For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life:

For in our letters we say no other things to you, but those which you are reading, and to which you give agreement, and, it is my hope, will go on doing so to the end:

If then I had such a purpose, did I seem to be changing suddenly? or am I guided in my purposes by the flesh, saying, Yes, today, and, No, tomorrow?

As God is true, our word to you is not Yes and No.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we were preaching among you, even I and Silvanus and Timothy, was not Yes and No, but in him is Yes.

Now he who makes our faith strong together with you, in Christ, and has given us of his grace, is God;

So that now, on the other hand, it is right for him to have forgiveness and comfort from you, for fear that his sorrow may be over-great.

Now when I came to Troas for the good news of Christ, and there was an open door for me in the Lord,

I had no rest in my spirit because Titus my brother was not there: so I went away from them, and came into Macedonia.

Who has made us able to be servants of a new agreement; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter gives death, but the Spirit gives life.

For the glory of the first no longer seems to be glory, because of the greater glory of that which comes after.

Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there the heart is free.

For this reason, because we have been made servants of this new order, through the mercy given to us, we are strong:

For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day.

For truly, we who are in this tent do give out cries of weariness, for the weight of care which is on us; not because we are desiring to be free from the body, but so that we may have our new body, and death may be overcome by life.

Now he who has made us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a witness of what is to come.

And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead.

For this reason, from this time forward we have knowledge of no man after the flesh: even if we have had knowledge of Christ after the flesh, we have no longer any such knowledge.

So if any man is in Christ, he is in a new world: the old things have come to an end; they have truly become new.

For him who had no knowledge of sin God made to be sin for us; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

We then, working together with God, make our request to you not to take the grace of God to no purpose.

(For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation):

Giving no cause for trouble in anything, so that no one may be able to say anything against our work;

Now to give me back payment of the same sort (I am talking as to my children), let your hearts be wide open to me.

For which cause, Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and let no unclean thing come near you; and I will take you for myself,

Let your hearts be open to us: we have done no man wrong, no man has been damaged by us, we have made no profit out of any man,

For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; there were fightings outside and fears inside.

For though my letter gave you pain, I have no regret for it now, though I had before; for I see that the letter gave you pain, but only for a time.

Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything.

For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.

And now we give you news, brothers, about the grace of God which has been given to the churches of Macedonia;

And so that no man might be able to say anything against us in the business of this giving which has been put into our hands:

And we have sent with them our brother, whose ready spirit has been made clear to us at times and in ways without number, but it is now all the more so because of the certain faith which he has in you.

But there is no need for me to say anything in my letter about the giving to the saints:

Praise be to God for what he has given, which words have no power to say.

Now I, Paul, myself make request to you by the quiet and gentle behaviour of Christ, I who am poor in spirit when with you, but who say what is in my mind to you without fear when I am away from you:

For we have no need to make ourselves seem more than we are, as if our authority did not come as far as to you: for we came even as far as you with the good news of Christ:

For in my opinion, I am in no way less than the most important of the Apostles.

And when I was present with you, and was in need, I let no man be responsible for me; for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, gave me whatever was needed; and in everything I kept myself from being a trouble to you, and I will go on doing so.

As the true word of Christ is in me, I will let no man take from me this my cause of pride in the country of Achaia.

Why? because I have no love for you? let God be judge.

But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are.

And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light.

So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works.

What I am now saying is not by the order of the Lord, but as a foolish person, taking credit to myself, as it seems.

On account of such a one I will have glory: for myself I will take no glory, but only in my feeble body.

I have been forced by you to become foolish, though it was right for my praise to have come from you: for in no way was I less than the chief of the Apostles, though I am nothing.

This is now the third time that I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a trouble to you: my desire is for you, not for your property: for it is not the children's business to make store for their fathers, but the fathers for the children.

And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

But it is my hope that you will have no doubt that we are truly Christ's.

Now our prayer to God is that you may do no evil; not in order that it may be put to our credit, but so that you may do what is right, whatever we may seem.