Who encourageth us in all our tribulation, to the end we may be able to encourage them who are in any tribulation - through means of the encouragement wherewith we, ourselves, are encouraged by God.

For I do not want you to be uninformed about the sorrow that I suffered in Asia, because I was so crushed beyond any power to endure that I was in dire despair of life itself.

Did I display any vacillation or caprice in this? Or the purposes which I form--do I form them on worldly principles, now crying "Yes, yes," and now "No, no"?

I call God to witness, and may I die if it is not true, that the reason of my not coming yet to Corinth, was to avoid using any severity towards you.

But I purposed in my self, I would not be the occasion of any uneasiness to you when I come again.

But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.

So that, on the contrary, ye should forgive and encourage, lest, by any means, by his excessive grief, such a one should be swallowed up.

To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn't find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

For this slight and momentary sorrow continues to accumulate for me a solid and eternal glory far beyond any comparison,

Wherefore, henceforth I have no regard to any man for his external appearance: for tho' I formerly look'd for worldly grandeur in the Messiah, yet now I see things in another light.

On the contrary, now, no longer, are we gaining it. So that, if any one is in Christ, there is a new creation! the old things, have passed away, - Lo! they have become new!

And being also co-laborers we exhort you not to receive the grace of God in vain,??2 for he says, In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you; behold, now is an acceptable time, behold, now is a day of salvation,??3 giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry may not be blamed,

Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord;
do not touch any unclean thing,
and I will welcome you.

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,

Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.

wherefore, my writing to you so severely did not proceed from any prejudice to him, that had done the wrong, or from favour to him that suffered wrong, but to show my conscientious regard to your welfare.

For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

I am not issuing any orders, only using the zeal of others to prove how sterling your own love is.

for if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;

But so that things may be equal; that from those things of which you have more than enough at the present time their need may be helped, and that if you are in any need they may be a help to you in the same way, making things equal.

as it is written [Ex. 16:18], "The person who gathered much [i.e., manna] did not have any left over, and the one who gathered [only] a little [still] had plenty."

And we have sent [i.e., are sending] with him the brother who is praised throughout all the churches for [his work in] preaching the Gospel [Note: This "brother" cannot be identified with any certainty].

avoiding this, lest any one may blame us in this abundance that is ministered by us,

Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.

I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints.

For if any Macedonians come with me and find you not ready, shame would come upon me (not to speak of you) in respect to this confidence.

let every man give as he is disposed in his own mind, without any regret or reluctance: for God loves a cheerful benefactor.

Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.

the weapons of my warfare are not weapons of the flesh, but divinely strong to demolish fortresses ??5 I demolish theories and any rampart thrown up to resist the knowledge of God, I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ,

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

Look these facts in the face. If any man is fully persuaded as regards himself that he belongs to Christ, let him consider again with himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also am I.

For if I shall in any thing the more abundantly boast concerning our power which the Lord gave us for your edification, and not for your destruction, I will not be ashamed:

I will not boast of any thing done without my province, but confine myself within that line by which God has mark'd out my bounds, and in which you are included.

But I fear lest, by any means, as, the serpent, completely deceived Eve, in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the singleness and the chastenesswhich are due unto the Christ.

I do not think I'm inferior in any way to those "super-apostles."

Did I do wrong in taking a lowly place to let you have an exalted one, in that I preached the good news about God to you without accepting any pay?

I robbed other churches, taking wages to do you service: and when I was present with you, and wanted, I was not a burden to any one;

Even when I lacked the actual necessities of life while I was with you, I was a burden to no one; for whatever I lacked, the brothers from Macedonia supplied, when they came. So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

As surely as I know anything of the Truth of Christ, this boast, as far as I am concerned, shall not be stopped in any part of Greece.

And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about.

Again I say, Let not any one think me to be a fool; but if otherwise, receive me then even as a fool, that I also may boast myself some little.

For ye bear with it - if anyone enslaveth you, if any devoureth, if anyone taketh, if anyone lifteth himself up, if anyone, on the face, doth smite you!

I say that I was weak, and yet for whatever reason any one is bold (I speak in mere folly) I too am bold.

If there is to be any boasting, I will boast of what I am weak enough to suffer!

I must boast, although it does not do any good. Let's talk about visions and revelations from the Lord.

I might glory in being the man; but I will not glory in any thing relating to myself, unless it be my sufferings.

If I should choose to continue boasting I should not be foolish, for I should be speaking the truth. But I refrain, lest by the stupendous grandeur of the revelation any one should estimate me beyond what he sees in me, or hears from me.

but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

I have become foolish [i.e., by my boasting], but you made me do it [i.e., in order to vindicate myself]. For I should have been commended by you [i.e., for my effective ministry there in Corinth], because I was not inferior in any way to those "super apostles" [See 11:5], even though I am nothing.

In what respect, then, were you inferior to the rest of the churches, except for the fact that I, and I only, never received from you any financial support? Please forgive me this wrong.

'tis own'd I did not put you to any charges myself: but was so crafty, as to over-reach you, by others.

Did I make gain of you through any of those whom I sent to you?

I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?

For I fear - lest, by any means, when I come, not such as I wish, should I find you, and, I, should be found by you, such as ye do not wish; - lest, by any means, I should find strife, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, factions, railings, whisperings, puffed up pretensions, confusions; -

This is my third visit to you. Any charge preferred must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even [though] we are [seen] as though unqualified.

For we do not have any power against the truth, but for the truth.

because of this, these things -- being absent -- I write, that being present, I may not treat any sharply, according to the authority that the Lord did give me for building up, and not for casting down.