Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, ¹  who was the first convert ²  to Christ in the province of Asia. ³ 

For in the first place, when you come together as a church I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues.

For I passed on to you as of first importance ¹  what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,

So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”; ¹  the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us, ¹ 

And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

so that we, who were the first to set our hope ¹  on Christ, ²  would be to the praise of his glory.

I recall ¹  your sincere faith ²  that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure ³  is in you.

At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it.

how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

To him ¹  also Abraham apportioned a tithe ²  of everything. ³  His name first means ⁴  king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

When he speaks of a new covenant, ¹  he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. ² 

then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” ¹  He does away with ²  the first to establish the second.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ¹  full of mercy and good fruit, ²  impartial, and not hypocritical. ³ 

A ¹  second ²  angel ³  followed the first, ⁴  declaring: ⁵  “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! ⁶  She made all the nations ⁷  drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” ⁸ 

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) ¹  This is the first resurrection.

Then ¹  I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, ²  and the sea existed no more.

For seven days ¹  you must eat ²  bread made without yeast. ³  Surely ⁴  on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast ⁵  from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off ⁶  from Israel.

and he must present his offering ¹  to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace offering, ²