Catholic Public Domain Version

1 And so I make known to you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you also received, and on which you stand.

2 By the Gospel, too, you are being saved, if you hold to the understanding that I preached to you, lest you believe in vain.

3 For I handed on to you, first of all, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures;

4 and that he was buried; and that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;

5 and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.

6 Next he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, many of whom remain, even to the present time, although some have fallen asleep.

7 Next, he was seen by James, then by all the Apostles.

8 And last of all, he was seen also by me, as if I were someone born at the wrong time.

9 For I am the least of the Apostles. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.

10 But, by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace in me has not been empty, since I have labored more abundantly than all of them. Yet it is not I, but the grace of God within me.

11 For whether it is I or they: so we preach, and so you have believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that he rose again from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

13 For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen.

14 And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is also useless.

15 Then, too, we would be found to be false witnesses of God, because we would have given testimony against God, saying that he had raised up Christ, when he had not raised him up, if, indeed, the dead do not rise again.

16 For if the dead do not rise again, then neither has Christ risen again.

17 But if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain; for you would still be in your sins.

18 Then, too, those who have fallen asleep in Christ would have perished.

19 If we have hope in Christ for this life only, then we are more miserable than all men.

20 But now Christ has risen again from the dead, as the first-fruits of those who sleep.

21 For certainly, death came through a man. And so, the resurrection of the dead came through a man

22 And just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be brought to life,

23 but each one in his proper order: Christ, as the first-fruits, and next, those who are of Christ, who have believed in his advent.

24 Afterwards is the end, when he will have handed over the kingdom to God the Father, when he will have emptied all principality, and authority, and power.

25 For it is necessary for him to reign, until he has set all his enemies under his feet.

26 Lastly, the enemy called death shall be destroyed. For he has subjected all things under his feet. And although he says,

27 “All things have been subjected to him,” without doubt he does not include the One who has subjected all things to him.

28 And when all things will have been subjected to him, then even the Son himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all.

29 Otherwise, what will those who are being baptized for the dead do, if the dead do not rise again at all? Why then are they being baptized for them?

30 Why also do we endure trials every hour?

31 Daily I die, by means of your boasting, brothers: you whom I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.

32 If, according to man, I fought with the beasts at Ephesus, how would that benefit me, if the dead do not rise again? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.”

33 Do not be led astray. Evil communication corrupts good morals.

34 Be vigilant, you just ones, and do not be willing to sin. For certain persons have an ignorance of God. I say this to you with respect.

35 But someone may say, “How do the dead rise again?” or, “What type of body do they return with?”

36 How foolish! What you sow cannot be brought back to life, unless it first dies.

37 And what you sow is not the body that will be in the future, but a bare grain, such as of wheat, or of some other grain.

38 For God gives it a body according to his will, and according to each seed’s proper body.

39 Not all flesh is the same flesh. But one is indeed of men, another truly is of beasts, another is of birds, and another is of fish.

40 Also, there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But while the one, certainly, has the glory of heaven, the other has the glory of earth.

41 One has the brightness of the sun, another the brightness of the moon, and another the brightness of the stars. For even star differs from star in brightness.

42 So it is also with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown in corruption shall rise to incorruption.

43 What is sown in dishonor shall rise to glory. What is sown in weakness shall rise to power.

44 What is sown with an animal body shall rise with a spiritual body. If there is an animal body, there is also a spiritual one.

45 Just as it was written that the first man, Adam, was made with a living soul, so shall the last Adam be made with a spirit brought back to life.

46 So what is, at first, not spiritual, but animal, next becomes spiritual.

47 The first man, being earthly, was of the earth; the second man, being heavenly, will be of heaven.

48 Such things as are like the earth are earthly; and such things as are like the heavens are heavenly.

49 And so, just as we have carried the image of what is earthly, let us also carry the image of what is heavenly.

50 Now I say this, brothers, because flesh and blood is not able to possess the kingdom of God; neither will what is corrupt possess what is incorrupt.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. Certainly, we shall all rise again, but we shall not all be transformed:

52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise up, incorruptible. And we shall be transformed.

53 Thus, it is necessary for this corruptibility to be clothed with incorruptibility, and for this mortality to be clothed with immortality.

54 And when this mortality has been clothed with immortality, then the word that was written shall occur: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 And so, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmovable, abounding always in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not useless in the Lord.

1 Now concerning the collections which are made for the saints: just as I have arranged for the churches of Galatia, so should it also be done with you.

2 On the first day of the week, the Sabbath, let each one of you take from himself, setting aside what will be well-pleasing to him, so that when I arrive, the collections will not have to be made then.

3 And when I am present, whomever you shall approve through letters, these I shall send to bear your gifts to Jerusalem.

4 And if it is fitting for me to go too, they shall go with me.

5 Now I will visit you after I have passed through Macedonia. For I will pass through Macedonia.

6 And perhaps I will stay with you, and even spend the winter, so that you may lead me on my way, whenever I depart.

7 For I am not willing to see you now only in passing, since I hope that I may remain with you for some length of time, if the Lord permits.

8 But I must remain at Ephesus, even until Pentecost.

9 For a door, great and unavoidable, has opened to me, as well as many adversaries.

10 Now if Timothy arrives, see to it that he may be among you without fear. For he is doing the work of the Lord, just as I also do.

11 Therefore, let no one despise him. Instead, lead him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me. For I am awaiting him with the brothers.

12 But concerning our brother, Apollo, I am letting you know that I pleaded with him greatly to go to you with the brothers, and clearly it was not his will to go at this time. But he will arrive when there is a space of time for him.

13 Be vigilant. Stand with faith. Act manfully and be strengthened.

14 Let all that is yours be immersed in charity.

15 And I beg you, brothers: You know the house of Stephanus, and of Fortunatus, and of Achaicus, that they are the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have dedicated themselves to the ministry of the saints.

16 So you should be subject also to persons such as this, as well as to all who are cooperating and working with them.

17 Now I rejoice in the presence of Stephanus and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because what was lacking in you, they have supplied.

18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, recognize persons such as this.

19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you greatly in the Lord, with the church of their household, where I also am a guest.

20 All the brothers greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

21 This is a greeting from my own hand, Paul.

22 If anyone does not love our Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema! Maran Atha.

23 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

24 My charity is with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all of Achaia:

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

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation.

4 He consoles us in all our tribulation, so that we too may be able to console those who are in any kind of distress, through the exhortation by which we also are being exhorted by God.

5 For just as the Passion of Christ abounds in us, so also, through Christ, does our consolation abound.

6 So, if we are in tribulation, it is for your exhortation and salvation, or if we are in consolation, it is for your consolation, or if we are exhorted, it is for your exhortation and salvation, which results in the patience endurance of the same passion which we also endure.

7 So may our hope for you be made firm, knowing that, just as you are participants in the suffering, so also shall you be participants in the consolation.

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about our tribulation, which happened to us in Asia. For we were weighed down beyond measure, beyond our strength, so that we became weary, even of life itself.

9 But we had within ourselves the response to death, so that we would not have faith in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

10 He has rescued us, and he is rescuing us, from great peril. In him, we hope that he will continue to rescue us.

11 And you are assisting, with your prayers for us, so that from many persons, by that which is a gift in us, thanks may be given through many persons, because of us.

12 For our glory is this: the testimony of our conscience, which is found in simplicity of heart and in sincerity toward God. And it is not with worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God, that we have conversed with this world, and more abundantly toward you.

13 For we write nothing else to you other than what you have read and understood. And I hope that you will continue to understand, even unto the end.

14 And just as you have acknowledged us in our role, that we are your glory, so also you are ours, unto the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 And with this confidence, I wanted to come to you sooner, so that you might have a second grace,

16 and through you to pass into Macedonia, and to return to you again from Macedonia, and so be led by you on my way to Judea.

17 Then, although I had intended this, did I act lightly? Or in the things that I consider, do I consider according to the flesh, so that there would be, with me, both Yes and No?

18 But God is faithful, so our word, which was set before you, was not, in him, both Yes and No.

19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you through us, through myself and Sylvanus and Timothy, was not Yes, and No; but was simply Yes in him.

20 For whatever promises are of God are, in him, Yes. For this reason, too, through him: Amen to God for our glory.

21 Now the One who confirms us with you in Christ, and who has anointed us, is God.

22 And he has sealed us, and he has placed the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.

23 But I call God as a witness to my soul, that I was lenient with you, in that I did not return to Corinth:

24 not because we have dominion over your faith, but because we are assistants of your joy. For by faith you stand.

1 But I determined this within myself, not to return again to you in sorrow.

2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is it that can make me glad, except the one who is made sorrowful by me?

3 And so, I wrote this same thing to you, so that I might not, when I arrive, add sorrow to sorrow for those with whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you in all things, so that my joy may be entirely yours.

4 For with much tribulation and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears: not so that you would be sorrowful, but so that you might know the charity that I have more abundantly toward you.

5 But if anyone has brought sorrow, he has not sorrowed me. Yet, for my part, this is so that I might not burden all of you.

6 Let this rebuke be sufficient for someone like this, for it has been brought by many.

7 So then, to the contrary, you should be more forgiving and consoling, lest perhaps someone like this may be overwhelmed with excessive sorrow.

8 Because of this, I beg you to confirm your charity toward him.

9 It was for this reason, also, that I wrote, so that I might know, by testing you, whether you would be obedient in all things.

10 But anyone whom you have forgiven of anything, I also forgive. And then, too, anyone I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it was done in the person of Christ for your sakes,

11 so that we would not be circumvented by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his intentions.

12 And when I had arrived at Troas, because of the Gospel of Christ, and a door had opened to me in the Lord,

13 I had no rest within my spirit, because I was not able to find Titus, my brother. So, saying goodbye to them, I set out for Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who always brings triumph to us in Christ Jesus, and who manifests the fragrance of his knowledge through us in every place.

15 For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ for God, both with those who are being saved and with those who are perishing.

16 To the one, certainly, the fragrance is of death unto death. But to the other, the fragrance is of life unto life. And concerning these things, who is so suitable?

17 For we are not like many others, adulterating the Word of God. But instead, we speak with sincerity: from God, before God, and in Christ.

1 Must we begin again to commend ourselves? Or are we in need (as some are) of epistles of commendation for you, or from you?

2 You are our Epistle, written in our hearts, which is known and read by all men.

3 It has been made manifest that you are the Epistle of Christ, ministered by us, and written down, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on tablets of stone, but on the fleshly tablets of the heart.

4 And we have such faith, through Christ, toward God.

5 It is not that we are adequate to think anything of ourselves, as if anything was from us. But our adequacy is from God.

6 And he has made us suitable ministers of the New Testament, not in the letter, but in the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 But if the ministration of death, engraved with letters upon stones, was in glory, (so much so that the sons of Israel were not able to gaze intently upon the face of Moses, because of the glory of his countenance) even though this ministration was ineffective,

8 how could the ministration of the Spirit not be in greater glory?

9 For if the ministration of condemnation is with glory, so much more is the ministration of justice abundant in glory.

10 And neither was it glorified by means of an excellent glory, though it was made illustrious in its own way.

11 For if even what was temporary has its glory, then what is lasting has an even greater glory.

12 Therefore, having such a hope, we act with much confidence,

13 and not as Moses did, in placing a veil over his face, so that the sons of Israel would not gaze intently at his face. This was ineffective,

14 for their minds were obtuse. And, even until this present day, the very same veil, in the readings from the Old Testament, remains not taken away (though, in Christ, it is taken away).

15 But even until today, when Moses is read, a veil is still set over their hearts.

16 But when they will have been converted to the Lord, then the veil shall be taken away.

17 Now the Spirit is Lord. And wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 Yet truly, all of us, as we gaze upon the unveiled glory of the face of the Lord, are transfigured into the same image, from one glory to another. And this is done by the Spirit of the Lord.

1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, and in as much as we have obtained mercy for ourselves, we are not inadequate.

2 For we renounce dishonorable and hidden acts, not walking by craftiness, nor by adulterating the Word of God. Instead, by the manifestation of truth, we commend ourselves to the conscience of each man before God.

3 But if our Gospel is in some way hidden, it is hidden to those who are perishing.

4 As for them, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, would not shine in them.

5 For we are not preaching about ourselves, but about Jesus Christ our Lord. We are merely your servants through Jesus.

6 For God, who told the light to shine out of darkness, has shined a light into our hearts, to illuminate the knowledge of the splendor of God, in the person of Christ Jesus.

7 But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, so that what is sublime may be of the power of God, and not of us.

8 In all things, we endure tribulation, yet we are not in anguish. We are constrained, yet we are not destitute.

9 We suffer persecution, yet we have not been abandoned. We are thrown down, yet we do not perish.

10 We ever carry around the mortification of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

11 For we who live are ever handed over unto death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 Therefore, death is at work in us, and life is at work in you.

13 But we have the same Spirit of faith. And just as it is written, “I believed, and for that reason I spoke,” so we also believe, and for that reason, we also speak.

14 For we know that the One who raised up Jesus will raise us up also with Jesus and will place us with you.

15 Thus, all is for you, so that grace, abounding through many in thanksgiving, may abound to the glory of God.

16 For this reason, we are not insufficient. But it is as though our outer man is corrupted, while our inner man is renewed from day to day.

17 For though our tribulation is, at the present time, brief and light, it accomplishes in us the weight of a sublime eternal glory, beyond measure.

18 And we are contemplating, not the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are temporal, whereas the things that are not seen are eternal.

1 For we know that, when our earthly house of this habitation is dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

2 And for this reason also, we groan, desiring to be clothed from above with our habitation from heaven.

3 If we are so clothed, then we will not be found to be naked.

4 Then too, we who are in this tabernacle groan under the burden, because we do not want to be stripped, but rather to be clothed from above, so that what is mortal may be absorbed by life.

5 Now the One who accomplishes this very thing in us is God, who has given us the pledge of the Spirit.

6 Therefore, we are ever confident, knowing that, while we are in the body, we are on a pilgrimage in the Lord.

7 For we walk by means of faith, and not by sight.

8 So we are confident, and we have the good will to be on a pilgrimage in the body, so as to be present to the Lord.

9 And thus we struggle, whether absent or present, to please him.

10 For it is necessary for us to be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the proper things of the body, according to his behavior, whether it was good or evil.

11 Therefore, having knowledge of the fear of the Lord, we appeal to men, but we are made manifest before God. Yet I hope, too, that we may be made manifest in your consciences.

12 We are not commending ourselves again to you, but rather we are presenting you with an opportunity to glory because of us, when you deal with those who glory in face, and not in heart.

13 For if we are excessive in mind, it is for God; but if we are sober, it is for you.

14 For the charity of Christ urges us on, in consideration of this: that if one died for all, then all have died.

15 And Christ died for all, so that even those who live might not now live for themselves, but for him who died for them and who rose again.

16 And so, from now on, we know no one according to the flesh. And though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer.

17 So if anyone is a new creature in Christ, what is old has passed away. Behold, all things have been made new.

18 But all is of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

19 For certainly God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not charging them with their sins. And he has placed in us the Word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, so that God is exhorting through us. We beseech you for Christ: be reconciled to God.

21 For God made him who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the justice of God in him.

1 But, as a help to you, we exhort you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

2 For he says: “In a favorable time, I heeded you; and on the day of salvation, I helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

3 May we never give offense to anyone, so that our ministry may not be disparaged.

4 But in all things, let us exhibit ourselves as ministers of God with great patience: through tribulation, difficulties, and distress;

5 despite wounds, imprisonment, and rebellion; with hard work, vigilance, and fasting;

6 by chastity, knowledge, and longsuffering; in pleasantness, in the Holy Spirit, and in unfeigned charity;

7 with the Word of truth, with the power of God, and with the armor of justice to the right and to the left;

8 through honor and dishonor, despite good reports and bad, whether seen as deceivers or truth-tellers, whether ignored or acknowledged;

9 as if dying and yet truly alive; as if chastised and yet not subdued;

10 as if sorrowful and yet always rejoicing; as if needy and yet enriching many; as if having nothing and possessing everything.

11 Our mouth is open to you, O Corinthians; our heart is enlarged.

12 You are not narrowed by us, but it is by your own inner selves that you are narrowed.

13 But since we have the same recompense, (I am speaking as if to my own sons), you, too, should be enlarged.

14 Do not choose to bear the yoke with unbelievers. For how can justice be a participant with iniquity? Or how can the fellowship of light be a participant with darkness?

15 And how can Christ join together with Belial? Or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful?

16 And what consensus does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, just as God says: “I will dwell with them, and I will walk among them. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17 Because of this, you must depart from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean.

18 Then I will accept you. And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

1 Therefore, having these promises, most beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.

2 Consider us. We have injured no one; we have corrupted no one; we have defrauded no one.

3 I am not saying this to your condemnation. For we have told you before that you are in our hearts: to die together and to live together.

4 Great is my confidence in you. Great is my glorying over you. I have been filled with consolation. I have a superabundant joy throughout all our tribulation.

5 Then, too, when we had arrived in Macedonia, our flesh had no rest. Instead, we suffered every tribulation: exterior conflicts, interior fears.

6 But God, who consoles the humble, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,

7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled among you. For he brought to us your desire, your weeping, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.

8 For though I made you sorrowful by my epistle, I do not repent. And if I did repent, but only for a time, having realized that the same epistle made you sorrowful,

9 now I am glad: not because you were sorrowful, but because you were sorrowful unto repentance. For you became sorrowful for God, so that you might not suffer any harm from us.

10 For the sorrow that is according to God accomplishes a repentance which is steadfast unto salvation. But the sorrow that is of the world accomplishes death.

11 So consider this same idea, being sorrowful according to God, and what great solicitude it accomplishes in you: including protection, and indignation, and fear, and desire, and zeal, and vindication. In all things, you have shown yourselves to be uncorrupted by this sorrow.

12 And so, though I wrote to you, it was not because of him who caused the injury, nor because of him who suffered from it, but so as to manifest our solicitude, which we have for you before God.

13 Therefore, we have been consoled. But in our consolation, we have rejoiced even more abundantly over the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

14 And if I have gloried in anything to him about you, I have not been put to shame. But, just as we have spoken all things to you in truth, so also our glorying before Titus has been the truth.

15 And his feelings are now more abundant toward you, since he remembers the obedience of you all, and how you received him with fear and trembling.

16 I rejoice that in all things I have confidence in you.

1 And so we are making known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given in the churches of Macedonia.

2 For within a great experience of tribulation, they have had an abundance of joy, and their profound poverty has only increased the richness of their simplicity.

3 And I bear witness to them, that they were willing to accept what was in accord with their ability, and even what was beyond their ability.

4 For they were begging us, with great exhortation, for the grace and the communication of the ministry that is with the saints.

5 And this is beyond what we had hoped, since they gave themselves, first of all to the Lord, and then also to us, through the will of God,

6 so much so that we petitioned Titus, that in the same manner as he had begun, he would also complete in you this same grace.

7 But, just as in all things you abound in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all solicitude, and even more so in your charity toward us, so also may you abound in this grace.

8 I am speaking, not commanding. But through the solicitude of others, I approve of the good character of your charity.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that through his poverty, you might become rich.

10 And about this, I give my counsel. For this is useful to those of you who, only a year earlier, had just begun to act, or even to be willing to act.

11 So, truly now, accomplish this in deed, so that, in the same manner as your willing mind is prompted, you may also act, out of that which you have.

12 For when the will is prompted, it receives according to what that person has, not according to what that person does not have.

13 And it is not that others should be relieved, while you are troubled, but that there should be an equality.

14 In this present time, let your abundance supply their need, so that their abundance may also supply your need, in order that there may be an equality, just as it was written:

15 “He with more did not have too much; and he with less did not have too little.”

16 But thanks be to God, who has granted to the heart of Titus, this same solicitude for you.

17 For certainly, he accepted the exhortation. But since he was more solicitous, he went to you of his own free will.

18 And we have even sent with him a brother whose praise accompanies the Gospel throughout all the churches.

19 And not only that, but he was also chosen by the churches to be a companion for our sojourn in this grace, which is ministered by us with our determined will, to the glory of the Lord.

20 So let us avoid this, lest anyone disparage us over the abundance that is ministered by us.

21 For we provide for what is good, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of men.

22 And we have also sent with them our brother, whom we have proven to be frequently solicitous in many matters. But now there is a greater solicitousness, which is greatly entrusted to you;

23 and whether it concerns Titus, who is a companion to me and a helper to you, or whether it concerns our brothers, the Apostles of the churches, it is to the glory of Christ.

24 Therefore, in the sight of the churches, show them the proof of your charity and of our glorying about you.