Praising the Lord in His House at Night

A Song of Ascents.

Praise to God in Creation and Redemption

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: ^2 (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. ³ And when I come, ^(C)whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. ^4 (D)But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Personal Plans^(E)

⁵ Now I will come to you ^(F)when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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.

⁸ But I will tarry in Ephesus until ^(I)Pentecost. ⁹ 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.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and ^(B)Timothy our brother,

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

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

Comfort in Suffering

^3 (E)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who ^(F)comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any ^[a]trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as ^(G)the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our ^[b]consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, ^(H)it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that ^(I)as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Delivered from Suffering

⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of ^(J)our ^[c]trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should ^(K)not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, ^10 (L)who delivered us from so great a death, and ^[d]does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, ¹¹ you also ^(M)helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on ^[e]our behalf ^(N)for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul’s Sincerity

¹² For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in ^[f]simplicity and ^(O)godly sincerity, ^(P)not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. ¹³ For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end ¹⁴ (as also you have understood us in part), ^(Q)that we are your boast as ^(R)you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Sparing the Church

¹⁵ And in this confidence ^(S)I intended to come to you before, that you might have ^(T)a second benefit— ¹⁶ to pass by way of you to Macedonia, ^(U)to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan ^(V)according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No? ¹⁸ But as God is ^(W)faithful, our ^[g]word to you was not Yes and No. ¹⁹ For ^(X)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, ^(Y)Silvanus, and ^(Z)Timothy—was not Yes and No, ^(AA)but in Him was Yes. ^20 (AB)For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and ^(AC)has anointed us is God, ²² who ^(AD)also has sealed us and ^(AE)given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

²³ Moreover ^(AF)I call God as witness against my soul, ^(AG)that to spare you I came no more to Corinth. ²⁴ Not ^(AH)that we ^[h]have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for ^(AI)by faith you stand.

Paul Urges Forgiveness

2 But I determined this within myself, ^(AJ)that I would not come again to you in sorrow. ² For if I make you ^(AK)sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

³ And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, ^(AL)I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, ^(AM)having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴ For out of much ^[i]affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, ^(AN)not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

⁵ But ^(AO)if anyone has caused grief, he has not ^(AP)grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. ⁶ This punishment which was inflicted ^(AQ)by the majority is sufficient for such a man, ^7 (AR)so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹ For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are ^(AS)obedient in all things. ¹⁰ Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For ^[j]if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

¹² Furthermore, ^(AT)when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and ^(AU)a ^[k]door was opened to me by the Lord, ^13 (AV)I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us ^[l]diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. ¹⁵ For we are to God the fragrance of Christ ^(AW)among those who are being saved and ^(AX)among those who are perishing. ^16 (AY)To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And ^(AZ)who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷ For we are not, as ^[m]so many, ^(BA)peddling^[n] the word of God; but as ^(BB)of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.