Bible in 90 Days

The Resurrection of the Messiah

15 Now I’m making known to you, brothers, the gospel that I proclaimed to you, which you accepted, on which you have taken your stand, ² and by which you are also being saved if you hold firmly to the message I proclaimed to you—unless, of course, your faith was worthless.

³ For I passed on to you the most important points that^[a] I received: The Messiah^[b] died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and is still alive!— ⁵ and he was seen by Cephas,^[c] and then by the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.^{[d] 7} Next he was seen by James, then by all the apostles, ⁸ and finally he was seen by me, as though I were born abnormally late.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted God’s church. ¹⁰ But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace shown to me was not wasted. Instead, I worked harder than all the others—not I, of course, but God’s grace that was with me. ¹¹ So, whether it was I or the others, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

¹² Now if we preach that the Messiah^[e] has been raised from the dead, how can some of you keep claiming there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah^[f] has not been raised, ¹⁴ and if the Messiah^[g] has not been raised, then our message means nothing and your^[h] faith means nothing. ¹⁵ In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God because we testified on God’s behalf that he raised the Messiah^[i]—whom he did not raise if in fact it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah^[j] has not been raised, ¹⁷ and if the Messiah^[k] has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still imprisoned by your sins. ¹⁸ Yes, even those who have died^[l] believing^[m] in the Messiah^[n] are lost. ¹⁹ If we have set our hopes on the Messiah^[o] in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.

²⁰ But at this moment the Messiah^[p] stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest^[q] of those who have died.^{[r] 21} For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah^[s] will all be made alive. ²³ However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah,^[t] then those who belong to the Messiah^[u] when he comes. ²⁴ Then the end will come, when after he has done away with every ruler and every authority and power, the Messiah^[v] hands over the kingdom to God the Father. ²⁵ For he must rule until God^[w] puts all the Messiah’s^[x] enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be done away with is death, ²⁷ for “God^[y] has put everything under his feet.”^[z] Now when he says, “Everything has been put under him,” this clearly excludes the one who put everything under him. ²⁸ But when everything has been put under him, then the Son himself will also become subject to the one who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

²⁹ Otherwise, what will those people do who are being baptized because of those who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they being baptized because of them? ³⁰ And why in fact are we being endangered every hour? ³¹ I face death every day! That is as certain, brothers,^[aa] as it is that I am proud of you in the Messiah,^[ab] Jesus our Lord. ³² If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised,

³³ Stop being deceived:

³⁴ Come back to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! For some of you—I say this to your shame—don’t fully know God.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?” ³⁶ You fool! The seed you plant does not come to life unless it dies, ³⁷ and what you plant is not the form that it will be, but a bare kernel, whether it is wheat or something else. ³⁸ But God gives the plant^[ae] the form he wants it to have, and to each kind of seed its own form. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same.^[af] Humans have one kind of flesh,^[ag] animals in general have another,^[ah] birds have another,^[ai] and fish have still another. ⁴⁰ There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another. ⁴¹ One kind of splendor belongs to the sun, another^[aj] to the moon, and still another^[ak] to the stars. In fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.

⁴² This is how it will be at the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is decaying, what is raised cannot decay. ⁴³ The body^[al] is planted in a state of dishonor but is raised in a state of splendor. It is planted in weakness but is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is planted a physical body but is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.^[am]

⁴⁵ This, indeed, is what is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.”^[an] The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual does not come first, but the physical does, and then comes the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will^[ao] also bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

⁵⁰ Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies^[ap] cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay. ⁵¹ Let me tell you a secret. Not all of us will die,^[aq] but all of us will be changed— ⁵² in a moment, faster than an eye can blink, at the sound of the last trumpet. Indeed, that trumpet^[ar] will sound, and then the dead will be raised never to decay, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For what is decaying must be clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying must be clothed with what cannot die. ⁵⁴ Now, when what is decaying is clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying is clothed with what cannot die, then the written word will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up by victory!”^[as]

⁵⁶ Now death’s stinger is sin, and sin’s power is the Law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Messiah!^[au]

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn’t wasted.

Concerning the Collection for the Saints

16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, you should follow the directions I gave to the churches in Galatia. ² After the Sabbath ends,^[av] each of you should set aside and save something from your surplus in proportion to what you have, so that no collections will have to be made when I arrive. ³ When I arrive, I will send letters along with the men you approve to take your gift to Jerusalem. ⁴ If it is worthwhile for me to go, too, they can go with me.

Plans for Travel

⁵ I will visit you when I go through Macedonia—for I intend to go through Macedonia— ⁶ and will probably stay with you for a while^[aw] or even spend the winter with you.^[ax] Then you can send me on my way, wherever I decide to go. ⁷ I do not want to visit with you now just in passing, because I hope to spend a longer time with you if the Lord permits. ⁸ However, I’ll stay on in Ephesus until Pentecost, ⁹ because a door has opened wide for me to do effective work, although many people are opposing me.

¹⁰ If Timothy comes, see to it that he does not have anything to be afraid of while he is with you, for he is doing the Lord’s work as I am. ¹¹ Therefore, no one should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me, because I am expecting him along with the brothers.

¹² Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other^[ay] brothers, but he was not inclined to do so just now. However, he will visit you^[az] when the time is right.

Final Instructions

¹³ Remain alert. Keep standing firm in your faith. Keep on being courageous and strong. ¹⁴ Everything you do should be done lovingly. ¹⁵ Now I urge you, brothers—for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts^[ba] in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints— ¹⁶ to submit yourselves to people like these and to anyone else who shares their labor and hard work. ¹⁷ I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus came here, because what was lacking they have supplied through you. ¹⁸ They refreshed my spirit—and yours, too. Therefore, appreciate men like that.

Final Greetings

¹⁹ The churches in Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca^[bb] and the church in their house greet you warmly in union with the Lord. ²⁰ All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.^{[bc] 21} I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand.

Paul Greets the Church in Corinth

1 From:^[bi] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah^[bj] Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.

To: God’s church in Corinth, and to all the holy people^[bk] throughout Achaia.

² May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[bl] be yours!

The God of All Comfort

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah!^[bm] He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. ⁵ For as the Messiah’s^[bn] sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.^{[bo] 6} If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.

How God Rescued Paul

⁸ For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. ⁹ In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again, ¹¹ as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God^[bp] on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.

Paul’s Reason for Boasting

¹² For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God’s grace—especially toward you. ¹³ For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely, ¹⁴ just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our^[bq] Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

Why Paul’s Visit Was Postponed

¹⁵ Because I was confident, I planned to come to you first so you might receive a double blessing. ¹⁶ I planned to leave you in order to go^[br] to Macedonia, and then come back to you from Macedonia, and let you send me on to Judea.

¹⁷ When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle^[bs] that I can say “Yes” and “No”^[bt] at the same time? ¹⁸ As certainly as God is faithful, we haven’t talked to you with mixed messages like that.^{[bu] 19} For God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah,^[bv] who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No.” But with him it is always “Yes.” ²⁰ For all God’s promises are “Yes” in him. And so through him we can say “Amen,”^[bw] to the glory of God. ²¹ Now the one who makes us—and you as well—secure in union with the Messiah^[bx] and has anointed us is God, ²² who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

²³ I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. ²⁴ It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

Paul’s Painful Visit

2 Now^[by] I decided not to pay you another painful visit. ² After all, if I were to grieve you, who should make me happy but the person I am making sad? ³ This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have. ⁴ I wrote to you out of great sorrow and anguish of heart—along with many tears—not to make you sad but to let you know how much love I have for you.

Forgive the Person who Sinned

⁵ But if anyone has caused grief, he didn’t cause me any grief. To some extent—I don’t want to emphasize this too much—it has affected^[bz] all of you. ⁶ This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man. ⁷ So forgive and comfort him, or else he will drown in his excessive grief. ⁸ That’s why I’m urging you to assure him of your love. ⁹ I had also written to you to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every way. ¹⁰ When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I did^[ca] in the presence of the Messiah^[cb] for your benefit, ¹¹ so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.

Paul’s Anxiety and Relief

¹² When I went to Troas on behalf of the gospel of the Messiah,^[cc] the Lord opened a door for me, ¹³ but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn’t find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah^[cd] and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him. ¹⁵ To God we are the aroma of the Messiah^[ce] among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. ¹⁶ To some people we are a deadly fragrance,^[cf] while to others we are a living fragrance.^[cg] Who is qualified for this? ¹⁷ At least we are not commercializing God’s word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah’s^[ch] name,^[ci] like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.^[cj]

Ministers of the New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? ² You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone. ³ You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah’s^[ck] letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴ Such is the confidence that we have in God through the Messiah.^{[cl] 5} By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God, ⁶ who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text^[cm] brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

⁷ Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses’ face (because the glory was fading away from it), ⁸ will not the Spirit’s ministry have even more glory? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of justification has an overwhelming glory. ¹⁰ In fact, that which once had glory lost its glory, because the other glory surpassed it. ¹¹ For if that which fades away came^[cn] through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory?

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak very boldly, ¹³ not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah^[co] is that veil removed.^{[cp] 15} Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.

Treasure in Clay Jars

4 Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged. ² Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God’s word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

³ So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying.^{[cq] 4} In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah,^[cr] who is the image of God.

⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus the Messiah^[cs] as Lord, and ourselves as merely your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[ct] has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus^[cu] the Messiah.^[cv]

⁷ But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us. ⁸ In every way we’re troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair, ⁹ persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies. ¹¹ While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies. ¹² And so death is at work in us, but life is at work^[cw] in you.

¹³ Now since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with this Scripture: “I believed, and so I spoke,”^[cx] we also believe and therefore speak. ¹⁴ We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to God^[cy] together with you. ¹⁵ All this is for your sake so that, as his grace spreads, more and more people will give thanks and glorify God.

Life in an Earthly Tent

¹⁶ That’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. ¹⁷ This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, ¹⁸ because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

5 We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human^[cz] hands. ² For in this one we sigh, since we long to put on our heavenly dwelling. ³ Of course, if we do put it on, we will not be found without a body.^{[da] 4} So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit as a guarantee.

⁶ Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him. ¹⁰ For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah,^[db] so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.^[dc]

The Messiah’s Love Controls Us

¹¹ Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. ¹² We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.^{[dd] 13} So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you. ¹⁴ The love of the Messiah^[de] controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. ¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

¹⁶ So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view.^[df] Even if we did think of the Messiah^[dg] from a human point of view,^[dh] we don’t think of him that way anymore. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah,^[di] he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new!

¹⁸ All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah^[dj] and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ for through the Messiah,^[dk] God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ Therefore, we are the Messiah’s^[dl] representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s^[dm] behalf: “Be reconciled to God!” ²¹ God^[dn] made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.^[do]

Workers with God

6 Since, then, we are working with God,^[dp] we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain. ² For he says,

Listen, now is really the “right time”! Now is the “day of salvation”!

We are God’s Servants

³ We do not put an obstacle in anyone’s way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry. ⁴ Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; ⁶ with purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, ⁷ truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands; ⁸ through honor and dishonor; through ill repute and good repute; perceived^[dr] as deceivers and yet true, ⁹ as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet—as you see—very much alive, as punished and yet not killed, ¹⁰ as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken frankly^[ds] to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open. ¹² We have not cut you off, but you have cut off your own feelings toward us. ¹³ Do us a favor—I ask you as my children—and open wide your hearts.

Relating with Unbelievers

¹⁴ Stop becoming^[dt] unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony exists between the Messiah^[du] and Beliar,^[dv] or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? ¹⁶ What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we^[dw] are the temple of the living God, just as God said:

¹⁷ Therefore,

Cleanse Yourselves in Holiness

7 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let’s cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.

Encouraged by the Corinthians

² Make room for us in your hearts!^[eb] We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. ³ I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. ⁴ I have great confidence in you. I am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles.

⁵ For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears. ⁶ Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier.

⁸ If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. ⁹ Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way. ¹⁰ For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

¹¹ See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter. ¹² So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

¹³ This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you. ¹⁴ For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true. ¹⁵ His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.

The Collection for the Christians in Jerusalem

8 We want you to know, brothers, about God’s grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia. ² In spite of their terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and deep poverty have led them to be abundantly generous. ³ I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. ⁴ They begged us earnestly for the privilege^[ec] of participating in this ministry to the saints. ⁵ We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will. ⁶ So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness^[ed] among you in the same way that he had started it. ⁷ Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.^[ee]

⁸ I am not commanding you but testing the genuineness of your love by the enthusiasm of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.^[ef] Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

¹⁰ I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing to do something, but had already started to do it. ¹¹ Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness^[eg] to complete it. ¹² For if the eagerness is there, the gift^[eh] is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.

¹³ Not that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it is a question of fairness. ¹⁴ At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair. ¹⁵ As it is written,

Titus and His Companions

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have. ¹⁷ He welcomed my request and eagerly went to visit you by his own free will. ¹⁸ With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel.^{[ej] 19} More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness^[ek] for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.^{[el] 20} We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking. ²¹ We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.

²² We have also sent with them our brother whom we have often tested in many ways and found to be dedicated. At present he is more dedicated than ever because he has so much confidence in you.

²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries^[em] from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.^{[en] 24} Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you.

Why Giving is Important

9 I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints. ² For I know how willing you are, and I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying^[eo] that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has stimulated most of them. ³ Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter may not prove to be an idle boast, and so that you may stand ready, just as I said. ⁴ Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. ⁵ Therefore, I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to visit you ahead of me, to make arrangements in advance for this gift you promised, and to have it ready as something given generously and not forced.

⁶ Remember^[ep] this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work. ⁹ As it is written,

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness. ¹¹ In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us, ¹² since this ministry you render is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, it is also overflowing with more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God. ¹³ Because your service in giving proves your love,^[er] you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah’s^[es] gospel demands,^[et] since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And so in their prayers for you they will long for you because of God’s exceptional grace that was shown to you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Paul’s Authority to Speak Forcefully

10 Now I myself, Paul, plead with you with the gentleness and kindness of the Messiah^[eu]—I who am humble when I am face to face with you but forceful toward you when I am away! ² I beg you that when I come I will not need to be courageous by daring to oppose some people who think that we are living according to the flesh. ³ Of course, we are living in the world,^[ev] but we do not wage war in a world-like^[ew] way. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world.^[ex] Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments ⁵ and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.^{[ey] 6} Once your obedience is complete, we will be ready to reprimand every type of disobedience.

⁷ Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident that he belongs to the Messiah,^[ez] he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to the Messiah,^[fa] so do we. ⁸ So if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave us to build you up and not to tear you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

⁹ I do not want you to think that I am trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For someone is saying,^[fb] “His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Someone like this should take note of the following: What we say by letter when we are absent is what we will do when present!

Paul’s Reason for Boasting

¹² We would not dare put ourselves in the same class with, or compare ourselves to, those who recommend themselves. Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are. ¹³ We will not boast about what cannot be evaluated. Instead, we will stay within the field that God assigned us, so as to reach even you. ¹⁴ For it is not as though we were overstepping our limits when we came to you. We were the first to reach you with the gospel of the Messiah.^{[fc] 15} We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows. ¹⁶ Then we can preach the gospel in the regions far beyond you without boasting about things already accomplished by someone else.

¹⁷ “The person who boasts should boast in the Lord.”^{[fd] 18} It is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person whom the Lord commends.

Paul Contrasts Himself with False Apostles

11 I wish you would tolerate a little of my foolishness. Yes, please tolerate me! ² I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah.^{[fe] 3} However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure^[ff] devotion to the Messiah.^[fg]

⁴ For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen. ⁵ I do not think I’m inferior in any way to those “super-apostles.” ⁶ Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

⁷ Did I commit a sin when I humbled myself by proclaiming to you the gospel of God free of charge, so that you could be exalted? ⁸ I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. ⁹ When I was with you and needed something, I did not bother any of you, because our brothers who came from Macedonia supplied everything I needed. I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

¹⁰ As surely as the truth of the Messiah^[fh] is in me, my boasting will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!

¹² But I will go on doing what I’m doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about. ¹³ Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah.^{[fi] 14} And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doom^[fj] will match their deeds!

Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle

¹⁶ I will say it again: No one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, then treat me like a fool so that I can also boast a little. ¹⁷ When I talk as a confident boaster, I am not talking with the Lord’s authority but like a fool. ¹⁸ Since many people boast in a fleshly way, I will do it, too. ¹⁹ You are wise, so you will gladly be tolerant of fools. ²⁰ You tolerate anyone who makes you his slaves, devours what you have, takes what is yours, orders you around, or slaps your face!

²¹ I am ashamed to admit it, but we have been too weak for that. Whatever anyone else dares to claim—I am talking like a fool—I can claim it, too. ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelis? So am I. Are they among Abraham’s descendants? So am I. ²³ Are they the Messiah’s^[fk] servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. ²⁶ I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I’ve also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak without me being weak, too? Who is caused to stumble without me becoming indignant?

³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. ³² In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas put guards around the city of Damascus to catch me, ³³ but I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.

Paul’s Thorn

12 I must boast, although it does not do any good. Let’s talk about visions and revelations from the Lord. ² I know a man who belongs to the Messiah.^[fl] Fourteen years ago—whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows—that man was snatched away to the third heaven. ³ I know that this man—whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows— ⁴ was snatched away to Paradise and heard things that cannot be expressed in words, things that no human being has a right even to mention.

⁵ I will boast about this man, but as for myself I will boast only about my weaknesses. ⁶ However, if I did want to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I am not going to do it in order to keep anyone from thinking more of me than what he sees and hears about me.

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn^[fm] was given to me and placed in my body.^[fn] It was Satan’s messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.

⁸ I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me, ⁹ but he has told me, “My grace is all you need, because my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the Messiah’s^[fo] power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the Messiah’s^[fp] sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹ I have become a fool. You forced me to be one. Really, I should have been commended by you, for I am not in any way inferior to your “super-apostles,” even if I am nothing. ¹² The signs of an apostle were performed among you with utmost patience—signs, wonders, and powerful actions. ¹³ How were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I did not bother you for help? Forgive me for this wrong! ¹⁴ Now I’m ready to visit you for a third time, and I will not bother you for help. I do not want your things, but rather you yourselves. Children should not have to support^[fq] their parents, but parents their children. ¹⁵ I will be very glad to spend my money and myself for you. Do you love me less because I love you so much?

¹⁶ Granting that I have not been a burden to you, was I a clever schemer who trapped you by some trick? ¹⁷ I did not take advantage of you through any of the men I sent you, did I? ¹⁸ I encouraged Titus to visit you, and I sent along with him the brother you know so well. Titus didn’t take advantage of you, did he? We conducted ourselves with the same spirit, didn’t we? We took the very same steps, didn’t we?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we are trying to defend ourselves before you? We are speaking before God in the authority of^[fr] the Messiah,^[fs] and everything, dear friends, is meant to build you up. ²⁰ I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct. ²¹ I am afraid that when I come my God may again humble me before you and that I may have to grieve over many who formerly lived in sin and have not repented of their impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity that they once practiced.

Final Warnings

13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “Every accusation must be verified by two or three witnesses.”^{[ft] 2} I have already warned those who sinned previously and all the rest. Although I am absent now, I am warning them as I did on my second visit: If I come back, I will not spare you, ³ since you want proof that the Messiah^[fu] is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is making his power felt among you. ⁴ Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God’s power. We are weak with him, but by God’s power we will live for you.

⁵ Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don’t you, that Jesus the Messiah^[fv] lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test? ⁶ I hope you will realize that we haven’t failed our test. ⁷ We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for—your maturity.

¹⁰ For this reason I am writing this while I am away from you: When I come I do not want to be severe in using the authority the Lord gave me to build you up and not to tear you down.

Final Greetings and Benediction

¹¹ Finally, brothers, goodbye. Keep on growing to maturity. Keep listening to my appeals. Continue agreeing with each other and living in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss.^{[fw] 13} All the saints greet you.

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Messiah,^[fx] the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you!

Greetings from Paul

1 From:^[fy] Paul—an apostle not sent^[fz] from men or by a man, but by Jesus the Messiah,^[ga] and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers who are with me.

To: The churches in Galatia.

³ May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[gb] be yours! ⁴ He gave himself for our sins in order to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father. ⁵ To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

There is No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah^[gc] and, instead, are following^[gd] a different gospel, ⁷ not that another one really exists. To be sure, there are certain people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel about the Messiah.^{[ge] 8} But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you^[gf] a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that person be condemned! ⁹ What we have told you in the past I am now telling you again: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that person be condemned! ¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be the Messiah’s^[gg] servant.^[gh]

Jesus Himself Gave Paul His Message

¹¹ For^[gi] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin. ¹² For I did not receive it from a man, nor was I taught it, but it was revealed to me by Jesus the Messiah.^{[gj] 13} For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism—how I kept violently persecuting God’s church and was trying to destroy it. ¹⁴ I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, because I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.

¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being^[gk] at any time, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see^[gl] those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas,^[gm] and I stayed with him for fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. ²⁰ (Before God, what I’m writing to you is the truth.)^{[gn] 21} Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² But the churches of the Messiah^[go] that are in Judea did not yet know me personally. ²³ The only thing they kept hearing was this: “The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!” ²⁴ So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to^[gp] me.

How Paul Was Accepted by the Apostles in Jerusalem

2 Then fourteen years later, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me. ² I went in response to a revelation, and in a private meeting with the reputed leaders, I explained to them the gospel that I’m proclaiming to the gentiles. I did this because I was afraid that^[gq] I was running or had run my life’s race^[gr] for nothing. ³ But not even Titus, who was with me, was forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. ⁴ However, false brothers were secretly brought in. They slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in the Messiah^[gs] Jesus so that they might enslave us. ⁵ But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.

⁶ Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message.^[gt] (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.) ⁷ In fact, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. ⁸ For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles. ⁹ So when James, Cephas,^[gu] and John (who were reputed to be leaders)^[gv] recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul Confronts Cephas in Antioch

¹¹ But when Cephas^[gw] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong.^{[gx] 12} Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men^[gy] came, he withdrew from the gentiles^[gz] and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. ¹³ The other Jews also joined him in this hypocritical behavior, to the extent that even Barnabas was caught up in their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas^[ha] in front of everyone, “Though you are a Jew, you have been living like a gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you insist that the gentiles must live like Jews?”

Jews, Like Gentiles, are Saved by Faith

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth, and not gentile sinners, ¹⁶ yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires,^[hb] but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus^[hc] the Messiah.^[hd] We, too, have believed in the Messiah^[he] Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of^[hf] the Messiah^[hg] and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being^[hh] will be justified by doing what the Law requires. ¹⁷ Now if we, while trying to be justified by the Messiah,^[hi] have been found to be sinners, does that mean that the Messiah^[hj] is serving the interests of sin? Of course not! ¹⁸ For if I rebuild something that I tore down, I demonstrate that I am a wrongdoer. ¹⁹ For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah.^{[hk] 20} I no longer live, but the Messiah^[hl] lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God,^[hm] who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not misapply God’s grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah^[hn] died for nothing.

Believers are Approved by God

3 You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah^[ho] clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified? ² I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing^[hp] the actions of the Law or by believing what you heard?^{[hq] 3} Are you so foolish? Having started out with the Spirit, are you now ending up with the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so much for nothing? (If it really was for nothing!) ⁵ Does God^[hr] supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do the actions^[hs] of the Law or because you believe what you heard?^{[ht] 6} In the same way, Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[hu]

⁷ You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham’s real descendants. ⁸ Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles^[hv] by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, “Through you all nations^[hw] will be blessed.”^{[hx] 9} Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the one who believed.

No One is Justified by the Law

¹⁰ Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!”^{[hy] 11} Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because “The righteous will live by faith.”^{[hz] 12} But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, “The person who keeps the commandments^[ia] will have life in them.”^{[ib] 13} The Messiah^[ic] redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”^{[id] 14} This happened^[ie] in order that the blessing promised to^[if] Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah^[ig] Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit^[ih] through faith.

¹⁵ Brothers, let me use an example from everyday life.^[ii] Once an agreement^[ij] has been ratified, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. ¹⁶ Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn’t say “descendants,” referring to many, but “your descendant,”^[ik] referring to one person, who is the Messiah.^{[il] 17} This is what I mean: The Law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes about through the Law, it no longer comes about through the promise. But it was through a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham.

The Purpose of the Law

¹⁹ Why, then, was the Law added?^[im] Because of transgressions, until the descendant^[in] came to whom the promise pertained. It was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator involves more than one party, but God is one. ²¹ So is the Law in conflict with the promises of God? Of course not! For if a law had been given that could give us life, then certainly righteousness would come through the Law. ²² But the Scripture has captured everything by means of sin’s net, so that what was promised by the faithfulness of^[io] the Messiah^[ip] might be granted to those who believe. ²³ Now before faith came about, we were held in custody and confined under the Law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. ²⁴ And so the Law was our guardian until the Messiah^[iq] came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come about, we are no longer under a guardian.