Personal Greetings

16 I would like you to welcome our sister Phoebe. She is a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. ² I ask you to receive her as one who belongs to the Lord. Receive her in the way God’s people should. Give her any help she may need from you. She has been a great help to many people, including me.

³ Greet Priscilla and Aquila. They work together with me in serving Christ Jesus. ⁴ They have put their lives in danger for me. I am thankful for them. So are all the Gentile churches.

⁵ Greet also the church that meets in the house of Priscilla and Aquila.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person in Asia Minor to become a believer in Christ.

⁶ Greet Mary. She worked very hard for you.

⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews. They have been in prison with me. They are leaders among the apostles. They became believers in Christ before I did.

⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

⁹ Greet Urbanus. He works together with me in serving Christ. And greet my dear friend Stachys.

¹⁰ Greet Apelles. He remained faithful to Christ even when he was tested.

Greet those who live in the house of Aristobulus.

¹¹ Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet the believers who live in the house of Narcissus.

¹² Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa. Those women work hard for the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis. She is another woman who has worked very hard for the Lord.

¹³ Greet Rufus. He is a chosen believer in the Lord. And greet his mother. She has been like a mother to me too.

¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes. Greet Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister. Greet Olympas and all of the Lord’s people who are with them.

¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send their greetings.

A Woman Pours Perfume on Jesus

⁶ Jesus was in Bethany. He was in the home of Simon, who had a skin disease. ⁷ A woman came to Jesus with a special sealed jar of very expensive perfume. She poured the perfume on his head while he was at the table.

⁸ When the disciples saw this, they became angry. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “The perfume could have been sold at a high price. The money could have been given to poor people.”

¹⁰ Jesus was aware of this. So he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ You will always have poor people with you. But you will not always have me. ¹² She poured the perfume on my body to prepare me to be buried. ¹³ What I’m about to tell you is true. What she has done will be told anywhere this good news is preached all over the world. It will be told in memory of her.”