1 Corinthians 16

The Collection for the Saints

1 Now concerningt the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.3 And when I arrive, I will send 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 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia,6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go.7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Final Instructions

12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his willt to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.14 Let all that you do be done in love.

15 Now I urge you, brotherst—you know that the householdt of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints—16 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 your absence,18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men.

Greetings

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!t23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

2 Corinthians 1

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God of All Comfort

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,4 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 Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.t6 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 share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,t of 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 rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Paul's Change of Plans

12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicityt and godly sincerity, 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 acknowledget and I hope you will fully acknowledge—14 just as you did partially acknowledge us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace.16 I wanted to visit you 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 according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.t

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

2 Corinthians 2

1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you.6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficientt for these things?17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.