16:1 | I WANT this letter to introduce to you Phoebe, our sister, a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea. |
16:2 | Please give her a Christian welcome, and any assistance with her work that she may need. She has herself been of great assistance to many, not excluding myself. |
16:3 | Give my good wishes to Prisca and Aquila. They have not only worked with me for Christ Jesus, |
16:4 | but have risked their necks to save my life. Not only I, but all the gentile churches, owe them a great debt. |
16:5 | Give my love to the church that meets in their house. My good wishes also to dear Epaenetus, Asia's first man to be won for Christ, |
16:6 | and of course greet Mary who has worked so hard for you. |
16:7 | A warm greeting, too, for Andronicus and Junias my fellowcountryman and fellowprisoners; they are outstanding men among the messengers and were Christians before I was. |
16:8 | Another warm greeting for Ampliatus, dear Christian that he is, |
16:9 | and also for Urbanus, who has worked with me for Christ, and dear Stachys, too. |
16:10 | More greetings from me, please, to: Apelles, the man who has proved his faith; The household of Aristobulus, |
16:11 | Herodion, my fellowcountryman, Narcissus' household, who are Christians. |
16:12 | Remember me to Tryphena and Tryphosa, who work so hard for the Lord, and to my dear Persis who has also done great work for him. |
16:13 | My greetings also to Rufusthat splendid Christian, and greet his mother, who has been a mother to me too. |
16:14 | Greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and their Christian group: |
16:15 | also to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and the Christians who are with them. |
16:16 | Give each other a hearty handshake all round in Christian love. The greetings of all the churches come to you with this letter. |
16:17 | And now I implore you, my brothers, to keep a watchful eye on those who cause trouble and make difficulties among you, in plain opposition to the teaching you have been given, and steer clear of them. |
16:18 | Such men do not really serve our Lord Christ at all but their own ambitions. Yet with their plausible and attractive arguments they deceive those who are too simplehearted to see through them. |
16:19 | Your loyalty to the gospel is known everywhere, and that gives me great joy. I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil. |
16:20 | It will not be long before the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. |
16:21 | Timothy, who works with me, sends his greetings, and so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater my fellowcountrymen. |
16:22 | I, Tertius, who have been taking down this epistle from Paul's dictation, send you my Christian greetings too. |
16:23 | Gaius, my host (and the host as a matter of fact of the whole church here), sends you his greetings. Erastus, our city treasurer, and Quartus, another Christian brother, send greetings too. |
16:24 | |
16:25 | Now to him who is able to set you firmly on your feetaccording to my gospel, according to the preaching of Jesus Christ himself, and in accordance with the disclosing of that secret purpose which, after long ages of silence, |
16:26 | has now been made known (in full agreement with the writings of the prophets long ago), by the command of the everlasting God to all the gentiles, that they might turn to him in the obedience of faith |
16:27 | to him, I say, the God who alone is wise, be glory for ever through Jesus Christ, amen! |