Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, together with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed [is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those [who are] in all affliction with the comfort with which [we] ourselves are comforted by God.

But [we] ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves, so that we would not be putting confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,

For our reason for boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, in holiness and purity of motive from God, not in merely human wisdom, but by the grace of God.

But God [is] faithful, so that our word 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, did not become "yes" and "no," but has become "yes" in him.

For as many as [are the] promises of God, in him [they are] "yes"; therefore also through him [is] the "amen" to the glory of God through us.

Now the one who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anoints us [is] God,

But I call upon God [as] witness against my life, that [in order to] spare you, I did not come again to Corinth.

But thanks [be] to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and who reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of him through us in every place.

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

For we are not like the majority who peddle the word of God, but as from pure motives--but as from God--we speak before God in Christ.

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

Now we possess such confidence through Christ toward God.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as from ourselves, but our adequacy [is] from God,

but we have renounced shameful hidden things, not behaving with craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but with the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person's conscience before God.

among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they would not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," [is the one] who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us.

For all [these things] {are for your sake}, in order that the grace that is increasing through the many may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

For we know that if our earthly house, the tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.

Now the one who has prepared us for this very [thing] [is] God, who has given us the down payment, the Spirit.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the [things] through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Therefore, [because we] know the fear of the Lord, we are attempting to persuade people, but we are revealed to God, and I hope to be revealed in your consciences.

For if we are out of our senses, [it is] for God; if we are of sound mind, [it is] for you.

And all these [things] [are] from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as [if] God were imploring [you] through us. We beg [you] on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

He made the one who did not know sin [to be] sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.

Now [because we] are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

but commending ourselves as servants of God in every [way], in much endurance, in afflictions, in distresses, in difficulties,

in the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and left hand,

through glory and dishonor, through slander and good repute, [regarded] as deceivers and [yet] truthful,

And what agreement [does the] temple of God [have] with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk about [among them], and I will be their God and they will be my people."

Therefore [since we] have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, accomplishing holiness in the fear of God.

But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to repentance. For you were grieved according to [the will of] God, so that you suffered loss in no way through us.

For grief according to [the will of] God brings about a repentance [leading] to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death.

For behold how much diligence this very [thing], being grieved according to [the will of] God, has brought about in you: what defense [of yourselves], what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! In everything you have demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Consequently, even if I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong or because of the one who had been wronged, but in order that your diligence {on our behalf} might be revealed to you before God.

Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,

and not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and [then] to us, by the will of God.

But thanks [be] to God, who has put in the heart of Titus the same devotion {on your behalf},

Each one [should give] as he has decided in his heart, not {reluctantly} or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, [because you] have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work.

being made rich in every [way] for all generosity, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God,

because the service of this ministry is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but also is overflowing through many [expressions of] thanksgiving to God.

Through the proven character of this service [they will] glorify God because of the submission of your confession to the gospel of Christ and the generosity of [your] participation toward them and toward everyone,

and [they are] longing for you in their prayers for you, because of the surpassing grace of God to you.

Thanks [be] to God for his indescribable gift!

for the weapons of our warfare [are] not merely human, but powerful to God for the tearing down of fortresses, tearing down arguments

and all pride that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

But we will not boast {beyond limits}, but according to the measure of the assignment that God has assigned to us as a measure to reach even as far as you.

Or did I commit a sin [by] humbling myself in order that you may be exalted, because I proclaimed the gospel of God to you without payment?

{Why}? Because I do not love you? God knows [I do]!

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed {forever}, knows that I am not lying.

I know a man in Christ fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven,

and I know this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows--

Have you been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and all [these things], dear friends, [are] for your edification.

[I am afraid] lest [when I] come again my God will humiliate me {in your presence}, and I will grieve over many of those who sinned previously and have not repented because of their impurity and sexual immorality and licentiousness that they have practiced.

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

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.

Finally, brothers, rejoice, be restored, be encouraged, {be in agreement}, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit [be] with all of you.