The Word of Life

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.

²And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

³We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

⁴We write these things so that ourjoy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

⁵And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

⁶If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

⁷Butif we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

Paul Ministers in Corinth

¹After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

²There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,

³and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.

⁴Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.

⁵And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.

⁶But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷So Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus,a worshiper of God.

⁸Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his whole household believed in the Lord. And many of the Corinthians who heard the message believed and were baptized.

⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.

¹⁰For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”

¹¹So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching the word of God among the Corinthians.

Paul before Gallio

¹²While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.

¹³“This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said.

¹⁴But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint.

¹⁵But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”

¹⁶And he drove them away from the judgment seat.

¹⁷At this, the crowdseized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.

¹⁹When they reached Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue there and reasoned with the Jews.

²⁰When they asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined.

²¹But as he left, he said, “I will come backto you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.

²²When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem.Then he went down to Antioch.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey Begins

²³After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures.

²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,though he knew only the baptism of John.

²⁶And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

²⁷When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.

²⁸For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians

¹Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.

³I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you.

⁴Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.

⁵For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.

⁶But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

⁷and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time—

⁹yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.

¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

¹¹Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

¹³On account of this, we are encouraged.In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

¹⁴Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.

¹⁵And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

¹⁶I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.

The Boldness of the Righteous

¹The wicked flee when no one pursues,but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

²A land in rebellion has many rulers,but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

³A destitute leader who oppresses the pooris like a driving rain that leaves no food.

⁴Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,but those who keep the law resist them.

⁵Evil men do not understand justice,but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.

⁶Better a poor man who walks with integritythan a rich man whose ways are perverse.

⁷A discerning son keeps the law,but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

⁸He who increases his wealth by interest and usurylays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

⁹Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law,even his prayer is detestable.

¹⁰He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit,but the blameless will inherit what is good.

¹¹A rich man is wise in his own eyes,but a poor man with discernment sees through him.

¹²When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

¹³He who conceals his sins will not prosper,but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

¹⁴Blessed is the man who is always reverent,but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

¹⁵Like a roaring lion or a charging bearis a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

¹⁶A leader who lacks judgment is also a great oppressor,but he who hates dishonest profit will prolong his days.

¹⁷A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit;let no one support him.

¹⁸He who walks with integrity will be kept safe,but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

¹⁹The one who works his land will have plenty of food,but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings,but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

²¹To show partiality is not good,yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

²²A stingy manhastens after wealthand does not know that poverty awaits him.

²³He who rebukes a man will later find more favorthan one who flatters with his tongue.

²⁴He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,”is a companion to the man who destroys.

²⁵A greedy man stirs up strife,but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

²⁶He who trusts in himself is a fool,but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

²⁷Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need,but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

²⁸When the wicked come to power, people hide themselves;but when they perish, the righteous flourish.