For what I am writing you is nothing more than what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand it perfectly, just as some of you have come to understand me partially;

as some of you have come to understand me, and that you will understand that you have a right to be proud of me, as I have of you, on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

And, in this confidence, I purposed, before, to come unto you, - in order that, a second joy, ye might have, -

And, by your means, to pass into Macedonia, and, again, from Macedonia, to come unto you, and, by you, be set forward unto Judea: -

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—did not become “Yes and no”; on the contrary, a final “Yes” has come in Him.

But, I, call upon God, as a witness, against my own soul, - that, to spare you, not yet, have I come unto Corinth:

For I have determined, unto myself, this - not, again, in grief, to come unto you.

and I wrote to you this same thing, that having come, I may not have sorrow from them of whom it behoved me to have joy, having confidence in you all, that my joy is of you all,

The affliction I have had, comes only from a particular quarter, so that my resentment does not affect the whole church.

And having come to Troas for the good news of the Christ, and a door to me having been opened in the Lord,

Not that I am myself qualified to consider anything as coming from me myself. No, my qualification comes from God, for

Our fitness comes from God, who himself made us fit to be ministers of a New Covenant, of which the substance is, not a written Law, but a Spirit. For the written Law means Death, but the Spirit gives Life.

For if the ministering of death, by means of a covenant that was written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses, on ac count of the glory of his face, which glory was to come to an end:

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

For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory!

and do not as Moses did, who put a vail over his face, so that the sons of Israel could not steadily look to the end of that which was to come to an end.

And all of us, with faces uncovered, because we continue to reflect like mirrors the splendor of the Lord, are being transformed into likeness to Him, from one degree of splendor to another, since it comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Therefore seeing that we have such an office, even as mercy is come on us, we faint not:

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

persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed ??10 wherever I go, I am being killed in the body as Jesus was, so that the life of Jesus may come out in my body:

every day of my life I am being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may come out within my mortal flesh.

Because we are certain that he who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead, will do the same for us, and will give us a place in his glory with you.

For I know that if this earthly tent in which I live is taken down, I have a building in heaven which comes from God, a house not built by human hands but eternal.

For in this one we sigh, because we long to put on over it our dwelling which comes from Heaven--

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.

Come what may, then, I am confident; I know that while I reside in the body I am away from the Lord

We have good courage, however, and are well pleased - rather to be away from home, out of the body, and to come home, unto the Lord.

For we all have to come before Christ to be judged; so that every one of us may get his reward for the things done in the body, good or bad.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

All this comes from God, who through Christ has reconciled me to himself, and has commissioned me to proclaim this reconciliation??19 how God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, refusing to count men's offenses against them, and intrusted me with the message of reconciliation.

On Christ's behalf, then, I come as ambassador. It is as though God was entreating you, through me, on Christ's behalf I beg you to be reconciled to God.

He made Him who personally knew nothing of sin to be a sin-offering for us, so that through union with Him we might come into right standing with God.

For he says, "I have listened to you at a welcome time, And helped you on a day of deliverance!" Now the welcome time has come! This is the day of deliverance!

Do not come into close association with unbelievers, like oxen yoked with asses. For what is there in common between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what partnership has light with darkness?

Wherefore come ye forth out of their midst, and be separated, - saith the Lord, - and, one impure, do not touch; and, I, will give you welcome,

For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

For the sorrow that comes in accordance with the will of God results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but the sorrow the world produces results in death.

But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also.

And I am not saying this so that others may get off free, while the weight comes on you:

In order that their surplus may come to be for your deficiency: that there may come about an equality: -

For he not only consented to my request, but being thoroughly in earnest, comes to you of his own accord.

If any question comes up about Titus, he is my brother-worker, working with me for you; or about the others, they are the representatives of the churches to the glory of Christ.

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.

I thought it necessary therefore to beg the brethren that they would come to you, and complete beforehand your fore-announced blessing, that this may be ready thus as blessing, and not as got out of you.

Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed].

And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.

This service shows what you are, it makes men praise God for the way you have come under the gospel of Christ which you confess, and for the generosity of your contributions to themselves and to all;

Now I Paul, myself, appeal to you by the humble-heartedness and selflessness of Christ??aul who "in your presence is humble, but bold enough when he is absent"??2 I beseech you, and I say, do not make me show my boldness, when I come in the boldness with which I think I shall show my courage against some who think that I am walking on the low level of the flesh.

I beg you not to make me take as bold an attitude when I come, as I count on taking toward some people who suspect me of acting from worldly motives.

Putting an end to reasonings, and every high thing which is lifted up against the knowledge of God, and causing every thought to come under the authority of Christ;

The things that lie on the surface, ye are looking at: - if anyone hath come to trust in himself that he is, Christ's, this, let him reckon, again, with himself - that, even as, he, is Christ's, so, also are, we.

We will not give glory to ourselves in over-great measure, but after the measure of the rule which God has given us, a measure which comes even to you.

For I am not overstepping the limits of my authority, as though I reached you not; since I have already come even as far as Corinth to proclaim the gospel of Christ.

For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!

For I reckon not to have come a whit behind the exceeding overmuch apostles;

And, being present with you, and having come short, I was not burdensome to anyone, - for, my deficiency, the brethren, coming from Macedonia, helped to make up; - and, in everything, without burden unto you, I kept, myself - and will keep!

That I speak, I speak it not after the ways of the Lord: but as it were foolishly, while we are now come to boasting.

In addition to all the other things, there is that which comes on me every day, the care of all the churches.

To be boasting, is needful, - it is not, indeed, profitable, yet will I come to visions and revelations of the Lord: -

I have become foolish, - ye, compelled me: - I, in fact, ought, by you, to have been commended; for, not a whit, have I come behind the exceeding overmuch apostles, - even if I am nothing:

Lo! this third time, I am holding myself, in readiness, to come unto you, and I will not allow myself to be a burden; for I seek not yours, but you; - for, the children, ought not to lay up, for the parents, but the parents for the children; -

I urged Titus to come, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit and in the same footsteps?

Are you thinking all this time that I am defending myself to you? It is in the very presence of God and as one who is in union with Christ that I am speaking. And it is all for building you up, beloved, for I am apprehensive that, somehow or other, when I come I shall find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me.

For I dread that perhaps, when I come, I may not find you to be such as I wish, and that I may be found by you such as you do not wish; I dread lest there should be quarrels, jealousy, tempers, party spirit, slandering, gossip, arrogance, tumults;

and lest when I come again my God may humble me before you, and lest I shall mourn for many those who have sinned before, and have not repented of the impurity and immorality and wantonness which they have practised.

This third time do I come unto you; on the mouth of two witnesses or three shall every saying be established;

I have said formerly, and I now forewarn you as when I was present the second time, so now when I am absent the second time, so now when I am absent, saying to those who had sinned before, and to all the rest, "If I come again, I will not spare,"

I hope, however, that ye shall come to know, that, we, fail not in the testing!

and I pray to God that you may not go wrong ??not to prove I am a success, that is not the point, but that you should come right, even if I seemed to be a failure.

For this reason I am writing thus while absent, so that when I come, I may not have to deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for pulling down.