Personal Greetings and Love

¹I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servantof the church in Cenchrea.

²Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.

³Greet Priscaand Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

⁴who have risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

⁵Greet also the church that meets at their house.Greet my beloved Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

⁶Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

⁷Greet Andronicus and Junia,my fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.

⁸Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

⁹Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.

¹⁰Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ.Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

¹¹Greet Herodion, my fellow countryman.Greet those from the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

¹²Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who have worked hard in the Lord.Greet my beloved Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

¹³Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

¹⁴Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them.

¹⁵Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.

¹⁶Greet one another with a holy kiss.All the churches of Christ send you greetings.

Avoid Divisions

¹⁷Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

¹⁸For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

¹⁹Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christbe with you.

Greetings from Paul’s Fellow Workers

²¹Timothy, my fellow worker, sends you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow countrymen.

²²I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

²³Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church, sends you greetings.Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you greetings, as does our brother Quartus.

Doxology

²⁵Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past

²⁶but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith—

²⁷to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The Collection for the Saints

¹Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:

²On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.

³Then, on my arrival, I will send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift to Jerusalem.

⁴And if it is advisable for me to go also, they can travel with me.

Paul’s Travel Plans

⁵After I go through Macedonia, however, I will come to you; for I will be going through Macedonia.

⁶Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.

⁷For I do not want to see you now only in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

⁸But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,

⁹because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.

Timothy and Apollos

¹⁰If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I am.

¹¹No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he can return to me, for I am expecting him along with the brothers.

¹²Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

Concluding Exhortations

¹³Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.

¹⁴Do everything in love.

¹⁵You know that Stephanas and his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brothers,

¹⁶to submit to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.

¹⁷I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.

¹⁸For they refreshed my spirit and yours as well. Show your appreciation, therefore, to such men.

Signature and Final Greetings

¹⁹The churches in the province of Asiasend you greetings.Aquila and Priscagreet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.

²⁰All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

²¹This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

²²If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord!

²³The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

²⁴My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.Amen.

The Day of the Lord

¹Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you.

²For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

³While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.

⁵For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

⁶So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.

⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.

⁹For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

¹¹Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.

Christian Living

¹²But we ask you, brothers, to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.

¹³In love, hold them in highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

¹⁵Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

¹⁶Rejoice at all times.

¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹Do not extinguish the Spirit.

²⁰Do not treat prophecies with contempt,

²¹but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.

²²Abstain from every form of evil.

Final Blessings and Instructions

²³Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blamelessat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

²⁵Brothers, pray for us as well.

²⁶Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Praise to the Creator

¹Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones;it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.

²Praise the LORD with the harp;make music to Him with ten strings.

³Sing to Him a new song;play skillfully with a shout of joy.

⁴For the word of the LORD is upright,and all His work is trustworthy.

⁵The LORD loves righteousness and justice;the earth is full of His loving devotion.

⁶By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

⁷He piles up the waters of the sea;He puts the depths into storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the LORD;let all the people of the world revere Him.

⁹For He spoke, and it came to be;He commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations;He thwarts the devices of the peoples.

¹¹The counsel of the LORD stands forever,the purposes of His heart to all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,the people He has chosen as His inheritance!

¹³The LORD looks down from heaven;He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴From His dwelling place He gazeson all who inhabit the earth.

¹⁵He shapes the hearts of each;He considers all their works.

¹⁶No king is saved by his vast army;no warrior is delivered by his great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain hope for salvation;even its great strength cannot save.

¹⁸Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him,on those whose hope is in His loving devotion

¹⁹to deliver them from deathand keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul waits for the LORD;He is our help and our shield.

²¹For our hearts rejoice in Him,since we trust in His holy name.

²²May Your loving devotion rest on us, O LORD,as we put our hope in You.