Book One

The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now I would remind you, brothers,^[a] of the gospel ^(A)I preached to you, which you received, ^(B)in which you stand, ² and by which ^(C)you are being saved, if you ^(D)hold fast to the word I preached to you—^(E)unless you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died ^(G)for our sins ^(H)in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised ^(I)on the third day ^(J)in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(K)he appeared to Cephas, then ^(L)to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to ^(M)James, then ^(N)to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^(O)he appeared also to me. ⁹ For ^(P)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because ^(Q)I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, ^(R)I worked harder than any of them, ^(S)though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, ^(T)how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, ^(U)then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that ^(V)he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and ^(W)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who ^(X)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope^[b] in this life only, ^(Y)we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact ^(Z)Christ has been raised from the dead, ^(AA)the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude

¹⁷ And ^(A)he came down with them and stood on a level place, with ^(B)a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of ^(C)Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. ^(D)And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. ¹⁹ And all the crowd ^(E)sought to touch him, for ^(F)power came out from him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes

²⁰ And ^(G)he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, ^(H)and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for ^(I)yours is the kingdom of God.

^21 (J)“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

^(K)“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²² “Blessed are you when ^(L)people hate you and when they ^(M)exclude you and revile you and ^(N)spurn your name as evil, ^(O)on account of the Son of Man! ^23 (P)Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for ^(Q)so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

^24 (R)“But woe to you who are rich, ^(S)for you ^(T)have received your consolation.

²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now, for ^(U)you shall be hungry.

“Woe to ^(V)you who laugh now, ^(W)for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ “Woe to you, ^(X)when all people speak well of you, for ^(Y)so their fathers did to ^(Z)the false prophets.