He comforts me in all my trouble, so that I can comfort people who are in any trouble with the comfort with which I myself am comforted 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.

As this was my plan, where, pray, did I show any fickleness of purpose? Or do you think that my plans are formed on mere impulse, so that in the same breath I say 'Yes' and 'No'?

I call God for a record unto my soul, that for to favor you withal, I came not any more unto Corinth.

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

If any man hath caused sorrow, the same hath not made me sorry: but partly - lest I should grieve - you all.

so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.

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 it were of ourselves; but our ableness cometh of God;

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

So from this moment on, I do not estimate anybody by the standard of outward appearances. Although I once did estimate Christ by this standard, I do not do so any longer.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away: behold, all things are 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,

I am glad of it now, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repentance, for you took your sorrow in accordance with the will of God, so that you should not suffer any loss at all from me.

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].

For this we eschew, that any man should rebuke us in this plenteous distribution 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.

Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you in this undertaking.

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 am prepared to punish any trace of disobedience when you have made your obedience perfectly clear.

Look ye on things after the outer appearance? If any man trust in himself that he is Christ's, let the same also consider of himself, that as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

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 beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

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

Do you think that I did wrong in degrading myself to uplift you, because I preached God's good news to you without any compensation?

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;

And when I was with you and wanted money, I did not burden any of you, for when the brothers came from Macedonia they supplied what I needed. So I kept myself, as I shall always do, from being a burden to you in any way.

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.

I say again, lest any man think that I am foolish: or else even now take me as a fool, that I may boast myself a little.

for ye bear, if any one is bringing you under bondage, if any one doth devour, if any one doth take away, if any one doth exalt himself, if any one on the face doth smite you;

I speak as concerning rebuke, as though we had been weak. Howbeit, whereinsoever any man dare be bold - I speak foolishly - I dare be bold also.

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.

and yet though I would rejoice I should not be a fool, for I would say the truth. Nevertheless I spare, lest any man should think of me above that he seeth me to be, or heareth of 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 a fool. You forced me to be one. Really, I should have been commended by you, for I am not in any way inferior to your "super-apostles," even if 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 defraud you by any of them which I sent unto you?

I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother: Did Titus defraud you of any thing? Walked we not in one spirit? Walked we not in like steps?

For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means there should be'strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

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.