The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now I would remind you, brothers,¹ of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, ^tif you hold fast to the word I preached to you—^uunless you believed ^vin vain.

3 For I ^wdelivered to you as of first importance ^xwhat I also received: that ^yChrist died for our sins ^zin accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was ^aburied, that he was raised on the ^bthird day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he ^cappeared to Cephas, then ^dto 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 James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^ehe appeared also to me. 9 For ^fI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I ^gpersecuted 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, I worked harder than any of them, ^hthough it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 ⁱWhether 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, how can some of you say that there is no ^jresurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, 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 ^khe 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 ^lyou are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope² in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been ^mraised from the dead, ⁿthe firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as ^oby a man came death, ^pby a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be ^qmade alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his ^rcoming those who ^sbelong to Christ. 24 Then comes ^tthe end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying ^uevery rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until ^vhe has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 ^wThe last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For ^x“God³ has put ^yall things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, ^zthen the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in ^adanger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my ^bpride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^cI die ^devery day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ^e“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: ^f“Bad company ruins good morals.”⁴ 34 ^gWake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have ^hno knowledge of God. ⁱI say this to your shame.

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! ^jWhat you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised ^kin glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a ^lnatural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, ^m“The ⁿfirst man Adam became a living being”;⁵ the last Adam became a ^olife-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 ^pThe first man was from the earth, ^qa man of dust; the second man is ^rfrom heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are ^sthose who are of heaven. 49 ^tJust as we have borne the image of the man of dust, ^uwe shall⁶ also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Mystery and Victory

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood ^vcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the ^wimperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. ^xWe shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last ^ytrumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and ^zthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and ^athis mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

56 The sting of death is sin, and ^dthe power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the ^evictory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be ^fsteadfast, immovable, always abounding in the ^gwork of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The Collection for the Saints

16 ^hNow concerning^{1 i}the collection for the saints: as I directed ^jthe 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, ^kas he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, ^lI will send ^mthose whom you accredit by ⁿletter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Plans for Travel

5 ^oI 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 ^pPentecost, 9 for a ^qwide door for effective work has opened to me, and ^rthere are many adversaries.

10 ^sWhen Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the ^twork of the Lord, as I am. 11 So ^ulet 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 ^vour brother ^wApollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will² to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

13 ^xBe watchful, ^ystand firm in the faith, act like men, ^zbe strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.

15 Now ^aI urge you, brothers³—you know that the household⁴ of ^bStephanas were the first converts⁵ in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ^cservice of the saints— 16 ^dbe 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 ^ethey have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. ^fGive recognition to such people.

Greetings

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

21 ⁱI, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be ^jaccursed. ^kOur Lord, come!⁶ 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

2 Corinthians

Greeting

1 Paul, an ^aapostle of Christ Jesus ^bby 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 ^cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of ^dmercies and ^eGod of all ^fcomfort, 4 who ^gcomforts us in ^hall 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 ⁱshare abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.¹ 6 If we are afflicted, ^jit 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 unaware, brothers,² of ^kthe 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 ^lwho ^mraises the dead. 10 He ⁿdelivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him ^owe have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 ^pYou 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 ^qconscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity³ and godly ^rsincerity, not by ^searthly 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 partially understand us—that on the ^tday of our Lord Jesus you will ^uboast of us as we will ^vboast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, ^wI wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second ^xexperience of grace. 16 ^yI 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 ^zaccording 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 ^aanointed us, 22 and who has also ^bput his seal on us and given us his Spirit ^cin our hearts as a ^dguarantee.⁴

23 But ^eI call God to witness against me—^fit 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 ^gstand firm in your faith.

2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For ^hif I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And ⁱI wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for ^jI 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 ^kpunishment by the majority is enough, 7 so ^lyou should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So ^mI 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 ⁿobedient 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 ^odoor was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was ^pnot 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 ^qleads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the ^rfragrance of the ^sknowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the ^taroma 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 sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of ^usincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

Ministers of the New Covenant

3 ^vAre we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, ^wletters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 ^xYou yourselves ^yare our letter of recommendation, written on our¹ hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on ^ztablets of stone but on ^atablets of ^bhuman hearts.²

4 Such is the ^cconfidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a ^dnew covenant, ^enot of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but ^fthe Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ^gministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that ^hthe Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very ⁱbold, 13 not like Moses, ^jwho would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their ^kminds were ^lhardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one³ turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord⁴ is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^mfreedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, ⁿbeholding ^othe glory of the Lord,⁵ are being ^ptransformed ^qinto the same image from one degree of glory to another.⁶ For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.