA)has anointed us, ²² and who has also ^(CB)put his seal on us and ^(CC)given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.^[i]

²³ But ^(CD)I call God to witness against me—it was ^(CE)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we ^(CF)lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm ^(CG)in your faith.