But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.

Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

For our reason for confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity which are from God -- not by human wisdom but by the grace of God -- we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more toward you.

For we do not write you anything other than what you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely

But as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No."

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us -- by me and Silvanus and Timothy -- was not "Yes" and "No," but it has always been "Yes" in him.

But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,

I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.

For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused to be sad?

For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place.

to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God.

revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,

who made us adequate to be servants of a new covenant not based on the letter but on the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

But if the ministry that produced death -- carved in letters on stone tablets -- came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective),

and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective.

But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.

But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,

but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience before God.

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

For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair;

we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed,

As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been written, "I believed; therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore we also speak.

Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day.

because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling,

if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked.

For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too.

We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.

And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.

But as God's servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses,

as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Our affection for you is not restricted, but you are restricted in your affections for us.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way -- struggles from the outside, fears from within.

But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.

We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever.

Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us.

For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death.

So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God.

For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you, but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus about you has proved true as well.

And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

But as you excel in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you -- make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.

I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others.

For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter of equality.

But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you,

because he not only accepted our request, but since he was very eager, he is coming to you of his own accord.

For we are concerned about what is right not only before the Lord but also before men.

And we are sending with them our brother whom we have tested many times and found eager in many matters, but who now is much more eager than ever because of the great confidence he has in you.

But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.

because the service of this ministry is not only providing for the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God.

Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!) --

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments

because some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak and his speech is of no account."

For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.

But we will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine our boasting according to the limits of the work to which God has appointed us, that reaches even as far as you.

Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits,

But the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.

For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends.

I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me!

But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough!

I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

For since you are so wise, you put up with fools gladly.

For you put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly toward you, if someone strikes you in the face.

(To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.

but I was let down in a rope-basket through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands.

was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak.

On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.

For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me,

But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.

Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!

since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak toward you but is powerful among you.

For indeed he was crucified by reason of weakness, but he lives because of God's power. For we also are weak in him, but we will live together with him, because of God's power toward you.

Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless, indeed, you fail the test!

Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the sake of the truth.

For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong. And we pray for this: that you may become fully qualified.