Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:

To God’s church at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.

He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.

Now we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely—

as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride, as you are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.

I do not mean that we have control of your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand by faith.

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I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything.

I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this?

For we are not like the many who market God’s message for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone.

It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus.

We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair;

we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord.

Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him.

Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.

For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we have a sound mind, it is for you.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections.

And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said:

I will dwell among them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.

We are taking this precaution so no one can criticize us about this large sum administered by us.

For we are making provision for what is right, not only before the Lord but also before men.

As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker serving you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way.

For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way,

since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments

And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed.

For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.”

Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you.

For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.

We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged,

so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you, not boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry.

But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as our equals in what they boast about.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools!

Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

Are they servants of Christ?
I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one:
with far more labors,
many more imprisonments,
far worse beatings, near death many times.

Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up.

In fact, He was crucified in weakness, but He lives by God’s power. For we also are weak in Him, yet toward you we will live with Him by God’s power.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.

And I hope you will recognize that we do not fail the test.

For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

In fact, we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray that you become fully mature.