The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel(A) I preached to you,(B) which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved,(C) if you hold firmly(D) to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received(E) I passed on to you(F) as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins(G) according to the Scriptures,(H) that he was buried,(I) that he was raised(J) on the third day(K) according to the Scriptures,(L) and that he appeared to Cephas,[b](M) and then to the Twelve.(N) After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.(O) Then he appeared to James,(P) then to all the apostles,(Q) and last of all he appeared to me also,(R) as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles(S) and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted(T) the church of God.(U) 10 But by the grace(V) of God I am what I am, and his grace to me(W) was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them(X)—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.(Y) 11 Whether, then, it is I or they,(Z) this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead,(AA) how can some of you say that there is no resurrection(AB) of the dead?(AC) 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised,(AD) our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.(AE) But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.(AF) 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep(AG) in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.(AH)

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,(AI) the firstfruits(AJ) of those who have fallen asleep.(AK) 21 For since death came through a man,(AL) the resurrection of the dead(AM) comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.(AN) 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits;(AO) then, when he comes,(AP) those who belong to him.(AQ) 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom(AR) to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.(AS) 25 For he must reign(AT) until he has put all his enemies under his feet.(AU) 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.(AV) 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c](AW) Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.(AX) 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him,(AY) so that God may be all in all.(AZ)

29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?(BA) 31 I face death every day(BB)—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts(BC) in Ephesus(BD) with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”[d](BE)

33 Do not be misled:(BF) “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e](BG) 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God(BH)—I say this to your shame.(BI)

The Resurrection Body

35 But someone will ask,(BJ) “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”(BK) 36 How foolish!(BL) What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.(BM) 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.(BN) 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor,(BO) the moon another and the stars another;(BP) and star differs from star in splendor.

42 So will it be(BQ) with the resurrection of the dead.(BR) The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;(BS) 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;(BT) it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.(BU)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f];(BV) the last Adam,(BW) a life-giving spirit.(BX) 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.(BY) 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth;(BZ) the second man is of heaven.(CA) 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.(CB) 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man,(CC) so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.(CD)

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood(CE) cannot inherit the kingdom of God,(CF) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.(CG) 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery:(CH) We will not all sleep,(CI) but we will all be changed(CJ) 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,(CK) the dead(CL) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable(CM) must clothe itself with the imperishable,(CN) and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h](CO)

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”[i](CP)

56 The sting of death is sin,(CQ) and the power of sin is the law.(CR) 57 But thanks be to God!(CS) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(CT)

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,(CU) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.(CV)

The Collection for the Lord’s People

16 Now about the collection(CW) for the Lord’s people:(CX) Do what I told the Galatian(CY) churches to do. On the first day of every week,(CZ) each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.(DA) Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve(DB) and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

Personal Requests

After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you(DC)—for I will be going through Macedonia.(DD) Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey,(DE) wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.(DF) But I will stay on at Ephesus(DG) until Pentecost,(DH) because a great door for effective work has opened to me,(DI) and there are many who oppose me.

10 When Timothy(DJ) comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord,(DK) just as I am. 11 No one, then, should treat him with contempt.(DL) Send him on his way(DM) in peace(DN) so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.

12 Now about our brother Apollos:(DO) I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

13 Be on your guard; stand firm(DP) in the faith; be courageous; be strong.(DQ) 14 Do everything in love.(DR)

15 You know that the household of Stephanas(DS) were the first converts(DT) in Achaia,(DU) and they have devoted themselves to the service(DV) of the Lord’s people.(DW) I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16 to submit(DX) to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17 I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you.(DY) 18 For they refreshed(DZ) my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.(EA)

Final Greetings

19 The churches in the province of Asia(EB) send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla[j](EC) greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.(ED) 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.(EE)

21 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.(EF)

22 If anyone does not love the Lord,(EG) let that person be cursed!(EH) Come, Lord[k]!(EI)

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.(EJ)

24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.[l]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:3 Or you at the first
  2. 1 Corinthians 15:5 That is, Peter
  3. 1 Corinthians 15:27 Psalm 8:6
  4. 1 Corinthians 15:32 Isaiah 22:13
  5. 1 Corinthians 15:33 From the Greek poet Menander
  6. 1 Corinthians 15:45 Gen. 2:7
  7. 1 Corinthians 15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us
  8. 1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8
  9. 1 Corinthians 15:55 Hosea 13:14
  10. 1 Corinthians 16:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
  11. 1 Corinthians 16:22 The Greek for Come, Lord reproduces an Aramaic expression (Marana tha) used by early Christians.
  12. 1 Corinthians 16:24 Some manuscripts do not have Amen.

The Riot in Ephesus

23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(A) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.(B) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(C) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(D) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(E) 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(F) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(G) and Aristarchus,(H) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(I) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(J) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(K) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(L) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(M)

35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(N) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(O) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(P) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(Q) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Through Macedonia and Greece

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples(R) and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.(S)

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