Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God.

For as the Messiah's sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.

If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering.

Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living.

He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again,

as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.

For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace especially toward you.

For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely,

just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

As certainly as God is faithful, we haven't talked to you with mixed messages like that.

For God's Son, Jesus the Messiah, who was preached among you by us by me, Silvanus, and Timothy was not "Yes" and "No." But with him it is always "Yes."

Now the one who makes us and you as well secure in union with the Messiah and has anointed us is God,

who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.

It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have.

This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man.

But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him.

To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

Such is the confidence that we have in God through the Messiah.

By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God,

who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

For if that which fades away came through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory?

However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah is that veil removed.

Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom.